Southeast Asia forum

Some people will advise you to spend all 2 months in a single village learning the local dialect. Some general advice, it sounds like you're not focusing on Thailand and this trip is primarily Cambodia, Vietnam, Northern Laos. If you think of it in sections and give yourself 2 weeks in Cambodia, 1 month in Vietnam, and 2 weeks in Northern Laos I think you'll enjoy yourself. This will limit your time in Cambodia to 2-3 major destinations, and the same for Laos, as travel time is a hassle there.

Remember that travel time between some places can eat up an entire day, long legs of the trip that will leave you wanting to just relax around your guest house could include BKK to Siem Reap, PP to the Vietnam Delta, Hanoi to Luang Prabang. Think about breaking those sections of the trip up with stops along the way. Otherwise, remember when planning your schedule to give leeway for finding a charming place you want to stay in longer.

Budget wise depends. Everyone is different. But look to set a MINIMUM. Rooms...$10..food $10....water/snacks/ $5....per day. Remember that someone can say I survived on less but the point is if you do...you have more money for other stuff. Once you get the logistics of going from one major area to another you can figure out the major bus/train costs. For example, if you take the night train from Saigon to Nha Trang you can approximate the cost online and budget for it. Budget for the big transit costs once you know how you will travel. From Bkk to Siem Reap overland is the first major junction possibly. So start one leg, one section at a time to figure out the costs from this area to that area. Plan Cambodia, then Vietnam, then Laos, and your last big swing from Laos back to Bkk. You don't have to micro plan each place until you have an idea of your route. Then an idea of the train/bus/plane costs. Look at a book like SE ASIA on a Shoestring to see route ideas for example. You can decide how long in each place later. Start looking up travel insurance costs and the costs for your shots.