Cruise boats with red sails drift among towering limestone karsts in Ha Long Bay.

Plan

The day-trip planner

One table for eight starting cities: how long the road or the river takes each way, when you are collected, when you are back, and which months spoil the trip. Every row names its source and the date we read it.

Plan my trip See the excursions

How the table works

"Each way" is the travel time from the city to the site, taken from the source in the last column. "Pickup" and "Back" are our planning windows: we build them from the opening hours and travel times, and add margin for traffic. They are not a published timetable from any transport company. "Avoid" is the season the source warns about, or a hazard we plan around.

Read this first

Agency and blog sources are labelled as such. Where two sources disagree, both are shown and we plan on the longer time. Check before you travel; road works and new expressways change these numbers.

Vietnam — north and centre

From	To	Each way	Pickup	Back	Avoid	Source
Hanoi	Trang An and Hoa Lu	~95 km, about 2 h road	07:30–08:00	17:30–19:00	July–August heat, downpours	VNAT; agency
Hanoi	Ha Long Bay day boat	2.5–3 h road	07:30–08:00	19:30–21:00	Storm warnings stop boats	agency
Hoi An	My Son Sanctuary	~40 km; we plan about 1 h	05:00–05:30	10:30–11:30	October–January rain and storms	VNAT; site board
Da Nang	Hue	about 2 h road	07:00–07:30	19:00–20:30	Floods from October to late year	VNAT
Hoi An	Da Nang airport	about 50 min	—	—	—	VNAT

Sources: Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Ninh Binh; Aloha Vietnam — Trang An boat routes (agency source); About2Cruise — Vietnam cruise ports (agency source); Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Hoi An; My Son Heritage Management Board — opening hours and shows; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Hue · checked 2026-10-03.

Vietnam — south

From	To	Each way	Pickup	Back	Avoid	Source
Ho Chi Minh City	Cu Chi Tunnels	~60 km; we plan 1.5–2 h	07:00–07:30	12:30–13:30	July–November rain slows roads	agency
Ho Chi Minh City	Can Tho, Cai Rang market	about 4 h road	07:00 (day 1)	Day 2, 15:00–17:00	Regular rain July–November	VNAT
Can Tho	Can Tho airport	about 20 min	—	—	—	VNAT

Sources: Vietnam Discovery — Cu Chi Tunnels (agency source); Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Can Tho · checked 2026-10-03.

Cambodia

From	To	Each way	Pickup	Back	Avoid	Source
Siem Reap	Angkor sunrise, small circuit	20–30 min (our planning time)	04:30–05:00	13:30–15:00	March–May heat	official seller
Siem Reap	Banteay Srei	~25 km beyond the main group	07:00	12:30–15:00	March–May heat	official seller
Phnom Penh	Oudong	43 km, about 75 min	07:30–08:30	13:00–15:00	Midday heat on the hill stairs	blog
Phnom Penh	Phnom Tamao	43 km, about 1.75 h	07:30	14:00–16:00	Midday heat	blog
Phnom Penh	Tonle Bati and Phnom Chisor	53 km, about 2.25 h	07:00	16:00–17:00	March–May heat	blog
Phnom Penh	Koh Dach	14 km, about 45 min	08:00 or 14:00	Half day	—	blog

Sources: Angkor Enterprise — available tickets; Angkor Enterprise — explore; Wander-Lush — day trips from Phnom Penh (blog) · checked 2026-10-03.

Laos

From	To	Each way	Pickup	Back	Avoid	Source
Luang Prabang	Pak Ou Caves	25 km; boat about 2 h up, 1 h down	07:30–08:00	12:00–12:30	High water slows the boat	blog; reference
Luang Prabang	Kuang Si Waterfall	~30 km, 40–50 min	08:00 or 13:00	Half day	June–October brown water	blog
Luang Prabang	Pak Ou + Kuang Si	as above	07:30–08:00	17:00–18:00	June–October	blog
Vientiane	Luang Prabang (2–3 days, by train)	238 km, 1 h 46 min to 2 h 21 min	Train time	—	Tickets open 3 days ahead and sell out	reference; blog

The train stations are outside the towns: about 16 km from central Vientiane and 12 km from Luang Prabang, according to the blog source. As a planning estimate, we add 30–45 minutes at each end.

Sources: Backpackers Wanderlust — Pak Ou Caves (blog); Wikipedia — Pak Ou Caves; Backpackers Wanderlust — Kuang Si Falls (blog); Wikipedia — Luang Prabang–Vientiane intercity train; Backpack Moments — Vientiane to Luang Prabang train (blog) · checked 2026-10-03.

Half day or full day: the rule we use

We compare the hours on the road with the hours at the place. If the travel each way is under about an hour, it is a half day and you keep the other half. If it is two hours or more each way, it is a full day, and it is only worth it if the time on site is at least as long as the time travelling. Ha Long Bay from Hanoi sits on that line; Trang An sits comfortably above it.

Half days: My Son, Cu Chi, Kuang Si, Koh Dach, Oudong.
Full days: Trang An and Hoa Lu, Ha Long Bay, Angkor sunrise and small circuit, Pak Ou with Kuang Si.
Needs a night: the Cai Rang market at Can Tho; Luang Prabang from Vientiane.

Combining two excursions

Two half days combine when they share a road or the second starts where the first ends. They do not combine when they lie in different directions from the city.

Pair	Works?	Why
My Son morning + Hoi An afternoon	Yes	Back by late morning; the old town is the afternoon
Pak Ou morning + Kuang Si afternoon	Yes	Lunch in Luang Prabang between them
Cu Chi morning + city afternoon	Yes	Back for a late lunch
Angkor sunrise + Banteay Srei the same day	Tiring	Possible, but you lose the afternoon rest
Ha Long + Ninh Binh in one day	No	Opposite directions from Hanoi; each is a full day
Cu Chi + Can Tho market in one day	No	The market is at dawn about 4 h away

What to bring for temple and boat days

Temples (Angkor, My Son, Hoa Lu, Pak Ou): shoulders and knees covered; guide sources say this is required on the upper level of Angkor Wat. A scarf works for a quick cover. Shoes you can take off at shrines.
Boats (Ha Long, Trang An, Pak Ou, Can Tho): a hat and sun cover for open boats; a thin rain layer from May to October; a dry bag for your phone.
Caves (Sung Sot, Trang An, Pak Ou): grip on your shoes and a small torch for the upper cave at Pak Ou.
Pre-dawn starts (Angkor, My Son): a head torch and a packed breakfast.
Cash in small local notes for drinks and tips: dong, riel or US dollars, kip.

Sources: The Map Cambodia — Angkor Wat (guide source) · checked 2026-10-03.

A city not on the list?

Send the form with the city and the free day you have. We will write the row for you — travel time with a source, pickup and return windows — and say plainly if the day does not work. City-by-city context is on the starting cities page.

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Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

Are the pickup times in the planner fixed?

No. They are planning windows built from opening hours and travel times. The exact pickup is set when we know your hotel and date.

Why do some rows cite a blog or an agency?

Because no official source publishes those travel times. We label them, use the longer figure when sources disagree, and you should check before you travel.

Which day trips should not be combined?

Ha Long and Ninh Binh, and Cu Chi with the Can Tho market. Each pair lies too far apart for one day.

How often is the planner checked?

Each section shows the date we read the sources. When a source changes, we update the row and the date.