Thailand & Vietnam: Mountains & Coastlines — Self-Launched

Land at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang and get to your hostel by Airport Rail Link + BTS (about £1-2) or a metered taxi (£7-9). Stay near Khao San or the Old Town so you can walk to the river. Settle in, grab your first pad thai from a street stall and sort a Thai SIM/eSIM (about £5-8 for 15-30 days of data). Buy a Rabbit card or just use contactless on the BTS. Complete your Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online up to 3 days before arrival — this is now mandatory.

🚌Airport Rail Link + BTS ~£2, or taxi ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm near Khao San / Old Town (£8-12)

• →Airport transfer
• →Khao San Road evening wander
• →Thai SIM card

Free morning — walk the Old Town or take a longtail boat through the klongs to Wat Pho (reclining Buddha, entry ~£5). Book the klong tour yourself at Tha Tien pier for around £8-12, or pre-book on Klook. Mid-afternoon take a minivan from Mochit or Sai Tai Mai bus terminal to Kanchanaburi (2.5-3 hrs, ~£3-4). Check into a riverside guesthouse and visit the Thai-Burma Railway Museum and War Cemetery (combined ~£4) before sunset at the Bridge over the River Kwai.

🚌Longtail boat ~£10; minivan Bangkok–Kanchanaburi ~£4

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Kanchanaburi (£10-15)

• →Wat Pho & klong boat tour
• →Thai-Burma Railway Museum
• →Allied War Cemetery
• →Bridge over the River Kwai

Take the local bus or songthaew from Kanchanaburi bus station to Erawan National Park (about 1.5 hrs, ~£2) — entry ~£5. Climb the seven tiers of turquoise pools; the top tiers are quieter and swimmable. On the way back, stop at Tham Krasae, the wooden railway bridge carved into the cliff, and walk a stretch of the Death Railway track. Buses run roughly hourly back to town. Evening at the night market by the river.

🚌Local bus/songthaew to Erawan ~£2 each way

🛏Riverside guesthouse, Kanchanaburi (£10-15)

• →Erawan National Park & seven-tier falls
• →Tham Krasae wooden railway bridge

A long travel day: bus Kanchanaburi to Bangkok's Sai Tai Mai (2 hrs), then an overnight or afternoon VIP bus to Sukhothai (6-7 hrs, ~£10-12). Alternatively take a train back to Bangkok and the night train north to Phitsanulok, then a local bus to Sukhothai. If you arrive in daylight, rent a bike (£1-2) and ride the moat-ringed Sukhothai Historical Park (£5 entry) — Wat Mahathat, Wat Si Chum and the lotus-pond reflections at sunset. New Sukhothai town has the cheap guesthouses.

🚌Buses ~£5 + ~£12

🛏Guesthouse in New Sukhothai (£9-14)

• →Sukhothai Historical Park by bicycle
• →Wat Mahathat & Wat Si Chum

Morning bus from Sukhothai to Chiang Mai (5-6 hrs, ~£6-8) or the slower train via Phitsanulok. In the afternoon, explore the old city inside the moat on foot. Optional Doi Suthep: take a red songthaew from Chang Phuak gate up the mountain (~£3 return) for the hilltop temple and city views. Tonight, do your own street food crawl — Khao Soi stalls near Chang Phuak gate, sai ua sausage at Warorot Market, mango sticky rice from a cart.

🚌Bus ~£7; songthaew to Doi Suthep ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm inside the old city (£7-12)

• →Old city walk
• →Doi Suthep temple (optional)
• →Street food crawl

Full free day. Pre-book a half-day cycling tour or a Northern Thai cooking class via Klook or GetYourGuide (£18-28, including market trip and ingredients — the group tour offers this as an optional extra too). Alternatives: an ethical elephant sanctuary day trip, a jungle trek, or a Thai massage (£6-10). Tonight is a night out — the Nimman or Riverside bar strips, or the Sunday Walking Street market if your dates line up.

🚌Songthaews around town ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm inside the old city (£7-12)

• →Northern Thai cooking class or cycling tour
• →Sunday Walking Street market
• →Night out

Booking tip: AirAsia, Thai Vietjet and VietJet all fly Chiang Mai–Hanoi direct; book 4-8 weeks ahead for fares around £60-90 one way. Get your Vietnam e-visa in advance (£20-25, allow at least 2 weeks). Land at Noi Bai, take the #86 express bus to the Old Quarter (~£1) or a Grab (£8-10). Check into a hostel in the Old Quarter — many city-centre rooms in Hanoi have no windows, which is normal. Evening bia hoi on Ta Hien street, ~20p a glass.

🚌Flight ~£70-90; airport bus ~£1

🛏Hostel dorm, Old Quarter (£6-10)

• →Flight to Hanoi
• →Arrival in the Old Quarter
• →Bia hoi corner

Do your own orientation walk: Hoan Kiem Lake and the red bridge, the tangled streets of the 36 guild quarters, Dong Xuan Market. Optional extras you can book yourself: Temple of Literature (£2), Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake (free), or the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (~£7 — book ahead). In the evening, join a small-group Hanoi street food tour on GetYourGuide (£18-25) or DIY it: bun cha, banh cuon, egg coffee.

🚌Walking; occasional Grab ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Old Quarter (£6-10)

• →Hoan Kiem Lake walk
• →Temple of Literature
• →Water puppet show
• →Street food tour

Take a limousine bus or train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh (~2 hrs, £5-8). Rent a bicycle (£2) and ride to Trang An or Tam Coc for a paddle-boat tour through limestone caves and rice paddies — book at the jetty on arrival, ~£8-10 for a 2-hour rowboat. Stop at a local pagoda or climb Hang Mua for the view. Then continue south: bus to Vinh (~2 hrs, ~£4) for an overnight to break the journey toward Phong Nha.

🚌Bus Ninh Binh ~£6; bicycle ~£2; bus to Vinh ~£4

🛏Budget hotel or guesthouse, Vinh (£8-12)

• →Trang An / Tam Coc paddle boat
• →Hang Mua viewpoint
• →Local pagoda visit

Bus from Vinh to Phong Nha (about 3-4 hrs, ~£5-6); the scenery gets genuinely dramatic as you approach the karst mountains. Phong Nha village is tiny — check into a homestay with bikes or scooters included. In the afternoon, rent a bike and ride the lanes past rice fields, or walk the riverside. Book your cave tour for tomorrow (either the easy Paradise Cave/Dark Cave combo ~£20-25 or an adventure caving tour with Oxalis if you want to go deeper, from ~£60).

🚌Bus ~£6; bicycle hire ~£2

🛏Homestay, Phong Nha (£8-12)

• →Countryside cycle
• →Riverside walk
• →Book cave tour

Paradise Cave is the highlight of the Dragon Cave/Paradise Cave combination — a 31km cave system with huge white crystal stalactites, accessed by boardwalk. Join a small-group tour (pickup from your homestay included) via Klook or direct with the operator, ~£22-30. Alternatively, go full adventure: Dark Cave zipline and mud bath (~£25) or a day of real caving. Back in the village by late afternoon for dinner at a local grill.

🚌Tour pickup included

🛏Homestay, Phong Nha (£8-12)

• →Paradise Cave tour
• →Dark Cave zipline & mud bath (optional)

Take the morning bus or a shared minivan south (about 4 hrs, ~£6-8). Break the journey at Vinh Moc Tunnels in the former DMZ (entry ~£2) and, if time allows, the Hien Luong bridge and Rockpile. Continue to Hue, check into a guesthouse inside or near the Citadel, and do a sunset walk along the Perfume River and the Imperial Enclosure's moat-side walls (the Citadel interior is best saved for morning).

🚌Bus/minivan ~£7

🛏Guesthouse near the Citadel, Hue (£8-12)

• →Vinh Moc Tunnels
• →DMZ stops
• →Perfume River evening walk

Explore the Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City (£5) in the morning while it's cooler. In the afternoon, hire a motorbike driver-guide for a countryside tour (about £12-15 for a half day) taking in the Tu Duc or Khai Dinh royal tombs and Thien Mu Pagoda — this is the same experience the group tour offers as a payable extra. Eat bun bo Hue for dinner; it's the city's signature dish.

🚌Walk; motorbike driver ~£13

🛏Guesthouse near the Citadel, Hue (£8-12)

• →Imperial Citadel
• →Royal tombs & Thien Mu Pagoda by motorbike
• →Bun bo Hue dinner

Take the train Hue to Da Nang (about 2.5-3 hrs, ~£3-5) — the stretch past Lang Co beach is one of Vietnam's great rail journeys. From Da Nang, a Grab or local bus gets you to Hoi An in 45 mins (~£4 or £1). Alternatively, ride the Hai Van Pass on the back of an Easy Rider motorbike (~£20-25). Check into a hostel in Hoi An's old town and spend the evening among the silk lanterns.

🚌Train ~£4; Grab ~£4

🛏Hostel in Hoi An old town (£7-11)

• →Coastal train Hue–Da Nang
• →Hai Van Pass (optional)
• →Lantern-lit old town evening

Buy an old town ticket (£5) for the Japanese Covered Bridge, Chinese assembly halls and merchant houses. Do a self-guided walking route or join a small-group walking tour on GetYourGuide (~£10). In the afternoon, take a Vietnamese cooking class (~£20-28, including a market visit and boat ride on the Thu Bon — the group tour's 'Oodles of Noodles' style experience). After dark, float a paper lantern on the river.

🚌Walking; bicycle ~£2

🛏Hostel in Hoi An old town (£7-11)

• →Hoi An old town ticket
• →Vietnamese cooking class
• →Thu Bon river boat trip

Do a half-day tour to the My Son Cham ruins (about £12-15 including transport, or hire a scooter for ~£6 and ride the 40km yourself — entry ~£6). Either pre-book via Klook or arrange at any Hoi An travel agency. Spend the afternoon at An Bang beach, 4km from town, with a bicycle and a £1 beer. Get a suit or dress tailored in town if that's your thing — 24-hour turnaround is normal.

🚌Tour transport included, or scooter ~£6; bicycle to beach ~£2

🛏Hostel in Hoi An old town (£7-11)

• →My Son Cham ruins
• →An Bang beach
• →Tailor fitting (optional)

Take the daytime train from Da Nang or Tam Ky to Nha Trang (7-9 hrs, ~£8-12 in soft seat) — the coastal stretch through Qui Nhon is the pretty part. Or fly Da Nang–Nha Trang if you're short on time (£40-60). Check into a hostel a block or two back from the beach, then walk the promenade at sunset.

🚌Train ~£10

🛏Hostel, Nha Trang (£7-11)

• →Coastal train journey
• →Nha Trang beachfront promenade

Book a boat trip to the islands for snorkelling and swimming (~£15-20 with lunch), or take a mud bath and hot spring session at Thap Ba or I-Resort (~£10-15). Alternatively, ride a scooter out to the fishing villages south of town or take the cable car to Hon Tre island. In the evening, do a DIY street food crawl: nem nuong (grilled pork skewers), banh canh, seafood grilled at the night market.

🚌Boat trip / scooter ~£5

🛏Hostel, Nha Trang (£7-11)

• →Island snorkelling boat trip
• →Mud baths
• →Nha Trang street food crawl

Fly Cam Ranh–Saigon with VietJet or Vietnam Airlines (~£30-50, 1 hr), or take the sleeper bus (about 9 hrs, ~£10-12) or the overnight train. Land in Saigon and check into a hostel in District 1 or the backpacker area of Pham Ngu Lao. Evening wander through Ben Thanh night market and the pedestrianised Nguyen Hue walking street.

🚌Flight ~£40 (or sleeper bus ~£11) + airport bus ~£1

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 Saigon (£7-11)

• →Flight to Saigon
• →Ben Thanh market
• →Nguyen Hue walking street

Walk or Grab between the big sights: the War Remnants Museum (£2), Independence Palace (£3), the Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral exterior, and the Jade Emperor Pagoda. Afternoon cyclo tour through the old streets (~£8) or a street food scooter tour (~£20-25). Consider a half-day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels (~£12-18 including transport) if you're keen for a contrast with the DMZ tunnels. Do your final souvenir shopping at Binh Tay market in Cholon.

🚌Grabs ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 Saigon (£7-11)

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Independence Palace
• →Cyclo tour
• →Cu Chi Tunnels (optional)

Depart at any time. If you're flying out of Tan Son Nhat, the #109 or #152 bus costs about 30p-£1 to the airport, or a Grab is ~£5-7. If you have a late flight, spend the morning at a coffee shop drinking ca phe sua da and plan where the next leg goes — this route lines up neatly with onward travel into Cambodia (bus Saigon–Phnom Penh, ~£10, 6 hrs).

🚌Airport bus ~£1 or Grab ~£6

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• →Departure