Coast to Caves Adventure in Vietnam — Self-Launched

Land at Noi Bai (HAN) and take the public bus #86 or Vietjet/GrabBike to the Old Quarter (£1.50–£5, or ~£12–15 for a Grab car). Check into a budget boutique hotel or hostel near Hoan Kiem Lake (£15–22/night twin share). Spend the late afternoon wandering the 36 Streets, sampling bia hoi at Ta Hien beer corner (~60p a glass), and easing into the city. In the evening join a small-group Hanoi street food walking tour bookable on GetYourGuide or Klook (~£18–22) as a low-key welcome to Vietnam's food scene.

🚌Airport bus #86 (~£1.50) or Grab car (~£12–15)

🛏Budget boutique hotel/hostel, Old Quarter, twin share (~£18 pp)

• →Self-arranged Airport Bus #86 or Grab to Old Quarter
• →Old Quarter self-walk: Hoan Kiem Lake, Ta Hien beer corner
• →Optional evening street food walking tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£20)

Start the day with pho and egg coffee at a Long Bien or Hoan Kiem institution (£2–3). Then book a shared shuttle or limousine bus from Hanoi to Tuan Chau Marina / Got Ferry (£8–12 pp, ~2.5 hrs) — or, if you prefer to skip Halong's crowds, head straight to Cat Ba on the Hoang Long bus + ferry combo. Join an overnight Lan Ha Bay cruise on a mid-range junk boat (small cabins, kayaking and swimming stops included); budget junks run £90–125 pp for a 1-night, all-meals trip, with Cat Ba-based operators often cheaper than Halong-branded ones. Sunset on deck, seafood dinner on board.

🚌Shared shuttle bus Hanoi–Tuan Chau (~£10)

🛏Overnight deluxe junk boat cabin, twin share (included in cruise price)

• →Pho + egg coffee breakfast
• →Shared shuttle to Tuan Chau/Got Ferry
• →Overnight Lan Ha Bay junk boat cruise with cave visit and swim stop

Wake on the boat for breakfast while cruising to Viet Hai Village. Disembark and hire a bicycle locally (~£2) for the flat village loop and countryside tracks, then lunch at a homestay. Back on board, kayak and SUP in a quiet bay before the boat docks at Cat Ba town. Check into a guesthouse or budget hotel in Cat Ba town (£12–18 pp twin) — the sky bars on the seafront do excellent sunset views. Dinner: seafood on a floating raft restaurant (~£6–9).

🚌Included in cruise / walking

🛏Guesthouse/budget hotel, Cat Ba town, twin share (~£15 pp)

• →Viet Hai Village cycling (~£2), homestay lunch
• →Kayaking & SUP in Lan Ha Bay
• →Sunset sky bar on Cat Ba, floating raft seafood dinner

Morning hike in Cat Ba National Park to Trung Trang Cave and viewpoints — entrance fee ~£2. Do it independently or with a small local guide (~£15 pp). Afterwards take the bus/ferry combo back to Hanoi (£10–12, ~3 hrs). Evening: board the Reunification Express sleeper train from Hanoi to Dong Hoi — 4-berth soft sleeper ~£22–28 pp booked direct on the Vietnam Railways site or via 12Go/Baolau. Bring snacks and a padlock.

🚌Ferry + bus (~£11) and sleeper train (~£25)

🛏Soft sleeper 4-berth cabin on Reunification Express (included in train fare)

• →Cat Ba National Park + Trung Trang Cave hike
• →Ferry/bus combo back to Hanoi
• →Reunification Express overnight sleeper train

Arrive Dong Hoi early morning and share a taxi or Grab with other passengers to Phong Nha (~£8 pp, 45 min). Check into a farmstay or budget guesthouse in Phong Nha or Chay Lap (£12–18 pp twin) and grab breakfast. Book a half-day Son River kayak trip with a local operator such as Oxalis-adjacent outfits or Phong Nha Farmstay (from ~£30 pp). Afternoon rest, then optional torchlit night kayak on the river (~£15). Dinner at a Phong Nha village restaurant, ~£5–8.

🚌Shared taxi Dong Hoi–Phong Nha (~£8)

🛏Farmstay/guesthouse, Phong Nha, twin share (~£15 pp)

• →Transfer to Phong Nha
• →Son River kayaking (Me & Chay villages)
• →Optional night kayaking by headlamp

The trip's wildest day. Join a guided 2-day Ma Da Valley trek with a licensed park operator (Oxalis, Jungle Boss, or similar) — expect £110–150 pp for the 2-day/1-night trip including guide, permits, gear, meals and camping. Trek through jungle to Elephant Cave (197 ft high cavern), headlamp exploration, then river crossings down into Ma Da Valley. Swim in Ma Da Lake while camp is set up, then a barbecue dinner and night under the stars in a tent.

🚌Included in guided trek

🛏Wild camping in tent, Ma Da Lake (included in guided trek price)

• →Guided jungle trek to Elephant Cave
• →River crossings and descent to Ma Da Valley
• →Wild swim in Ma Da Lake, barbecue dinner, wild camping

Morning swim in the lake, breakfast at camp, then continue with your guide up limestone scrambles to Tra Ang Cave — swim the ~2,000 ft passage with a buoyancy aid and headlamp provided. Lunch in the wilderness, then hike the Tra Ang River Trail back out. Transfer back to Phong Nha for hot showers and a Vietnamese-style barbecue dinner (second night of the 2-day trek package is included in the guide price above).

🚌Included in guided trek / local transfer

🛏Guesthouse/farmstay, Phong Nha, twin share (~£15 pp)

• →Swim into Tra Ang Cave
• →Hike Tra Ang River Trail
• →Vietnamese-style barbecue dinner in Phong Nha

Hire a bike in Phong Nha (~£3–5/day) and ride riverside lanes past villages and a local market, stopping for a com ga (chicken rice) or banh xeo lunch (~£3). Return the bike, then take a shared limousine bus or Grab south to the Thach Ha coastal strip near Dong Hoi (~£8–12, 1 hr). Check into a beachfront budget resort or guesthouse (£18–28 pp twin). Afternoon swim, sunset sundowner, seafood dinner on the sand.

🚌Shared limousine bus Phong Nha–Thach Ha (~£10)

🛏Beachside budget resort/guesthouse, twin share (~£22 pp)

• →Countryside cycling Phong Nha
• →Local market visit and street lunch
• →Beach afternoon at Thach Ha coast

Slow morning on the sand and Vietnamese coffee, then take a daytime train or sleeper (if booked) back to Hanoi. Day train Dong Hoi–Hanoi takes ~10–11 hrs (~£18–25 in a soft seat/AC carriage); if you'd rather fly, VietJet/Bamboo one-way Dong Hoi–Hanoi is often £30–45. Arrive Hanoi by evening and check back into an Old Quarter budget hotel (£15–22 pp twin). Farewell dinner at a bia hoi/Ta Hien spot or Cha Ca La Vong-style restaurant.

🚌Reunification Express day/soft seat (~£20) or budget flight (~£35)

🛏Budget boutique hotel, Hanoi Old Quarter, twin share (~£18 pp)

• →Beach morning and Vietnamese coffee
• →Train (or flight) back to Hanoi
• →Farewell dinner in the Old Quarter

Breakfast at the hotel or a banh mi stall, then take the #86 airport bus or a Grab to Noi Bai for your onward flight home. If you have time, squeeze in the Temple of Literature or a last egg coffee before departure.

🚌Airport bus #86 (~£1.50) or Grab (~£12)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Airport bus #86 or Grab to Noi Bai
• →Optional Temple of Literature or last egg coffee