Explore Southeast Asia: 22-Day Self-Launched Multi-Country Adventure (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand)

Land at Tan Son Nhat (SGN) and take the local bus #109 or #152 into District 1 for about 20,000 VND (~£0.60) — or a Grab bike/car for ~£3-5 if you're jet-lagged. Base yourself in the Pham Ngu Lao backpacker area or a District 1 hostel. Spend the evening wandering the Ben Thanh night market and grabbing a bowl of pho for ~£1.50-2.50.

🚌Local bus 152/109 from airport (~£0.60) or Grab (~£4)

🛏Hostel dorm in Pham Ngu Lao / District 1 (~£8-12)

• →Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City
• →Settle in District 1
• →Ben Thanh night market wander

Do the city's classic walk yourself on foot: Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior), the Central Post Office, and Reunification Palace (entry ~£1.60). Book a half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£15-20 including bus transfer and guide), or take the local bus to Ben Duoc and explore independently (~£5 all in). Tunnels include the crawl-through sections and the tapioca tasting.

🚌Walk + local bus to Ben Duoc or tour shuttle

🛏Hostel dorm in Pham Ngu Lao / District 1 (~£8-12)

• →Notre Dame Cathedral
• →Central Post Office
• →Reunification Palace
• →Cu Chi Tunnels day tour

Join a small-group Mekong Delta day tour to My Tho (~£20-25 via Klook or GetYourGuide, or ~£15 booking locally through your hostel). Boat along the river, visit coconut candy and bee-farm islands, hear traditional folk music, and stop at Vinh Trang Pagoda. Back in HCMC by early evening.

🚌Tour minibus + boat (~2 hrs each way)

🛏Hostel dorm in Pham Ngu Lao / District 1 (~£8-12)

• →Mekong River boat trip
• →My Tho coconut candy & bee farm islands
• →Vinh Trang Pagoda

Best budget option: fly VietJet/AirAsia HCMC to Da Nang (~£25-40 if booked ahead), then a local bus or Grab (~£3-4) to Hoi An. If you love a train, the Reunification Express to Da Nang takes ~16-17 hrs in a soft sleeper (~£20-30) — leave midday to arrive next morning. Either way, land in Hoi An's ancient lanes by evening and grab cao lau noodles for dinner.

🚌Flight HCMC–Da Nang ~£25-40, or Reunification Express soft sleeper ~£20-30; local bus to Hoi An ~£3

🛏Guesthouse in Hoi An old town / An Hoi (~£10-15)

• →Travel to Hoi An
• →Evening stroll in Hoi An Ancient Town

Buy an Old Town ticket (~£4.50) covering the Japanese Covered Bridge, Tan Ky merchant house, the 1700s chapel and the Sa Huynh Museum. In the afternoon, book a short sampan or riverboat trip across the Thu Bon to Kim Bong carpentry village (~£4-6) to watch the shipbuilding and woodcarving families. Rent a bicycle (~£1.50) to get around town; evening lanterns down by the river are free.

🚌Bicycle rental (~£1.50) + riverboat to Kim Bong (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse in Hoi An old town / An Hoi (~£10-15)

• →Hoi An Old Town ticket sights
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →Kim Bong woodworking village by riverboat
• →Sa Huynh Museum

Take an early small-group My Son tour (~£15-20 via GetYourGuide/Klook) to beat the heat and tour buses — the Cham ruins are at their best just after sunrise. Return by midday, collect your bags, then take a local bus back to Da Nang (~£2) and board the Reunification Express night train to Hanoi (~£25-35 in a soft sleeper, ~16-17 hrs).

🚌My Son tour shuttle (~£15 inc. entry) + bus to Da Nang (~£2) + overnight train to Hanoi (~£30)

🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train

• →My Son Sanctuary UNESCO ruins with guided tour
• →Cham temple architecture
• →Night train to Hanoi

Arrive mid-morning and check into a hostel in the Old Quarter (~£8-12). Do the classic Hanoi circuit on foot or by Grab: Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Ho Chi Minh complex and One Pillar Pagoda (mausoleum is free, closed Mon/Fri), the Temple of Literature (~£1.60), the Vietnam Ethnology Museum (~£2), and Hoa Lo Prison (~£1.60). Finish with a bia hoi on Ta Hien street and a bowl of bun cha (~£2).

🚌Walk + Grab bikes/metered taxis (~£3-5)

🛏Hostel in Old Quarter (~£8-12)

• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex
• →One Pillar Pagoda
• →Temple of Literature
• →Vietnam Ethnology Museum
• →Hoa Lo Prison

Book a budget or mid-range Halong overnight cruise via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£70-100 for a 1-night/2-day cruise including transfers, meals, kayaking and cave stops) — this is pricier than DIY day trips but genuinely worth it. Board at midday, sail through the limestone karsts, visit Amazing Cave, swim and kayak, then dinner on deck and overnight in your cabin.

🚌Cruise shuttle bus from Hanoi (~3.5 hrs each way) included in cruise

🛏Overnight on a budget/mid-range junk boat in Halong Bay (~included in cruise price)

• →Halong Bay cruise
• →Amazing Cave
• →Swimming and kayaking
• →Sunrise/sunset on deck

Watch sunrise from the sundeck, cruise back through the islands with a stop at a floating fishing village, then lunch on board before the shuttle returns you to Hanoi mid-afternoon. Evening in the Old Quarter: beer corner, street food crawl, and the weekend night market if it's a Friday-Sunday.

🚌Cruise shuttle back to Hanoi (included)

🛏Hostel in Old Quarter (~£8-12)

• →Sunrise on the bay
• →Floating fishing village stop
• →Hanoi Old Quarter evening
• →Street food crawl

Fly Hanoi to Luang Prabang with Lao Airlines or Vietnam Airlines (~£70-110 one-shot; book early). Alternatively, the slow road via Dien Bien Phu takes 2 days — not worth it here. Check into a guesthouse in the old town (~£10-15), then explore the peninsula at dusk: temples, the Mekong riverfront and the night market on Sisavangvong Road.

🚌Flight Hanoi–Luang Prabang ~£70-110 (visa on arrival for Laos, ~£25-30)

🛏Guesthouse in Luang Prabang old town (~£10-15)

• →Fly to Luang Prabang
• →Night market walk
• →Mekong riverfront sunset

Start with the optional 5:30am alms-giving on Sisavangvong Road (buy sticky rice from a vendor, ~£1). Walk Phosi Market, Wat Sene, Wat Xieng Thong (~£1.20) and Wat Phabath. Book a shared longtail boat upstream to the Pak Ou Caves (~£10-15 incl. entry) with stops at Ban Xanghai whisky village. In the afternoon, take a shared tuk-tuk to Kuang Si Falls (~£5-8 shared) for the turquoise pools and a swim.

🚌Shared longtail boat to Pak Ou (~£12) + shared tuk-tuk to Kuang Si (~£6)

🛏Guesthouse in Luang Prabang old town (~£10-15)

• →Morning alms-giving
• →Phosi Market
• →Wat Xieng Thong
• →Pak Ou Caves by longtail boat
• →Ban Xanghai village
• →Kuang Si Waterfall swim

Take the morning train from Luang Prabang to Vientiane (Lao-China Railway, ~2 hrs, ~£8-12) or the overnight VIP sleeper bus (~£12-15). In Vientiane, hire a bicycle and do the temple circuit: Wat Sisaket (~£1), Wat Phra Keo (~£1), That Luang Stupa (~£1), Patuxay Monument (free) and a Mekong riverside sunset. Night market on the riverfront in the evening.

🚌Lao-China Railway train LPQ–VTE ~£10

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Vientiane centre (~£9-14)

• →Wat Sisaket
• →Wat Phra Keo
• →That Luang Stupa
• →Patuxay Monument
• →Mekong sunset & night market

Fly Vientiane to Phnom Penh with Lao Airlines or Vietnam Airlines (~£80-120; the overland route is 24+ hrs via the border, so flying is worth it here). Sort your Cambodia e-visa in advance (~£28) or get visa on arrival (~£25). Afternoon at the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (~£8), then the Independence Monument and Wat Phnom at sunset.

🚌Flight VTE–PNH ~£80-120

🛏Guesthouse/hostel near Riverside (~£8-14)

• →Royal Palace
• →Silver Pagoda
• →Independence Monument
• →Wat Phnom

Do the sobering Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (~£4) and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek (~£4, shared tuk-tuk ~£8 round trip) — not on the original operator's list but essential context for Cambodia. Then hit the Central Market (Phsar Thmey) and finish with a Mekong sunset river cruise from the Riverside (~£6-8).

🚌Shared tuk-tuk to Choeung Ek (~£8)

🛏Guesthouse/hostel near Riverside (~£8-14)

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Phsar Thmey Central Market
• →Mekong River sunset cruise

Take a Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham express bus/cruise-bus to Siem Reap (~£13-18, 6-7 hrs), or the speedboat on Tonle Sap in high water season (~£25). Arrive early afternoon, check into a hostel near Pub Street (~£8-12), then buy your Angkor pass and get your first sunset. Note: the Angkor pass is $37 for 1 day, $62 for 3 days (worth taking the 3-day). Head to Angkor Thom's South Gate and Bayon, plus the southern terrace of Phnom Bakheng for sunset.

🚌VIP bus Phnom Penh–Siem Reap ~£15

🛏Hostel/guesthouse near Old Market or Pub Street (~£8-12)

• →Bus to Siem Reap
• →South Gate of Angkor Thom
• →Bayon Temple
• →Angkor sunset from a temple terrace

Hire a tuk-tuk driver directly for a full Angkor day (~£18-25 for the whole day, split between a couple of travellers) — cheaper and more flexible than a tour. Catch sunrise at Angkor Wat, explore the galleries and bas-reliefs, then Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider temple), Takeo, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda, and the pink sandstone Banteay Srei out in the countryside. Back for a cheap Khmer curry and Pub Street.

🚌Private tuk-tuk day hire ~£20

🛏Hostel/guesthouse near Old Market or Pub Street (~£8-12)

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Ta Prohm
• →Banteay Srei
• →Takeo, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda

Do the classic overland: share a taxi or minibus to the Poipet border (~£8-12, 2.5 hrs), walk through immigration, then the local train from Aranyaprathet to Bangkok Hualamphong (~£1.10, 5-6 hrs) or a 3rd-class bus. Total ~£15 and a full day, but a proper backpacking rite of passage. Arrive Bangkok evening, check in near Khao San or BTS Ari/Saphan Khwai, first pad thai for ~£1.50.

🚌Shared taxi/minibus to Poipet (~£10) + Aranyaprathet–Bangkok train (~£1.10)

🛏Guesthouse/hostel near Khao San or BTS line (~£10-15)

• →Poipet border crossing
• →Third-class train through Thailand
• →Khao San Road evening

Book a half-day Damnoen Saduak floating market tour via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£20-25) or DIY by local minibus from Sai Tai Mai (~£5). Afternoon: Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha, ~£2), Wat Arun (~£2 + £0.50 ferry) and Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha, ~£5). Finish with rooftop views or a Chao Phraya riverboat sunset (~£1.50 public boat).

🚌Minibus/tour to floating market + public riverboat (~£2)

🛏Guesthouse/hostel near Khao San or BTS line (~£10-15)

• →Damnoen Saduak Floating Market boat tour
• →Wat Traimit Golden Buddha
• →Wat Arun
• →Wat Pho Reclining Buddha
• →Chao Phraya riverboat

Budget flight Bangkok–Phuket with AirAsia/Nok/VietJet (~£30-50 booked early) — the overnight bus is ~12 hrs and not worth it in this timeframe. From Phuket airport, take the smart bus to Phuket Town / Patong (~£2) or a shared minivan (~£4). Check into a guesthouse in Phuket Town or Patong, then beach and sunset at Karon or Patong.

🚌Flight BKK–HKT ~£30-50 + smart bus to town ~£2

🛏Guesthouse in Phuket Town or Patong (~£12-20)

• →Fly to Phuket
• →Beach sunset
• →Phuket night market dinner

Book a Phi Phi day trip via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£30-45 incl. speedboat, national park fee, lunch and snorkelling) — the same route the operator runs. You'll visit Phi Phi Ley, Maya Bay (viewpoint), Pileh Lagoon, snorkel at Long Beach and have lunch on Phi Phi Don before heading back for around 5pm.

🚌Speedboat tour from Rassada or Chalong pier (included)

🛏Guesthouse in Phuket Town or Patong (~£12-20)

• →Phi Phi Ley & Maya Bay
• →Snorkelling at Long Beach
• →Pileh Lagoon
• →Phi Phi Don beach time

Optional: hire a scooter (~£6/day) or take the local blue bus (~£1) up to the Big Buddha (~£1 donation) and Wat Chalong, wander Phuket Old Town's Sino-Portuguese streets, or hit Nai Harn / Kata Noi beaches. Evening: night market at Phuket Town's Sunday walking street (if you're there on a Sunday) or a seafood dinner in Rawai.

🚌Scooter rental ~£6 or local blue bus ~£1

🛏Guesthouse in Phuket Town or Patong (~£12-20)

• →Big Buddha viewpoint
• →Wat Chalong
• →Phuket Old Town walk
• →Beach lounge / night market

Catch the smart bus or shared minivan back to Phuket International Airport (~£2-4) for your flight home or onward. If you've got an evening flight, use the morning for a last swim and a bowl of Thai noodles.

🚌Smart bus/minivan to HKT airport ~£3

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last beach morning
• →Transfer to Phuket airport