If you’re thinking of solo travelling as well or you simply want to have an idea of the things you could do in Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon and Siem Reap and how much budget you should allot, then I hope you find this post helpful.
I do know that not everyone has the opportunity to be away for that long; that is why I made a sample itinerary and budget good for 6 days, just enough time to cover the things you should do and places you should visit if you've never been there.
I’ll be writing all about my experiences in great detail, but I shall save those for my next entries. In the meantime, here's a few info that could help you plan your next trip! :)
Sample Itinerary
Day 0 – Flight to Ho Chi Minh City
Day 1 – HCMC Tour (Benh Tanh Market, War Museum, Post Office, Notre Dame, Saigon River)
Day 2 – Mekong Delta Tour
Day 3 – Cu Chi Tunnels Tour
Day 4 – Bus to Cambodia
Day 5 – Angkor Wat Small Circuit Tour
Day 6 – Flight to Manila
Sample Budget
Accommodation and food+booze can be quite cheap in both cities, so if you aren’t too picky then you’ll survive just fine with this kind of budget. You could even spend less if you're really good at budgeting!
Day 0
Airfare (MNL – HCMC – MNL) – PHP 6,000; I constantly check Cebu Pacific's website, so I've been able to book quite a few cheap flights (lowest ever was PHP 2,200 for a MNL - HK - MNL flight!).
Travel tax – PHP 1,620
Transportation to hostel – PHP 630 (VND 300,000); this could be much cheaper according to some of the blog posts I’d read, so you're safe with this amount.
Accommodation – PHP 1,340 for 4 nights (VND 160,000 / night); I stayed at Eco Backpackers Hostel, which I recommend. I booked all my tours with them. The hostel is in the backpackers’ area (Pham Ngu Lao and De Tham streets), which is ideal because if you’re planning to book tours the buses will depart from there.
Day 1
Food (and booze) – PHP 450; there are a lot of cheap options, so you could actually spend less than P450 a day. I suggest buying alcohol from a convenience store and just drinking at your hostel. Eco Backpackers has a rooftop, so we drank there 3 nights in a row. It was super chill and inexpensive.
The War Remnants Museum entrance fee – PHP 32 (VND 15,000)
I walked a lot during my stay in Saigon, which you should definitely do as well; you'll be saving a lot! One afternoon a friend and I decided to roam around the city. We had lunch in the backpackers' area then started walking. We went to Benh Thanh market, The War Remnants Museum, Saigon Central Post Office which is near Notre-Dame Basilica. Afterwards, we strolled along Saigon river and went back to the backpackers' district. It took us around 5 hours, but the weather was good so we had a nice time.
Day 2
The War Remnants Museum entrance fee – PHP 32 (VND 15,000)
I walked a lot during my stay in Saigon, which you should definitely do as well; you'll be saving a lot! One afternoon a friend and I decided to roam around the city. We had lunch in the backpackers' area then started walking. We went to Benh Thanh market, The War Remnants Museum, Saigon Central Post Office which is near Notre-Dame Basilica. Afterwards, we strolled along Saigon river and went back to the backpackers' district. It took us around 5 hours, but the weather was good so we had a nice time.
Day 2
Food (and booze) – PHP 450
Mekong Delta tour – PHP 440 (bring some change because there are quite a few people who'll be asking for tips)
Day 3
Food (and booze) – PHP 450
Cu Chi Tunnels Tour – PHP 189 (VND 90,000)
Cu Chi Tunnels entrance fee – PHP 230 (VND 110,000)
Day 4
Food (and booze) – PHP 450
Bus to Cambodia – PHP 1130 (VND 540,000); I booked my bus ticket from one of the agencies in the backpackers' district. I think there are cheaper ones; I was just too lazy to compare prices lol. The bus left at around 6:30am and we arrived in Phnom Penh at around 1:30pm. The whole journey lasted about 14 hours. You could just fly to Siem Reap, but I had time and I wanted to save some money.
Tuk Tuk to hostel – PHP 140 (USD 3); this cost depends on your agreement with the tuk tuk driver. I was too tired at that point to ask for a lower price.
Accommodation – PHP 746 (USD 8 / night); I stayed at The Luxury Concept Hostel, which is a 5-minute walk from Pub Street. I liked my hostel in HCMC more, but this was good enough for the price. Plus points for the big and comfy bed. I also liked the rooftop bar, which offers good food and cheap booze.
Day 5
Food (and booze) – PHP 450
Angkor Wat 1-day pass – PHP 933 (USD 20)
Angkor Wat Small Circuit Tour – PHP 606 (USD 13); I booked this through my hostel, so it was really convenient.
Day 6
Food (and booze) – PHP 450
Tuk Tuk to airport – PHP 233 (USD 5); this shouldn't cost you more than USD 5. This isn't how much I spent because my tuk tuk driver was the one who brought me to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise, so we had agreed on a different price.
Day 3
Food (and booze) – PHP 450
Cu Chi Tunnels Tour – PHP 189 (VND 90,000)
Cu Chi Tunnels entrance fee – PHP 230 (VND 110,000)
Day 4
Food (and booze) – PHP 450
Bus to Cambodia – PHP 1130 (VND 540,000); I booked my bus ticket from one of the agencies in the backpackers' district. I think there are cheaper ones; I was just too lazy to compare prices lol. The bus left at around 6:30am and we arrived in Phnom Penh at around 1:30pm. The whole journey lasted about 14 hours. You could just fly to Siem Reap, but I had time and I wanted to save some money.
Tuk Tuk to hostel – PHP 140 (USD 3); this cost depends on your agreement with the tuk tuk driver. I was too tired at that point to ask for a lower price.
Accommodation – PHP 746 (USD 8 / night); I stayed at The Luxury Concept Hostel, which is a 5-minute walk from Pub Street. I liked my hostel in HCMC more, but this was good enough for the price. Plus points for the big and comfy bed. I also liked the rooftop bar, which offers good food and cheap booze.
Day 5
Food (and booze) – PHP 450
Angkor Wat 1-day pass – PHP 933 (USD 20)
Angkor Wat Small Circuit Tour – PHP 606 (USD 13); I booked this through my hostel, so it was really convenient.
Day 6
Food (and booze) – PHP 450
Tuk Tuk to airport – PHP 233 (USD 5); this shouldn't cost you more than USD 5. This isn't how much I spent because my tuk tuk driver was the one who brought me to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise, so we had agreed on a different price.
Total - 16,969
There are a lot more things you could see and do in both these cities of course, but if you're on a tight budget, everything I listed should still be enough to give you a lifetime of memories! :)
There are a lot more things you could see and do in both these cities of course, but if you're on a tight budget, everything I listed should still be enough to give you a lifetime of memories! :)
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