Lifetime Indochina: Self-Launched Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia Adventure

Fly into Luang Prabang International Airport and make your own way to a riverside guesthouse in the old town (tuk-tuk from the airport is fixed-price, around £4-5). The old town is a compact UNESCO peninsula, walkable in 20 minutes end to end. Spend the late afternoon wandering the wats and shophouse lanes, then take a sunset dinner cruise or just grab a Beerlao on a Mekong-facing deck. Book tomorrow's boat trip through your guesthouse or a local agent on Sisavangvong Road.

🚌Airport tuk-tuk ~£4; everything else on foot

🛏Riverside guesthouse or hostel in Luang Prabang old town (dorm ~£8, private ~£18)

• →Airport tuk-tuk transfer to old town
• →Old town orientation walk
• →Sunset dinner/drinks on the Mekong

Join a shared long-tail boat upstream on the Mekong to the Pak Ou Caves, a cliffside shrine packed with thousands of Buddha images. Most shared boat trips stop at Ban Muangkeo (also called Ban Xang Hai) for the traditional rice-whisky tasting, and often Ban Xang Khong for weaving. Half-day group boat tours bookable through any old-town agent run around £15-25 including a riverside lunch; do it direct with a boatman at the pier for less. Back in town by mid-afternoon — optional sunset climb of Phousi Hill.

🚌Shared long-tail boat from Luang Prabang pier

🛏Riverside guesthouse or hostel in Luang Prabang old town

• →Shared Mekong long-tail boat to Pak Ou Caves
• →Ban Muangkeo rice-whisky village stop
• →Riverside lunch
• →Optional Phousi Hill sunset climb

Self-guide a walking loop of the classic wats — Wat Visoun (the watermelon stupa), neighbouring Wat Aham, and the beautiful Wat Xiengthong at the tip of the peninsula. Optional sunrise alms-giving on Sakkaline Road if you want to see the monks' procession (do it respectfully, buy sticky rice from a local stall not a tout). Climb Phousi Hill in the late afternoon for panoramic views over the Mekong and Khan rivers (~£1.50 entry). Evening: the colourful Hmong Night Market, plus a jungle-steam or night market buffet dinner for a couple of pounds.

🚌On foot

🛏Riverside guesthouse or hostel in Luang Prabang old town

• →Self-guided walking tour: Wat Visoun, Wat Aham, Wat Xiengthong
• →Phousi Hill viewpoint
• →Hmong Night Market
• →Optional sunrise alms-giving

Morning at the former Royal Palace (National Museum) and the adjoining Wat Ho Pha Bang, then browse the Central Market (Talad Dala) for supplies. Book a cheap one-way flight Luang Prabang to Hanoi in advance — Vietjet, Lao Airlines and Vietnam Airlines all fly the route, typically £60-120 depending on how early you book. Evening arrival into Hanoi's Old Quarter; check into a hostel or budget hotel and eat your first bowl of bun cha or pho on the street.

🚌Flight Luang Prabang–Hanoi ~£80; airport taxi/ride-hail in Hanoi ~£7

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, Hanoi (dorm ~£6, private ~£16)

• →Royal Palace / National Museum
• →Central Market
• →One-way flight to Hanoi
• →Old Quarter street-food dinner

Take a shuttle bus (booked the day before through your hostel or an agent on Ma May Street) the ~3.5 hours to Halong Bay, roughly £8-10 each way. Join a budget 2-day/1-night junk boat — these cluster around £65-110 per person all-in, covering transfers, cabin, meals and the standard itinerary: cruising the limestone karsts past Dinh Huong, Con Cho, Ga Choi and Canh Buom islets, a stop at Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave, swimming and kayaking at Titop Island and Luon Cave, and a sunset over the bay. Seafood lunch and dinner on board.

🚌Shared shuttle bus Hanoi–Halong ~£9

🛏Budget junk boat cabin, Halong Bay (included in cruise price)

• →Shuttle to Halong Bay
• →Overnight junk cruise of the karst islands
• →Sung Sot Cave
• →Kayaking at Luon Cave
• →Swim and viewpoint at Titop Island
• →Sunset on deck

Early-morning swim or tai chi on deck as the junk threads back through the limestone towers, breakfast and lunch on board before docking around midday. Shuttle bus back to Hanoi, arriving late afternoon. Freshen up, then walk the Old Quarter — try bia hoi corner for 25p glasses of fresh beer and a banh mi dinner.

🚌Shared shuttle bus Halong–Hanoi ~£9

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, Hanoi

• →Sunrise swim / deck time
• →Cruise back through the karsts
• →Afternoon shuttle to Hanoi
• →Old Quarter evening walk and bia hoi

Walk your own Hanoi circuit: the Ho Chi Minh Complex (mausoleum, Presidential Palace, the stilt house and One Pillar Pagoda), the Temple of Literature, then over to West Lake for Quan Thanh Temple and the Cua Bac Church area. Lunch on pho cuon — fresh rolled rice noodles with nuoc mam — at a Truc Bach Lake restaurant, exactly as on the original tour. Wander the mat-weaving streets around Hang Cot and Hang Than, duck into a local egg-coffee shop (Cafe Giang is the classic), and finish with a cyclo ride through the Old Quarter (agree a price or use a ride-hail app).

🚌On foot plus one cyclo or ride-hail (~£2-4)

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, Hanoi

• →Ho Chi Minh Complex, mausoleum, stilt house, One Pillar Pagoda
• →Temple of Literature
• →Quan Thanh Temple & West Lake
• →Pho cuon lunch by Truc Bach Lake
• →Hang Cot mat-weaving streets
• →Egg coffee and cyclo ride in the Old Quarter

Choose your transfer south. Cheapest is the Reunification Express sleeper train to Da Nang (soft sleeper, roughly £25-40, 16-18 hours) then a 30-minute bus or taxi to Hoi An. Faster is a budget flight Hanoi–Da Nang (~£30-55 on Vietjet/Bamboo), then a shared shuttle or bus (~£6) to Hoi An. If you take the flight you arrive with the afternoon free to settle into the old town and get oriented along the Thu Bon river.

🚌Sleeper train ~£35 or flight ~£45 plus £6 shuttle

🛏Hoi An old-town guesthouse or hostel (dorm ~£7, private ~£16)

• →Reunification Express sleeper train OR budget flight Hanoi–Da Nang
• →Transfer Da Nang to Hoi An
• →Evening riverside stroll in Hoi An

Buy the Old Town entry ticket (~£5) which covers five heritage sites: the Japanese Covered Bridge, a Sino-Vietnamese merchant house, the Chinese assembly hall temple, the Central Market and one of the culture museums. In the afternoon take a shared half-day tour to the My Son Sanctuary (Cham temple ruins in a jungle valley), usually passing Tra Kieu — organised minivan tours run around £12-20 including entry. Back in time for the lantern-lit old town after dark.

🚌On foot plus shared minivan to My Son

🛏Hoi An old-town guesthouse or hostel

• →Self-guided Hoi An Old Town heritage walk
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →Merchant house, assembly hall, market and museum
• →Half-day shared tour to My Son Sanctuary
• →Night-time lantern walk

A flexible day. Rent a bicycle (~£1.50) and ride out through the rice paddies and Tra Que herb village, or cross to An Bang or Cua Dai beach for the afternoon. Highly recommended is a half-day Vietnamese cooking class (~£25-35 including market visit, which reviewers of the original tour flagged as a highlight). Alternatively do a basket-boat eco-tour on the Thu Bon or a tailor fitting — Hoi An tailors can run up a suit in a day.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£1.50

🛏Hoi An old-town guesthouse or hostel

• →Bicycle hire through rice paddies
• →An Bang / Cua Dai beach
• →Half-day cooking class with market visit
• →Optional basket-boat eco-tour or tailor fitting

Fly Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City (~£35-60, ~1h20) or take the train/bus if you want to save cash and time is not tight. On arrival, many travellers do the Cu Chi Tunnels as a half-day shared tour from HCMC (~£12-18 including entry) — either the Ben Duoc or Ben Dinh section, with crawl-throughs of the tunnel network. Book it through your HCMC hostel for the following morning if you arrive late.

🚌Domestic flight ~£45; shared minivan to Cu Chi

🛏District 1 (Bui Vien / Pham Ngu Lao) hostel or budget hotel, HCMC (dorm ~£7, private ~£18)

• →Flight Da Nang–Ho Chi Minh City
• →Half-day Cu Chi Tunnels shared tour
• →Evening in District 1 / Bui Vien

Take a shared Mekong Delta day tour to Cai Be (roughly £18-30 including boat, lunch and transport). You'll board a sampan to the Cai Be floating market, glide through coconut-canal backwaters and stop at a local workshop, with lunch at a garden/colonial-style villa in the delta — the same experience as the package version. Note the honest review from the original tour: this is a long day in a bus for a fairly short time on the water, so pick a small-group operator over a big coach if you can. Back in HCMC by evening.

🚌Shared minibus HCMC–Cai Be round trip (included in tour)

🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel, HCMC

• →Shared Mekong Delta tour to Cai Be
• →Cai Be floating market by sampan
• →Coconut-canal backwater rowing boat
• →Delta lunch at a garden villa

Morning self-guided walk of the central sights: Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior while under restoration) and the French-era Saigon Central Post Office, then Ben Thanh Market for last-minute shopping. Fly HCMC to Siem Reap in the afternoon (~£60-110 on Vietjet/Cambodia Angkor Air) — remember to sort your Cambodia e-visa beforehand (~£25). Arrive Siem Reap, tuk-tuk to your guesthouse, and buy your Angkor pass for tomorrow (1-day ~£30, 3-day ~£50).

🚌Flight HCMC–Siem Reap ~£80; Siem Reap airport tuk-tuk ~£4

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse or hostel near Pub Street (dorm ~£6, private ~£15)

• →Reunification Palace
• →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Flight HCMC–Siem Reap
• →Buy Angkor pass

The big one. Hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day (~£15-20 shared, often cheaper per person if you buddy up) and follow the classic small circuit: sunrise at Angkor Wat, then Bayon with its giant stone faces, Baphuon, the Terrace of the Elephants and Ta Prohm swallowed by jungle roots. Independent travellers can do this entirely self-guided — the tuk-tuk driver knows the route and waits at each stop. Take the optional larger circuit or Preah Khan tomorrow if you bought a multi-day pass.

🚌Private/shared tuk-tuk for the day ~£17 total

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse or hostel near Pub Street

• →Sunrise at Angkor Wat
• →Bayon, Baphuon, Terrace of the Elephants
• →Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider temple)
• →Optional Grand Circuit temples

A flexible day outside the temples. Take a shared or private tuk-tuk out to the Tonle Sap lake to see the floating villages (Kompong Khleang or Kompong Phluk are more authentic and less crowded than Chong Kneas), and add an ox-cart ride at a village like Kam Pem for a couple of pounds. Back in town, explore Psar Chass (the Old Market) for souvenirs and street food, and hit Pub Street in the evening.

🚌Tuk-tuk to Tonle Sap and back ~£15

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse or hostel near Pub Street

• →Tonle Sap floating-village boat trip
• →Ox-cart ride at Kam Pem village
• →Psar Chass Old Market
• →Pub Street dinner

Final morning for a last Cambodian coffee or a wander through the market, then tuk-tuk to Siem Reap International Airport for your onward flight. If you have time, the Angkor National Museum or a Landmine Museum visit are worthwhile extras before departure.

🚌Tuk-tuk to airport ~£4

🛏—

• →Last-minute market shopping
• →Optional Angkor National Museum
• →Airport transfer