Epic Southeast Asia: Hanoi to Siem Reap – Self-Launched

Land at Noi Bai, take bus 86 (about £1.20) or a Grab (~£7) into the Old Quarter and check into a hostel dorm. In the evening do your own street-food walk: nem ran (fried spring rolls), banh goi, bun cha, and finish with egg coffee at Cafe Giang. Book your onward bus/sleeper train tickets for the next few legs tonight at any travel agency on Ta Hien or Hang Bac — cheaper than booking online.

🚌Airport bus 86 or Grab

🛏Hostel dorm, Old Quarter (£6–9)

• →Old Quarter street food walk
• →Egg coffee at Cafe Giang
• →Book onward transport

Take a morning limousine van or local bus from Hanoi's Giap Bat or My Dinh station to Ninh Binh (~£4–6, 2 hrs). Hire a scooter (~£7/day) or bicycle (~£2) and ride to Tam Chuc Pagoda complex, then on to Trang An or Tam Coc for the limestone scenery. Stay in Tam Coc village where hostels and homestays cluster.

🚌Limousine van Hanoi–Ninh Binh ~£5, scooter hire

🛏Hostel/homestay dorm, Tam Coc (£7–10)

• →Tam Chuc Pagoda
• →Scooter ride through rice paddies
• →Tam Coc village evening

Climb Hang Mua's 500 steps early for the classic viewpoint over the Tam Coc valley (~£3 entry). In the afternoon take a rowboat through Trang An Grottoes (~£7–9, 2.5 hrs). Collect your bags and catch the evening sleeper train from Ninh Binh to Dong Hoi — book a soft-sleeper 4-berth online via the Vietnam Railways site or 12Go (~£18–24, roughly 9–10 hrs).

🚌Vietnam Railways sleeper Ninh Binh–Dong Hoi ~£20

🛏Sleeper train soft berth

• →Hang Mua Peak hike
• →Trang An rowboat grottoes
• →Overnight sleeper train

Arrive early, grab banh mi at Dong Hoi market and wander the harbour fish market. Then hire a bicycle or take the local bus (~£2) the 45 km inland to Phong Nha, where the karst cliffs rise straight out of the rice fields. Afternoon free for the Phong Nha village loop on a bike; most hostels rent them for ~£2/day.

🚌Bicycle hire or local bus Dong Hoi–Phong Nha

🛏Hostel dorm, Phong Nha (£6–9)

• →Dong Hoi fish market
• →Countryside cycling
• →Phong Nha village

Book directly with a local operator (Oxalis for the big stuff, or a budget agency in the village) — Paradise Cave boardwalk tour ~£10–14, or the Dark Cave zipline/kayak combo ~£22. For something wilder, the Tu Lan or Hang Va day trips run £70–110. Evening bar crawl in Phong Nha village, which is essentially one street of backpacker bars.

🚌Local taxi/scooter to cave entrances

🛏Hostel dorm, Phong Nha

• →Paradise Cave
• →Dark Cave or Tu Lan day trip
• →Phong Nha bar crawl

Rent a scooter or join a shared van to the Vinh Moc tunnels on the old DMZ (~£5 entry, £10–15 transport) — far quieter than Cu Chi and genuinely moving. Then continue south to Hue by local bus (~£5, 2.5 hrs). Evening: walk the Perfume River promenade and eat bun bo Hue at a street stall.

🚌Shared van/scooter to Vinh Moc, bus to Hue ~£5

🛏Hostel dorm, Hue (£6–9)

• →Vinh Moc Tunnels
• →Perfume River promenade
• →Bun bo Hue

Morning at the Imperial Citadel and Tu Duc tomb (~£6 combined). Then do the Hai Van Pass one of two ways: hire an Easy Rider motorbike guide for the run to Hoi An (~£28–35, stops at Lang Co Beach and Marble Mountains), or take the public bus over the pass for ~£3. Either way stop at Lang Co for a swim and seafood lunch. Evening walk through Hoi An's lantern-lit old town.

🚌Easy Rider motorbike ~£30 or local bus ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm, Hoi An (£6–10)

• →Imperial Citadel
• →Hai Van Pass
• →Lang Co Beach
• →Hoi An old town at night

Pick your own adventure: My Son Sanctuary tour booked via GetYourGuide or a local agency (~£20–25 including transport and guide), a bike ride out to An Bang or Cua Dai beach, a lantern-making workshop (~£5), or getting a suit tailored (24 hrs, from ~£60). Dinner at one of the old-town restaurants — cao lau and white rose dumplings are the local must-eats.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm, Hoi An

• →My Son Sanctuary tour
• →An Bang Beach
• →Lantern-making workshop
• →Cao lau dinner

Take a half-day Vietnamese cooking class in Hoi An (~£22–28 via Klook or direct with the school, includes market visit and lunch). Spend the afternoon at the beach or in cafes, then board the evening sleeper train from Da Nang or Tam Ky toward Dieu Tri/Qui Nhon (~£15–20).

🚌Vietnam Railways sleeper ~£18

🛏Sleeper train soft berth

• →Vietnamese cooking class
• →Hoi An market visit
• →Overnight train

Off the train early at Dieu Tri, grab breakfast at a local stall, then visit the Thap Doi Cham towers (~£1). Hire a scooter (~£6) and ride the coast road out to Ky Co Beach — white sand, turquoise water and far fewer people than Nha Trang. Seafood dinner at a local quan in town (banh xeo, bun thit nuong) for a few pounds.

🚌Scooter hire ~£6

🛏Guesthouse/hostel dorm, Qui Nhon (£7–10)

• →Thap Doi Cham towers
• →Ky Co Beach
• →Seafood dinner

Scooter or take a shared car south, stopping at Ganh Da Dia — Vietnam's basalt-column 'Giant's Causeway' (~£1 entry) — and Vung Ro bay. Arrive Nha Trang and hit the Thap Ba or I-Resort mud baths (~£10–15 walk-in). Evening on the beachfront promenade bars.

🚌Shared car/scooter ~£8–12

🛏Hostel dorm, Nha Trang (£6–10)

• →Ganh Da Dia
• →Nha Trang mud baths
• →Beachfront nightlife

Beach morning, optional boat-and-snorkel trip (~£20 via a local agency), or the Vinpearl waterpark if you're feeling indulgent. Get a banh mi for the road and board the evening sleeper train to Saigon (~£22–28, roughly 8–9 hrs).

🚌Vietnam Railways sleeper ~£25

🛏Sleeper train soft berth

• →Nha Trang beach
• →Optional snorkelling boat trip
• →Overnight train

Arrive early, check into a District 1 hostel, then spend the afternoon at the War Remnants Museum (~£2) and Reunification Palace. Evening street-food crawl on your own in District 4 or Van Kiep: banh mi, bot chien, grilled skewers, and a bia hoi finish. Optional cyclo tour around the old quarter (~£8).

🚌Walking and Grab

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (£6–10)

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Palace
• →District 4 street food crawl

Book a half-day Cu Chi tour via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£20–25 including transport and guide), or do it independently with local bus 13 to Cu Chi town plus a short motorbike taxi. Back in the city by mid-afternoon — use it for Ben Thanh Market and a rooftop beer.

🚌Tour minibus or local bus 13

🛏Hostel dorm, Ho Chi Minh City

• →Cu Chi Tunnels
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Rooftop bar

Take a local bus or shared limousine van from Saigon's Mien Tay station to Chau Doc (~£7–9, 4–5 hrs). Afternoon on Sam Mountain by scooter taxi (~£4) for the view over the Cambodian border, then sunset at the floating fish farms. This is the same route the group tour runs, just on public transport.

🚌Bus Saigon–Chau Doc ~£8

🛏Guesthouse/hostel dorm, Chau Doc (£7–10)

• →Sam Mountain
• →Floating fish farms
• →Chau Doc riverside

Hire a small boat for the sunrise floating market at Chau Giang (~£8 for the boat, splittable). Then take the local bus from Chau Doc to Ha Tien (~£3), cross at the Xa Xia/Prek Chak border (Cambodian visa on arrival ~£25 / $30, bring passport photos and USD cash), then share a tuk-tuk or moto the 25 km to Kep (~£5). Check into a guesthouse and eat crab with Kampot pepper at the crab market.

🚌Bus Chau Doc–Ha Tien ~£3, border tuk-tuk ~£5

🛏Guesthouse dorm, Kep (£7–10)

• →Sunrise floating market
• →Land border crossing
• →Kep crab market

Morning at Kep Market sampling local produce and Cambodian breakfast, then move to Kampot by tuk-tuk or local bus (~£2–4). Afternoon option: a pepper farm tour (~£5) or a sunset river cruise (~£6). Kampot is sleepy, cheap and has excellent expat-run cafes on the riverside.

🚌Tuk-tuk Kep–Kampot ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm, Kampot (£6–9)

• →Kep Market
• →Pepper farm tour
• →Kampot riverside sunset

Hire a scooter (~£6) or take a guided tuk-tuk tour (~£12/group) up Bokor Mountain for the abandoned French hill station and cloud-forest views. Afternoon: boat to Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island) for a lazy beach swim (~£5 return). Evening fish massage and a beer by the river.

🚌Scooter hire ~£6 or tuk-tuk

🛏Hostel dorm, Kampot

• →Bokor National Park
• →Koh Tonsay (Rabbit Island)
• →Riverside evening

Bus or shared van from Kampot to Sihanoukville (~£6–8, 3 hrs), then the fast ferry to Koh Rong (~£18–22 return). Find a beach bungalow or hostel on Long Set or 4K Beach. Swim, watch the sunset, and if it's the right night, look for the bioluminescent plankton.

🚌Bus ~£7 + return ferry ~£20

🛏Beach bungalow/hostel dorm, Koh Rong (£8–14)

• →Sihanoukville transfer
• →Koh Rong ferry
• →Beach sunset

Full island day: snorkel trip (~£12), hike the jungle trail from Long Set to Sok San (~3 hrs, free), or just do nothing on white sand. Cheapest food is at the small local Khmer places rather than the beach bars.

🚌Walking / boat taxi

🛏Beach bungalow/hostel dorm, Koh Rong

• →Snorkelling trip
• →Jungle hike
• →Beach time

Ferry back to Sihanoukville mid-morning, then the Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham night bus to Phnom Penh (~£10–13, 5–6 hrs) — or pay a bit more for a day bus with better legroom. Arrive evening, check into a hostel near the riverside, and take a cyclo tour around the city with dinner at a local Khmer restaurant (~£10 all in).

🚌Ferry + bus ~£18

🛏Hostel dorm, Phnom Penh (£6–10)

• →Cyclo tour
• →Riverside dinner

Morning at Tuol Sleng (S-21) and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek — book a shared half-day tour (~£18–22) or use remork-moto taxis individually (~£8). Lunch at the Russian Market. Afternoon bus north to Kampong Thom (~£5, 3 hrs), stopping at Skun ('Spiderville') if you're curious about the fried tarantulas on sale roadside.

🚌Bus ~£5, remork-moto around Phnom Penh

🛏Guesthouse/hostel dorm, Kampong Thom (£6–9)

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Russian Market

Morning tuk-tuk out to Sambor Prei Kuk, the pre-Angkorian Chenla temple complex (~£3 entry, ~£8 tuk-tuk) — quiet, jungle-covered and gorgeous. Optionally swing by a silk farm on the way back. Afternoon bus or shared taxi to Siem Reap (~£5–7, 2.5 hrs). Evening: dinner at a local Khmer spot and book tomorrow's Angkor guide — or a Phare Circus ticket (~£12–18), which supports a genuinely brilliant social enterprise.

🚌Tuk-tuk + bus to Siem Reap ~£12 total

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap (£5–9)

• →Sambor Prei Kuk temples
• →Silk farm visit
• →Phare Circus

Book a tuk-tuk driver the night before (~£15–18 for a full sunrise circuit) and buy the one-day Angkor pass (~£29) online or at the ticket office. Do the classic small circuit: Angkor Wat at sunrise, Bayon's faces, Ta Prohm's tree roots. A licensed guide for the day adds ~£25–30 split between a few people. Back by afternoon for your onward flight or bus.

🚌Tuk-tuk circuit ~£16

🛏Hostel dorm, Siem Reap

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Bayon temple
• →Ta Prohm