Best of Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia — 19-Day Self-Launched Backpacker Route

Fly into Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and take the Airport Rail Link into town (~£1) rather than a taxi. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Khaosan Road, Silom or Ari depending on your vibe — Ari is quieter and better for food. Spend the evening acclimatising: grab a pad thai from a street cart (£1.50) and a Chang beer, and don't over-plan day one. Buy a Thai SIM (AIS/True ~£8 for 15GB) at the airport or a 7-Eleven.

🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1; BTS/MRT day use ~£1.50

🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room, Khaosan/Silom/Ari (~£12-18)

• →Airport Rail Link into the city
• →Neighbourhood wander and street food dinner

Do the classic Rattanakosin temple circuit on foot and by ferry — it's all within walking distance or a short cross-river boat hop. Start early (8am) at Wat Traimit for the solid gold Buddha (~£2 entry), then walk to Wat Pho for the reclining Buddha (~£5). Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (~£12, closed some public holidays — check) is the big-ticket item; dress code is strict (shoulders and knees covered). Take the cross-river ferry to Wat Arun (~£2 + £1 boat) for sunset, then hire a private longtail boat on the Thonburi canals from Tha Tien pier (~£25-30 per boat, split between travellers — ask at the pier or book via Klook).

🚌Chao Phraya Express boat ~£1; cross-river ferry ~£0.10

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Bangkok (~£12-18)

• →Wat Traimit entry ~£2
• →Wat Pho ~£5
• →Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew ~£12
• →Wat Arun ~£2
• →Longtail canal boat ~£25-30 per boat

Book a small-group floating market tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£25-35) covering Damnoen Saduak or the less-touristy Amphawa, or do it yourself: minivan from Sai Tai Mai bus terminal to Damnoen Saduak (~£3 each way, 1.5-2 hrs) and pay ~£10 for a longtail boat. Return late afternoon and spend the evening eating your way through Chinatown (Yaowarat) — grilled seafood, kuay jab noodles, mango sticky rice. A guided Yaowarat food walk if you want it is ~£22 on GetYourGuide.

🚌Minivan to floating market ~£6 return

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Bangkok (~£12-18)

• →Floating market tour or self-arranged minivan + boat ~£15-35
• →Chinatown street food crawl ~£8

Fly Bangkok to Chiang Mai on a budget carrier (AirAsia/Nok/Thai Lion, ~£25-40 one-way booked 2-4 weeks ahead). Drop bags in the Old City — hostels and guesthouses here are excellent value. Take a red songthaew up to Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep (~£1.50 each way, plus £1 entry) for the mountain views, then walk the Old City temples on foot or by bicycle: Wat Chedi Luang (£2), Wat Phra Singh (£2), Wat Suan Dok (£1). If you want a guide, a half-day Doi Suthep + old city tour on GetYourGuide is ~£18.

🚌Domestic flight ~£25-40; songthaew ~£3 return

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Chiang Mai Old City (~£10-15)

• →Doi Suthep entry + songthaew ~£4
• →Old city temple entries ~£5

Book an ethical, no-riding sanctuary day directly or via GetYourGuide (~£55-75 including transport, lunch, feeding, mud spa and river bathing with the elephants) — Elephant Jungle Sanctuary or Elephant Nature Park are the well-known names; book direct to skip platform fees. Full day, back by 5pm. The sanctuary's Karen-clothing and herbal-medicine-ball activities from the original itinerary are included in most of these programmes. Evening: Sunday Walking Street if your day lands on a Sunday, otherwise the Night Bazaar.

🚌Sanctuary pickup included

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Chiang Mai Old City (~£10-15)

• →Ethical elephant sanctuary day ~£55-75

Chiang Mai to Hanoi is best done as a cheap direct flight (AirAsia/VietJet/Thai AirAsia, often £50-85 one-way — book early; this replaces the tour's $850 domestic flight allowance for the whole trip). e-Visa for Vietnam (~£20, apply online 1-2 weeks ahead). Stay in the Old Quarter — good hostels and budget hotels abound. Evening: do a self-guided street food walk (pho bo, bun cha, banh mi, nem chua ran, egg coffee) for ~£8-12 total, or join a GetYourGuide Old Quarter food tour ~£20 including tastings.

🚌Flight ~£50-85; airport bus #86 ~£1.30

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, Hanoi (~£12-16)

• →Self-guided street food walk ~£10

Book a 1-night Halong or Lan Ha Bay cruise through Klook, GetYourGuide or a Hanoi hostel desk — a decent 3-4 star junk with balcony cabin, all meals, kayaking and cave visit runs ~£110-150 per person sharing. That's the tour's Orchid/Peony/Swan-cruise experience at a fraction of private-tour pricing. Pickup from the Old Quarter around 8am, 3.5 hrs by shuttle bus, board at midday, afternoon of kayaking, swimming, cave exploration and a cooking demo, squid fishing after dinner. (Lan Ha Bay itineraries are usually quieter and similar in price.)

🚌Shuttle bus from Hanoi included in cruise price

🛏Deluxe cabin on a mid-range Halong/Lan Ha junk (~£110-150 incl. meals)

• →Overnight Halong Bay cruise with kayaking, cave, cooking demo ~£110-150

Tai chi on deck at 6am, then breakfast, a final cave or floating village stop and brunch before disembarking around 11am. Shuttle back to Hanoi, arriving mid-afternoon — check back into your Old Quarter room. Use the rest of the day gently: Hoan Kiem Lake loop, a £1 bia hoi on Ta Hien street, and laundry at a corner shop (~£2/kg — much cheaper than hotel laundry).

🚌Return shuttle included in cruise

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, Hanoi (~£12-16)

• →Sunrise tai chi and final bay stop
• →Hoan Kiem Lake walk

Free day of Hanoi's big sights, walkable or a £2 Grab ride apart. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and stilt house are free but have strict opening hours (mornings, closed Mon/Fri — check), then One Pillar Pagoda, the Presidential Palace grounds and the Temple of Literature (~£1.50). If you'd rather have context, a GetYourGuide half-day Hanoi highlights walking tour is ~£20. Afternoon: Hoa Lo Prison (~£1.30) or the excellent Women's Museum (~£1.30).

🚌Grab rides ~£3 total

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, Hanoi (~£12-16)

• →Temple of Literature ~£1.50
• →Hoa Lo Prison ~£1.30
• →Optional guided walking tour ~£20

Self-launch it easily: take a morning bus or train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh (~£3-5, 2-2.5 hrs), rent a bicycle or scooter at the station (~£3-5/day), and do the loop yourself — Hoa Lu ancient capital and the Dinh/Le temples (~£2), the Tam Coc rowboat through the karst caves on the Ngo Dong River (~£8-10 per boat plus entry), and the 500-step Hang Mua climb (~£2) for the famous valley view. Get the last bus back to Hanoi (~£4) or, better, stay the night in Tam Coc village for sunrise. A GetYourGuide Ninh Binh small-group day tour with lunch is ~£30-40 if you prefer not to DIY.

🚌Return bus ~£7

🛏Old Quarter hostel, Hanoi, or Tam Coc guesthouse (~£10-16)

• →Hoa Lu ~£2
• →Tam Coc boat + entry ~£10
• →Hang Mua ~£2
• →Bike rental ~£4

Ride the Reunification Express (SE trains) south — a soft-sleeper berth in a 4-berth cabin is ~£22-28 and takes around 13-14 hours overnight, which saves a night's accommodation. Beware: the daytime leg through the Hai Van Pass is spectacular, so if you'd rather see it, take a morning train to Hue (~£15 hard/soft seat) and arrive evening, or break the journey at Dong Hoi. Alternatively fly Hanoi-Hue for ~£35-50 in an hour. Either way, check into a Hue hotel near the Perfume River and stroll the Old Quarter in the evening.

🚌Reunification Express soft sleeper ~£22-28 (or flight ~£35-50)

🛏Overnight train soft sleeper (or Hue guesthouse ~£12-18)

• →Scenic rail journey through central Vietnam

Hire a bicycle (~£3) or take a Grab and do the classic Hue set yourself: the Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City (~£5), Thien Mu Pagoda on the Perfume River (free, reachable by a £2 boat ride), and the ruined amphitheatre and royal tombs — Tu Duc (~£4) and Khai Dinh (~£4) are the two to prioritise. Finish at Dong Ba Market for bun bo Hue and che. A guided Hue day tour on GetYourGuide with tombs and citadel is ~£30.

🚌Bicycle ~£3 or Grab rides ~£6

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Hue (~£12-18)

• →Imperial Citadel ~£5
• →Thien Mu boat ~£2
• →Tu Duc & Khai Dinh tombs ~£8

Take a local bus Hue-Hoi An (~£6, 3-4 hrs) or, for the best day of the trip, an open-tour minibus that stops at the Hai Van Pass, Lang Co beach and Marble Mountains (~£12-15). The truly adventurous option is renting a scooter in Hue and riding one-way over the pass (~£12-15 + fuel) — only if you're an experienced rider. Arrive Hoi An and check into an ancient-town-fringe guesthouse (cheaper than inside the pedestrian zone). Evening: lantern-lit old town, cao lau for dinner.

🚌Bus or open-tour minibus over Hai Van Pass ~£6-15

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Hoi An (~£12-18)

• →Hai Van Pass and Lang Co beach stop
• →Hoi An old town evening walk

Buy the Hoi An ancient town ticket (~£5), which covers five heritage sites — pick the Japanese Covered Bridge, Tan Ky Ancient House, Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, the Museum of Folk Culture and the Traditional Performing Arts House to mirror the original itinerary's list. Do the market early, then rent a bicycle (~£2) and ride out to the rice paddies and An Bang beach in the afternoon. Optional add-ons if you want them: a £15 cooking class (many are half-day with market visit), a £10 lantern-making workshop, or a £15 tailor fitting.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£2

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Hoi An (~£12-18)

• →Hoi An ancient town ticket ~£5
• →Optional cooking class ~£15
• →An Bang beach trip

Fly Da Nang to Saigon on VietJet/Bamboo (~£30-45, 1hr20) — there's a shuttle or Grab from Hoi An to Da Nang airport (~£8-10). In Saigon stay in District 1 around Bui Vien or the Ben Thanh area. Afternoon self-guided walk: War Remnants Museum (~£2), Reunification Palace (~£2.50), Saigon Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral exterior (free), then Jade Emperor Pagoda (~free/£0.50) and Ben Thanh or Tan Dinh market. A GetYourGuide half-day city tour with transport is ~£25.

🚌Flight ~£30-45; airport Grab ~£4; Grab around town ~£4

🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel, Saigon (~£12-18)

• →War Remnants Museum ~£2
• →Reunification Palace ~£2.50
• →Jade Emperor Pagoda

Book a small-group Ben Tre day tour from Saigon via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£25-35 with lunch, transport and boat rides) — this gives you the Ham Luong River cruise, coconut-processing workshop, mat-weaving house and sampan canal ride from the original itinerary at a fraction of the private-tour cost. Self-launching is also possible: bus Saigon-My Tho (~£3) then local boat hire, but the Delta is one place where a small-group tour is genuinely better value than DIY. Back in Saigon by early evening.

🚌Included in day tour

🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel, Saigon (~£12-18)

• →Ben Tre Mekong Delta small-group day tour ~£25-35

Two options. Fast: fly Saigon to Siem Reap (~£60-90, 1hr15, direct with VietJet/Angkor Air). Cheap and overland-ish: bus Saigon to Phnom Penh (~£10-12, 6 hrs) then a second bus or minivan to Siem Reap (~£10-13, 6 hrs) — that needs a night in Phnom Penh, so allow for it if you go that way. Cambodia e-Visa is ~£25 online (or $30 on arrival by air — land crossings require visa on arrival, no e-visa). Check into a guesthouse around Siem Reap's Wat Bo or Old Market area, then walk Pub Street and the night market. Buy your Angkor pass this evening or first thing tomorrow.

🚌Flight ~£60-90 (or overland bus combo ~£22 over two days)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Siem Reap (~£10-16)

• →Old Market and Pub Street wander

Skip the group tour and hire a tuk-tuk driver for the full 'grand circuit' day (~£18-25 per vehicle, split if you're travelling with others — your guesthouse will arrange it). Buy the 1-day Angkor pass (~£30, or 3-day for ~£50 if you want to spread it out; buy online to skip the queue). Hit Angkor Wat at sunrise, then Angkor Thom's South Gate, Bayon's faces, Phimeanakas, the Royal Enclosure, Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King, then Ta Prohm's tree roots, and climb Phnom Bakheng for sunset. A licensed guide for the day is ~£30-40 extra if you want the history properly explained — highly worth it for Angkor Wat specifically.

🚌Tuk-tuk day hire ~£18-25 per vehicle

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Siem Reap (~£10-16)

• →Angkor 1-day pass ~£30
• →Tuk-tuk grand circuit ~£18-25 per vehicle
• →Optional guide ~£30-40

Breakfast, a last wander around the Old Market for pepper, palm sugar and krama scarves, and a tuk-tuk to Siem Reap airport (~£5-8) or the bus station if you're continuing overland to Bangkok or Phnom Penh. If your flight is late, the Apopo rat-mine-detection centre or the Landmine Museum are worthwhile half-day add-ons (~£4-6).

🚌Tuk-tuk to airport ~£5-8

🛏—

• →Old Market shopping
• →Optional Landmine Museum ~£5