Wonders of Vietnam & Thailand: Self-Launched 13 Days (Hanoi – Sapa – Halong Bay – Bangkok – Koh Samui)

Land at Noi Bai (HAN). Take bus #86 from outside arrivals to Hanoi railway station area for about 35,000 VND (~£1.10), or a Grab car for ~350,000 VND (~£11) — only use the official Grab app counter, ignore taxi touts. Check into a hostel dorm or private room in the Old Quarter. Spend the afternoon wandering Hoan Kiem Lake, the 36 guild streets and Dong Xuan market, then do a DIY street-food crawl: bun cha, banh mi and egg coffee for under £6 total. Pick up a local SIM/eSIM (~£6–8 for 30 days data). Tonight, buy your Sapa sleeper train ticket at the station or online (Vietnam Railways / 12Go) — a soft-sleeper berth Hanoi–Lao Cai is roughly £18–25 in a 4-berth cabin.

🚌Airport bus #86 ~£1.10; city walking; Grab for longer hops

🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, ~£10

• →Hoan Kiem Lake & Old Quarter walk
• →Dong Xuan Market
• →Street food crawl
• →Buy SIM card & Sapa train ticket

Book a small-group Hoa Lu–Tam Coc day tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£28–35, includes hotel pickup, lunch, boat and bike). You'll see the 10th-century Dinh and Le dynasty temples at Hoa Lu, then a 2-hour sampan row through the Tam Coc caves and karst, followed by a ~5 km flat bike loop past Bich Dong pagoda and rice paddies. Back in Hanoi by early evening — shower, eat, and head to Tran Quy Cap station for the ~21:30 sleeper train to Lao Cai, arriving around 05:30. Book a lower berth if you can; bring earplugs and a padlock for your bag.

🚌Tour minibus; overnight sleeper train ~£20

🛏Soft-sleeper train berth (Hanoi–Lao Cai), ~£20

• →Hoa Lu ancient capital temples
• →Tam Coc sampan boat through caves
• →Cycling Bich Dong villages and rice fields

Arrive Lao Cai ~05:30; shared minibus to Sapa town is 50,000–70,000 VND (~£2), about an hour. Have pho for breakfast, drop your bag, then start trekking from Sapa down through Y Linh Ho and Lao Chai (H'mong villages) to Ta Van (Dzay village) — roughly 12 km, 4–5 hours, steep in places and slippery after rain. The trail is well marked and widely walked, but hiring a local H'mong guide through your homestay costs only ~£12–15 for the day and supports the community. Overnight in a Ta Van homestay with dinner included; book via Booking.com or direct (~£12–18 including meals).

🚌Shared minibus Lao Cai–Sapa ~£2; trekking on foot

🛏Ta Van village homestay, ~£14 incl. dinner/breakfast

• →Trek Sapa – Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Ta Van (~12 km)
• →H'mong and Dzay village visit
• →Optional local guide ~£12–15

Breakfast at the homestay, then a second self-guided day hike northwest to Giang Ta Chai (Red Dzao village), the waterfall and rattan bridge, looping through Su Pan — about 10–12 km, 4 hours. Download Maps.me or use a homestay-drawn map; guides in Ta Van will show you the trailhead. Return to Sapa mid-afternoon for coffee and the market, then take a Limousine-style shared van or local bus back to Hanoi (~£10–14, 5–6 hrs) or the overnight sleeper train again (~£20). Overnight Hanoi.

🚌Sapa–Hanoi shared van or sleeper train ~£12

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter hostel/guesthouse, ~£10

• →Trek Giang Ta Chai – waterfall – Su Pan
• →Sapa market browse

Book a 2-day/1-night Halong Bay cruise online (Klook, GetYourGuide, or direct with an operator like Halong Fantasea/Legend) — budget junk with kayaking, all meals and shuttle is ~£85–100 per person in a twin/double cabin, solo travellers either pay a single supplement or share a twin. Pickup from your Hanoi hotel about 08:00, 3.5 hrs by road. Board at midday; cruise among the limestone islets, kayak into a lagoon, visit a floating fishing village or cave, and finish with a seafood dinner on deck.

🚌Shuttle bus Hanoi–Halong–Hanoi (return), included in cruise

🛏Traditional junk boat cabin (shared twin), ~£92

• →Halong Bay junk cruise
• →Sea kayaking
• →Cave/limestone islet exploration
• →Seafood dinner on deck

Wake for a 06:30 tai chi session on the sundeck, then visit the big stalactite cave (usually Sung Sot) with the boat's guide. Brunch on board, disembark late morning, and shuttle back to Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Evenings in Hanoi are cheap and fun — bia hoi corner costs ~£0.30 a glass. Buy a warm layer if you're continuing north, and pre-book tonight's flight to Bangkok if you haven't already.

🚌Return shuttle from Halong (included)

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter hostel/guesthouse, ~£10

• →Tai chi on deck
• →Limestone cave visit
• →Bia hoi corner evening

Free morning in Hanoi: Temple of Literature (~£2), the Hoa Lo Prison museum (~£1.50) or a walk around Truc Bach lake. Fly Noi Bai–Suvarnabhumi on VietJet/AirAsia/Thai Lion, typically £45–70 one way if booked a few weeks out. From Suvarnabhumi take the Airport Rail Link to Phaya Thai (~45 THB, ~£1) and the BTS Skytrain to your hostel — a dorm bed near Khao San/Nana/Silom is £10–15. Evening: Chinatown (Yaowarat) for seafood and street food, or a rooftop viewpoint without the bar price tag. Grab a Thai eSIM or buy a tourist SIM at 7-Eleven/shop (~£8 for 15 days).

🚌Airport Rail Link + BTS ~£1.30; one-way flight ~£55

🛏Bangkok hostel dorm or budget private, ~£13

• →Temple of Literature or Hoa Lo Prison
• →Fly Hanoi–Bangkok
• →Yaowarat Chinatown food walk

Book a small-group floating market day tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£28–36) — cheaper than the classic DIY route and includes the long-tail boat. You'll watch the train rattle through Maeklong Railway Market, ride a long-tail boat into Damnoen Saduak floating market, then hit three of Bangkok's big temples in the afternoon: Wat Traimit (solid gold Buddha), Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha, ~200 THB entry) and Wat Benchamabophit, the marble temple. Alternatively DIY by minibus from Sai Tai Mai bus terminal to Maeklong (~£2.50), but you'll lose hours in transit.

🚌Tour minibus and long-tail boat (included)

🛏Bangkok hostel dorm or budget private, ~£13

• →Maeklong Railway Track Market
• →Damnoen Saduak floating market by long-tail boat
• →Wat Traimit
• →Wat Pho
• →Wat Benchamabophit

Get yourself to Kanchanaburi — cheapest is the ordinary 3rd-class train from Thonburi station (~100 THB, ~£2.30, about 3 hrs, very local and scenic), or a minibus from Mochit/Sai Tai (~£4). Hire a bicycle or songthaew locally. Walk the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, cross the Bridge on the River Kwai, and visit the Thailand–Burma Railway Centre or JEATH War Museum (~£4–5). The highlight is riding the Death Railway over the Tham Krasae wooden viaduct — book a train ticket at Kanchanaburi station to Nam Tok and get off at Tham Krasae (~£2). Long-tail boat on the Kwai ~£12 if you fancy it. Overnight in Kanchanaburi guesthouses on the river (~£12), or return to Bangkok by evening minibus.

🚌3rd-class train Thonburi–Kanchanaburi ~£2.30; local trains/songthaew

🛏Kanchanaburi riverside guesthouse, ~£12

• →Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
• →Bridge on the River Kwai
• →Death Railway ride over Tham Krasae viaduct
• →Thailand–Burma Railway Centre or JEATH museum
• →Optional River Kwai long-tail boat ~£12

Back to Bangkok by mid-morning, then choose your route: (a) fly direct Bangkok Airways to USM, £55–85 and 1 hr; (b) fly AirAsia/Nok to Surat Thani (~£25–35) then bus+ferry combo to Samui (~£14, 4–5 hrs total); or (c) the classic overnight sleeper train Bangkok–Surat Thani (~£18–25) then bus-ferry (~£14). Option (b) is the best value/comfort balance. On Samui, base yourself in Lamai or Chaweng for cheaper guesthouses — a fan or A/C bungalow a few minutes from the beach is £15–22/night. Swim, eat at night markets, and sort tomorrow's plans.

🚌Flight Bangkok–Surat Thani ~£30; bus + ferry to Samui ~£14

🛏Samui bungalow/guesthouse, ~£18

• →Travel day
• →Chaweng or Lamai beach sunset
• →Fisherman's Village night market (Bophut) if based north

Sleep in and beach-hop. Hire a scooter (~£6–7/day, international licence required — police do check) or join a songthaew to explore the 50 km ring road: Big Buddha, Wat Plai Laem, Hin Ta Hin Yai rocks and the Na Muang waterfalls. A 1-hour Thai massage is £6–9; a snorkel trip to Koh Tao/Koh Nang Yuan runs £20–28. Lunch from 7-Eleven and street stalls keeps the day to £8–10.

🚌Scooter rental ~£7 or songthaew hops ~£3

🛏Samui bungalow/guesthouse, ~£18

• →Beach hopping
• →Thai massage ~£8
• →Big Buddha & Wat Plai Laem
• →Optional snorkel trip ~£24

Another unscripted day: yoga or a beach walk in the morning, a cooking class if you want a skill to take home (~£22), and a final night-market dinner. Use the day to book your onward/return transport — internal flights out of USM are expensive, so consider the ferry to Donsak plus bus to Surat Thani airport (~£16) or the ferry to Koh Phangan/Koh Tao if you're extending. Pack and enjoy a last sunset.

🚌Local songthaew/walking; pre-book onward ferry/coach

🛏Samui bungalow/guesthouse, ~£18

• →Beach walk or yoga
• →Optional Thai cooking class ~£22
• →Night market dinner
• →Book onward transport

Fly out of Samui International (USM) if you're heading to Bangkok or Singapore, or take the 40-minute ferry to Donsak and the bus to Surat Thani airport/train station for a much cheaper onward connection (~£16 total). Budget at least 3 hours for the ferry+bus combo. If you're flying out of a Bangkok airport later, the Surat Thani route plus a cheap domestic flight is usually £30–40 cheaper than flying from USM.

🚌Ferry + bus to Surat Thani ~£16, or flight from USM ~£60+

🛏—

• →Onward travel