Southeast Asia Self-Launched: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Saigon & Angkor Wat
12 days · Vietnam & Cambodia
G Adventures charges £2,200
No-markup version: ~£985 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of G Adventures' 12-day National Geographic Family Journey from Hanoi to Siem Reap — the same route (Hanoi Old Quarter, an overnight Halong Bay cruise, Hoi An cooking and village life, Saigon and the Cu Chi Tunnels, then Angkor Wat and Phare Circus in Siem Reap) rebuilt for independent travellers. You'll swap private buses and a pair of Expedition Leaders for budget flights, sleeper trains, sleeper buses, Grab rides, join-in cruises and self-booked cooking classes and guided temple tours. Costs below are approximate per person in GBP, based on dorm or simple private budget rooms, street food and local restaurants, and public transport — assuming shared twins where possible. This is a template: solo travellers can book dorm beds to keep the numbers similar, or pay a modest private-room premium.
Day-by-day
Arrive Hanoi & settle into the Old Quarter
Hanoi, Vietnam
Land at Noi Bai International Airport and take the Vietcombank Express Bus 86 or a Grab car into the Old Quarter (bus ~£1.30, Grab ~£7-9). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Ma May or Hang Bac — dorm beds from £6-8, simple private twins £18-25. Skip the included airport transfer and welcome meeting; instead grab a bia hoi on Ta Hien corner and a bowl of bun cha or pho for dinner (~£3), then map out your next few days. Remember Vietnam now requires an online Pre-Arrival Declaration within 3 days of flying in — do it before you travel.
🚌Airport bus 86 or Grab (~£1.30-9)
🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel (dorm £6-8 / private twin £18-25)
- →Self-guided Old Quarter wander
- →Bia hoi corner and street food dinner
Cyclo ride, Kym Viet workshop, street snack hunt & water puppets
Hanoi, Vietnam
Haggle a cyclo (three-wheeled bike taxi) around the Old Quarter for an hour — expect around 100,000-150,000 VND (~£4-5) per cyclo, agree the price first. Walk to Kym Viet (the sewing social enterprise G Adventures supports) and book a short stuffed-animal or hand-stitching workshop directly by email or walk-in, roughly £8-12. Lunch at a local bun cha spot (£2-3). In the afternoon, do your own 'street snack challenge': try banh cuon, nem chua ran and che from stalls around Dong Xuan market for under £5 total. Finish with a water puppet show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre — book online, tickets ~£4-6. Return by Grab or on foot.
🚌Cyclo (~£5), walking, Grab backup (~£2)
🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel (dorm £6-8 / private twin £18-25)
- →Hanoi Old Quarter cyclo tour
- →Kym Viet social enterprise workshop
- →Self-guided street snack crawl
- →Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre show
Overnight Halong Bay cruise
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Book a join-in 2-day/1-night budget cruise on Halong Bay or Lan Ha Bay via Klook, GetYourGuide or a Hanoi travel agency — expect £65-90 per person including transfers, all meals, kayaking, cave visits and a sunset spring-roll demo, which covers most of the operator's Day 3 highlights. Shared shuttle picks up from the Old Quarter around 8am (2.5-3 hours each way). You'll kayak through Luon Cave, climb Titop Island for the viewpoint, and join the sunset party on the sundeck before dinner on board.
🚌Shared shuttle bus Hanoi-Halong Bay included in cruise price
🛏Overnight on a budget/mid-range junk boat (twin or triple cabin)
- →Kayaking at Luon Cave
- →Titop Island viewpoint hike
- →Sunset party and spring roll making demo
Sunrise Tai Chi, Surprise Cave & travel to Hoi An
Halong Bay → Hoi An
Wake for the on-deck Tai Chi session (most cruises include it free), then explore Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave before brunch. Disembark around 11am and shuttle back to Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Instead of G's included flight, take the VietJet or Bamboo Airways evening flight Hanoi-Da Nang (book 2-4 weeks ahead for £30-50), or the cheaper but slower Reunification Express sleeper train to Da Nang (~£25-35, 16 hours — you'd need to swap the schedule). From Da Nang airport, a Grab to Hoi An is ~£7-9 (or local bus 1 for ~£0.60). Check into a Hoi An homestay or hostel near the Old Town (£8-12 dorm, £20-28 private) and stroll the lantern-lit lanes.
🚌Cruise shuttle, VietJet/Bamboo flight (~£30-50), Grab Da Nang-Hoi An (~£8)
🛏Hoi An homestay or hostel (dorm £8-12 / private £20-28)
- →Sunrise Tai Chi
- →Sung Sot Cave
- →Evening walk in Hoi An Ancient Town
Hoi An noodle cooking class & Old Town scavenger hunt
Hoi An, Vietnam
Book a small-group Hoi An cooking class that includes a market tour — several local operators and the Oodles of Noodles training kitchen itself offer classes from ~£18-25 (GetYourGuide and Klook have good options). You'll shop the central market, learn to make cao lau, mi quang and fresh spring rolls, then eat what you've cooked. In the afternoon, explore Hoi An Ancient Town on foot — buy a 120,000 VND (~£4) Old Town ticket covering five heritage buildings, Japanese Covered Bridge and assembly halls — and make your own photo or clue hunt through the lanes. Evening free for lantern boats on the Thu Bon River (~£1.50).
🚌Walking and bicycle
🛏Hoi An homestay or hostel (dorm £8-12 / private £20-28)
- →Market tour and noodle cooking class
- →Hoi An Ancient Town heritage ticket
- →Lantern boat ride on the Thu Bon
Cycle to Tra Que Village & countryside cooking
Tra Que Village, Hoi An
Rent a bicycle from your homestay (~£1.50-2.50/day) and pedal 3km northeast to Tra Que Vegetable Village. Pay the small village entry fee (~£1.20) and join a hands-on farming-and-cooking session with a local family — many Tra Que households run these for £12-18 including lunch made from herbs you pick yourself. Ride back through rice paddies and An Bang Beach in the afternoon for a swim, or book an optional lantern-making workshop (~£6-8). Dinner at a Banh Mi Phuong-style stall or the night market (£3-4).
🚌Bicycle hire (~£2)
🛏Hoi An homestay or hostel (dorm £8-12 / private £20-28)
- →Tra Que farming and cooking experience
- →An Bang Beach swim
- →Optional lantern-making workshop
Fly to Saigon, cyclo tour & pho dinner
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Morning flight Da Nang-Ho Chi Minh City on VietJet/Bamboo (~£30-45) or the overnight Reunification Express if you prefer rail (~£25 sleeper). From Tan Son Nhat, bus 109 or a Grab into District 1 (~£1-3). Check into a Pham Ngu Lao / Bui Vien hostel (£6-9 dorm, £18-25 private). In the late afternoon, hire a cyclo for an hour around the French colonial quarter — Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, Opera House — for ~£5-7, then dive into Ben Thanh market. Finish with a pho dinner at Pho Le or Pho Hoa (~£3).
🚌Domestic flight (~£30-45), airport bus 109 or Grab (~£1-3)
🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel (dorm £6-9 / private £18-25)
- →Saigon cyclo tour of the colonial quarter
- →Ben Thanh market
- →Pho dinner
Cu Chi Tunnels by local bus or join-in tour
Cu Chi, Vietnam
Two options: the cheapest is local bus 13 from Ben Thanh to Cu Chi town then bus 79 to the tunnels (~£1.20 total each way, about 2 hours), paying the ~£5 entry on arrival; or book a join-in half-day tour via Klook/GetYourGuide from £10-15 including transport and guide. Either way you'll crawl sections of the tunnel network, see the booby traps, and taste the cassava root served to Viet Cong soldiers. Have a riverside lunch (~£3) before heading back. Afternoon free for the War Remnants Museum (~£2) or a rooftop drink.
🚌Local buses 13 + 79 (~£2.50 return) or join-in tour transport
🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel (dorm £6-9 / private £18-25)
- →Cu Chi Tunnels entry and self-guided or guided visit
- →Optional War Remnants Museum
Overland (or fly) to Siem Reap
Ho Chi Minh City → Siem Reap, Cambodia
The straightforward option is a direct flight Saigon-Siem Reap on VietJet or Cambodia Angkor Air (~£55-80 booked ahead). The adventure option is the budget bus Ho Chi Minh City-Phnom Penh (£8-12, 6 hours) then a sleeper or day bus Phnom Penh-Siem Reap (£8-12, 6 hours) — cheaper but a full day or night of travel. Complete your Cambodia e-Arrival form online within 7 days of arrival and have your e-visa (~£28) or $30 visa-on-arrival with a passport photo ready. Settle into a Siem Reap hostel or guesthouse (£6-10 dorm, £18-28 private), then wander Pub Street and the night market for dinner (~£4).
🚌Flight (~£55-80) or two buses via Phnom Penh (~£16-24)
🛏Siem Reap hostel or guesthouse (dorm £6-10 / private £18-28)
- →Arrival in Siem Reap
- →Night market and Pub Street evening
Angkor Wat sunrise, Bayon, Ta Prohm & photo challenge
Angkor Archaeological Park, Cambodia
Book a tuk-tuk driver the night before (~£18-22 for a full day, split between two or more) and buy your Angkor pass — 1-day is $37 (~£29), 3-day $62 if you plan to return. Leave at 5am for sunrise at Angkor Wat, then hit Bayon's face towers and Ta Prohm's tree-entangled ruins. Do the 'Capture Angkor' challenge yourself: set a photo brief per temple and pick a favourite each evening. Lunch at New Hope Cambodia vocational training restaurant in Siem Reap (~£4-6) — a direct way to support the same project G Adventures uses. Return to the hotel to edit your best shots into a small photo book via an online print service. Sunset from Phnom Bakheng if you have energy.
🚌Private tuk-tuk day hire (~£20 split)
🛏Siem Reap hostel or guesthouse (dorm £6-10 / private £18-28)
- →Angkor Wat sunrise
- →Bayon and Ta Prohm temples
- →Self-run Capture Angkor photo challenge
- →New Hope Cambodia lunch
Tonlé Sap floating village & Phare Circus
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Take a tuk-tuk to the Tonlé Sap lake jetty (~£8-10 return) and join a short boat trip to Kampong Phluk floating village — boat tickets are ~£8-12, and a local guide adds maybe £3. Be aware prices are negotiated in USD cash. Back in town, book a Phare Circus workshop directly through Phare Ponleu Selpak (short acrobatics sessions run most afternoons, ~£12-18), then catch the evening show — tickets from ~£12 for standard seats. Book online at pharecircus.org to guarantee seats. Final family/crew dinner at a Khmer BBQ or Lok Lak spot (~£6).
🚌Tuk-tuk hire (~£10)
🛏Siem Reap hostel or guesthouse (dorm £6-10 / private £18-28)
- →Kampong Phluk floating village boat trip
- →Phare Circus acrobatics workshop
- →Phare Circus evening performance
Depart Siem Reap
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Free morning for a last coffee and breakfast near Old Market, souvenir shopping at the Made in Cambodia market, or a Wat Bo temple wander. A tuk-tuk to Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport is ~£6-8 (the new airport is ~50km out, so allow 1 hour). If you're continuing overland, buses to Phnom Penh or Bangkok leave from the central bus station. Note travel insurance is essential on this route and worth arranging before you fly.
🚌Tuk-tuk to airport (~£7)
🛏N/A — departure day
- →Made in Cambodia market
- →Free morning exploring Siem Reap
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£985 | £2,200 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,215 per person (55%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£985
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 Southeast Asia Self-Launched: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Saigon & Angkor Wat cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £985 per person for 12 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 G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £2,200 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £985 — a saving of roughly £1,215 (55%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam & Cambodia trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 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 adventure, culture, 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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