Cambodia to Vietnam: Night Markets & Noodle-Making — Self-Launched

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and take the Airport Rail Link (45 baht) or a metered taxi (~350-450 baht) to a hostel around Khao San Road or Bang Rak. Complete your Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online at least 3 days before you fly. Spend the evening walking the old town, eating at a night market and failing to resist a 60-baht pad thai. Book your Cambodia flight tonight.

🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1 + walk

🛏Hostel dorm, Khao San or Bang Rak (~£10)

• →Airport Rail Link into the city
• →Khao San Road / Bang Rak wander
• →Street food dinner

Morning flight Bangkok–Siem Reap (AirAsia/Thai AirAsia, book 2-4 weeks ahead for ~£45-65 one way; G Adventures includes this flight, you book it yourself). Complete the Cambodia e-Arrival form online within 7 days of arrival. At Siem Reap Angkor International Airport get a visa on arrival (~$30 + photo) if you don't have an e-visa. A tuk-tuk into town is $5-8. If you're flying overland instead, the bus Bangkok–Siem Reap via Poipet takes ~10 hours and costs ~£20 but is far more painful at the border. Book your Angkor sunrise tour for tomorrow via GetYourGuide or Klook (~$15-20 shared tour, guide included).

🚌Flight ~£55 + tuk-tuk £4

🛏Hostel dorm near Pub Street (~£7)

• →Flight to Siem Reap
• →Tuk-tuk to town
• →Book Angkor sunrise tour
• →Phare Circus (optional, ~$18)

Get picked up around 4:30am for the famous Angkor sunrise. A shared English-speaking guided tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~$15-20) covers Angkor Wat, the face towers of Bayon and tree-swallowing Ta Prohm; the $37 three-day/one-day Angkor pass is extra and paid at the ticket office — a one-day pass is $37. Back by early afternoon, eat a proper Khmer amok lunch at a social-enterprise restaurant (many in Siem Reap support local training, ~$5). Evening on Pub Street — deep-fried tarantula is optional. Rent a bicycle for the late afternoon if you have energy (~$3).

🚌Pickup included in tour

🛏Hostel dorm (~£7)

• →Angkor Wat sunrise guided tour (booked independently)
• →Bayon & Ta Prohm
• →Khmer lunch
• →Pub Street night market

Take a Giant Ibis or Mekong Express VIP bus Siem Reap–Phnom Penh (~6 hours, $13-15, book on BookMeBus or directly). Arrive early afternoon, walk the riverside and do your own orientation loop past the Royal Palace gardens and Wat Phnom. Evening at a street-food stall cluster, or book a self-guided food crawl with a local guide on Klook (~$20).

🚌Bus ~£11

🛏Hostel dorm, riverside/Sisowath Quay area (~£7)

• →VIP bus to Phnom Penh
• →Riverside walk & Wat Phnom
• →Street food crawl

Do the heavy history day independently: Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum ($5 + $3 audio guide) and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek ($6 + audio $3), with a shared tuk-tuk between them (~$10 total split between two). Alternatively book a half-day guided tour (~$22-26). Afternoon: Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda ($10). Be respectful — this is a sombre morning. Refuel with a sunset beer on the riverside.

🚌Shared tuk-tuk ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm (~£7)

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
• →Riverside sunset

Book a bus/van Phnom Penh–Sihanoukville with a ferry combo through a local operator (~$22-28 total, ~5 hrs bus + 45 min ferry; boats run from Sihanoukville's Ochheuteal pier). Arrive on Koh Rong early afternoon, walk the beach to find a bungalow. Koh Rong is still largely undeveloped — a basic beach bungalow runs $8-15 and dorms less. Swim, eat grilled seafood, watch the plankton glow after dark.

🚌Bus + ferry ~£20

🛏Beach bungalow or dorm, Koh Rong (~£10)

• →Bus + ferry combo
• →Beach time
• →Seafood dinner
• →Bioluminescent plankton swim

Free day. Options: a half-day snorkelling/fishing boat trip (~$15-20, book at any beach bar), kayak hire (~$5/hr), or a sweaty hike up to the island viewpoint. Boat trips depart from Koh Toch. Most travellers get stuck here an extra night — you have the flexibility to do that, which the group tour doesn't.

🚌Walking

🛏Beach bungalow or dorm (~£10)

• →Snorkelling boat trip or kayaking
• →Island hike to viewpoint
• →Beach bar evening

Ferry back to Sihanoukville then a bus/van to Chambok, the community-based ecotourism village near Kirirom National Park (~5-6 hrs, ~$15-18 total). Book a Chambok homestay through the community tourism office or an NGO/CBT booking platform — a night with a home-cooked Khmer dinner and breakfast is roughly $10-15 per person. Facilities are basic (squat toilet, bucket shower) — that's the point. Walk to the waterfall if there's daylight left ($3 community entry).

🚌Ferry + bus ~£13

🛏Chambok community homestay, shared basic facilities (~£9 incl. meals)

• →Ferry + bus to Chambok
• →Community homestay night
• →Waterfall walk

Bus to the Bavet/Moc Bai border (fast-track border help isn't needed — the crossing is straightforward if you already have a Vietnam e-visa, apply online ~2 weeks ahead, $25). Then continue by bus to Ho Chi Minh City (~5-6 hrs total from Chambok, ~$15-20). Check into a District 1 backpacker hostel. Evening: Ben Thanh night market, then a rooftop bar if you want the skyline view — or just bia hoi on Bui Vien.

🚌Bus to HCMC ~£14

🛏Backpacker hostel dorm, District 1 (~£8)

• →Bavet/Moc Bai land border crossing
• →Ben Thanh night market
• →Bui Vien / rooftop bar

Self-guided city loop: War Remnants Museum ($2), Reunification Palace ($2), Notre Dame and the Central Post Office (free), and a wander through Cholon's markets. Book your Reunification Express sleeper train to Nha Trang in advance via a Vietnamese booking site or at the station — soft sleeper ~600,000-900,000 VND (£19-29) depending on class, departing around 20:00-22:00 and arriving early morning. Stock up on fruit and water before boarding.

🚌Walking + Grab bikes £3; train £24

🛏Sleeper train, soft-sleeper berth (~£24)

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Palace
• →Cholon market wander
• →Overnight sleeper train

Arrive early morning, drop your bag at a hostel near the beach and head straight for the sand. Afternoon: a mud bath and hot spring at Thap Ba or I-Resort (~£12-15, cheaper booked on Klook). Evening street-food crawl — nem nuong (grilled pork skewers), banh canh and seafood on the night stalls around Cho Dam market. A local walking food tour is ~£15-20 if you want the guided version.

🚌Walking + Grab ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm near the beach (~£8)

• →Beach morning
• →Mud bath & hot springs
• →Night market street food crawl

Free morning — snorkelling boat trip (~$29 / £23) or a lazy beach day. Afternoon book a soft-sleeper train Nha Trang–Da Nang (~12 hrs, ~£25-30, the coastal stretch north of Nha Trang is genuinely beautiful in daylight). Depart in the evening, arrive Da Nang early morning, then a 45-min local bus or Grab (~£8) to Hoi An.

🚌Train £27 + transfer £7

🛏Sleeper train (~£27)

• →Snorkelling boat trip (optional)
• →Coastal sleeper train
• →Transfer to Hoi An

Arrive early, check into a guesthouse in the Old Town or across the river in Cam Nam (much cheaper, ~£10-14 double, ~£6 dorm). Buy the Old Town entry ticket (120,000 VND / ~£4) which covers the Japanese Covered Bridge, assembly halls and merchant houses — or book a guided old-town walking tour through GetYourGuide (~£8-10) for the history. Afternoon: tailor shops (a made-to-measure shirt is ~£20-30), riverside coffee, and lanterns at dusk. Rent a bicycle for ~£1.50/day.

🚌Bicycle hire £1.50

🛏Guesthouse in Hoi An (~£8)

• →Old Town ticket & Japanese Bridge
• →Tailor visit
• →Lantern-lit riverside evening

The headline activity, self-booked: a Hoi An cooking class that includes cao lau noodles, white rose dumplings and fresh spring rolls — most classes run ~4-5 hours including a market tour and boat ride, £20-30 on GetYourGuide/Klook or booked direct with a local cooking school. Many include the famous Cao Lau, made with water from the Ba Le well. Free afternoon for the beach at An Bang, or a bicycle loop out to the rice paddies and Tra Que herb village.

🚌Bicycle £1.50

🛏Guesthouse (~£8)

• →Hoi An cooking class (noodles & cao lau) with market tour
• →An Bang beach
• →Rice paddy cycling

Two good options: the local bus Hoi An–Hue (~£5, ~4 hrs), or — much better — a motorbike rider over the Hai Van Pass via Da Nang and the Marble Mountains (~£25-35 for a rider with you on the back, book through any Hoi An tour shop or Klook; the Easy Riders-style trip is the classic). Arrive Hue in the afternoon. Visit the Imperial Citadel (150,000 VND / ~£5) and walk the Perfume River banks. Hue is Vietnam's food capital — try bun bo Hue from a street stall for ~£1.50.

🚌Motorbike rider ~£30 or bus £5

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Hue (~£7)

• →Motorbike or bus over Hai Van Pass
• →Imperial Citadel
• →Bun bo Hue dinner

Cycle or Grab out to Thien Mu Pagoda (free), then the royal tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh (~£2 each). Afternoon Perfume River boat trip (~£8). Or do a Hue street-food walking tour independently — bun hen, banh khoai and che desserts for under £6 total. Rent a bicycle for £1.50.

🚌Bicycle £1.50 + Grab £3

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel (~£7)

• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Royal tombs
• →Perfume River boat trip
• →Street food tasting

Bus Hue–Phong Nha (~4 hrs, ~£8-10; book through your hostel). Afternoon: Paradise Cave (Thien Duong) — one of Asia's longest dry caves, with boardwalks through huge white crystal stalactites. Entry ~250,000 VND (~£8); a shared transfer from Phong Nha village is ~£6-8. Book the cave trip locally or on Klook in advance. Evening in Phong Nha village — very low-key, a few bars and excellent local restaurants.

🚌Bus £9 + cave transfer £7

🛏Phong Nha guesthouse or hostel (~£8)

• →Bus to Phong Nha
• →Paradise Cave boardwalk
• →Village evening

Long travel day: bus or overnight sleeper from Phong Nha north toward Hanoi/Ha Long (~10-11 hrs, ~£15-20). Alternatively fly Dong Hoi–Hanoi (~£35-45) if you'd rather save a day. Aim to arrive at Ha Long City or Cat Ba the night before your boat trip; budget guesthouses are ~£8-10.

🚌Sleeper bus ~£17

🛏Guesthouse, Ha Long or Cat Ba (~£9)

• →Long-distance bus or sleeper north
• →Evening arrival at Ha Long / Cat Ba

Book a day-cruise junk boat through Klook or GetYourGuide: ~£30-40 for a full day on the bay, seafood lunch, kayaking and a cave visit — a fraction of what a group-tour company charges and often the exact same boats. Avoid the cheapest £15 offers (they're ferries, not cruises). Return to Hanoi by shuttle bus (~£8-10, ~3 hrs). Evening: Hoan Kiem Lake walk and a bia hoi corner beer for 25p.

🚌Shuttle bus ~£9

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter hostel dorm (~£8)

• →Ha Long Bay day cruise with lunch & kayaking
• →Shuttle to Hanoi
• →Hoan Kiem Lake evening walk

Morning: Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake (free), Temple of Literature (~£1), Hoa Lo Prison (~£1) or the Vietnamese Women's Museum (~£1). Do a self-guided Old Quarter food walk — pho, bun cha and egg coffee for under £5 — or book the Hanoi Foodie Culture Tour on Klook (~£18). If you have time, a water puppet show at Thang Long theatre is ~£6. Grab to Noi Bai Airport (~£7) or the airport bus 86 for ~£1.20.

🚌Airport bus ~£1.50 or Grab ~£7

🛏—

• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Temple of Literature
• →Old Quarter food walk
• →Airport transfer