Vietnam to Cambodia: Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap & Beach Bars (Self-Launched)
11 days · Vietnam & Cambodia
G Adventures charges £712
No-markup version: ~£645 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An 11-day self-launched version of G Adventures' Roamies route from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap. You'll do the Mekong Delta, cross the border overland to Kep and Kampot, ride a ferry out to Koh Rong island, then work your way through Phnom Penh to the temples of Sambor Prei Kuk and Angkor. Everything is bookable yourself: sleeper buses, local minivans, Mekong ferries, motorbike taxis, and hostel dorms. Costs are backpacker-realistic estimates in GBP and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Ho Chi Minh City + self-run street food crawl
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Land at Tan Son Nhat (SGN) and take a Grab or metered Vinasun/Mai Linh taxi to a District 1 hostel (around £3–4). Check into a dorm in the Pham Ngu Lao / Bui Vien backpacker quarter. In the evening, DIY the included street food crawl: book a small-group street food walk on GetYourGuide or Klook (roughly £15–20), or go it alone with a map of District 1 and District 4 stalls — banh mi, bun bo Hue, banh xeo, and grilled seafood on Vo Van Kiet. Rooftop bars for a first-night beer.
🚌Grab taxi from airport (~£3–4)
🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao)
- →Self-guided District 1 street food crawl
- →Optional GetYourGuide/Klook street food tour (~£17)
Mekong Delta to Chau Doc — Sam Mountain by motorbike
Chau Doc, Vietnam
Take a morning Futa or Phuong Trang sleeper/limousine bus from Ho Chi Minh City's Mien Tay station to Chau Doc (about 6 hours, roughly £9–12; book on Baolau or at the station). Check into a cheap guesthouse near the river. In the afternoon, hire a local xe om (motorbike taxi) to ride up Sam Mountain — agree a return price of around £5–7 — and stop at Hang Pagoda (Phuoc Dien Tu) on the slopes. Stay for sunset over the delta; it's free to enter and genuinely atmospheric.
🚌Sleeper bus HCMC to Chau Doc (~£10), motorbike taxi (~£6)
🛏Guesthouse in Chau Doc
- →Sam Mountain motorbike ride
- →Hang Pagoda visit
- →Delta sunset viewpoint
Sunrise river trip, border crossing, Kep crab lunch, Kampot
Kampot, Cambodia
Do a sunrise boat trip on the Mekong with a local boatman at the Chau Doc waterfront (~£6–8, arrange the night before). Then visit Chau Doc market and a fish farm. Cross the Tinh Bien–Phnom Den land border by shared taxi or minibus (roughly £10–14); get your Cambodian visa on arrival at this border (around £25–30, bring 2 passport photos — e-visas are not accepted at this crossing). From the border, take a shared taxi to Kep (~£6). Hit Kep's crab market for pepper crab, then a tuk-tuk or local bus on to Kampot (~£4–6).
🚌Boat (~£7), shared taxi/bus to border (~£12), shared taxi to Kep and Kampot (~£10)
🛏Hostel dorm in Kampot
- →Sunrise Mekong boat trip
- →Chau Doc market
- →Kep crab market lunch
- →Tinh Bien border crossing
Free day in Kampot — pepper farms, river, yoga
Kampot, Cambodia
No guide needed today. Options: rent a bicycle (~£2/day) and ride out to a pepper farm (La Plantation or Sothy's, ~£4–5 tour); take a tuk-tuk countryside loop (~£12–15 for the vehicle, split between a few people); join a sunset river cruise (~£7–9); take a yoga class in town (~£6); or just swim off the riverbank. Rabbit Island is also reachable by local boat if you want a beach day. Laundry and hammock time are legitimate plans too.
🚌Bicycle hire (~£2)
🛏Hostel dorm in Kampot
- →Kampot pepper farm tour
- →Tuk-tuk countryside loop
- →Sunset river cruise (optional)
- →Yoga class (optional)
Bokor National Park ruins, then ferry to Koh Rong
Koh Rong, Cambodia
Hire a motorbike driver or shared tuk-tuk up to Monivong Bokor National Park to see the abandoned French hill station, the cliffside ruins and coastal views (roughly £15–20 for the vehicle; free to enter, small park fee). Come back down, take a shared minivan or bus to Sihanoukville's Serendipity pier (~£8–10), then the speed ferry to Koh Rong (~£12–13 return). Walk to a beachfront bungalow or hostel dorm and get straight into the sea before sunset.
🚌Tuk-tuk up Bokor (~£8), minivan to Sihanoukville (~£9), ferry (~£12)
🛏Beach bungalow or dorm, Koh Rong
- →Bokor National Park ruins
- →Speed ferry to Koh Rong
- →Beach sunset
Full beach day on Koh Rong
Koh Rong, Cambodia
The beach you came for. Swim, hammock, walk the shoreline toward Long Set or 4K Beach, and drink cheap beer from a beach bar. Optional add-ons you can book on the island: snorkelling or boat trip to Koh Rong Sanloem (~£12–15), kayak hire (~£5/hour), or the plankton night swim boat (~£10). Keep it simple and do nothing — this is the recharge day.
🚌Walking
🛏Beach bungalow or dorm, Koh Rong
- →Beach and swimming
- →Optional boat/snorkel trip (~£13)
- →Optional night plankton swim (~£10)
Ferry back, Chambok community visit, on to Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Take the morning ferry back to Sihanoukville, then arrange a stop at the Chambok community-based ecotourism village near Kirirom (book in advance via local CBT contacts or a Klook day experience, ~£20–25 including Khmer lunch and a necklace/bracelet-making session with local women). Continue by bus to Phnom Penh (~£7–9, 4–5 hours). Dump your bag at a hostel near the riverside and head out into the nightlife.
🚌Ferry (~£6), bus to Phnom Penh (~£8)
🛏Hostel dorm, Phnom Penh riverside
- →Chambok community visit and Khmer lunch
- →Traditional craft session
- →Phnom Penh riverside nightlife
Phnom Penh history day + cyclo ride
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Book the Tuol Sleng (S-21) and Choeung Ek Killing Fields half-day guided tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£18–22, includes transport and audio/guide) — or take a tuk-tuk yourself (~£3 each way) and pay the ~£4–5 entry at each site. Afternoon: Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (~£8 entry) and the National Museum (~£8). In the evening, hire a cyclo for a lap of the city centre (~£4–5) and eat at a local restaurant — Friends or Romdeng are good socially-minded picks.
🚌Tuk-tuk and cyclo (~£8)
🛏Hostel dorm, Phnom Penh riverside
- →Tuol Sleng and Killing Fields tour
- →Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda
- →National Museum
- →Evening cyclo ride
Skun market, silk farm, Sambor Prei Kuk, arrive Siem Reap
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Take a shared minivan or bus from Phnom Penh toward Siem Reap with stops along National Road 6. Ask the driver to stop at Skun's insect market (free, deep-fried tarantulas optional) and Santuk Silk Farm near Kampong Thom (~£3–4). Break the journey at Sambor Prei Kuk, the pre-Angkorian UNESCO site (~£8 entry, get a tuk-tuk from the road for ~£5) — quieter and more forest-wrapped than Angkor. Continue to Siem Reap (~£12–15 for the full leg in a minivan, or ~£9 by bus). Night market and Pub Street in the evening.
🚌Shared minivan/bus (~£14)
🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap
- →Skun insect market
- →Santuk Silk Farm
- →Sambor Prei Kuk ruins
Angkor Wat sunrise + Tonle Sap or floating village
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Buy your Angkor pass direct at the ticket office (1-day pass ~£30; the temple complex entry is separate from any tour). Split a tuk-tuk for the day with other travellers (~£15–18 per vehicle) and start at sunrise at Angkor Wat, then Ta Prohm and Bayon. Alternatively book a small-group guided Angkor tour via GetYourGuide (~£20–30 plus pass). Afternoon option: Tonle Sap floating village at Kompong Khleang or Kompong Phluk (~£15 including boat). Evening: Phare Circus (~£18, book direct) or the Pub Street bar crawl.
🚌Shared tuk-tuk (~£8)
🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap
- →Angkor Wat sunrise and temples
- →Tonle Sap floating village (optional)
- →Phare Circus (optional)
Depart Siem Reap
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Check out and grab a tuk-tuk to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (~£6–8) or take a bus onward to Bangkok or Phnom Penh if you're extending. If your flight is later, squeeze in one more iced coffee on the Old Market side streets.
🚌Tuk-tuk to airport (~£7)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Free morning
- →Departure
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£645 | £712 |
| Duration | 11 days | 11 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £67 per person (9%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£645
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Vietnam to Cambodia: Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap & Beach Bars (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £645 per person for 11 days in Vietnam & Cambodia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £712 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £645 — a saving of roughly £67 (9%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam & Cambodia trip?+
This itinerary runs 11 days, covering 11 day-by-day stops through Vietnam & Cambodia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a backpacker, adventure, beaches trip through Vietnam & Cambodia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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