Ultimate Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand – 21 Days Self-Launched

Land at Noi Bai (HAN) and take the Vietnam Airlines/Circle K airport minibus (No. 86) or a Grab bike/car into the Old Quarter — about £1-3 versus a £12 private transfer. Check into a hostel or small hotel near Ma May or Hang Bac, then wander the 36 Streets at dusk, grab a bowl of bun cha or pho and settle in with a bia hoi on Ta Hien corner.

🚌Airport bus 86 ~£1.20 or Grab ~£8-12

🛏Old Quarter hostel or 2-3* guesthouse (dorm £6-9, private double £18-25)

• →Old Quarter evening walk
• →Street food dinner (bun cha / pho)
• →Hoan Kiem Lake at night

Do the classic Hanoi day yourself: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free, closed Mon/Fri, mornings only), Temple of Literature (£1.50), then walk through the French Quarter to St Joseph's Cathedral. In the late afternoon take a £1 Grab bike to Long Bien Bridge for sunset over the Red River — the equivalent of the operator's jeep tour without the jeep price.

🚌Walking + Grab bikes ~£4

🛏Old Quarter hostel or guesthouse

• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• →Temple of Literature
• →French Quarter & St Joseph's Cathedral
• →Long Bien Bridge sunset
• →West Lake & Tran Quoc Pagoda

Book a 2D/1N Halong or Lan Ha Bay cruise direct or via Klook/GetYourGuide a few days ahead (from ~£95-120 for a mid-range junk including transfers from Hanoi, all meals, kayaking and cave visits — the operator's version is bundled into their 4* hotels). Shuttle pickup ~8am, board after lunch, kayak through Luon Cave, swim off Titop Island and join the sunset happy hour on the sundeck. Squid fishing in the evening.

🚌Shuttle bus from Hanoi Old Quarter ~3.5h each way (included)

🛏Twin-share cabin on a mid-range Halong/Lan Ha junk (included in cruise price)

• →Sung Sot Cave
• →Titop Island swim
• →Kayaking at Luon Cave
• →Sunset party on sundeck
• →Squid fishing

Optional tai chi on deck at sunrise, then a spring-roll cooking demo and brunch before disembarking around 11am. Shuttle back to Hanoi, then take the evening VietJet/Bamboo flight from Noi Bai to Da Nang (~£30-45 if booked a few weeks out). From Da Nang airport a Grab to Hoi An is about £7-9 (25-40 min). The operator flies you the same day — this is the DIY version of that leg.

🚌Cruise shuttle to Hanoi + one-way flight HAN-DAD ~£35 + Grab to Hoi An ~£8

🛏Hoi An homestay or 2-3* hotel near the old town (£12-20 private)

• →Sunrise tai chi
• →Spring roll cooking demo
• →Flight to Da Nang

Buy the £5 old-town ticket (5 heritage houses/temples of your choice) and spend the day drifting between Japanese Covered Bridge, the assembly halls and the tailor shops. Free bikes from your guesthouse take you to An Bang beach in 20 minutes. Evening: lantern-lit riverside walk and a £1.50 cao lau.

🚌Free guesthouse bicycle

🛏Hoi An homestay or 2-3* hotel

• →Hoi An old town ticket
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →An Bang beach bike ride
• →Riverside night market

Loop the Cam Kim or Tra Que vegetable village on a bike and take a half-day cooking class (£18-22 via Klook, includes market tour and four dishes). Afternoon free for a £6-8 massage or a boat trip to the Cham ruins at My Son (£12 with a small-group tour). Pack tonight for an early start.

🚌Bicycle + local boat

🛏Hoi An homestay or 2-3* hotel

• →Vietnamese cooking class
• →Tra Que vegetable village
• →Optional My Son Cham ruins tour

Grab to Da Nang airport and fly to Saigon (~£30-40 booked ahead). If you'd rather overland it, the Reunification Express from Da Nang to Saigon is a wonderful 18-hour soft-sleeper for about £30 — but it eats a day, so flying matches the original itinerary. Check into a District 1 hostel or guesthouse on Bui Vien/Pham Ngu Lao and go for a wander round Ben Thanh market at night.

🚌Grab to DAD ~£6 + flight DAD-SGN ~£35 + Grab from SGN ~£6

🛏District 1 hostel or 2-3* hotel (£10-18 dorm/private)

• →Ben Thanh night market
• →Bui Vien walking street

Walk or Grab-bike the city's history circuit: War Remnants Museum (£1), Reunification Palace (£2), Notre Dame Cathedral exterior and the Central Post Office, then the fine art museum if you have energy. Afternoon coffee at a rooftop cafe overlooking Nguyen Hue walking street. Skip a guide — every site has English signage and audio guides.

🚌Walking + Grab bikes ~£4

🛏District 1 hostel or 2-3* hotel

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Palace
• →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
• →Nguyen Hue walking street

Take a local bus (Phuong Trang/Futa, ~£6-8, 2.5h) or a shared limousine van from Saigon to Cai Be. Book a small-group Mekong tour in advance via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£22) covering the sampan ride, Tan Phong Island, a coconut-candy workshop and the don ca tai tu folk music, then continue to Can Tho by local bus for the night. Guesthouses cluster around the riverfront.

🚌Local bus SGN-Cai Be ~£7 + bus to Can Tho ~£3

🛏Can Tho riverside guesthouse or 2-3* hotel (£12-20)

• →Cai Be sampan ride
• →Tan Phong Island
• →Coconut candy workshop
• →Don ca tai tu performance

Be on the water by 5.30am — hire a small motorised sampan with a local boatwoman at Cai Rang bridge (£6-8 per boat, split between two) for the floating market and a noodle-making workshop on the bank. Back for breakfast, then bus to Chau Doc (~3h, £5), and take a motorbike taxi out to Tra Su Cajuput Forest (£4 entry + £3 boat) for the birdlife and mangrove canals before sunset.

🚌Local boat + bus to Chau Doc ~£5 + motorbike taxi ~£4

🛏Chau Doc guesthouse or 2-3* hotel (£12-18)

• →Cai Rang floating market at dawn
• →Rice noodle workshop
• →Tra Su Cajuput Forest bird sanctuary

Book the Hang Chau or Blue Cruiser speedboat direct (or any travel agent on the Chau Doc waterfront) — roughly £25-30 and about 4-5 hours including the border formalities at Vinh Xuong. Have your Cambodia e-visa or visa-on-arrival cash ($30 + photo) ready. Arrive in Phnom Penh mid-afternoon and walk the riverfront by the Royal Palace at golden hour.

🚌Chau Doc–Phnom Penh speedboat ~£28

🛏Phnom Penh riverside guesthouse or 2-3* hotel near Street 13 (£10-18)

• →Mekong border crossing by speedboat
• →Sisowath Quay riverfront walk

An emotional but essential day: Tuol Sleng (S-21) Genocide Museum (£3, take the audio guide ~£2.50), then a tuk-tuk out to Choeung Ek Killing Fields (£3.50 + £12 return tuk-tuk). In the afternoon see the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (£8) and the National Museum (£4), then unwind at the Russian Market with iced coffee and a £2 krama scarf.

🚌Tuk-tuk hire ~£15 for the day

🛏Phnom Penh riverside guesthouse or 2-3* hotel

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields
• →Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda
• →National Museum
• →Russian Market

Morning Giant Ibis or Virak Buntham express bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (~£13-16, 6-7 hours, aircon and Wi-Fi). If your budget stretches, a flight is about £50 and saves half a day. Arrive late afternoon, check in and buy your Angkor pass for the next day at the Apsara Authority office or online — 1-day £29, 3-day £56. Sunset beer on Pub Street.

🚌Phnom Penh–Siem Reap express bus ~£14

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse or small hotel near Wat Bo (£10-18)

• →Overland journey through Cambodian countryside
• →Pub Street evening

Hire a tuk-tuk driver for the day (~£15-18, agree the route the night before) and leave at 4.45am for sunrise behind Angkor Wat's reflecting pools. Then South Gate of Angkor Thom, Bayon's stone faces, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Terraces of the Elephants and Leper King, Ta Prohm's tree roots and finally Angkor Wat itself in the afternoon light. A licensed guide costs £30-40 if you want the commentary the tour includes, or use the free audio app.

🚌Tuk-tuk with driver all day ~£16

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse or small hotel

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Bayon Temple
• →Ta Prohm
• →Angkor Thom terraces
• →Angkor archaeological pass £29

Sleep in, then pick your own adventure: a half-day Khmer cooking class (£20), the Tonle Sap floating village of Kompong Khleang (£22 with a small group), or a £6 hour-long Khmer massage and a street food crawl at night. Book your onward flight to Chiang Mai today for tomorrow.

🚌Local tuk-tuk ~£6

🛏Siem Reap guesthouse or small hotel

• →Khmer cooking class or Tonle Sap floating village
• →Khmer massage
• →Street food crawl

There are no direct Siem Reap–Chiang Mai flights on most schedules, so the cheap route is REP to Bangkok Don Mueang (~£35-50) then a £20-30 domestic hop up to Chiang Mai — or fly REP-DMK the night before if you prefer a smoother day. Land, take a red songthaew (£2) into the old city, check into a guesthouse inside the moat and eat khao soi for dinner.

🚌Flight REP-DMK ~£45 + DMK-CNX ~£25 + songthaew ~£2

🛏Chiang Mai old-city guesthouse (£10-18 private)

• →Red songthaew into the old city
• →Khao soi dinner
• →Sunday Walking Street if it's a Sunday

Book a no-riding sanctuary direct or via GetYourGuide — Elephant Nature Park, Kindred Spirit or Baan Chang (£60-75 for a full day with pickup, lunch and hotel transfers). You'll prepare food, walk with the elephants and learn about rescue and mahout culture. Avoid any operator offering elephant rides or bathing shows. Back by 5pm for a night market dinner.

🚌Sanctuary shuttle (included) ~1h each way

🛏Chiang Mai old-city guesthouse

• →Ethical elephant sanctuary full day
• →Night Bazaar food stalls

Take the red songthaew from Chang Phueak gate up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (£2.50 each way, £1.20 entry) for the golden chedi and city views, then continue to the Hmong Doi Pui village and the nearby Bhubing Palace gardens. Walk the monk's trail back down if you're keen hikers. Afternoon: a £7 Thai massage and a cooking class if you skipped the one in Cambodia.

🚌Songthaew up and down Doi Suthep ~£5

🛏Chiang Mai old-city guesthouse

• →Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
• →Hmong Doi Pui village
• →Doi Suthep-Pui National Park walk

Hire a tuk-tuk for a couple of hours (£6-8) to hit Tha Phae Gate, Wat Chedi Luang (£1), the Three Kings Monument, Wat Sri Suphan silver temple (£1) and Waroros Market for snacks. Then board the overnight sleeper train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat — book a 2nd-class aircon sleeper on the SRT website or at the station a few days ahead, roughly £22-30, departing around 5pm and arriving early morning.

🚌Tuk-tuk ~£7 + overnight sleeper train ~£26

🛏2nd-class aircon sleeper berth on the SRT train

• →Wat Chedi Luang
• →Wat Sri Suphan silver temple
• →Waroros Market
• →Overnight sleeper train

Arrive early, drop your bag at a Khao San or Sukhumvit guesthouse, then take the Chao Phraya orange-flag express boat (£0.40) to Tha Chang for the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha (£12, cover shoulders and knees). Walk to Wat Pho for the Reclining Buddha (£6), cross by ferry (£0.15) to Wat Arun (£2.50), and finish with a longtail boat through Bangkok Noi's khlongs (~£15 for the boat, split between two).

🚌Chao Phraya express boat + cross-river ferry + longtail ~£20

🛏Khao San or Sukhumvit guesthouse (£12-20 private)

• →Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew
• →Wat Pho Reclining Buddha
• →Wat Arun
• →Bangkok Noi khlong longtail boat

Last pad kra pao and a Thai iced tea, then take the Airport Rail Link from Phaya Thai to Suvarnabhumi (£1) or the SRT red line to Don Mueang — a very cheap replacement for the operator's included airport transfer. Fly home or extend south to Phuket/Krabi for beach days if you have time.

🚌Airport Rail Link ~£1

🛏—

• →Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi