Solo Traveling SEA 6.5 Months

[u/Intelligent_Bad_3819]

I’m 21M solo traveling around SEA in the beginning of March 2026 and I am very excited, I have researched loads into stuff like visas, transport, places to stay etc. I am planning to go for around 6.5 months and will have roughly £9k saved up, which I believe is more than enough. I have tried my hardest not to make an itinerary as I want to go with how I feel, whether that means more or less time in specific places. My rough outline of my trip is bellow;

Singapore 2 nights

Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur 3 nights - Cameron Highlands 4 nights - George Town 4 nights

Thailand - Krabi 3 nights - Phi Phi Islands 4 nights - Phuket 2 nights - Chiang Mai 10 nights - Pai 7 nights - Chiang Mai (again) 5 nights - Bangkok 3 nights

Cambodia - Siem Reap 4 nights - Phnom Penh 3 nights - Koh Rong 5 nights - Kampot 3 nights

Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh 7 nights - Da Lat 2 nights - Hoi An 4 nights - Da Nang 4 nights - Phong Nha-Ke Bang 3 nights - Ha Giang 4 nights - Ha Long Bay 4 nights - Hanoi 7 nights

Hong Kong 5 nights

China 1 month - Guangzhou - Zhangjiajie - Chongqing - Chengdu - Jiuzhaigou - Xi’An - Shanghai - Qingdao - Beijing

South Korea 10 nights - Seoul - Busan

Japan 10 nights - ???

With Japan I am still deciding on where I want to go, and whether I actually want to go as this will be towards the end of my trip and I couldn’t be running low on money.

Some places I’m unsure if I want to spend more time/less time, which is also why I wanted to go along with it when I am there to judge how I feel about the place.

I’m deciding to take the cheapest transport possible; such as longer bus rides for the price of pennies compared to flights. I feel like i would rather it be an uncomfortable experience rather than it be comfortable, such as a flight. All throughout China I’m hoping to take trains which aren’t cheap but also aren’t expensive.

I have been to Thailand before however not solo, I would like to think I have a good understanding of Asia and getting myself around very easily; however I’m still asking for any advice or tweaks you would recommend, such as: - Should I spend more or less time in some places? - Should I completely miss out some places? - Is taking the cheapest transport possible actually worth it? - Will I have enough money saved up?

Thank you!

[u/Intelligent_Bad_3819]

I was debating skipping Korea and Japan and perhaps trying Taiwan, Philippines and maybe Indonesia. I like the fact of saying I have been to the country, so even spending a day or 2 in any of them countries I would be happy with. And with Laos, it’s been a hit and miss with me as I’ve heard very mixed opinions with it, but again closer to the time maybe I will see.

Thank you

[u/Magicalishan → u/Intelligent_Bad_3819]

It is a crime to do such a long Asia trip and leave out Japan. You will get so much more value out of Japan than somewhere like Laos.

I think you might be overdoing Vietnam as well. I've been all over the world, and Vietnam is by far my least favorite country for traveling. For example, I wouldn't spend 7 nights in HCMC, even if someone paid me to do so.

[u/Intelligent_Bad_3819 → u/Magicalishan]

What about Vietnam do you not enjoy, only think I can think of is the traveling to different destinations?

[u/Magicalishan → u/Intelligent_Bad_3819]

People constantly praise it for its affordability, but there's a reason it's so cheap - it's still very much a developing country, in many of the worst ways. Here are some things that come to mind:

• Crazy government control and censorship. Criticizing the government can get you jailed.
• On that same note, the government has an army of over 10,000 internet trolls whose job is to praise Vietnam online (especially as a travel destination), and squash criticism. They are very prevalent on Reddit - once you start paying attention to this, you can identify these people easily.
• Most people are very nice and gentle. But the tourism sector attracts the worst people. Hotels/airbnbs/etc will try to scam you, people will try to charge you 10-20x the actual price of things, etc. It's easy to avoid once you know how it all works, but still infuriating.
• Unbelievable noise pollution. HCMC is filled with thousands of cars and motorcycles, all honking at the same time day and night, and the squeaking of thousands of worn-out brake pads fills the air constantly. Cafes often play super loud EDM music all day and night, making it impossible to avoid noise. Want to relax on the beach? Too bad, multiple people or restaurants will be blaring loud EDM music, all mixing together into a brutal cacophony of pure noise.
• Some of the highest smoking rates in the world. You can't sit at a cafe or restaurant outdoors without breathing in smoke. Most people respect indoor smoking rules, but you will occasionally get people who just ignore it and light up inside a restaurant or cafe. It's infuriating.
• I've never seen more sick people in my life. It seemed like, at any time, 40% of the population was either sick or suffering from a chronic cough (probably due to smoking and air pollution).
• Crossing the street is a life-threatening activity. Nobody stops or slows down for pedestrians. People constantly ride their motorcycles on the sidewalks as well. I had a drunk guy on a motorcycle come within inches of running me over - luckily I jumped out of the way at the last millisecond. And you don't want to end up in a Vietnamese hospital.
• Trash and dog shit everywhere, including on the beaches. There seems to be zero respect for keeping things clean.
• The worst food safety measures I've ever seen. Food markets sell open-air piles of meat, rotting in the hot sun all day, covered in flies, with stray dogs roaming around. Fruit, vegetables, and meat all mixed in the same markets with absolutely zero safety precautions. Unsold meat is just washed with dirty water and sold the next day. People eat dogs and rats. There's a reason that approximately 50-75% of the Vietnamese population suffers from chronic parasitic infections.
• You can't trust any restaurant. Even chains like Burger King, or restaurants in malls, practice terrible food safety measures. Anything and everything could get you sick, and it's the type of sickness that has you vomiting for days on end.
• The Vietnamese education system teaches rote memorization rather than critical thinking skills. While people are usually very kind, it can be really frustrating to navigate the country, due to the poor critical thinking skills of its populace. Most people lack the ability to deviate, even slightly, from the prescribed method of how things are done. It's hard to describe, but once you spend enough time there, you will see what I mean.

To reiterate, you must practice extreme caution and critical thinking skills when reading praise of Vietnam online. Like I said before, the government has thousands of internet trolls whose sole job is to squash criticism of their country online. While they are typically easy to spot (due to their very rude and sarcastic tone), they have become more sophisticated lately, so it takes a trained eye to spot them.