Self-Launched Thailand, Cambodia & Vietnam: 18-Day Bangkok to Hanoi Adventure

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and take the Airport Rail Link into town (B45 / ~£1) then a metered taxi or the Chao Phraya river boat to your guesthouse. Base yourself around Rambuttri/Khao San for cheap beds and river access. Evening: wander to Wat Arun's far bank for the lit-up temple view, grab pad thai from a street cart and sort tomorrow's tickets.

🚌Airport Rail Link + river boat or taxi, ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm or private double in Banglamphu/Rambuttri, £10-16

• →Airport Rail Link into central Bangkok
• →Evening stroll along the Chao Phraya
• →Street food dinner on Soi Rambuttri

Start early at Pak Khlong Talat flower market (free, 5am-noon) before the heat. Walk to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (500B / ~£11 — book a timed entry slot online; closed days vary, check ahead) then Wat Pho's reclining Buddha (300B / ~£7). In the afternoon hire a shared long-tail boat through Tha Tien pier to the canal communities (around 1,000-1,500B per boat, split between a few travellers — or join a small-group canal tour on Klook for ~£15). Cross by the 5B ferry to Wat Arun for sunset (200B / ~£4.50).

🚌River boat + cross-river ferry, ~£2

🛏Banglamphu guesthouse, £10-16

• →Pak Khlong Talat flower market
• →Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew
• →Wat Pho reclining Buddha
• →Long-tail boat through Bangkok's canals
• →Wat Arun at sunset

Take the 8am ordinary train from Hua Lamphong/Thonburi to Ayutthaya (20B / ~£0.50, 1.5-2 hrs — or a minivan from Mo Chit, ~£2). Rent a bicycle at the station (~60B / £1.30) and ride the ruins: Wat Mahathat (Buddha head in tree roots), Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit (all covered by the 220B / ~£5 ruins pass). Bang Pa-In Summer Palace is 20km south — reachable by songthaew or a short train hop if you want it. Return to Bangkok for the evening.

🚌Return train Bangkok–Ayutthaya + bike hire, ~£4

🛏Banglamphu guesthouse, £10-16

• →Train to Ayutthaya
• →Bicycle the Ayutthaya Historical Park
• →Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Si Sanphet & Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit
• →Optional Bang Pa-In Summer Palace

Two realistic options. Budget route: bus Bangkok to Siem Reap via Poipet with a company like Giant Ibis (~£22-25, 9-10 hrs incl. border) — get your Cambodia e-visa (£30) in advance to speed the crossing. Faster route: a direct flight Bangkok–Siem Reap (~£45-70 booked ahead). Once in town, check into a guesthouse near Pub Street/Old Market and book an Angkor tuk-tuk driver for the next two days (a good day rate is £15-20). Note: Kompong Phluk's floating village is best reached from Siem Reap, so slot it in tomorrow afternoon instead of the Bangkok side.

🚌Bangkok–Siem Reap bus ~£23 (or flight ~£55)

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/hostel, £8-15

• →Overland border crossing at Poipet (or short flight)
• →Settle into Siem Reap Old Market area
• →Book a tuk-tuk driver for Angkor days

Buy the Angkor pass at the ticket office (1-day $37 / ~£30, 3-day $62 / ~£50 — the 3-day pass is better value here). Morning with your tuk-tuk driver: Angkor Thom's south gate, the Bayon's smiling faces, the Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King. Afternoon: Ta Keo and Ta Prohm, the jungle-strangled temple. Climb Phnom Bakheng for sunset — arrive by 4pm as numbers are capped. Optional add-on: Kompong Phluk floating village by boat in the late afternoon on a separate day if you'd rather not rush.

🚌Tuk-tuk day hire (split), ~£8-10

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse, £8-15

• →Angkor Thom & Bayon Temple
• →Terrace of the Elephants
• →Ta Keo & Ta Prohm
• →Sunset from Phnom Bakheng

Leave at 4.45am for sunrise over Angkor Wat (included in your pass) — head to the reflecting pool on the north side. Mid-morning drive out to Banteay Srei, the pink sandstone temple 35km north (tuk-tuk or a shared car, ~£20-25 return) via rural villages. On the way back stop at Kompong Phluk floating village on Tonle Sap for a boat ride through the stilted houses (~£12-15 per person, arrange with your driver). Finish with a sunset beer on Pub Street.

🚌Long-distance tuk-tuk/car day hire, ~£18

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse, £8-15

• →Sunrise at Angkor Wat
• →Banteay Srei temple
• →Kompong Phluk floating village boat trip on Tonle Sap
• →Village backroads by tuk-tuk

Fly Siem Reap to Saigon (~£55-80, 1hr — far kinder than the 12hr bus) or take the bus via Moc Bai (~£20, 12hrs, overnight). Check into a District 1 hostel. Afternoon self-guided walk: Ben Thanh Market, the War Remnants Museum (£1.50, deeply moving — allow 2 hours), Reunification Palace (£2.50), Notre Dame Cathedral exterior (under restoration) and the Old Saigon Post Office. Evening: Dong Khoi Street and a banh mi dinner for under £2.

🚌Flight ~£65 (or bus ~£20)

🛏District 1 hostel, £8-14

• →Flight or bus Siem Reap–Saigon
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Palace
• →Old Saigon Post Office & Dong Khoi Street

Book a small-group day tour that combines the Cao Dai Holy See at Tay Ninh (noon ceremony is the one to see) with the Cu Chi Tunnels — GetYourGuide/Klook list these from £22-30 including transport and a guide, which is genuinely cheaper than doing it independently. Crawl the tunnels, try the firing range if you fancy it, and walk the forest trails where the complex is hidden. Back in Saigon by early evening.

🚌Included in day tour

🛏District 1 hostel, £8-14

• →Cao Dai Temple ceremony at Tay Ninh
• →Cu Chi Tunnels guided visit
• →Forest walk around the tunnel complex

Take a Phuong Trang/Futa sleeper bus from Saigon's Mien Tay station to Can Tho (~£6-8, 4 hrs). Afternoon: hire a local sampan or join a short small-boat trip on the Mekong backwaters (~£8-10) and walk the riverside promenade. Book a boatman for tomorrow's dawn floating-market run (£10-13 for a private small boat, or ~£15 for a group tour). Eat at the night market on the riverfront.

🚌Bus ~£7 + local sampan ~£9

🛏Can Tho guesthouse or budget hotel, £8-14

• →Sleeper bus to Can Tho
• →Afternoon sampan on the Mekong backwaters
• →Can Tho riverside night market

Leave by 5.30am by sampan for Cai Rang floating market — the best of the delta, with boats selling noodles and coffee from the water. Stop at a rice-noodle factory on the way back (a small tip is appreciated). Late morning bus back to Saigon (~£7) and take an evening flight to Hue (~£35-50 booked ahead) — or, to save money, an overnight train from Saigon to Hue in a soft sleeper (~£28-35, 20hrs). Arrive Hue and check into a guesthouse in the backpacker strip near Pham Ngu Lao.

🚌Sampan ~£12 + bus ~£7 + flight ~£45 (or train ~£30)

🛏Hue guesthouse, £8-14

• →Cai Rang floating market by sampan
• →Rice noodle factory visit
• →Bus to Saigon + flight or overnight train to Hue

Hire a bicycle (~£2/day) or take cyclos to the Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City (£4). Continue to Dong Ba Market for lunch, then a dragon boat down the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda (~£3-4, boats leave from Toa Kham pier). Rent a motorbike or shared car to Tomb of King Minh Mang (£3) and, if you have time, Tu Duc's tomb — the combo ticket (~£12) covers citadel plus tombs. Buy a Hue royal-cuisine dinner for under £5.

🚌Bike hire + dragon boat, ~£5

🛏Hue guesthouse, £8-14

• →Imperial Citadel & Forbidden Purple City
• →Dong Ba Market
• →Dragon boat on the Perfume River
• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Tomb of King Minh Mang

Two ways over the pass: the local bus Hue–Da Nang (~£4, 3 hrs, no scenery) or — much better — the open-tour minibus that stops at Lang Co beach, the Hai Van Pass viewpoint and Marble Mountain (~£10-13). Easy Riders motorbike tours do the same route for ~£30 if you want the wind-in-hair version. In Da Nang, stop at the Cham Museum (£2.50) and My Khe/Non Nuoc beach, then take a Grab or local bus 20 minutes south to Hoi An (~£3-5). Check into a homestay in the old town.

🚌Open-tour minibus ~£12 + local transfer ~£4

🛏Hoi An homestay, £9-16

• →Hai Van Pass & Lang Co beach viewpoint
• →Cham Museum in Da Nang
• →Marble Mountain
• →Non Nuoc beach stop
• →Arrive Hoi An old town

Buy the old-town ticket (£4.50) covering five heritage buildings: the Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese assembly hall, a merchant's house and the old houses on Tran Phu. Cycle out to Thanh Ha pottery village (£1 entry, 4km) and Tra Que vegetable gardens. Late afternoon take a short sampan ride on the Hoai River (£3). If you're there on the 14th of the lunar month, the lantern festival is free and unmissable. Splurge on cao lau and white rose dumplings for dinner.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£2

🛏Hoi An homestay, £9-16

• →Hoi An old town heritage ticket
• →Japanese Covered Bridge & Chinese temple
• →Merchant's house
• →Thanh Ha pottery village by bicycle
• →Sampan on the Hoai River

Shared shuttle from Hoi An to Da Nang airport (~£5, 45 mins) then a 1hr20 flight to Hanoi (~£35-55 booked ahead). Check into a hostel in the Old Quarter. Evening: join a small-group street-food walking tour on Klook/GetYourGuide (~£20-25) covering bun cha, banh cuon, egg coffee and bia hoi — or DIY it around Hang Be and Ta Hien for about £6 of food plus a £1 beer.

🚌Shuttle ~£5 + flight ~£45

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter hostel, £8-15

• →Shuttle to Da Nang airport + flight to Hanoi
• →Old Quarter orientation walk
• →Street food tour (guided or self-led)
• →Egg coffee on Nguyen Huu Huan

Walk the Ho Chi Minh complex — Ba Dinh Square, the Mausoleum (free, closed Mon & Fri, morning only), the House on Stilts and One Pillar Pagoda. Continue to the Temple of Literature (£2), then the Hoa Lo Prison — the 'Hanoi Hilton' (£2). Afternoon at the Museum of Ethnology (£2.50, 15 mins by Grab). Evening: Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (£4-6, book ahead for front rows) and a bun cha dinner.

🚌Walking + a couple of Grab rides, ~£4

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter hostel, £8-15

• →Ba Dinh Square & Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• →Ho Chi Minh's House on Stilts & One Pillar Pagoda
• →Temple of Literature
• →Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton)
• →Museum of Ethnology
• →Thang Long Water Puppet Show

Book a 2-day/1-night mid-range Halong or Lan Ha Bay cruise through Klook/GetYourGuide or direct with a local operator (£95-140 per person including bus transfer, all meals, kayaking and cabin — Lan Ha/Bai Tu Long are quieter than Halong proper). Picked up from the Old Quarter around 8am, board at noon, kayak through karst lagoons, swim off the boat and watch sunset from the sundeck. Note that dive operators don't really run in the bay; snorkelling is the realistic option.

🚌Shuttle included in cruise price

🛏Overnight cruise cabin (twin share), £110-140 all-in incl. meals and transfers

• →Bus transfer Hanoi–Halong/Lan Ha
• →Overnight junk cruise
• →Kayaking through karst caves
• →Swimming and sunset on the sundeck

Tai chi on deck at dawn, a morning swim or cave visit, brunch on board and disembark around 11am. Shuttle back to Hanoi by 4pm. Use the afternoon to shop the Old Quarter, pick up a last bowl of pho and enjoy bia hoi corner before an early night.

🚌Shuttle included in cruise price

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter hostel, £8-15

• →Sunrise on Halong Bay
• →Morning kayak or cave visit
• →Shuttle back to Hanoi
• →Old Quarter shopping and bia hoi

Breakfast, a final egg coffee, then Grab or the cheap city bus 86 to Noi Bai airport (~£1.50, 45-60 mins) for your flight out. Allow three hours before departure.

🚌Bus 86 or Grab to airport, ~£2

🛏N/A — depart

• →Last coffee in the Old Quarter
• →Transfer to Noi Bai airport