Three countries, ten days, no wasted ones
The short version, and the shortest we will build. Hanoi and Lan Ha Bay, then Luang Prabang, then Angkor, each leg flown so that no day is spent in a vehicle going somewhere.
At a glance
- Days
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Party size
- 1 to 8, private
- Start
- Hanoi
- End
- Siem Reap
- Effort
- Easy
- From
- USD 1,790 per person
Who this route is for
People with ten days who want three countries and understand the trade. This itinerary flies every international leg, which costs money and buys back four days that would otherwise be spent looking at a road. Four places, nine nights, and nothing that could reasonably be called a transit day.
It is also the shortest three-country trip we are prepared to build. Below ten days, three countries becomes an airport tour, and we will tell you to drop one rather than sell it to you.
Central Vietnam. The Nam Ou valley. Phnom Penh. The Mekong Delta. Thailand. Each of those is a real omission and we would rather name them here than have you discover them in the itinerary.
Day by day
Arrive Hanoi
Met at Noi Bai, 45 to 80 minutes into the Old Quarter. Nothing scheduled — the day you land is not a day you use.
Hanoi on foot
The Old Quarter trade grid in the morning, the Temple of Literature, the colonial quarter after lunch. Water puppets in the evening if you want a genuinely odd hour.
Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay
Two and a half hours to Got pier, boarding away from the Ha Long day-boat traffic. Kayaking in the afternoon among the limestone, dinner on deck, a night at anchor.
Lan Ha Bay to Hanoi
Early light, breakfast under way, ashore by 11:00, back in Hanoi mid-afternoon. Evening free.
Fly Hanoi to Luang Prabang
A short afternoon flight from a city of eight million to a town of thirty thousand, and the change is abrupt. Airport four kilometres out. A walk to the confluence and dinner.
Luang Prabang
The alms round at dawn, from a distance and without a flash. Morning market, Wat Xieng Thong, the Royal Palace Museum. Afternoon at the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre, then Kuang Si falls after 15:00 if you have energy.
Fly to Siem Reap
A morning flight, sometimes direct and sometimes with a short connection. Into Siem Reap Angkor airport, 45 kilometres and 55 minutes from town. Angkor pass bought this evening.
Angkor: the central group
Out at 07:30, not 04:30. Angkor Wat once the sunrise crowd has gone, then the Bayon and Angkor Thom. Hotel from 11:00 to 15:00. Ta Prohm late.
Angkor: the outer temples
Banteay Srei an hour north, then Beng Mealea unrestored in the forest. Late afternoon free, and the town is better than its reputation once the tuk-tuk street is behind you.
Depart Siem Reap
Fifty-five minutes to the airport, which is further out than the old one and catches people with tight connections. We leave early.
What it costs
| Party size | Simple | Comfortable | Excellent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travellers | USD 1,790 | USD 2,740 | USD 4,760 |
| 3 - 4 | USD 1,480 | USD 2,290 | USD 4,250 |
| 5 - 8 | USD 1,290 | USD 2,020 | USD 3,920 |
What the price includes
- 9 nights as described, including one night on a boat
- Hanoi – Luang Prabang and Luang Prabang – Siem Reap flights, hold luggage included
- One night on a small boat in Lan Ha Bay, full board
- Private vehicle and driver for every land transfer
- Vietnamese, Lao and Khmer guides, each in their own country
- Three-day Angkor pass and all entrance fees named above
- Breakfast daily plus the meals named day by day
What it does not include
- International flights into Hanoi and out of Siem Reap
- Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia visa fees
- Travel insurance, which we require
- Drinks, laundry, and meals not named
- Tips for guides and drivers
Photographs
Who this trip is wrong for
- Anyone who wanted an overland trip. Every border here is crossed in an airport and that is the deal.
- People with eight days rather than ten. Take out two days and this becomes two countries, which we will happily build instead.
- Travellers who want Hoi An, Hue, Phnom Penh or the delta. None of them fits and pretending otherwise would make a worse trip.
- Anyone who dislikes early starts. Two of these days begin before 07:30 because of flight times.
- Parties wanting Thailand as well. Four countries in ten days is a bus tour with a boarding pass, and we will not sell it.
Practical notes
Three visas in ten days
Vietnam visa-free for 45 days for most European passports, or a USD 25 eVisa. Laos eVisa, valid at Luang Prabang airport. Cambodia eVisa at USD 30, valid at Siem Reap airport. All three arrivals are by air, which keeps the paperwork simple — the complications only start at land borders.
Book the flights early
Hanoi–Luang Prabang and Luang Prabang–Siem Reap are both thin routes with few daily departures. Six weeks is the point at which the fares start to move, and inside three weeks they roughly double.
If you can find two more days
Add them at Luang Prabang, not at Angkor. Two nights in Luang Prabang is enough to see the town and not enough to be in Laos; four is a different experience. The eighteen-day classic is where that leads.
Questions travellers ask most
Is ten days really enough for three countries?
It is enough for four places in three countries, which is not the same as seeing three countries. You will have a clear sense of Hanoi, of Luang Prabang and of Angkor, and almost none of the countries around them.
If that trade is clear to you, it is a good trip. If it is not, take two countries instead.
Why not add Phnom Penh?
Because it costs a day of driving or a flight plus two transfers, and at ten days there is no slack to pay for it. It is the first thing we add at twelve days.
Can I start in Siem Reap and end in Hanoi?
Yes, and it prices the same. Most people prefer to end at Angkor because it is the strongest single thing on the route and it reads better last.
What happens if a flight is cancelled?
We rebook, we pay the difference first and settle later, and we compress the following day rather than the current one. With two flights in ten days, one cancellation costs you an afternoon rather than a country.
Read next
Tell us how many days you have and which countries matter
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.