Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand Trip: 2- and 3-Week Private Routes for 2026–2027

Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand make one of the easiest three-country trips in Asia, and two weeks is enough if you fly between them. The usual shape is Vietnam from north to south, then Angkor in Cambodia, then Bangkok and either Chiang Mai or a Thai beach at the end. One thing has changed recently: the land border between Cambodia and Thailand is closed to travelers, so the Siem Reap to Bangkok leg is now a short flight.

Here’s how we’d plan it, which way round works best, and what you need for each border.

Which way round should you go?

Start in Hanoi and finish in Thailand. There are two reasons. Vietnam is long and thin, and going north to south means you never backtrack. And ending on a Thai beach, or in a Bangkok hotel by the river, is a much nicer last few days than an early flight out of Siem Reap.

The weather can flip that. Northern Vietnam is cool and often grey from about December to February, while the south and Cambodia are dry. If you’re going in December or January and don’t mind cooler days in Hanoi, keep the usual order. If you’d rather have warm weather from the start, begin in Bangkok and work east instead. Our best time to visit Vietnam and Cambodia guide has the months for both.

A two-week route

Give Hanoi two nights. That’s enough for the Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature and an evening of street food. Then spend a night on a boat in Ha Long Bay or the quieter Lan Ha Bay, and come back to fly south to Da Nang for three nights in Hoi An. The old town is lit with lanterns at night, and it’s a good place to slow down for a day: a cooking class, a bike ride through the rice fields, an hour on An Bang beach.

From Da Nang, fly to Siem Reap for three nights. You’ll want one early morning for sunrise at Angkor Wat, one for the faces of the Bayon and the tree roots at Ta Prohm, and a third for Banteay Srei or the Tonle Sap lake. Then fly to Bangkok, which takes a little over an hour, for your last three or four nights. Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways both fly the route.

That’s roughly 13 nights. It moves quickly, but you’re never in a hotel for just one night except on the boat.

A three-week route

With three weeks you can see the whole of Vietnam and still finish slowly in Thailand. Add Hue between Ha Long Bay and Hoi An for the citadel and the royal tombs, and then fly to Ho Chi Minh City for two nights and a day in the Mekong Delta.

From there you’ve got a choice. You can fly to Siem Reap, or you can go upriver by boat to Phnom Penh, spend a night or two in the capital and then continue to Angkor. The river border between Vietnam and Cambodia isn’t affected by the Thai closure. Our guide to traveling by riverboat from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap explains how that works.

After Angkor, fly to Bangkok for two nights, and then pick your ending. Chiang Mai is temples, markets and cooler hills. A beach means Phuket or Krabi from November to April, or Koh Samui in the middle of the year, when the Andaman side gets the monsoon. Our Thailand itinerary has more detail on both.

Why you’ll fly between Cambodia and Thailand

Until 2025 you could drive from Siem Reap to Bangkok through the Poipet crossing. After fighting along the border that year, the checkpoints were closed. In late July 2026 the two sides’ border coordinators said publicly that the crossings would stay shut except for Thais returning home and Cambodians being sent back. So for now, plan on flying. The situation could change, and we’ll tell you if it does before you travel.

Vietnam to Cambodia is simpler. There are flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and Phnom Penh’s flights moved to the new Techo International Airport in September 2025, so check which airport your ticket says. The Mekong boat is the other option.

Entry rules for US travelers

You’ll deal with three different systems, so it’s worth doing them in order as your dates get close.

Vietnam doesn’t give Americans visa-free entry. Apply for the e-visa on the official site, evisa.gov.vn. It can be valid for up to 90 days, and it’s best done a couple of weeks before you go. Vietnam also now asks foreign arrivals at its main airports to fill in a free pre-arrival declaration at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn, within three days before you land. Be careful of copycat websites for both. They charge extra and some are outright scams.

Cambodia needs a visa too. The e-visa at evisa.gov.kh is the easy way, and our Cambodia visa guide for US citizens walks through it. Separately, you fill in Cambodia’s e-Arrival card at arrival.gov.kh in the week before you arrive.

Thailand is the easiest of the three. Since 15 September 2026, US passport holders can stay up to 30 days without a visa. You still need to submit the Thailand Digital Arrival Card at tdac.immigration.go.th within three days before you arrive. It takes a few minutes.

Your passport should have at least six months left on it and a few blank pages. Rules do change, so check each official site again a week before you leave.

Private tour or group tour?

Big-name group operators run this route on fixed dates, and if you like traveling with other people that’s a fair way to do it. A private tour costs more per person. In return you get your own guide and driver in every country, you choose the dates and the hotels, and the days move at your speed. On a trip with three sets of flights and three entry systems, having someone handle the bookings and meet you at each airport saves a lot of hassle.

The price depends mostly on the hotels you pick, how many nights you spend on boats or at beach resorts, the time of year and how many internal flights the route needs. We’d rather give you an itemized quote for your dates than a headline package price.

Planning it with My Way Travel

We plan private trips across Southeast Asia. My Way Luxury Travel LLC is registered in New York, and our Vietnam operations are run by MyWay Co., Ltd in Ho Chi Minh City under international tour operator license 79-0743/2017/CDLQGVN-GP LHQT. We’re rated 4.8 to 5.0 on Tripadvisor across our listings in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Spain, Germany and the United States, with more than 3,000 reviews in total.

If you’d like a starting point, our Southeast Asia Wonders: Halong Bay to Siem Reap and Phuket tour covers all three countries. You can also look at our multi-country trips, read the wider Southeast Asia itinerary guide, or just tell us your dates.

Sources: Thai PBS on the Thai–Cambodian border checkpoints (29 July 2026) and Matichon (September 2026), read in Thai; Vietnamese reporting on Vietnam Airlines’ move to Techo International Airport (mekongasean.vn); Vietnam’s Immigration Department and the Singapore Embassy in Hanoi on the pre-arrival declaration (June 2026); Thailand’s Immigration Bureau on the Digital Arrival Card; the official e-visa sites of Vietnam and Cambodia. Last checked October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand?

Two weeks covers Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Angkor and Bangkok if you fly between countries. Three weeks lets you add Hue, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong, and a Thai beach or Chiang Mai.

Can you travel overland from Cambodia to Thailand?

Not at the moment. The land checkpoints between Cambodia and Thailand were closed in 2025, and in July 2026 Thai officials said they would stay closed to ordinary travelers. Fly from Siem Reap or Phnom Penh to Bangkok instead.

What’s the best order to visit Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand?

Usually Vietnam north to south, then Cambodia, then Thailand, so you end somewhere relaxing. If you’d like warm weather from day one in December or January, start in Bangkok and finish in Hanoi.

Do Americans need a visa for Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand?

Yes for Vietnam and Cambodia, both of which have official e-visas. Thailand lets US citizens stay up to 30 days without a visa, but you still fill in the online arrival card.

Is a private tour of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand worth it?

It costs more than a group tour, but you pick the dates, hotels and pace, and someone handles the flights and meets you at every airport. That helps most on a trip with three countries and three entry systems.