Vietnam, Laos & Thailand: Riversides & Railways (Self-Launched)

Land at Tan Son Nhat and take the Grab or a metered taxi to District 1 (about 40,000–60,000 VND, ~£2). Check into a hostel on or near Bui Vien / Pham Ngu Lao. Do a self-guided wander of Ben Thanh Market, the Notre Dame Cathedral exterior and the War Remnants Museum, then eat your way down Bui Vien in the evening — banh mi, snails in coconut, a bia at one of the rooftop bars.

🚌Airport taxi/Grab ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in District 1, ~£8–12/night

• →Self-guided city walk District 1
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Bui Vien evening street food

Book your Reunification Express tickets via the Vietnam Railways site (dssvn.com) or 12Go a few days ahead — a soft sleeper to Nha Trang is roughly 600,000–900,000 VND (~£20–30) and takes about 8 hours. Spend the day walking District 1 and Cholon, the Chinatown district, then head to Saigon station for the evening train.

🚌Reunification Express SE train, soft sleeper ~£20–30; taxis ~£2

🛏Soft sleeper train berth

• →Cholon walk
• →Bitexco or War Remnants Museum
• →Reunification Express overnight

Arrive early and drop your bag at a hostel near Tran Phu Beach. Sleep a few hours, then take a Grab to the Thap Ba hot springs for a mud bath (about 250,000 VND, ~£8) or just swim off the beach on the long promenade. Evening street food crawl: grilled seafood on the corner, nem nuong (pork skewers) and banh canh noodles.

🚌Grab motorbike/Grab car around town, ~£3 total

🛏Beach hostel or guesthouse, ~£10–14

• →Thap Ba mud bath
• →Tran Phu Beach
• →Evening seafood street food

Spend the morning on the beach or at the Po Nagar Cham Towers (entry about 30,000 VND). Have lunch, then catch the lunchtime/afternoon Reunification Express to Da Nang (soft sleeper or hard sleeper, ~£12–20, roughly 9 hours). A shared minibus from Da Nang to Hoi An takes ~45 minutes (~£3).

🚌Reunification Express to Da Nang ~£12–20; shared minibus to Hoi An ~£3

🛏Sleeper train berth, then Hoi An guesthouse (walk-in ~£10–15)

• →Po Nagar Cham Towers
• →Beach morning
• →Sleeper train

Do a self-guided walking tour of the UNESCO old town — the Japanese Covered Bridge, Tan Ky ancestral house and the assembly halls (a combined ticket is about 120,000 VND, ~£4). In the afternoon hire a bicycle and cycle to An Bang or Cua Dai beach (bike hire ~50,000 VND/day). At night the lanterns come on along the Thu Bon river — buy a paper lantern and float it.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£2

🛏Hoi An guesthouse or hostel, ~£10–15

• →Old town walking route (self-guided ticket)
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →Cycling to An Bang beach
• →Lantern riverside

Book a half-day Hoi An cooking-class on GetYourGuide or Klook (about £25–35, often including a market visit and a boat ride), which covers cao lau, white rose dumplings and fresh spring rolls. The afternoon is for catching a tailor — Hoi An tailors turn around shirts and dresses in 24 hours for £20–50 — or for a boat trip on the Thu Bon river.

🚌Bike hire ~£2

🛏Hoi An guesthouse or hostel, ~£10–15

• →Hoi An cooking class (GetYourGuide/Klook)
• →Tailor fitting
• →Thu Bon river boat

Save the famous easy-rider motorbike route for the transfer: Hoi An to Hue over the Hai Van Pass by motorbike with a rider is about £25–35 and takes a full day with stops at Marble Mountains and Lang Co lagoon. Alternatively a local bus or shared minibus is ~£6 and ~4 hours. Arrive in Hue, drop your bag on the south bank, and cross the Trang Tien bridge in the evening for Bun bo Hue and a bia hoi.

🚌Easy-rider motorbike transfer ~£25–35, or local bus ~£6

🛏Hue guesthouse or hostel, ~£10–15

• →Hai Van Pass
• →Marble Mountains
• →Hue riverside evening

Morning at the Imperial Citadel (entry 200,000 VND, ~£6) and the Thien Mu Pagoda by bicycle. After lunch take a local bus or shared van north to Phong Nha village (about £6–8, 3 hours) and check into a homestay or hostel in the village where every guesthouse arranges caves.

🚌Bicycle hire ~£2; local bus/shared van to Phong Nha ~£6–8

🛏Phong Nha homestay or hostel, ~£10–13

• →Imperial Citadel
• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Bus transfer to Phong Nha

Book a Paradise Cave or Phong Nha Cave day tour through your homestay or GetYourGuide (about £25–40). Paradise Cave's boardwalk through the white crystal stalactites is the big draw. After the tour, get a shuttle to Dong Hoi station (~£5) for the overnight Reunification Express to Hanoi (soft sleeper, ~£25–35, ~11 hours).

🚌Shuttle to Dong Hoi ~£5; night train to Hanoi ~£25–35

🛏Sleeper train berth

• →Paradise Cave tour
• →Phong Nha National Park
• →Overnight train

Arrive Hanoi early. Pre-book a day junk cruise from Hanoi via Klook or GetYourGuide (about £30–45 with hotel pickup, seafood lunch and a cave visit) — most depart around 8am, so an early train arrival matters, or else take the next day's. Otherwise organise a bus to Ha Long from Luong Yen bus station (~£6) and a walk-up cruise at the pier. Overnight back in Hanoi or in Ha Long city.

🚌Ha Long return bus/van included in tour, or ~£10 independently

🛏Hanoi hostel dorm, ~£8–12

• →Ha Long Bay junk boat
• →Seafood lunch aboard
• →Cave visit
• →Kayaking (~£8)

Walk the Old Quarter's 36 streets, Hoan Kiem Lake, Temple of Literature (~£2) and Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake. Evening: Bia Hoi Corner at the junction of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen for 5,000–7,000 VND glasses of fresh beer. Optional water puppet theatre at Thang Long (~£7). If you like, book the Hanoi Foodie Culture Tour (~£18).

🚌Walking; Grab ~£2

🛏Hanoi hostel dorm, ~£8–12

• →Old Quarter walk
• →Temple of Literature
• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Bia Hoi Corner
• →Water puppet show (optional)

Book a low-cost flight Hanoi–Vientiane on VietJet or Lao Airlines (~£60–90, 1.5 hours) — land crossings are much slower. Land in Vientiane, do the Laos e-visa or visa-on-arrival (about £30–35 for UK passports), and check into a guesthouse near the Mekong. Sunset at Patuxai or by the Mekong, dinner at a night market.

🚌Hanoi–Vientiane flight ~£60–90; airport tuk-tuk ~£3

🛏Vientiane guesthouse, ~£12–18

• →Laos visa on arrival
• →Patuxai
• →Mekong sunset

Morning at Pha That Luang (~£1), Wat Sisaket and the COPE visitor centre (free, donation). Then catch the new Laos–China high-speed train from Vientiane to Vang Vieng (about £8, 1 hour) — book via the LCR app or 12Go. Afternoon tubing or just watching the karsts from a riverside bar in Vang Vieng.

🚌Vientiane–Vang Vieng high-speed train ~£8; local transport ~£3

🛏Vang Vieng hostel/guesthouse, ~£8–14

• →Pha That Luang
• →Wat Sisaket
• →High-speed train
• →Riverside sunset

Hire a bicycle or motorbike (~£4/day) to reach the Blue Lagoon 1 and Tham Chang cave. Or do a guided hike to the Nam Xay viewpoint (climb ~45 minutes, best at sunrise) — about £15 with a local guide, or free if you go solo. Sunset from the Pha Ngeun viewpoint. Riverside bars at night.

🚌Bicycle/motorbike hire ~£4

🛏Vang Vieng hostel/guesthouse, ~£8–14

• →Blue Lagoon 1
• →Tham Chang cave
• →Nam Xay viewpoint hike
• →Sunset viewpoints

Take the high-speed train from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang (~£10, 1 hour) or the slower train via the scenic mountain route. Check into a guesthouse in the old town. Visit Wat Xieng Thong (~£2) and the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, then climb Mount Phousi for sunset over the Mekong and Khan river (entry ~£2). Night market for dinner.

🚌High-speed train ~£10; tuk-tuks ~£4

🛏Luang Prabang guesthouse, ~£12–18

• →Wat Xieng Thong
• →TAEC museum
• →Mount Phousi sunset
• →Night market

Share a tuk-tuk or songthaew to Kuang Si Waterfalls with other travellers from the guesthouse (~£5–8 return, 45 minutes) — or a Grab if available. Entry is about 25,000 kip (~£2). Swim in the turquoise pools, walk up to the top tier, and stop at the Free the Bears sanctuary. Return in the afternoon; evening is for a riverside BBQ on the Mekong.

🚌Shared tuk-tuk to Kuang Si ~£5–8

🛏Luang Prabang guesthouse, ~£12–18

• →Kuang Si Waterfalls
• →Free the Bears
• →Mekong riverside dinner

Buy a slow-boat ticket from the pier in Luang Prabang the day before (about £25–30 for the two-day Luang Prabang–Huay Xai run). Depart 8:30am and drift down the Mekong stopping in Pakbeng overnight. Sleep in Pakbeng: a guesthouse near the pier is ~£8–12, or a homestay village experience (~£10 including dinner) if you arrange it locally.

🚌Mekong slow boat (day 1) ~£25–30

🛏Pakbeng guesthouse or village homestay, ~£8–12

• →Mekong slow boat
• →Riverside village stops
• →Pakbeng homestay

Continue the slow boat to Huay Xai in the morning. Cross the Friendship Bridge to Chiang Khong, Thailand, by shuttle bus/shared tuk-tuk (~£2) and clear immigration (you'll need the Thailand TDAC e-arrival card completed 3 days before). Then take a bus or minivan from Chiang Khong to Chiang Mai (~£18–25, 5–6 hours) or a night bus. Big difference to the G trip: Chiang Khong may be an overnight stop — a cheap guesthouse is ~£10.

🚌Slow boat day 2 (included); border shuttle ~£2; bus to Chiang Mai ~£18–25

🛏Chiang Mai guesthouse or hostel, ~£10–16

• →Mekong slow boat finale
• →Laos–Thailand border crossing
• →Chiang Mai arrival

Walk the moat-bound old city: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Phra Singh, and the temples of the old town. Book a Northern Thai cooking class on Klook or GetYourGuide (about £25–35, includes market visit) or a Khantoke dinner and show (~£20). In the evening the Sunday Walking Street or the Night Bazaar is where you eat.

🚌Songthaew around town ~£2

🛏Chiang Mai guesthouse or hostel, ~£10–16

• →Old city temple walk
• →Northern Thai cooking class (optional ~£30)
• →Night Bazaar

Take a red songthaew up the mountain to Doi Suthep temple (entry 50 THB, songthaew ~£3–5 return). In the afternoon relax with a Thai massage (£5–8), or rent a bicycle for the countryside. Evening food walk through the Warorot market area.

🚌Songthaew to Doi Suthep ~£3–5

🛏Chiang Mai guesthouse or hostel, ~£10–16

• →Doi Suthep temple
• →Thai massage
• →Warorot market

Book the Chiang Mai–Bangkok sleeper train (Special Express #10, sleeper about £18–25) via the State Railway of Thailand site or a station visit. Spend the day before departure at a cooking class, cycling the old town or at a coffee shop; the train leaves just after 5pm and arrives Bangkok early morning. The train is a trip in itself.

🚌Chiang Mai–Bangkok sleeper train ~£18–25

🛏Sleeper train berth

• →Chiang Mai free morning
• →Sleeper train

Arrive Bangkok early. Drop your bag near Khao San or in Silom. Do the Grand Palace (500 THB, ~£11) and Wat Pho (200 THB), then take a longtail boat through Thonburi's klongs from Tha Tien pier (~£10 for a shared or 1-hour boat). Finish with dinner on Yaowarat (Chinatown) or a pad kra pao for under £3 — the perfect ending.

🚌Chao Phraya express boat ~£1; longtail canal tour ~£10; BTS/MRT ~£2

🛏Bangkok hostel dorm, ~£8–14

• →Grand Palace
• →Wat Pho
• →Thonburi longtail canals
• →Yaowarat Chinatown food