Self-Launched: 12 Days Cycling from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap

Land at Tan Son Nhat, take Grab bike/car (about £4-6) or bus 109 into District 1 and check into a hostel or budget hotel. In the afternoon head to a District 1 bike shop to rent a Trek Marlin-class MTB or hybrid for the Vietnam leg (roughly £8-12/day; many shops let you return it in Chau Doc for a small fee, or rent per-leg through local operators). Test the bike, pick up a SIM (Viettel/Mobifone, ~£5 with data), then do a self-guided walk through the Ben Thanh and Bui Vien area and eat street food — bun bo Hue or com tam, ~£3-5. Book tomorrow's Mekong bus ticket at a District 1 travel agent this evening.

🚌Grab from airport ~£5; walking and cycling in the city

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, District 1 (approx £10-18)

• →Collect and fit rental bike
• →Buy local SIM card with data
• →Self-guided evening street-food walk

Ride out of Saigon early (6:30am) south along quiet lanes to My Tho, ~70 km with a ferry or bridge crossing — or shortcut by taking a local bus from Mien Tay station to My Tho (~£2) and riding the last 55 km. The route is flat sugar cane, coconut and rice country with plenty of cafe stops (ca phe sua da ~80p). Continue to Tra Vinh, the Khmer-influenced delta town, arriving mid-afternoon. Evening walk past Ba Om Pond and the Khmer temples, dinner of banh xeo at a local market stall (~£2-3).

🚌Own rental bike; backup local bus HCMC–My Tho ~£2

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Tra Vinh (approx £10-14)

• →Mekong Delta backroad cycling
• →Ba Om Pond and Khmer temple walk
• →Local market dinner

A 70-80 km flat ride west along canal-side lanes past rice paddies and fruit orchards — get an early start to beat the heat. Ask at the guesthouse about the small roadside temple stops; the Khmer pagodas around Tra Vinh and Cau Ke are free to visit. If you pass a village school around midday, a polite wave and a chat with the teacher is usually welcomed, but don't enter unasked. Arrive Can Tho late afternoon, book tomorrow's Cai Rang floating market boat at the Ninh Kieu pier area (~£8-10 for a 2-hour small boat, negotiable direct with boatmen). Evening on the riverside promenade.

🚌Own rental bike (~75 km)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Can Tho (approx £10-15)

• →Canal-side cycling through rice and fruit country
• →Khmer pagoda stop
• →Book Cai Rang floating market boat directly at Ninh Kieu pier

Up at 5am for a small-boat trip to Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets — buy a coffee and a bowl of noodles from a boat vendor. Back by 8am, then ride northwest towards Chau Doc, ~80 km via Long Xuyen, or take the local bus from Can Tho bus station to Chau Doc (~£5) and ride the last 30 km. Late afternoon climb Sam Mountain on foot (about 45 minutes, free) for delta-to-Cambodia views, and visit Tay An Pagoda at the base. Dinner of bun mam, the local fermented-fish-noodle speciality (~£3).

🚌Small boat ~£9; own bike or local bus ~£5

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Chau Doc (approx £10-14)

• →Cai Rang and Phong Dien floating markets by small boat
• →Sam Mountain sunset climb
• →Tay An Pagoda

Ride 30 km from Chau Doc to the Tinh Bien / Xa Xia land border. Exit formalities on the Vietnamese side, then the 400 m walk across no-man's-land to Cambodian immigration (e-visa ~£25 if you don't have one; you can also get visa on arrival ~$30, but pre-arrange to save hassle). On the Cambodian side, hire a bike in Ha Tien area or arrange a shared taxi/minivan from the border junction to Kep (~2.5 hours, ~£8-12 shared). Alternatively ride 60-70 km of flat, lightly trafficked road from the border through Kampot province to Kep. Book a bungalow guesthouse in Kep and eat crab at the market on the seafront (~£5-7).

🚌Own bike to border; shared taxi/minivan to Kep ~£10; Cambodian e-visa ~£25

🛏Kep guesthouse or bungalow (approx £12-20)

• →Land border crossing at Tinh Bien–Xa Xia
• →Cycling or transfers through Kampot province
• →Kep crab market dinner

Morning loop of Kep's old French-colonial villas and the national park trails (free), then ride flat 25 km to Kampot for coffee and a walk past the colonial shophouses and the old bridge (~1 hour). From Kampot take the local bus or shared minivan to Sihanoukville (~3 hours, £6-9) — tough riding begins here as the road climbs the Damrei Mountains, so most budget cyclists hop the bus and ride the coast instead. Optionally stop at Bokor Hill Station viewpoint if you have time (motorbike taxi up and back ~£8). Arrive Sihanoukville, find a guesthouse a few streets back from Serendipity Beach.

🚌Own bike ~25 km; bus/minivan Kampot–Sihanoukville ~£8

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Sihanoukville (approx £10-16)

• →Kep colonial villas and national park walk
• →Kampot old town stroll
• →Optional Bokor Hill day trip

Early ride along the coast past Otres and Sokha beaches, the Golden Lions roundabout, and up to Wat Leu Pagoda for Gulf of Thailand views (free). Explore Phsar Leu market for breakfast ($2). In the afternoon take the Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham express bus from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh (~5-6 hours, £9-12; bikes can usually go in the luggage hold for a small fee, but confirm at booking). Arrive in Phnom Penh in the evening, check into a riverside hostel and walk to the Independence Monument.

🚌Own bike for the coastal loop; express bus to Phnom Penh ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near the riverside, Phnom Penh (approx £8-15)

• →Otres and Sokha beach coastal ride
• →Wat Leu Pagoda viewpoint
• →Phsar Leu market
• →Independence Monument evening walk

Rent a city bike or use your own, ride to the ferry pier north of the city and take the local ferry to Koh Dach (Silk Island) — about £1-2 return, boat leaves when full. Ride the island's dirt lanes past weaving workshops; several families welcome visitors for a silk-weaving demonstration and will sell scarves direct (tip or buy a small item, £5-10). Lunch at a countryside restaurant. Return to the city for an optional afternoon at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and Choeung Ek (~£3-6 each, audio guides included). Book a Mekong/Tonle Sap river boat ticket for tomorrow at the riverside pier tonight.

🚌Local ferry to Silk Island ~£2; own/city bike rental ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, Phnom Penh (approx £8-15)

• →Koh Dach Silk Island cycle loop
• →Silk-weaving family workshop visit
• →Optional Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek
• →Book river cruise ticket

Two good options: the slow river boat from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap across Tonle Sap (roughly £25-35, 6-8 hours depending on water level; book via your guesthouse or at the riverside pier) — views of floating villages and stilted houses, with lunch on board or BYO; or the faster Giant Ibis sleeper/express bus (~£14-16, 6 hours). Either way, plan on being in Siem Reap by early evening and the boat option only runs reliably in the wet/early dry season (roughly July–January). Arrive and check into a guesthouse in the Old Market area, then buy your Angkor pass for tomorrow (1-day pass $37/~£29) at the ticket office or online.

🚌River boat ~£30 or express bus ~£15

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Siem Reap Old Market area (approx £8-15)

• →Tonle Sap river cruise past floating villages
• →Buy Angkor one-day pass

Hire a mountain bike locally (~£4-6/day) and set off at 4:45am to catch sunrise at Angkor Wat. Buy or share a guide at the ticket office or pre-book a licensed temple guide via GetYourGuide (from ~£15-25 for a half day) — but the site is easily navigable solo using a map. Ride the full circuit: South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants and Leper King, Ta Nei, Ta Prohm, Sras Srang and back. Carry 3+ litres of water and eat at one of the temple-side stalls. Afternoon return to town for a nap and street food.

🚌Locally hired mountain bike ~£5; Angkor pass ~£29

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Siem Reap (approx £8-15)

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Angkor Thom, Bayon, Terraces
• →Ta Prohm jungle temple
• →Sras Srang reservoir

Early village ride out towards Wat Svay Romeat Pagoda to watch monks collecting alms (be respectful, keep distance, don't photograph people's faces without asking). Continue past weaving and basket-making households — pay a few dollars for a demonstration or buy a small basket — and try kralan, sticky rice roasted in bamboo (~50p). Loop to the West Baray reservoir for a swim at its western edge or just the view. Evening: self-guided walk through Psar Chas (Old Market) and the Night Market, with a fish amok dinner (~£4).

🚌Hired mountain bike ~£5

🛏Guesthouse or hostel, Siem Reap (approx £8-15)

• →Wat Svay Romeat almsgiving
• →Village basket-weaving visit
• →Kralan sticky rice tasting
• →West Baray reservoir

Return the hire bike, grab breakfast, and take a Grab or tuk-tuk to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (~£8-10) for your flight out. If departing later, squeeze in a last coffee at one of the Old Market cafes and pick up a few small souvenirs direct from the artisan stalls rather than the airport.

🚌Tuk-tuk or Grab to airport ~£9

🛏—

• →Return hire bike
• →Airport transfer