Self-Launched Grand Indochina & Thailand Adventure: 25 Days from Ho Chi Minh City to Phuket

Land at Tan Son Nhat (SGN) and take the public bus 152 or 109 into District 1 for around £0.30-£0.50 — far cheaper than a taxi. Check into a hostel in District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao / Bui Vien area for backpacker energy, or Da Kao for something quieter). Spend the evening wandering the streets around Ben Thanh Market, drink cheap bia hoi and sort out a local SIM (Viettel or Mobifone, ~£5 for plenty of data).

🚌Airport bus 152 or 109 to District 1 (~£0.50)

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (~£7/night)

• →Settle in and explore District 1 on foot
• →Ben Thanh Market night food stalls
• →Buy local SIM card

Do the city's core sights on foot in the morning — Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior only, still under restoration), the Central Post Office, and the Reunification Palace (£1.50 entry). In the afternoon, book a shared Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour on GetYourGuide or Klook (~£15-£20 including transport, guide and entry), which is the easiest way to reach the tunnels. Back in town, eat dinner at a local com tam or pho spot for ~£2.

🚌Walking + shared Cu Chi tour minibus (included in tour price)

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (~£7)

• →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
• →Reunification Palace (£1.50)
• →Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour (~£18 via GetYourGuide/Klook)

Take a self-bookable Mekong Delta small-group day tour from Saigon (~£20-£25 on Klook or GetYourGuide) — boat ride along the river, coconut candy workshops, bee farms, a sampan row through palm canals and Vinh Trang Pagoda. Alternatively, catch the public bus to My Tho from Mien Tay station (~£2) and arrange a local boatman at the pier. Back in Saigon for the evening.

🚌Mekong day tour minibus included; or public bus ~£2 each way

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (~£7)

• →Mekong boat trip and coconut candy workshop
• →Vinh Trang Pagoda
• →Sampan ride through palm canals

Cheapest and fastest is a budget flight SGN-DAD on VietJet or Bamboo (~£25-£40 booked a few weeks ahead). You can also take the Reunification Express overnight train (soft sleeper, ~£30-£40, 16-17 hours) for a slower, more scenic option. From Da Nang airport take local bus #1 to Hoi An (~£0.60) or a shared shuttle (~£5). Check into a Hoi An hostel or homestay in the Old Town area and get the town's cheap tailor/lantern vibe in the evening.

🚌Budget flight SGN-DAD ~£30 (or sleeper train ~£35); bus #1 to Hoi An ~£0.60

🛏Hoi An hostel/homestay (~£10/night)

• →Evening wander through Hoi An Old Town lanterns
• →Riverside night market

Buy the Old Town entry ticket (~£5) which covers the Japanese Covered Bridge, Assembly Halls and the Sa Huynh Museum. Rent a bicycle (~£1.50/day) and cycle to Cam Kim Island, then take the local ferry across to Kim Bong woodworking village to see shipbuilding and carpentry families. Evening: cheap cao lau noodles and a cooking class if you fancy (~£15) — book via GetYourGuide or walk-in at a local restaurant.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£1.50; local ferry to Cam Kim ~£0.50

🛏Hoi An hostel/homestay (~£10)

• →Old Town entry ticket (£5)
• →Cycle to Cam Kim Island & Kim Bong woodworking village
• →Optional Hoi An cooking class (~£15)

Take a shared sunrise tour to the My Son UNESCO Cham temple complex (~£12-£15 on GetYourGuide/Klook, including entry and minibus) — leaving early beats the heat and the crowds. Alternatively hire a scooter or join a local minibus from Hoi An for ~£8. Spend the afternoon free: get clothes tailored, buy lanterns, or laze on An Bang beach. Hire a bicycle or Grab to reach the beach (~£2).

🚌Shared My Son tour minibus (included) or scooter hire ~£5

🛏Hoi An hostel/homestay (~£10)

• →My Son Sanctuary sunrise tour (~£14)
• →An Bang beach afternoon
• →Tailor-made clothing / lantern shopping

Fly Da Nang to Hanoi on VietJet/Bamboo (~£25-£40) or take the Reunification Express (Hoi An-Da Nang bus + train, soft sleeper ~£35-£40, 16 hours). From Noi Bai airport, take bus 86 (express, ~£1.50) or 17 into the Old Quarter. Check into a Hanoi Old Quarter hostel or guesthouse, then spend the evening eating bun cha and walking around Hoan Kiem Lake.

🚌Flight DAD-HAN ~£30; Hanoi airport bus 86 ~£1.50

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter hostel/guesthouse (~£8/night)

• →Old Quarter evening wander
• →Hoan Kiem Lake
• →Street food dinner (bun cha ~£2)

Do a self-guided walking day: Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free, closed Mondays/Fridays, mornings only), the One Pillar Pagoda, the Temple of Literature (~£1.50) and Hoa Lo Prison (~£1.50). The Vietnam Ethnology Museum (~£2) is excellent if you have the energy. Eat lunch at a street-side bun cha or banh mi stall for ~£2-£3. Optionally join a free walking tour (tip-based, ~£5 tip) from the Old Quarter.

🚌Walking / Grab motorbike taxis (~£1-2 each)

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter hostel/guesthouse (~£8)

• →Temple of Literature (£1.50)
• →Hoa Lo Prison (£1.50)
• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free)
• →Vietnam Ethnology Museum (£2)

Book a budget overnight Halong Bay cruise online direct with a local operator or via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£80-£110 for a 1-night, 2-day cruise including transfers, all meals, kayaking and cave visits). Shuttle pickup from the Old Quarter in the morning, cruise among the karst islands, visit a cave, kayak and swim, and sleep on board in a quieter anchorage. Prices vary hugely — mid-range budget boats give the best value for a solo traveller.

🚌Shuttle bus from Hanoi Old Quarter (included in cruise)

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

• →Halong Bay cruise with cave visit
• →Kayaking and swimming
• →Sunset on the bay

Sunrise on the bay, then a morning cruise back past the islands with a stop at a floating fishing village. Shuttle back to Hanoi arriving late afternoon. Re-check into the same Old Quarter hostel, then head to Ta Hien / Beer Street for cheap bia hoi (~£0.30 a glass) and street food.

🚌Shuttle bus back to Hanoi (included in cruise)

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter hostel/guesthouse (~£8)

• →Sunrise on Halong Bay
• →Floating fishing village visit
• →Beer Street evening

Fly Hanoi to Luang Prabang on Vietnam Airlines, Lao Airlines or AirAsia (~£60-£90 one way, book ahead). Laos visas-on-arrival cost ~£25-£30 for most Western passports (bring USD cash and a passport photo). From the airport, a shared tuk-tuk into town is ~£2-£3. Check into a guesthouse in the old town near Sisavangvong Road. Evening stroll along the Mekong and the night market.

🚌Flight HAN-LPQ ~£75; shared airport tuk-tuk ~£3

🛏Luang Prabang old-town guesthouse (~£10/night)

• →Fly to Luang Prabang
• →Mekong riverside sunset stroll
• →Night market on Sisavangvong Road

Join the 5:30-6am morning alms-giving (stand respectfully on the side with sticky rice from a street vendor, ~£1). Then join a shared Mekong long-tail boat trip to the Pak Ou Caves (~£8-£12 including boat and entry), stopping at Ban Xanghai rice-wine village. In the afternoon, shared tuk-tuk to the turquoise Kuang Si Waterfalls (~£5 return, £2 entry) — swim, and visit the nearby bear sanctuary. Sunset at Wat Phabath or climb Mount Phousi (~£2).

🚌Shared long-tail boat on Mekong (~£10); shared tuk-tuk to Kuang Si (~£5)

🛏Luang Prabang old-town guesthouse (~£10)

• →Morning alms-giving
• →Pak Ou Caves by long-tail boat (~£10)
• →Kuang Si Waterfalls & sun bear sanctuary (~£7)
• →Mount Phousi sunset (~£2)

Fly Luang Prabang to Siem Reap (Lao Airlines or Vietnam Airlines via Vientiane/Pakse, ~£120-£160 — this is the priciest internal hop; if you want to save, take a 2-day overland route via Pakse/Don Khon and the Cambodian border, but it's slow and tiring). Cambodian visa on arrival / e-visa ~£25-£30. Shared tuk-tuk to a hostel near Pub Street or Wat Bo (~£2). Evening: night market and Pub Street for a cheap dinner.

🚌Flight LPQ-REP ~£140; shared tuk-tuk ~£2

🛏Siem Reap hostel/guesthouse (~£8/night)

• →Fly to Siem Reap
• →Night market & Pub Street
• →Book 3-day Angkor pass

Buy the 3-day Angkor pass (~£50) — it's cheaper than three single days. Hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day (~£15 shared, or £12 if you split with hostel mates) and do the big circuit: Angkor Wat at sunrise (start by 5am), Ta Prohm (the jungle-covered 'Tomb Raider' temple), then out to the pink-sandstone Banteay Srei (~£2 extra ride, worth it), and back via Takeo, Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda. Take water and a hat; the heat is serious.

🚌Shared tuk-tuk driver for the day ~£12

🛏Siem Reap hostel/guesthouse (~£8)

• →3-day Angkor pass (~£50)
• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei, Takeo, Thommanon & Chau Say Tevoda

Tuk-tuk to Angkor Thom via the South Gate (statues of gods and demons over the causeway), then walk the Terrace of the Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King, Baphuon and Phimeanakas, and finish at Bayon with its smiling stone faces. In the afternoon, take a tuk-tuk to the Tonle Sap lake and join a shared boat to a floating village (~£12-£15 including boat) — Kompong Khleang or Kompong Phluk are quieter than Chong Kneas.

🚌Tuk-tuk to Angkor Thom (~£8); tuk-tuk + boat to Tonle Sap (~£15)

🛏Siem Reap hostel/guesthouse (~£8)

• →Angkor Thom South Gate and Bayon
• →Baphuon, Phimeanakas and Terrace of the Elephants
• →Tonle Sap floating village boat trip

Fly Siem Reap to Bangkok (~£60-£90 on AirAsia/Thai VietJet). Alternatively, the land route: bus to Poipet border, walk through, then a bus or shared taxi from Aranyaprathet to Bangkok (~£18-£25 total, 10-12 hours — only worth it if you're watching the pennies). From Suvarnabhumi, take the Airport Rail Link (~£1) or Don Mueang bus A1 into town. Stay near Khao San Road or Silom. Evening: street food on Yaowarat (Chinatown) for ~£4.

🚌Flight REP-BKK ~£75 (or overland via Poipet ~£22); Airport Rail Link ~£1

🛏Bangkok hostel, Khao San / Silom (~£10/night)

• →Fly to Bangkok
• →Yaowarat Chinatown street food
• →Khao San Road evening

Do the temple circuit yourself using the Chao Phraya river express boat (~£0.50 per hop) and the local ferry to Wat Arun (~£0.10). Wat Traimit (Golden Buddha), Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha, ~£4), Wat Arun (~£2) and the Grand Palace with Emerald Buddha (~£10). Combine with the free public river boat to save money. Book a Klook/GetYourGuide Chao Phraya dinner cruise only if you fancy it (~£20).

🚌Chao Phraya express boat and local ferry (~£1.50 total)

🛏Bangkok hostel, Khao San / Silom (~£10)

• →Wat Pho (£4)
• →Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha (£10)
• →Wat Arun (£2)
• →Wat Traimit Golden Buddha

Join a small-group Damnoen Saduak floating market day tour via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£18-£25 including transport and long-tail boat) — or DIY it by taking the public minibus from Mochit to Damnoen Saduak (~£2) plus the boat ride (~£3). Sample fresh mangoes, rambutan and coconut juice at the market. Return to Bangkok in the afternoon; evening free for shopping at Chatuchak-adjacent markets or a foot massage (~£5).

🚌Floating market tour minibus (or public minibus ~£2 each way)

🛏Bangkok hostel, Khao San / Silom (~£10)

• →Damnoen Saduak floating market tour (~£22)
• →Long-tail canal boat
• →Thai foot massage (~£5)

Fly Bangkok to Chiang Mai (~£30-£45 with Thai Lion Air/AirAsia; overnight sleeper train is ~£25 and takes 13 hours — a great backpacker experience). Take a red songthaew from the airport to the old town (~£1.50). In the afternoon, shared songthaew up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (~£3 return, £1 entry) for the golden chedi and city views. Evening: book a Khantoke dinner show with hill-tribe dancing (~£15-£18, bookable on Klook).

🚌Flight BKK-CNX ~£35 (or sleeper train ~£25); songthaew to Doi Suthep ~£3

🛏Chiang Mai old-town hostel (~£8/night)

• →Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (£1)
• →Khantoke dinner with hill-tribe dancing (~£16)

Book an ethical elephant sanctuary day trip that explicitly states no riding (~£45-£60 on GetYourGuide or directly with a sanctuary such as Elephant Nature Park or a smaller family camp) — feeding, bathing the elephants in the river, making herbal medicine, and a jungle waterfall walk. Many packages also include a 5km white-water rafting trip on the Mae Taeng River (~£10-£15 add-on). Standard shared minivan pick-up from your hostel is included.

🚌Sanctuary minivan from hostel (included)

🛏Chiang Mai old-town hostel (~£8)

• →Ethical elephant sanctuary day (~£50)
• →Jungle waterfall trek
• →White-water rafting on Mae Taeng River (~£12)

Join a small-group day tour to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle (~£25-£35 on Klook/GetYourGuide, including transport, Mae Sai border market, Golden Triangle viewpoint and the Opium House museum). Alternatively, take the public bus Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai (~£4, 3.5 hours) and arrange a shared songthaew locally. Chillies and hilltribe handicrafts at the border market are worth the stop; watch out for scams in Mae Sai.

🚌Small-group day tour minivan (included) or public bus ~£4 each way

🛏Chiang Mai old-town hostel (~£8)

• →Golden Triangle viewpoint
• →Mae Sai border market
• →Opium House museum (~£5)

Fly Chiang Mai to Phuket (~£45-£70 with AirAsia/Thai Lion). From Phuket airport, take the Airport Bus to Patong/Karon/Kata (~£1.50) or a shared van (~£3). Base yourself near Karon or Kata for quieter, cheaper beaches, or Phuket Old Town for food and Sino-Portuguese architecture. Evening: cheap seafood at a local market, then old town's Sunday Walking Street if it lines up.

🚌Flight CNX-HKT ~£55; airport bus ~£1.50

🛏Phuket hostel, Karon/Kata or Old Town (~£12/night)

• →Fly to Phuket
• →Phuket Old Town evening stroll
• →Local seafood market dinner

Book a Phi Phi + Khai Island speedboat day trip via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£30-£40 including lunch, snorkel gear, Maya Bay viewpoint, Loh Samah Bay, Viking Cave and Monkey Beach). Departures from Chalong or Rassada pier are early (7-8am). Note Maya Bay has an entrance fee and swimming restrictions in season. Never feed the fish or monkeys — the responsible-travel version is watching, not feeding. Evening back in Phuket for sundowners.

🚌Speedboat tour with hotel pickup (included)

🛏Phuket hostel, Karon/Kata or Old Town (~£12)

• →Phi Phi Leh, Maya Bay & Viking Cave
• →Snorkelling at Loh Samah Bay
• →Khai Nok Island beach stop (~£35)

A free day. Take a songthaew or rent a scooter (~£6) up to the Big Buddha statue on Nakkerd Hill (free site, donations welcome). Swim at Kata Noi or Nai Harn, then hit the Old Town for a Thai cooking class (~£20) or just try the local kanom jeen and Hokkien noodles. Watch the sunset from Promthep Cape with the crowd of locals and travellers. Book your onward/return transport now.

🚌Scooter rental ~£6 or songthaew ~£1-2 per hop

🛏Phuket hostel, Karon/Kata or Old Town (~£12)

• →Big Buddha viewpoint
• →Kata Noi / Nai Harn beach
• →Promthep Cape sunset
• →Optional Thai cooking class (~£20)

Last morning swim or a slow breakfast, then take the Airport Bus (~£1.50) or a shared minivan (~£4) back to Phuket International Airport (HKT). If you need to withdraw cash, the airport ATMs charge ~£4 in fees — use your bank's card elsewhere beforehand. Check onward visa/baggage requirements before airport check-in.

🚌Airport bus ~£1.50 or shared minivan ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →Airport transfer
• →Last beach morning