Vietnam & Cambodia Highlights — Self-Launched

Land at Noi Bai Airport and take the local bus 86 (about £1.20, 45–60 min) or a Grab car (£7–9) into the Old Quarter. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Ma May or Hang Bac. Spend the afternoon wandering the tree-lined streets and Hoan Kiem Lake, then eat bun cha or pho at a street stall for £1.50–3. Book your Ha Long Bay overnight cruise tonight (or in advance online) and organise your onward travel. Many hostels on the backpacker circuit run free walking tours each morning.

🚌Public bus 86 from airport ~£1.20, or Grab ~£8

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel (private room £14–22, dorm £5–8)

• →Self-guided Old Quarter walk
• →Hoan Kiem Lake
• →Street-food dinner
• →Book Ha Long Bay cruise and onward transport

Get picked up early from your Old Quarter hostel by the shuttle included in most budget/backpacker Ha Long cruises (or catch a local bus to Ha Long City and board there). Cruise among the limestone karsts with kayaking, swimming and a cave stop, then sleep overnight on the boat in a twin cabin with a seafood dinner included. Budget cruises booked direct or via your hostel run £45–75 for the night including meals and transfers — a fraction of the tour-operator version.

🚌Return shuttle from Hanoi included with most cruises; ~4 hrs each way

🛏Overnight on a budget junk boat, twin-share (included in cruise price)

• →Kayaking among karst peaks
• →Swimming stop
• →Cave visit
• →Sunset and overnight on boat

Continue cruising in the morning before returning to port around midday, then shuttle back to Hanoi, arriving late afternoon. Check back into a hostel and spend the evening in the Old Quarter — wander the 36 Streets, grab a bia hoi on Ta Hien corner for under £1, and optionally catch a water puppet show at Thang Long Theatre (tickets from about £4 booked direct).

🚌Cruise shuttle back to Hanoi, included

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel (private room £14–22, dorm £5–8)

• →Morning cruise
• →Old Quarter evening walk
• →Optional water puppet show (£4–8)
• →Bia hoi corner

Take a Grab to the airport and fly VietJet or Vietjet Air/Bamboo to Da Nang (book online, £25–50 for the 1 hr 20 min flight if booked a few weeks ahead). From Da Nang, the local yellow bus 1 to Hoi An costs about £0.60 and takes 45–60 min, or a Grab is £8–10. Stop at Marble Mountain en route (£1 entry) for the caves and viewpoints. Settle into a Hoi An homestay or hostel in the old town area.

🚌Hanoi–Da Nang flight £25–50; local bus 1 to Hoi An ~£0.60 or Grab £8–10

🛏Hoi An homestay or hostel (private room £12–20, dorm £5–7)

• →Marble Mountain caves and viewpoints (£1)
• →Old town evening stroll
• →Lantern-lit riverside walk

Book a self-launched old-town walking or food tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (£10–18), or just buy the Old Town ticket (£5, covers five heritage buildings, the Japanese Bridge and assembly halls) and walk it yourself. Spend the afternoon cycling to An Bang or Cua Dai beach (£2 bike hire), getting clothes tailor-made, or taking a cooking class (£18–25 booked direct). Optional afternoon trip to My Son Sanctuary (£8–12 via GetYourGuide including transport) if you have time.

🚌Bicycle hire £2/day; optional My Son minibus

🛏Hoi An homestay or hostel (private room £12–20, dorm £5–7)

• →Old Town heritage ticket (£5)
• →GetYourGuide/Klook walking food tour (£10–18)
• →Beach cycling (£2)
• →Optional cooking class or My Son Sanctuary

Fly Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City (VietJet/Bamboo, £25–45, ~1 hr 25 min). From Tan Son Nhat airport the public bus 109 or 152 into District 1 costs under £1 (Grab ~£5). Base yourself in the backpacker area around Pham Ngu Lao. In the afternoon, walk the city yourself — Saigon Central Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral exterior, the Reunification Palace (£2) and the War Remnants Museum (£2) — or join a self-booked GetYourGuide city tour (£12–18) covering the same sites.

🚌Da Nang–HCMC flight £25–45; bus 109/152 from airport under £1

🛏District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao hostel or guesthouse (private £14–22, dorm £5–8)

• →Saigon Central Post Office
• →Reunification Palace (£2)
• →War Remnants Museum (£2)
• →Ben Thanh Market

Join a half-day Cu Chi tunnels tour booked via Klook or GetYourGuide (£12–20 including transport and a guide) — group minibuses depart District 1 in the morning. You can crawl through widened sections of the 240 km tunnel network. Back in the city by early afternoon: explore the Jade Emperor Pagoda, browse Ben Thanh Market (bargain hard), or take the river ferry to District 2 for a cheap dinner.

🚌Included in Cu Chi tour; local buses/walking in the city

🛏District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao hostel or guesthouse (private £14–22, dorm £5–8)

• →Cu Chi tunnels half-day tour (£12–20)
• →Jade Emperor Pagoda
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →District 1 street-food crawl

Fly Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap on VietJet or Cambodia Angkor Air (book online, £45–80, ~1 hr 15 min) — get a Cambodian e-visa in advance (£25). Take a tuk-tuk or a shared taxi from the airport into town (£2–3 tuk-tuk), and settle into a guesthouse or hostel near Pub Street or the Old Market. Buy your Angkor pass this evening if you plan an early start; the 1-day pass is about £30 and 3-day about £50.

🚌HCMC–Siem Reap flight £45–80; airport tuk-tuk £2–3

🛏Siem Reap hostel or guesthouse (private £12–20, dorm £5–7)

• →Arrival tuk-tuk wander
• →Old Market and Pub Street evening
• →Buy Angkor pass (£30 one-day)

Hire a tuk-tuk for the day (£12–15, split with hostel mates) or join a small-group sunrise tour via GetYourGuide (£15–25) — leave at 4:30am to reach Angkor Wat for sunrise. Spend the day exploring the royal city of Angkor Thom, the Bayon's 54 carved towers, and the jungle-swallowed Ta Prohm. Take a break for lunch at a roadside stall, then optionally add Banteay Srei or Preah Khan if energy allows. Bring plenty of water and sun protection.

🚌Tuk-tuk day hire £12–15 (shared) or small-group sunrise tour £15–25

🛏Siem Reap hostel or guesthouse (private £12–20, dorm £5–7)

• →Angkor Wat sunrise
• →Angkor Thom and Bayon temple
• →Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider temple)
• →Optional Banteay Srei

Travel overland to Phnom Penh (~7 hours). Options: a Giant Ibis or Mekong Express VIP bus (£12–16, book via 12Go Asia, includes water and stops), or a shared taxi/van (£15–20). The bus usually breaks at Santuk Silk Farm en route. Arrive in the capital late afternoon and check into a hostel or guesthouse near the riverside. In the evening, join an optional Mekong sunset cruise (£5–8 booked direct at the riverfront).

🚌Giant Ibis / Mekong Express bus Siem Reap–Phnom Penh £12–16 (7 hrs)

🛏Phnom Penh riverside hostel or guesthouse (private £14–22, dorm £5–8)

• →Overland bus journey through rural Cambodia
• →Santuk Silk Farm stop
• →Optional Mekong sunset cruise (£5–8)
• →Riverside evening walk

Hire a moto/tuk-tuk for the day (£10–15) or join a self-booked small-group tour via GetYourGuide covering the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21, £4 entry with audio guide) and the Killing Fields at Choeung Ek (£5 entry, 15 km out of town) — allow a sombre half-day. In the afternoon, visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (£5.50), then unwind at the riverside or the Central Market. Missing S-21 and Choeung Ek would leave a gap in understanding Cambodia's recent history.

🚌Tuk-tuk day hire £10–15, or GetYourGuide small-group tour £15–22

🛏Phnom Penh riverside hostel or guesthouse (private £14–22, dorm £5–8)

• →Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (£4)
• →Choeung Ek Killing Fields (£5)
• →Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda (£5.50)
• →Central Market

Trip ends after breakfast. Take a tuk-tuk or Grab to the airport (£3–5, about 30–40 min) for your onward or homeward flight. If your flight is later, use the extra hours to visit the Russian Market or the National Museum before heading out.

🚌Tuk-tuk or Grab to airport £3–5

🛏—

• →Optional Russian Market or National Museum
• →Airport transfer