Southeast Asia in 3 Weeks: A Route Guide

Three weeks in Southeast Asia is generous if you pick three destinations and brutal if you pick seven. The distances are long, the roads are slower than a map suggests, and the best days are the ones with nothing on them.

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The shape of the trip

The classic three-week route moves on a north-south line rather than a loop: Bangkok, northern Thailand, Hanoi and the north of Vietnam, then a flight south, then Cambodia. It uses one cheap flight to skip the part of the map with the slowest roads.

Week 1: Bangkok and northern Thailand

['Bangkok, 3 nights - the temples and the river on day one, markets on day two, and one day that is entirely food.', "Chiang Mai, 4 nights - an overnight train or a short flight north. Temples in the old city, food markets, and the mountains within a day's reach."]

Week 2: Vietnam, north to south

['Hanoi, 3 nights - the old quarter on foot, the lake in the morning, and coffee the way the city makes it.', 'Ha Long Bay or Cat Ba, 2 nights - an overnight on the water is the usual choice; Cat Ba trades the boats for hiking and quiet.', 'Hoi An, 3 nights - a short flight from Hanoi. Tailors, lanterns, and a beach within a bicycle ride.']

Week 3: south Vietnam and Cambodia

['Ho Chi Minh City, 2 nights - the war history museums and the food, then an easy bus or flight onward.', 'Phnom Penh, 2 nights - sobering history, a riverfront that is pleasant in the evening.', 'Siem Reap, 4 nights - the temple complex deserves two full days, and the town is relaxed enough to add a third.']

What the map hides

['Land borders cost most of a day, even when the distance is short.', 'A four-hour bus in the region often means six hours with stops.', 'Domestic flights are cheap and turn a two-day journey into two hours - use one, and budget for one more.']

When to go

The region does not share one season. Northern Vietnam and northern Thailand are coolest and clearest from late autumn to early spring; southern Vietnam, Cambodia and southern Thailand stay warm year round, with a wetter stretch in the middle of the year. A route that spans north and south will always hit some rain - plan around it rather than for perfect weather.

See the regions covered on our coverage page.

The route in short, and what to book first

['Three destinations in three weeks, not seven.', 'Fly one or two internal legs to buy back days.', 'Four to six nights per stop is the sweet spot.', 'Check the season for each stop separately; they do not match.']

Frequently asked questions