Planning Vietnam and Cambodia in 2 weeks and the logistics are making me want to cancel the whole trip
We're trying to do Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Saigon, then fly to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in 14 days. I thought I could plan this myself but I'm drowning. Internal flights, airport transfers, visa timing between countries, figuring out which hotels are actually good vs just having paid reviews, and trying to book guides for Angkor Wat and the Mekong Delta separately.
Every time I book one piece something else conflicts. I booked a Halong Bay cruise and then realized the timing doesn't work with our flight to Hoi An. I've been at this for 3 weeks and I still don't have a working itinerary.
My wife wants to just book one of those big group tours but I really don't want to be on a bus with 40 strangers. Is there a middle ground? Has anyone done a multi-country Southeast Asia trip without either losing their mind planning it or joining a massive group tour? How did you actually make it work?