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Khao Sok National Park, Thailand
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Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is the most obvious place to start backpacking in Southeast Asia. For
starters, it’s a major airline hub so it is very easy to get to. Flights also
tend to be more reasonably priced than ones to other Southeast Asian cities
which often pass through Bangkok anyway. It is one of the most westernised
cities in the region so the culture shock is less than if you landed straight
into Vietnam or Laos. It also offers you a chance to stock up on anything you
may need for your trip with prices much cheaper than back home but still with
great choice. Bangkok is very much base camp for travellers in Southeast Asia.
Love it or loathe it, chances are you’ll be back again before too long.
- Lumphini Park (สวนลุมพินี)
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Chiang Mai, Thailand
The northern city of Chiang Mai is an intellectual kind of place with an
alternative vibe and many travellers prefer it to Bangkok. It’s a good spot to
study traditional Thai practices such as massage and meditation. It is also the
best place to base yourself for exploring or trekking into the jungle and ethnic
minority villages near the city. It’s also a good place to hang around for a few
months if you fancy living in Southeast Asia as opposed to merely travelling
through it and it has grown into one of the world’s most popular digital nomad
destinations. It features in our article on cheap places to live in Asia with
the cost of living (and indeed cost of travel!) very low.
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Luang Prabang, Laos
French and Indochinese culture met here and resulted in an enchanting city, one
of the highlights of Laos. The Old Quarter on the banks of the river is home to
an array of temples and museums. Meanwhile the night market is another big draw
for travellers. There are also plenty of companies offering trekking, biking and
kayaking opportunities.
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Vang Vieng, Laos
This is another hugely popular backpacking destination in Southeast Asia, or at
least it was. This is where you can hop on a rubber tube and make your way
leisurely down the river. There used to be a lot of bars, rope swings and slides
along the way too but the tubing is not as crazy or dangerous as it once was
thanks to a government crackdown following lots of injuries and some fatalities.
It remains the main attraction here but there’s plenty of other adventurous
stuff you can do around the ramshackle town of Vang Vieng, which has a real
chilled out backpacker vibe.
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Vientiane, Laos
A capital city it may be but don’t let that deceive you. Vientiane is about as
friendly and laid back a place as you’ll find anywhere. Set on the Mekong River,
this French influenced town is pleasant and picturesque and the perfect place to
chill out for a few days. Be sure to visit and support COPE Laos which helps the
country’s many people with mobility related disabilities.
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Savannakhet, Laos
This may be the second biggest city in Laos, but again it feels pretty small and
is very chilled out with both French and Lao influences. Things to do here
include a visit to the Dinosaur Museum which exhibits various dinosaur remains
found in the area (it has received mixed reviews). There’s also a museum about
the problem of unexploded bombs from the Vietnam War that still litter the
eastern side of the province. The city also hosts many different festivals
throughout the year which you may be lucky enough to catch.
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Hue, Vietnam
Hue is an ancient city on a musty coloured river with dragon boats. There are
lots more Vietnam War sites nearby and a pretty decent traveller scene. It’s a
good place to try Vietnamese food but again you won’t need too much time here.
It’s also worth noting that it rains a lot in this part of Vietnam with
torrential downpours common from September to December.
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Hội An, Vietnam
This riverside town is pretty damn cool. It’s the place where backpackers buy
tailor-made clothes of all varieties and then prance around like fools in their
bright, new and utterly impractical purple suits. The beach is a short moto-taxi
ride away and is one of the finest in the country. There are also some
surprisingly cool bars here catering to a variety of music tastes. It’s a nice
spot to hang around for a few days and there are loads of cheap places to eat in
Hoi An where you can enjoy local or international food.
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Nha Trang, Vietnam
Nha Trang is Vietnam’s “beach resort” city and has a fairly seedy traveller area
and a dirty beach but there are a few positives. A surprisingly peaceful temple
near the bus station provides a contrast to the rest of Nha Trang and is home to
a giant white Buddha. There used to be some good bars and decent beach clubs
that served cheap cocktails and stayed open late (many drinking joints are
forced to close by 11:00 p.m. in Vietnam). However many closed down during the
pandemic so it’s unclear what the nightlife scene is like now. By day, there are
some decent water sports on offer here too.
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Mũi Né, Vietnam
The nearby sand dunes are good fun if you can stand the heat. There is one road,
it’s very long and runs parallel to the 20 km or so long beach which is largely
deserted and one of the best on this Southeast Asia backpacking route. It’s a
good place to unwind but there is not much going on in terms of socialising or
partying.
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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
HCMC (AKA Saigon) is the biggest city in the country and has by some
considerable margin the largest backpacker scene in Vietnam. Hit the Pham Ngu
Lao traveller area and you will find numerous cheap places to eat, sleep and
drink. The area is busy until late and has cuisines from literally all over the
world. The moto drivers here will compete for your business non-stop so it’s
easy to get anywhere else in town. Ho Chi Minh City also has lots of sights
relating to the war such as the Cu Chi Tunnel but the modern day city centre is
also a quite unique, although often overwhelming experience with crazy traffic
and very busy neighbourhoods.
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Phnom Penh, Cambodia
On the surface Phnom Penh is a pleasant, aesthetically pleasing and surprisingly
peaceful capital city with lots of monks. Dig a little deeper and it’s an often
lawless, poverty stricken place where just about anything goes. Welcome to
Cambodia. It’s easy to lose yourself in Phnom Penh and in the past you would
hear all sorts of bizarre stories of everything from backpackers supposedly
blowing up cows with rocket launchers, attending cock fighting matches and
taking easily available drugs. The infamous lakeside district where many
backpackers used to stay is no more and the city has calmed down a little as a
result from a traveller’s perspective. It is though, still a place with a dark
history and you can spend some time reflecting and trying to understand the
horrors that took place here all too recently during the days of Pol Pot and the
Khmer Rouge by visiting the Killing Fields and a former prison where
unimaginable horrors took place. There are also some stunning temples and
palaces which could grace any of the finest cities on the planet. Inequality is
everywhere in Cambodia and Phnom Penh demonstrates it better than anywhere else.
- Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
- Choeung Ek Genocidal Center (The Killing Fields) (មជ្ឈមណ្ឌលប្រល័យពូជសាសន៍ជើងឯក)
- The Royal Palace (ព្រះបរមរាជាវាំងនៃរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា)
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Bangkok, Thailand
Kick back on the Khao San Road for a few days or head south depending on how
much you enjoyed the city first time around. Having completed the big loop
around the north of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, it’s time to hop on a
night train and head for the beach paradise of Southern Thailand. It is also
possible to fly from Bangkok to Southern Thailand but note that domestic flights
don’t typically go from Suvarnabhumi, rather the city’s other major airport –
the older Don Mueang which features in our list of the most dangerous airports
in the world (it’s not quite as bad as it sounds!).