Dave’s Travel World

Disclaimer: Some of the links within this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on them and make a purchase I might earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions, although small, do nonetheless help towards paying the costs associated with running this website.

Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City by Bus, via the Coast

Summary

This post provides an outline of my trip from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City via the coastlines of eastern Thailand, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam. Key highlights of the trip included visiting lesser-known tropical islands, coastal resorts, and river towns.

In keeping with my niche travel likings of:

• solo travel;

• budget travel;

• travelling overland; and

• using local trains and buses

the whole journey was undertaken using local buses and ferries and through staying in budget accommodation.

For easy reading the post is divided into 5 sections and 3 sub-sections, each of which can be directly selected. These are as follows: 

The Highlights

Back in the day, shortly after I retired, I set out on my second post-retirement adventure. This was to encompass the coastal areas between Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City taking in:

• the two mega cities at the journey’s start and end;

• the three countries of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam;

• the four lesser known exotic islands of Ko Samet, Ko Chang, Koh Rong and Phu Quoc;

• the five river towns of Khemerak Phoumin, Kampot, Ha Tien, Can Tho and My Tho, together with;

• the two mainland coastal resorts of Pattaya,and Sihanoukville.

Book your flight to Bangkok

The Logistics

The trip commenced in October and lasted for some 35 days, travelling primarily by local buses, ferry boats and, when necessary, by tricycles and motorbikes. Throughout the trip extensive use was made of budget accommodation ranging from local hotels to beach houses. Food was from local restaurants, 7-Elevens and street vendors, with the occasional visit to a fast fast outlet for a fix of hamburger, fried chicken or a calorie boosting milkshake.

Flights at either end of the trip were between London, Bangkok and London, with a local flight between Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok thrown in at the end of my travels.

Book your accommodation

The Cost

All in all, including flights, accommodation, local travel and food the whole trip cost just over £2,500. Not bad for 35 days away and probably less than the cost of having a similar holiday in the UK.

The Travel Route

The map below shows the route I took through eastern Thailand, southern Cambodia and Southern Vietnam. Each of the locations identified in yellow was a stop over point on my journey,

In eastern Thailand, after leaving Bangkok, I stopped off in:

• Pattaya;

• Ko Samet;

• Trat

• Ko Chang;

In Cambodia I stayed in:

• Khemerak Phoumin;

• Sihanoukville

• Koh Rong

• Kampot;

In southern Vietnam I stopped of at;

• Ha Tien;

• Phu Quoc:

• Can Tho: and

• My Tho.

More Detailed Information

Detailed Travel Maps

More detailed maps showing this route through:

eastern Thailand; and

• onward through Cambodia: and

• Vietnam; into

• the Mekong Delta; and ultimately to

• Ho Chi Minh City

The Video

Additionally, a video has been added, providing a photographic record of the key trip highlights, together with animated maps detailing an overview of the itinerary and details of chosen transport modes. This can be found here.