Self-Launched Indochina Discovery: Hanoi to Siem Reap in 11 Days
11 days · Vietnam & Cambodia
Legend Travel Group charges £2,115
No-markup version: ~£920 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of Legend Travel Group's 11-day "Elite Indochina Discovery" — same route (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, My Son, Ba Na Hills, Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi, Mekong Delta, Angkor), but booked yourself with hostels and guesthouses, local buses and trains, cheap domestic flights and self-bookable day tours. Expect genuinely comparable sights for roughly a third of the guided, five-star price. Costs are approximate backpacker/mid-range estimates in GBP per person and assume a solo traveller sharing a dorm or budget double.
Day-by-day
Arrive Hanoi — Old Quarter orientation
Hanoi
Fly into Noi Bai (T2). Instead of a private transfer, take the Vietnam Airlines/Circle K express bus #86 from outside arrivals to the Old Quarter (~90,000 VND / £3, 45-60 min) or a Grab (~350,000 VND / £11). Check into a hostel in the Old Quarter. Spend the afternoon walking Hoan Kiem Lake, the 36 Streets and the night market if it's a weekend. Book tomorrow's Halong Bay day trip and your Hanoi food tour tonight — no need for a guide to do the city's sights.
🚌Airport bus #86 ~£3 (or Grab ~£11)
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget double (e.g. Hanoi Golden Charm / Little Charm area), £12-18
- →Self-guided Old Quarter walk
- →Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple (30,000 VND)
- →Book Halong Bay day trip and Hanoi street food tour via GetYourGuide/Klook
Hanoi highlights: Ho Chi Minh complex, Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo
Hanoi
Do the classic Hanoi circuit on foot and by Grab bike. Start early at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free, closed Mon & Fri, mornings only — dress modestly), then One Pillar Pagoda and Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake. Afternoon: Temple of Literature (30,000 VND) and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (40,000 VND), finishing at Hoa Lo Prison (30,000 VND). Evening: join a small-group street food walking tour (~£18-22 via GetYourGuide) or DIY a bun cha / pho cuon crawl for under £6.
🚌Walking + Grab bikes ~£4 total
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget double, £12-18
- →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free)
- →One Pillar Pagoda & Tran Quoc Pagoda
- →Temple of Literature
- →Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
- →Hoa Lo Prison
- →Optional: street food walking tour ~£20
Halong Bay day cruise from Hanoi
Halong Bay
Book a shuttle-bus-included day cruise to Halong Bay via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£45-65 including transfers, lunch, kayaking and cave entry) — this mirrors the operator's overnight junk at a fraction of the cost. Typical itinerary: 3.5 hrs minibus each way, junk boat through the karst islands, stop at Sung Sot (Amazing) Cave, kayaking or swimming, seafood lunch on board. You'll be back in Hanoi around 20:30. If you'd rather sleep on the bay, a budget Halong/Lan Ha overnight cruise runs ~£95-130.
🚌Shuttle bus included in day cruise; ~£50 activity cost covers transport
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget double, £12-18
- →Halong Bay day cruise with Sung Sot Cave
- →Kayaking or swimming in the bay
- →Seafood lunch on board
Fly Hanoi to Da Nang, transfer to Hoi An
Hoi An
Morning flight Hanoi–Da Nang with VietJet/Bamboo (~£35-50 booked 3-6 weeks ahead; the operator's 'internal airfare' surcharge covers this). From Da Nang airport take local bus #1 to Hoi An (~30,000 VND / £1, 50 min) or a Grab (~250,000 VND / £8). Check into a guesthouse in the Old Town or An Bang beach area. Late afternoon: wander Hoi An Ancient Town — buy the 120,000 VND Old Town ticket for the Japanese Covered Bridge, assembly halls and old merchant houses. Dinner by the lantern-lit Thu Bon River.
🚌Flight ~£40 + bus ~£1
🛏Hoi An guesthouse/hostel double, £14-20
- →Hoi An Ancient Town ticket (Japanese Covered Bridge, Tan Ky house, Fujian Assembly Hall)
- →Evening lantern walk along Thu Bon River
My Son Sanctuary + Kim Bong carpentry village by bike
Hoi An
Book a sunrise My Son Sanctuary tour via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£18-25 including transport and guide) — the Cham ruins are best before 9am. Afternoon: rent a bicycle (~50,000 VND / £2) and cycle to Cam Kim Island for Kim Bong carpentry village, then cross by local ferry to the Sa Huynh-style museum sites and the sailors' pagoda in town. Evening: Hoi An cooking class (~£18-25) or a Cao Lau and white rose dinner for £4.
🚌Bicycle hire ~£2; tour transport included
🛏Hoi An guesthouse/hostel double, £14-20
- →My Son Sanctuary half-day tour
- →Cycle to Kim Bong carpentry village on Cam Kim Island
- →Local ferry crossing
- →Optional Hoi An cooking class
Ba Na Hills & Golden Bridge, then night flight to Ho Chi Minh City
Hoi An / Ho Chi Minh City
Grab or shared shuttle to Ba Na Hills (35 km, ~£8 Grab). Buy the cable car ticket on arrival (~900,000 VND / £28, includes Fantasy Park and most rides) — no need for a guide. Ride the cable car up, walk the Golden Bridge, Le Jardin d'Amour gardens, Debay wine cellar and the French Village. Back down by mid-afternoon; return to Da Nang and take an evening flight to Ho Chi Minh City (~£35-50). Check into a District 1 hostel or budget hotel near Bui Vien / Pham Ngu Lao.
🚌Grab to Ba Na ~£8 + evening flight Da Nang–SGN ~£40
🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel, £12-18
- →Ba Na Hills cable car & Golden Bridge
- →Le Jardin d'Amour flower garden
- →Debay Wine Cellar
- →French Village & Fantasy Park
Ho Chi Minh City sights + Cu Chi Tunnels
Ho Chi Minh City
Morning self-guided city walk: Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior — under restoration), Central Post Office, Reunification Palace (65,000 VND) and the War Remnants Museum if time allows. Early afternoon join a small-group Cu Chi Tunnels tour (~£15-20 via Klook, includes transport, entry and a guide) — expect to crawl through a section of the tunnels and see the trap displays. Back in the city for dinner: banh mi and a bia hoi for under £4.
🚌Walking/Grab ~£3 + Cu Chi tour transport included
🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel, £12-18
- →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
- →Reunification Palace
- →Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour
- →Optional War Remnants Museum (40,000 VND)
Mekong Delta day trip (My Tho & Ben Tre)
Ho Chi Minh City / Mekong Delta
Book a Mekong Delta small-group day tour via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£20-28) — typically a bus to My Tho, a boat along the Mekong canals, coconut candy workshop, bee farm with honey tea, a rowboat ride through palm-lined waterways, Vinh Trang Pagoda and a fruit lunch. Alternatively, DIY it: public bus to My Tho (~£2) and hire a local boatman at the riverbank. Return to Saigon for the evening.
🚌Tour bus included in day trip cost
🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel, £12-18
- →Mekong River boat trip
- →Coconut candy & bee farm workshops
- →Vinh Trang Pagoda
- →Rowboat canal ride
Cross into Cambodia — Angkor Thom, Bayon & sunset temple
Siem Reap
Options: fly Ho Chi Minh City–Siem Reap with VietJet/AirAsia (~£55-80), or go overland by bus to Phnom Penh then on to Siem Reap (cheaper but 12+ hrs — not recommended for an 11-day trip). Arrive Siem Reap, check into a guesthouse near Pub Street. Buy your Angkor pass (1-day $37, 3-day $62 — the 3-day pass is worth it here). Afternoon: tuk-tuk to Angkor Thom — South Gate, Bayon's face towers, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Baphuon, Phimeanakas — then a sunset viewpoint at Phnom Bakheng or Pre Rup.
🚌Flight ~£65 + tuk-tuk day hire ~£12
🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/hostel double, £10-16
- →Angkor pass (3-day, $62 / ~£49)
- →Angkor Thom & Bayon Temple
- →Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Terraces of the Elephants and Leper King
- →Sunset from Phnom Bakheng or Pre Rup
Angkor Wat sunrise, Ta Prohm & the outer temples
Siem Reap
Hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day (~$25-30 / £20-24 — negotiate the night before; most guesthouses can arrange one). Start at 4:45am for Angkor Wat sunrise, explore the temple and bas-reliefs, then Ta Prohm (the Tomb Raider 'jungle temple'), Takeo, Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda. Push out to Banteay Srei in the afternoon (35 km, ~45 min by tuk-tuk or a shared car ~£15 extra) for its pink sandstone carvings. Optional: a licensed guide for Angkor Wat (~$35) if you want the history — otherwise use an audio guide app.
🚌Tuk-tuk day hire ~£22 (shared); Banteay Srei car share ~£8 each
🛏Siem Reap guesthouse/hostel double, £10-16
- →Angkor Wat sunrise
- →Ta Prohm, Takeo, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda
- →Banteay Srei
- →Optional licensed guide ~£28
Siem Reap departure
Siem Reap
Breakfast at the guesthouse, a last wander through the Old Market or Psar Chas for souvenirs, then a tuk-tuk to Siem Reap International Airport (~$8-10 / £7, 20 min). If your flight is late, squeeze in the Angkor National Museum (~$12) or a Tonle Sap floating village trip.
🚌Tuk-tuk to airport ~£7
🛏—
- →Old Market souvenir shopping
- →Optional Angkor National Museum ($12)
Self-launched vs. Legend Travel Group
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Legend Travel Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£920 | £2,115 |
| Duration | 11 days | 11 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,195 per person (57%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Legend Travel Group-style trips? Check them out here.~£920
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Indochina Discovery: Hanoi to Siem Reap in 11 Days cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £920 per person for 11 days in Vietnam & Cambodia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Legend Travel Group?+
Yes — Legend Travel Group charges around £2,115 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £920 — a saving of roughly £1,195 (57%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam & Cambodia trip?+
This itinerary runs 11 days, covering 11 day-by-day stops through Vietnam & Cambodia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, foodie trip through Vietnam & Cambodia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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