THE REGION: Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam explorer

Introduction

This is the big one! Travelling throughout the region, you'll touch on the highlights of all four countries, including Bangkok and Sukhothai in Thailand, Luang Prabang and Four Thousand Islands in Laos, Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and of course, Saigon, Hoi An and Hanoi in Vietnam.

For those set on seeing all four countries, this is a good route to take as it has a minimal amount of backtracking. If you cross from Laos to Vietnam by one of the more central crossings on the panhandle (such as Lao Bao or Lak Sao), you will need to do some substantial backtracking legs in Vietnam if you want to see the entire country.

There's a load of travel involved in a circuit like this -- particularly if you decide to do the whole trip overland. If you're a bit short of time or just can't face getting on another bus, look into flying some of the legs.

Suggest trip length

If you're willing to fly a few routes and skip out some of the lesser-known spots, you could cover all four countries in as little as two weeks, but we'd say that was a really bad idea -- unless your idea of a holiday is to be on the move just about every day. Realistically a comfortable minimum to do the following route, with stops at all the designated towns, would be at least five to six weeks. With longer stays in a few spots and perhaps with a few extra add-ons, eight to ten weeks would be a comfortable pace of travel. If you decide to add in the South of Thailand (not covered on this trip plan) add in another two weeks. Thailand and Vietnam in particular are skipped through in this trip -- one could easily spend far longer in each country.

Sample plan

1) Bangkok -> Ayutthaya (ruins, historical interest)
2) Ayutthaya -> Sukhothai (via Phitsanulok) (ruins, historical interest)
3) Sukhothai -> Chiang Mai (trekking centre, temples)
4) Chiang Mai -> Chiang Khong (riverside town, day trips, crossing to Laos)
5) Chiang Khong -> Huay Xai (riverside town)
6) Huay Xai -> Pakbeng (riverside town, half-way point to Luang Prabang)
7) Pakbeng -> Luang Prabang (temples, riverside town, scenic)
8) Luang Prabang -> Vang Vieng (scenic, backpacker scene)
9) Vang Vieng -> Vientiane (capital city, temples, riverside city)
10) Vientiane -> Tha Khaek (riverside town, caves, scenic)
11) Tha Khaek -> Savannakhet (riverside town, national parks, colonial architecture)
12) Savannakhet -> Pakse (riverside town, daytrips)
13) Pakse -> Champasak (ruins)
14) Champasak -> Four Thousand Islands - Don Khong, Don Dhet & Don Khon (scenic, waterfalls, backpacker scene)
15) Four Thousand Islands -> Kratie (riverside town, dolphins)
16) Kratie -> Phnom Penh (capital city, colonial architecture, scenic)
17) Phnom Penh -> Siem Reap (Angkor Wat, backpacker scene)
18) Siem Reap -> Battambang (riverside town, rural daytrips, ruins)
19) Battambang -> Phnom Penh
20) Phnom Penh -> Saigon (museums, nightlife, daytrips)
21) Saigon -> Mui Ne (beaches, sand dunes)
22) Mui Ne -> Nha Trang (beaches, boat trips)
23) Nha Trang -> Hoi An (riverside town, shopping, tailoring)
24) Hoi An -> Hue (Imperial capital, temples, trips to DMZ)
25) Hue -> Hanoi (capital city, colonial architecture, shopping)
26) Hanoi -> Ha Long Bay (stunning scenery)
27) Hanoi -> Sapa (trekking, minority groups, scenic)

Save some time

Aside from knocking off destinations, the best way to save time it to fly some of the legs.
One day: Skip any one town

Take a side trip

Wow, well the potential for sidetrips is almost endless -- take a look at our trip-plans for the individual countries to get some ideas.

Combine trip plans

If you want to fit in some island time in Thailand, check out our Thailand islands and more islands trip plan, otherwise refer to any one of the specific country plans for more ideas.

Map

Sample Trip Times (in hours)

To help you work out how you'll get around, we've listed the trip durations for the various forms of transport available. Note that with the exception of flight times, these are average trip times, so no hate mail if you take the slow train.