Simply Vietnam — Self-Launched: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in 12 Days

Land at Noi Bai Airport and take the Vietnam Airlines shuttle bus #86 or a Grab to the Old Quarter (~£4–6). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Ma May or Hang Bac. Spend the late afternoon wandering Hoan Kiem Lake, crossing the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple (ticket ~£1), and getting lost in the 36 guild streets. Evening: bia hoi corner and a bowl of bun cha (~£3). Book tomorrow's walking tour and your Ha Long Bay cruise online tonight.

🚌Airport shuttle bus #86 / Grab (~£4–6)

🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room, Old Quarter (~£10–16)

• →Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple
• →Old Quarter street-food crawl
• →Bia hoi corner

Do the classic Hanoi circuit on foot or by Grab bike: Temple of Literature (~£1.50), One Pillar Pagoda, and the Ho Chi Minh complex including the stilt house (~£1.50). Afternoon coffee at a rail-street cafe or Egg Coffee near Hoan Kiem. In the evening buy a ticket to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre on the lake (~£4–5) — book online a day ahead. Alternatively a GetYourGuide half-day Hanoi city tour runs ~£20–28 if you'd rather have a guide.

🚌Walking + occasional Grab bike (~£3)

🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room, Old Quarter (~£10–16)

• →Temple of Literature
• →Ho Chi Minh stilt house & One Pillar Pagoda
• →Water puppet show at Thang Long Theatre

Take a 2-day/1-night Ha Long Bay cruise booked directly with a local operator or via Klook (~£70–95 incl. transfers, meals and kayaking). Coach pickup from the Old Quarter around 8am, board at Tuan Chau, and cruise among the limestone karsts. Afternoon stop at Sung Sot (Surprising) Cave and a swim/ viewpoint climb on Titov Island. Sunset on the sundeck, dinner onboard, night at anchor.

🚌Shuttle coach from Hanoi (~included in cruise price)

🛏Overnight on a budget/mid-range junk boat, twin share (~included in cruise)

• →Ha Long Bay cruise
• →Sung Sot Cave
• →Titov Island swim & viewpoint

Early tai chi and brunch on the boat, disembark late morning and shuttle back to Hanoi by mid-afternoon. From Hanoi take the overnight sleeper train to Dong Hoi (SE19 or similar, ~£22–30 for a soft sleeper), then a 45-minute taxi/shuttle to Phong Nha (~£8 shared). This is the big logistics day of the trip — book the train on the Vietnam Railways site or a local agent (Baolau) a few days ahead. Pre-book your Phong Nha guesthouse as you'll arrive very early.

🚌Cruise shuttle to Hanoi + sleeper train Hanoi–Dong Hoi (~£22–30) + shared taxi to Phong Nha

🛏Phong Nha guesthouse/hostel, riverside bungalow (~£12–18)

• →Sleeper train through central Vietnam

Sleep in after the night train, then walk to the Son River boat station and take a local wooden boat upriver into Phong Nha Cave (~£7–9 incl. park entry). The cave is entered by boat for the first 600m before you disembark to walk the lit chambers. Afternoon option: cycle the Bong Lai valley (bike hire ~£2) for cold beer at the Duck Stop and a swim. Dinner at a riverside restaurant (~£3–4).

🚌Bicycle hire + walking (~£2)

🛏Phong Nha guesthouse/hostel, riverside bungalow (~£12–18)

• →Son River boat ride to Phong Nha Cave
• →Phong Nha Cave walk-through
• →Bong Lai valley cycling

Travel north to Hue (~2.5–3h by local bus or shared minivan, ~£6–9). If you want the DMZ stop, book the Hue–Phong Nha 'DMZ bus' which breaks at the Ben Hai River/Hien Luong bridge (~£10–14 including stops). Arrive Hue and rent a bicycle or take a Grab to the Imperial Enclosure of the Citadel (~£6): the Forbidden Purple City, Thai Hoa Palace, the Halls of the Mandarins and the Nine Dynastic Urns are all within the walls. Evening walk along the Perfume River and try bun bo Hue (~£2.50).

🚌Local bus / DMZ minivan Phong Nha–Hue (~£6–14)

🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Hue backpacker area (~£10–16)

• →DMZ / Hien Luong Bridge stop
• →Hue Imperial Citadel & Forbidden Purple City
• →Perfume River evening walk

Morning by Grab or bicycle to Thien Mu Pagoda (free) and the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang (~£3). Then take the train Hue–Da Nang (~£5, 2.5–3h) — sit on the right for the Hai Van Pass and coastline views. From Da Nang, instead of the group coach, hire an Easy Rider motorbike or take a Grab over the Hai Van Pass (~£12–18) if you want the road experience, stopping at the Cham Sculpture Museum in Da Nang (~£2.50). Continue 30–40 min to Hoi An by local bus (~£1) or Grab (~£6).

🚌Train Hue–Da Nang (~£5) + Hai Van Pass transfer (~£6–18) + local bus to Hoi An

🛏Hoi An guesthouse or hostel, Ancient Town edge (~£12–18)

• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Tomb of Minh Mang
• →Hai Van Pass crossing
• →Cham Sculpture Museum, Da Nang

Buy the Hoi An Ancient Town ticket (~£5) which covers five heritage houses and assembly halls, including the Japanese Covered Bridge. Morning walking loop of the old town, afternoon Thu Bon River boat ride (~£3–4) or a bicycle ride out to the rice paddies and An Bang Beach (~£2 bike hire). Optional: a half-day cooking class (~£18–25) or tailor fitting. Return to the old town after dark for the lantern reflections along the river — the best free show in Vietnam.

🚌Bicycle hire + short boat trip (~£5)

🛏Hoi An guesthouse or hostel, Ancient Town edge (~£12–18)

• →Hoi An Ancient Town heritage ticket
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →Thu Bon River boat ride
• →An Bang Beach cycle

Choose your transfer: a direct flight Da Nang–Saigon with VietJet/Bamboo (~£30–45, 1h20 — cheapest and fastest), or the reunification sleeper train Da Nang–Saigon (~£30–40, 16–18h overnight) if you want the slow-travel version. Either way, settle into a hostel in District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao / Bui Vien area). Evening: Banh mi at Huynh Hoa (~£2) and a walk around Nguyen Hue walking street.

🚌Flight Da Nang–Saigon (~£30–45) or sleeper train (~£30–40) + airport bus #109 (~£0.70)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, District 1 (~£10–16)

• →Nguyen Hue pedestrian street
• →District 1 street food

Self-guided walking day from Dong Khoi Street: Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior — still under restoration) and the Central Post Office, then the Reunification Palace (~£2.50) and the War Remnants Museum (~£2.50) — allow two hours for the museum. Afternoon Grab to Cholon (Chinese district), wandering Binh Tay Market and the Thien Hau Temple. Optional GetYourGuide street-food scooter tour in the evening (~£22–28).

🚌Walking + Grab (~£4)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, District 1 (~£10–16)

• →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
• →Reunification Palace
• →War Remnants Museum
• →Cholon / Binh Tay Market

Take the local bus #13 from Ben Thanh to Cu Chi (~£2, 1.5–2h) or a Klook/GetYourGuide half-day Cu Chi tour (~£15–20 incl. entry and pickup) which is easier if you want the tunnel context explained. Explore the secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas and meeting rooms, and crawl a section of the tunnels if you're game. Back in Saigon by late afternoon; farewell dinner of banh xeo and grilled skewers at a District 4 local restaurant (~£6–8).

🚌Local bus #13 to Cu Chi or tour minibus (~£2–20)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel, District 1 (~£10–16)

• →Cu Chi Tunnels
• →Tunnel crawling
• →Farewell dinner in District 4

Last morning for a Vietnamese coffee and a final bowl of pho before heading to Tan Son Nhat Airport on bus #109 or #152 (~£0.70) or by Grab (~£4). If your flight is later, drop into the Fine Arts Museum (~£1.50) or the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.

🚌Airport bus #109/#152 or Grab (~£1–4)

🛏—

• →Coffee and pho send-off
• →Optional Fine Arts Museum