Destination guideVietnam, Cambodia & Thailand2027 tours

Vietnam runs north to south. Angkor and Thailand bolt on.

Hanoi, a night on Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and Saigon make the spine; the Angkor temples and Bangkok or Chiang Mai are the add-ons. We priced real tours from about $53 a day to about $749, and checked every entry rule for a US passport.

By Seabound JourneysUpdated October 28, 2026Fares and terms change; confirm on your departure
30days visa-free in Thailand for US citizens, since September 15, 2026
US$25Vietnam’s single-entry e-visa, on the official portal
$37a one-day Angkor Pass; three days cost $62
$53–$749per person, per day, across the tours we priced
01

Three countries, one long flight: the shape of the trip

Prices on this page are from-prices in US dollars per person sharing, before international flights, from the operators’ own pages unless we label a reseller listing. Here’s the most complete route, end to end.

The spineHanoi to Ho Chi Minh CityTen days on G Adventures and Intrepid; 12 on Gate 1. Ha Long Bay, Hué and Hoi An sit in between.
The first add-onAngkor, CambodiaTwo or three nights in Siem Reap. A three-day Angkor Pass is $62.
The second add-onBangkok and Chiang MaiThailand closes the three-country tours from Gate 1, Globus and Tauck.
Price per day~$53 to ~$749From a G Adventures listing to Tauck, flights between cities included.
US passportTwo e-visas, one free passVietnam e-visa; Thailand visa-free up to 30 days; Cambodia e-visa or on arrival.
Best monthsRoughly November to AprilCentral Vietnam’s typhoon months run about August to November.
The route, stop by stopTauck Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand: 16 days, Hanoi to Bangkok
  1. Hanoi2 nightsThe Sofitel Legend Metropole, and a buggy ride through the Old Quarter.
  2. Da Nang2 nightsThe Furama Resort on the beach, the base for a visit to Hoi An.
  3. Hué1 nightA cyclo ride and a boat on the Perfume River in the old imperial capital.
  4. Ho Chi Minh City2 nightsTwo nights at the Park Hyatt Saigon.
  5. Siem Reap2 nightsRaffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, Ta Prohm and a boat on Tonle Sap Lake.
  6. Chiang Mai3 nightsHill-tribe villages in northern Thailand.
  7. Bangkok3 nightsThe Rosewood, and a boat through the city’s klongs.

From $11,990 per person, including the flights between cities. Tauck sells 2026, 2027 and 2028 departures; Small Group dates average 24 guests. Stops, nights and hotels from Tauck’s itinerary page.

02

Pick the shape first: Vietnam alone, plus Angkor, or all three

You’re choosing how much of the region one trip can hold. Most tours fall into six shapes.

ShapeTypical lengthReal examplesWhat you give up
Vietnam only, north to south10–13 daysG Adventures Classic Vietnam (10), Intrepid Vietnam Express Southbound (10), Gate 1 Classic Vietnam (12)Angkor
Vietnam plus Angkor14–15 daysTrafalgar Vietnam and Cambodia Adventure (14), Gate 1 Cambodia & Vietnam (15)Thailand
Thailand only8–13 daysIntrepid Highlights of Thailand (10), Gate 1 Classic Thailand (13), Trafalgar Classic Thailand (11)Vietnam and Angkor
Thailand plus Angkor14–16 daysTrafalgar Thailand and the Temples of Angkor (14), Gate 1 Classic Thailand & Cambodia (16)Vietnam
All three16–17 daysTauck (16), Gate 1 Bangkok, Cambodia & Vietnam (17), Globus Alluring Vietnam with Bangkok (17)Time: most cities get one or two nights
With a Mekong cruise17–20 daysGate 1’s four tours with a seven-day cruiseHué and Hoi An on some versions

Vietnam is long and thin, so every tour runs it in a line. Flights do the long hops: Trafalgar flies Hanoi to Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap, while G Adventures and Intrepid put you on an overnight sleeper train to Hué.

Angkor is the natural add, not a detour. Siem Reap is one short flight from Ho Chi Minh City or Bangkok.

Thailand works as a start or an end. Gate 1 opens in Bangkok; Tauck and Globus finish there.

Decide how many countries before you compare prices. The per-day cost barely moves; the total does.

03

A night on Ha Long Bay, and the train south

If you only picture one scene from Vietnam, it’s this one. Tours handle it in roughly the same 24 hours.

Nearly every Vietnam tour gives Ha Long Bay one night on a boat. The difference is the boat and what happens aboard.

Trafalgar books La Regina Classic; G Adventures uses a junk boat with seafood lunch and dinner, and kayaking for about $10 extra.

Then the trip turns south. G Adventures and Intrepid take the overnight sleeper train from Hanoi to Hué: four-berth compartments, sheets and a pillow provided, and you may share with passengers outside your group.

Pack for the train, not the coach. G Adventures asks for a backpack or small rolling bag of 10 to 15 kg that fits under a berth, not a suitcase.

Morning

Hanoi to the bay

Day 3 of Trafalgar’s Vietnam and Cambodia Adventure: the group leaves Hanoi for Ha Long Bay and boards La Regina Classic for one night.

Afternoon

Thien Canh Son cave

A stop at the cave among the limestone islands, then a spring-roll class on deck.

Evening

Sunset and squid fishing

Dinner aboard; lunch and dinner are both included that day.

Next morning

Vung Vieng floating village

A visit before the drive back to Hanoi and a flight to Da Nang for Hoi An.

What to ask your operator

Which boat, how many cabins, and is the night on the bay itself or in port? Ask too whether kayaking or the cave stop costs extra.

Arriving or leaving by cruise ship? See our Ha Long Bay cruise port guide and Ha Long Bay shore excursions.

04

Angkor: passes, early starts and the border advisory

Angkor is the reason most tours cross into Cambodia. It also sits in the one country here with a raised advisory.

Siem Reap is the base for Angkor on every tour we checked, usually for two or three nights. Trafalgar gives one guided day to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Bayon, then a free day.

Temple passes are sold by Angkor Enterprise: about $37 for one day, $62 for three and $72 for seven. Ask whether your fare includes the pass.

The State Department rates Cambodia Level 2, exercise increased caution, in its advisory issued September 15, 2026. It says do not travel within 50 km of the Cambodia–Thailand border.

Angkor’s main temples sit well outside that zone. Preah Vihear temple sits on the border itself, so skip any add-on that goes there.

The same advisory warns of snatch thefts at Siem Reap tourist sites, and of unexploded ordnance in remote areas. Keep to the paths your guide uses.

Coming by river instead?

Mekong river cruises start or end at Siem Reap too. Our Siem Reap river cruise guide covers the transfers and hotel nights, and the Mekong river cruise guide explains why low water, roughly December to mid-August, keeps ships off Tonle Sap Lake.

Siem Reap–Angkor International airport (SAI) sits about 50 km from town, so allow for the drive.

05

When to go: dry north, wet center, hot south

One trip crosses three climates. Pick the month for the stop that matters most to you.

Cool & drynorth Vietnam and Thailand

Winter: the classic touring window

Intrepid describes cold, dry winters in Hanoi and Ha Long, with overnight lows near 39°F. The Met Office puts Thailand’s cool, dry season at November to February.

  • South Vietnam is dry, roughly December to May
  • Central Vietnam can still be stormy in December; Intrepid says avoid it that month
  • Tet falls in January or February and makes travel busy

Weather from Intrepid’s Vietnam guide and the UK Met Office’s Thailand page. Neither publishes crowd counts, so we don’t either.

06

How many days the region takes

You’re fitting a long-haul trip into your vacation days. The itineraries give a clear answer.

Tour length by route (days)
Thailand, Bangkok to Chiang Mai (Trafalgar Snapshot)8
Vietnam north to south (G Adventures, Intrepid)10
Thailand with the River Kwai (Intrepid)10
Vietnam plus Angkor (Trafalgar)14
Thailand plus Angkor (Trafalgar)14
All three countries (Tauck)16
All three countries (Gate 1)17
Vietnam and Cambodia with a Mekong cruise (Gate 1)17
Thailand, Laos and Cambodia (Gate 1)18

Lengths from the operators’ listings. Days include arrival and departure days.

Our rule of thumb

Ten days for Vietnam, two weeks to add Angkor, and 16 or more for Thailand as well. With the flight from the US eating a day each way, anything shorter is mostly airports.

07

Who runs Vietnam, Angkor and Thailand, with real tours

Eight operators, three price bands. Every tour below is real, cheapest per day first.

Operator & tourDaysFromPer dayCountriesRouteGroupPrice source
G Adventures Vietnam: Historic Cities & Halong Bay Cruising12$636~$53VNHo Chi Minh City to Hanoismall groupreseller, 2027
Gate 1 12 Day Classic Vietnam12$1,199~$100VNHo Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hué, Ha Long, Hanoicoachgate1travel.com, land only
Gate 1 13 Day Classic Thailand13$1,379~$106THBangkok, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Chiang Rai, Chiang Maicoachgate1travel.com, land only
Contiki Vietnam: HCMC, Hoi An, Hanoi10$1,169~$117VNSouth to north18–35sreseller, 2027
Intrepid Vietnam Express Southbound10$1,212~$121VNHanoi to Ho Chi Minh City by sleeper train and airmax 16intrepidtravel.com (year not shown)
Gate 1 15 Day Cambodia & Vietnam15$2,199~$147KH, VNPhnom Penh, Siem Reap, then Vietnam south to northcoachgate1travel.com, land only
Gate 1 17 Day Bangkok, Cambodia & Vietnam17$2,549~$150TH, KH, VNBangkok, Siem Reap, then Vietnam to Hanoicoachgate1travel.com, land only
Trafalgar Snapshot of Thailand (Small Group)8$1,200~$150THBangkok to Chiang Maismall groupreseller, 2027
G Adventures Classic Vietnam10$1,599~$160VNHanoi, Ha Long junk, sleeper train, Hué, Hoi An, HCMCmax 16, avg 12gadventures.com, regular fare, late-2026 dates
Intrepid Best of Cambodia & Vietnam17$2,740~$161TH, KH, VNBangkok to Hanoismall groupreseller, 2027
Gate 1 18 Day Classic Thailand with Laos & Cambodia18$2,949~$164TH, LA, KHThailand, Luang Prabang, Siem Reapcoachgate1travel.com, land only
Gate 1 14 Day Cultural Treasures of Vietnam14$2,329~$166VNHanoi, Mai Chau, Ha Long, Hoi An, HCMCDiscovery small groupgate1travel.com, land only
G Adventures Journeys: Explore Vietnam13$2,212~$170VNHanoi to Ho Chi Minh Citysmall groupreseller, 2027
Trafalgar Vietnam and Cambodia Adventure (Small Group)14$2,900~$207VN, KHHanoi, Ha Long, Hoi An, HCMC, Siem Reapmax 18, avg 16reseller, Mar 2027–Mar 2028
Intrepid Highlights of Thailand10$2,200~$220THKanchanaburi, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, Chiang Maimax 12intrepidtravel.com (date not shown)
Gate 1 17 Day Vietnam & Cambodia with 7-Day Mekong Cruise17$4,299~$253VN, KHHo Chi Minh City, river cruise, Siem Reap, Hanoicoach plus shipgate1travel.com, land only
Intrepid Premium Vietnam in Depth15$4,525~$302VNHo Chi Minh City to Hanoismall group, Premiumreseller, 2027
Trafalgar Classic Thailand (Small Group, Premium)11$4,375~$398THBangkok to Chiang Maismall groupreseller, 2027
Trafalgar Thailand and the Temples of Angkor14$5,966~$426TH, KHBangkok to Siem Reapcoachreseller, 2027
Globus Alluring Vietnam & the Temples of Angkor with Bangkok17$7,337~$432VN, KH, THHanoi to Bangkoksmall groupreseller, 2027
Luxury Gold Inspiring Cambodia, Vietnam & Laos16$8,613~$538KH, VN, LASiem Reap to Luang Prabangsmall groupreseller, early 2027
Tauck Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand16$11,990~$749VN, KH, THHanoi, Da Nang, Hué, HCMC, Siem Reap, Chiang Mai, BangkokSmall Group avg 24tauck.com, includes on-tour air

From-prices in USD per person sharing. “Reseller” means the agency Global Journeys. Gate 1 prices are land only; Gate 1 also sells the same tours with air from the US. Tauck includes the flights between cities. G Adventures’ page showed late-2026 departures at its regular fare; ask us for 2027. VN Vietnam, KH Cambodia, TH Thailand, LA Laos.

Value coach: Gate 1

The widest menu at the lowest land prices, from $1,199 for 12 days of Vietnam. Its Discovery small groups cost about twice as much per day.

Small groups: G Adventures, Intrepid, Trafalgar

Sleeper trains, local guides and 12 to 18 travelers. Trafalgar’s Vietnam tour sits in its Saver tier with an 18-guest cap; its Classic Thailand small group is Premium.

Upmarket: Globus, Luxury Gold

Small groups at about $430 to $540 a day, Bangkok or Laos included.

Luxury: Tauck

Sixteen days of grand hotels with the flights between cities in the fare. Adventures by Disney adds a new 10-day Thailand trip in 2027, Bangkok to Phang Nga Bay; its fare isn’t published yet, so ask us.

08

What the region costs per day, and all-in

The region runs from about $53 to about $749 a day. Most of the gap is hotels and flights, not sights.

Price per person, per day, from-price ÷ days (USD)
G Adventures Vietnam: Historic Cities & Halong Bay Cruising (reseller)~$53
Gate 1 12 Day Classic Vietnam~$100
Gate 1 13 Day Classic Thailand~$106
Contiki Vietnam: HCMC, Hoi An, Hanoi (reseller)~$117
Intrepid Vietnam Express Southbound~$121
Gate 1 15 Day Cambodia & Vietnam~$147
Gate 1 17 Day Bangkok, Cambodia & Vietnam~$150
G Adventures Classic Vietnam~$160
Gate 1 18 Day Classic Thailand with Laos & Cambodia~$164
G Adventures Journeys: Explore Vietnam (reseller)~$170
Trafalgar Vietnam and Cambodia Adventure (Small Group) (reseller)~$207
Intrepid Highlights of Thailand~$220
Intrepid Premium Vietnam in Depth (reseller)~$302
Trafalgar Classic Thailand (Small Group, Premium) (reseller)~$398
Trafalgar Thailand and the Temples of Angkor (reseller)~$426
Globus Alluring Vietnam & the Temples of Angkor with Bangkok (reseller)~$432
Luxury Gold Inspiring Cambodia, Vietnam & Laos (reseller)~$538
Tauck Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand~$749

Our arithmetic on the from-prices above. Inclusions differ: Gate 1 is land only, Tauck includes flights between cities, and G Adventures includes 12 meals in 10 days.

Southeast Asia is some of the cheapest long-haul touring we cover. A full Vietnam tour starts around $100 to $160 a day, a fraction of a European coach tour.

The flight from the US is the big line instead. Price it before you choose a tour; Gate 1’s air-inclusive fares add roughly $500 to $1,150 to its land prices on the tours above.

All-in math

What a Vietnam and Angkor tour costs once you land

We filled in Trafalgar’s Vietnam and Cambodia Adventure at its reseller from-price, with tip figures in line with Trafalgar’s general guidance. The meals and extras figures are our starting estimates; change them, and swap in your own quote.

The tour includes 13 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 3 dinners, so roughly 20 meals are yours, and its choice experiences (the Mekong Delta day, the Phare circus) cost extra. On G Adventures, use its own lines instead: US$1.50 to $3.50 a day for guides and drivers and $20 to $25 a week for the leader. Add your flights from the US to the total.

09

Find your Southeast Asia tour

Be honest about the sleeper train. It moves the results more than budget does.

Matcher

Match a real tour to how you travel

Five taps: budget, countries, group size, style and length. It suggests tours from the table above.

Budget per person, per day, before flights?
Which countries?
Group size?
How do you like to travel?
How long can you go?
10

Visas, arrival cards and advisories for a US passport

Three countries means three sets of paperwork. None is hard, and the rules changed in 2026.

Vietname-visa, US$25 or $50Single or multiple entry, up to 90 days, from evisa.gov.vn. Passport valid six months, one blank page.
Thailand30 days visa-freeFor entries from September 15, 2026, replacing the 60-day rule. File the free TDAC within 72 hours of arrival.
Cambodiae-visa about $30From evisa.gov.kh, for a stay of up to 30 days, or on arrival. File the e-Arrival card up to seven days ahead.
AdvisoriesLevels 1, 1 and 2Vietnam Level 1 (page updated July 17, 2025); Thailand Level 1 (July 7, 2026); Cambodia Level 2 (Sept 15, 2026).
Time+11 hours on New YorkAll three are UTC+7 with no daylight saving: 12 hours ahead in the US winter.
FlightsOpen-jawInto Hanoi, home from Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap or Bangkok, depending on the tour.

Buy Vietnam’s e-visa only on the government portal. Resellers with look-alike sites charge many times the US$25 fee, and the official sites all end in .gov.vn.

If your tour leaves Vietnam and comes back, as some Cambodia combinations do, buy the multiple-entry version. G Adventures also notes that from June 8, 2026, air arrivals at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport file an online pre-arrival declaration within three days of landing.

Thailand’s 30 days cover any tour on this page. Visa-exempt entries by land are generally capped at two a calendar year, so plan an overland loop with us.

Expect at least one connection from most US cities. Fly in a day early; the tour won’t wait for a late connection.

11

Tipping, cash and the extras on the bill

Tips here are small sums that add up over two weeks. A few entry fees aren’t in the fare.

WhoGuidanceSource
G Adventures local guides and drivers (Vietnam)US$1.50–$3.50 per person per dayTrip page
G Adventures tour leader (Vietnam)US$20–$25 per person per weekTrip page
Restaurants (Vietnam)About 10%G Adventures trip page
Trafalgar Travel Director and driver$5–$7 and $3–$5 per person per dayTrafalgar tipping guide
Tauck land journeysDirector gratuity not includedTauck FAQ

Cash and cards

Vietnam uses the dong. G Adventures recommends withdrawing it from ATMs with a debit card, carrying both a Visa and a Mastercard, and bringing some US dollars for places without machines.

Bring new, undamaged notes; G Adventures warns that marked bills, or any printed before 2003, may be refused. It also asks for about US$250 in reserve for emergencies.

Extras that add up

Optional activities are cheap by US standards: on G Adventures’ Classic Vietnam, a Hoi An cooking class is about $35 and the My Son ruins about $38. Trafalgar’s choice experiences cost extra too.

Angkor passes run $37 to $72. Vietnam asks you to declare more than US$5,000 in foreign currency on arrival.

12

Solo travelers, families and slower walkers

Twin-share fares are built for couples. These are better starting points for everyone else.

If you are…Start withWhy
Traveling solo on a budgetG Adventures Classic VietnamNo single supplement if you share with a same-sex roommate
Solo, wanting your own roomIntrepid Highlights of ThailandA single supplement covers all nights (ask for the price); 12 travelers at most
A family with kids 12 and upG Adventures Classic VietnamMinimum age 12, with a guardian over 21; rated 2, Light
A family wanting more helpAdventures by Disney ThailandNew in 2027: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, an elephant sanctuary and Phang Nga Bay by kayak; ask us for the fare
A family on a beach weekIntrepid Southern Thailand Family Holiday8 days round trip from Phuket, from about $1,485 (reseller)
Slower on your feetTauck Vietnam, Cambodia & ThailandTwo or three nights in most stops and flights between cities; Tauck still quotes 2 to 3.5 miles of walking most days
Young and socialContiki Vietnam10 days for 18–35s, from about $1,169 (reseller)

Heat is the walking problem here, not hills. Angkor and Hué mean hours outdoors; Tauck flags frequent stairs and standing for 90 minutes or more.

If heat or stairs are hard, a private tour lets you start at dawn and rest at noon. Our slower-pace guide compares the operators’ activity ratings.

13

River cruises, beaches, Laos and booking windows

The flight is long enough that most travelers add something. Plan the edges when you book the middle.

Add a Mekong cruise

Gate 1 sells four tours that wrap a seven-day Mekong cruise, from $3,999 land only for 17 days with Bangkok. Avalon, Emerald, AmaWaterways and Uniworld sell their own land-and-river packages.

Start with our Mekong river cruise guide and the Ho Chi Minh City river cruise guide.

Add a beach

Gate 1 adds Phuket or Krabi to its Thailand tours. The Met Office says the Andaman coast is best in the cool season, and Ko Samui from April to September.

Coming by ship? See Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My) and our Asia cruises overview.

Add Laos

Gate 1’s 18-day Classic Thailand with Laos & Cambodia spends two nights in Luang Prabang. Laos needs its own visa; we’ll check the current process for your dates.

How far ahead to book

Gate 1 advertises savings for bookings by March 11, 2027, and the November-to-April dates are the ones to book first. Our booking-window guide compares the operators’ deadlines.

Deposits and insurance

Tauck takes a $600 deposit, with final payment 90 days out on land trips. Some insurance benefits depend on buying soon after you pay it; read our purchase-window guide first.

14

Before you book a Southeast Asia tour

These are the lines that change the price or the trip. Tick them off as you go.

Your Southeast Asia checklist

Ticks aren’t saved. Deposits and cancellation terms are on each operator’s guide below.

15

Who should tour the region, and who should go alone

Book a tour if

  • It’s your first trip to Asia and you want the visas, trains and boats handled
  • You want three countries in two weeks with the flights between them booked
  • You’re traveling solo and want a ready-made group at a low price
  • You want grand hotels and a guide at the temples before the crowds

Look elsewhere if

  • You want a beach week with one city day; a resort and a day tour will do
  • You want to linger: tours give Hoi An two or three nights at most
  • You can’t manage heat and long days on foot, even with rest stops
  • Your dates fall in central Vietnam’s October typhoon peak and you won’t move them

Our take

For a first trip, take Vietnam north to south with Angkor added, about 14 days, between November and April. Trafalgar’s small group or Gate 1’s 15-day Cambodia & Vietnam does that for about $147 to $207 a day.

If budget is tight, the 10-day G Adventures and Intrepid trips are some of the best value in touring, as long as you’re happy on a sleeper train. If it isn’t, Tauck is the one tour here that removes almost every hard edge.

Either way, check the visa rules a month out. They changed twice in 2026.

16

Where to go from here: who runs Southeast Asia

Free · No obligation

Want your Vietnam and Thailand tour priced against the alternatives?

Tell us your dates, which countries and how you like to travel. We’ll price a value coach tour, a small group and a luxury option side by side, check the visas and the weather for your month, and price the flights.

No fee to compare operatorsMost tour companies pay our commission; we’ll tell you if yours doesn’tReply within one business day

Prefer to book the extras yourself?

Hotels, day trips and flights around the tour

Hotel nights before and after

Arriving a day early gives you a buffer if a flight runs late, and most people add a night when the tour ends.

Your free days

The days either side of the tour are yours. Day trips and tickets for the start and end cities:

Getting there and around

Fly into one city and home from another when the tour is one-way.

These are affiliate links: if you book through them, Seabound Journeys may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. Our disclosure. We’re happy to book these for you too.

Cruise + land, one trip

Add a Southeast Asia cruise to your Vietnam & Thailand trip

Tell us the tour and the sailing you’re weighing. We line up the dates so the tour ends where the ship sails, or starts where it docks, add the hotel night and the transfer in between, and price it all as one trip. Free, and you hear back within one business day.

17

What first-timers to Southeast Asia ask us

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

Ten days covers Vietnam alone, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, as on G Adventures’ Classic Vietnam or Intrepid’s Vietnam Express Southbound. Adding Angkor takes you to about 14 or 15 days: Trafalgar’s Vietnam and Cambodia Adventure runs 14, Gate 1’s Cambodia & Vietnam 15. All three countries take 16 to 17 days, such as Tauck’s Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand or Gate 1’s 17-day Bangkok, Cambodia & Vietnam.

Do US citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes. Most travelers use the e-visa from the government portal, evisa.gov.vn: US$25 for single entry or US$50 for multiple entry, valid up to 90 days from the entry date you declare. The State Department says your passport needs six months’ validity and one blank visa page. Pick multiple entry if your tour leaves Vietnam for Cambodia and comes back.

How long can Americans stay in Thailand without a visa?

Up to 30 days for tourism, for entries from September 15, 2026, when Thailand replaced its 60-day exemption. Every visitor also files the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card online, in the 72 hours before arrival. Use only the official site; paid look-alikes are scams.

Is it safe to visit Angkor with the Thailand–Cambodia border tensions?

The State Department rates Cambodia Level 2, exercise increased caution (issued September 15, 2026), and says do not travel within 50 km of the Cambodia–Thailand border. Angkor’s main temples around Siem Reap sit well outside that zone. Thailand is Level 1 (July 7, 2026), with increased caution in its own Cambodia border region. Ask us to check your tour’s route against the current advisory.

When is the best time to tour Vietnam and Thailand?

Roughly November to April. Intrepid calls March and April Vietnam’s best overall months, and says to avoid central Vietnam in October and December, when typhoons and rain hit Hué and Hoi An. The UK Met Office puts Thailand’s cool, dry season at November to February. Tauck runs its three-country tour from January to March and September to December.

How much should I tip on a Vietnam tour?

G Adventures suggests about 10% in restaurants, US$1.50 to $3.50 per person per day for local guides and drivers, and US$20 to $25 per person per week for its tour leader. Tauck’s land journeys don’t include the Director’s gratuity. Ask for your operator’s own line before you go.

Can I combine a tour with a Mekong river cruise?

Yes. Gate 1 sells 17- to 20-day tours that wrap a seven-day Mekong cruise between Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap, from $3,999 land only, and Avalon, Emerald, AmaWaterways and Uniworld sell their own tour-and-cruise packages. River levels decide the route; our Mekong cruise guide explains low and high water.

Can I add Laos?

Yes, as an add-on. Gate 1’s 18-day Classic Thailand with Laos & Cambodia spends two nights in Luang Prabang, from $2,949 land only, and G Adventures and Luxury Gold sell Laos and Cambodia trips. Laos needs its own visa; we’ll check the current process for your dates.

Sources · 24 links · checked October 2026
  1. Tauck: Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand (US prices)
  2. Tauck: Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand (2027 itinerary and hotels)
  3. G Adventures: Classic Vietnam, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
  4. Intrepid: Highlights of Thailand
  5. Intrepid: Vietnam Express Southbound
  6. Gate 1 Travel: Southeast Asia 2027–28 tours
  7. Trafalgar: Vietnam and Cambodia Adventure
  8. Global Journeys: Trafalgar Vietnam and Cambodia Adventure (US prices, day by day)
  9. Global Journeys: Vietnam tours starting April 2027
  10. Global Journeys: Cambodia tours starting February 2027
  11. Global Journeys: Thailand tours (2027 listings)
  12. Disney Parks Blog: new Adventures by Disney trips for 2027 (Thailand)
  13. Intrepid: best time to visit Vietnam
  14. UK Met Office: Thailand holiday weather
  15. Vietcetera: Vietnam visa and immigration guide 2026 (e-visa fees, Resolution 127)
  16. Vietnam Tourism: e-visa for US citizens and fake sites
  17. US State Department: Vietnam country information
  18. US State Department: Thailand travel advisory (July 7, 2026)
  19. US State Department: Cambodia travel advisory (Sept 15, 2026)
  20. Envoy Global: Thailand reduces visa-exempt stays from Sept 15, 2026
  21. Fragomen: Thailand reduction in visa-exempt stay duration
  22. The Thaiger: Thailand entry requirements 2026 (TDAC)
  23. Selective Asia: Cambodia entry requirements (e-visa, e-Arrival)
  24. Hello Angkor: Angkor ticket prices 2026