The Ultimate Self-Launched Adventure Through Vietnam

Land at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) and take the 86 express bus or a GrabCar (~£4–6) into the Old Quarter. Check into your hostel near Hoan Kiem Lake. In the late afternoon, stroll down to the lake to see the Turtle Tower and visit Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) on its little island — entry is about £1. As the sun sets, wander the buzzing Old Quarter streets and pick a local pho stall for your welcome dinner. Budget around £3–5 for a big bowl with a cold Bia Ha Noi.

🚌Noi Bai Airport to Old Quarter: Bus 86 (~£1.20) or GrabCar (~£4–6)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Hanoi Old Quarter (e.g. Vietnam Backpacker Hostels, Little Charm Hanoi) — ~£8–14/night

• →Visit Hoan Kiem Lake and the Turtle Tower
• →Explore Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) — ~£1 entry
• →Walk the Old Quarter streets and try your first bowl of pho

Join a self-bookable cycling day tour to Co Loa ancient citadel through GetYourGuide or Klook (~£15–20pp). You'll pedal quiet village lanes past rice paddies, lotus ponds and centuries-old temples, stopping at Co Loa Citadel — once Vietnam's ancient capital. Back in Hanoi, rest up before your evening street food adventure. Book a Hanoi Street Food Walking Tour via GetYourGuide (~£18–22pp) to sample banh cuon, banh mi and pho in the Old Quarter, wash it down at a Bia Hoi corner, and finish with ice cream along Hoan Kiem Lake.

🚌Cycling tour typically includes bike and transport from meeting point

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse in Hanoi Old Quarter — ~£8–14/night

• →Cycling day trip to Co Loa Citadel via GetYourGuide/Klook — ~£15–20pp
• →Hanoi Street Food Walking Tour (Old Quarter) via GetYourGuide — ~£18–22pp
• →Bia Hoi corner stop and Hoan Kiem lakeside ice cream

Take a Hanoi–Cat Ba Island combo transfer (bus + ferry, bookable at any travel agent in the Old Quarter for ~£10–14). Arrive at Cat Ba and head straight to Cat Ba National Park. Buy your entry ticket (~£3) and hike the forest trail up to Ngu Lam Peak viewpoint — a 2-hour round trip through jungle alive with birdsong, squirrels and, if you're lucky, langur monkeys. In the late afternoon, check into your guesthouse in Cat Ba Town, then take a swim or stroll along the beach at sunset.

🚌Bus + ferry combo from Hanoi Old Quarter to Cat Ba — ~£10–14pp, approx. 4–5 hrs

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Cat Ba Town (e.g. Cat Ba Hostel, Noble House) — ~£8–14/night

• →Hanoi to Cat Ba Island via bus + ferry combo — ~£10–14pp
• →Hike Cat Ba National Park to Ngu Lam Peak viewpoint — ~£3 entry
• →Evening swim or beach stroll in Cat Ba Town

Book a Lan Ha Bay kayaking day trip from Cat Ba Town — operators along the seafront offer full-day boat + kayak tours for ~£20–30pp including lunch on the boat. Depart from Ben Beo Harbour, cruise past Cat Ba's dramatic limestone karsts, then paddle your own kayak through the emerald waters, drifting into hidden lagoons, sea caves and the secluded Van Boi beach. Lunch is served on deck. Return to Cat Ba Town in the late afternoon for a relaxed dinner on the seafront.

🚌Included in day tour from Cat Ba Town harbour

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Cat Ba Town — ~£8–14/night

• →Full-day Lan Ha Bay boat + kayak tour — ~£20–30pp including lunch (book directly with Cat Ba town operators or via GetYourGuide)
• →Kayak through limestone karsts, caves and lagoons
• →Visit Van Boi secluded beach

Take the ferry and bus back to Hanoi (~£10–14), then jump on a bus or minivan to Ninh Binh (~£4–6, about 2 hrs). Alternatively, book a direct Cat Ba–Ninh Binh shuttle with a travel agent (~£15–20). After a Vietnamese lunch in Ninh Binh town (~£3–5), hire a bicycle (~£2–3/day) and pedal the flat lanes of the Tam Coc region. Lock up your bike at the Tam Coc boat dock and board a traditional Sampan rowing boat (~£4–6pp) — your rower will guide you through rice paddy landscapes, towering karst formations and three natural cave tunnels. A magical afternoon.

🚌Cat Ba ferry + bus to Hanoi (~£10–14), then Hanoi to Ninh Binh by bus/minivan (~£4–6) OR direct Cat Ba–Ninh Binh shuttle (~£15–20)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Ninh Binh / Tam Coc area (e.g. Tam Coc Garden, Ninh Binh Hidden Charm) — ~£10–18/night

• →Travel from Cat Ba to Ninh Binh via ferry + bus or direct shuttle — ~£15–20pp
• →Hire a bicycle in Ninh Binh town — ~£2–3/day
• →Tam Coc Sampan boat ride through caves and rice paddies — ~£4–6pp

Rise before dawn and cycle or take a short taxi (~£2) to Mua Cave. Climb 486 stone steps to the dragon-tail ridge for a sunrise panorama over the Trang An Landscape Complex (UNESCO) — entry ~£2.50. Back for breakfast, then hire a bike (~£2/day) or join a self-guided cycling route out to Van Long Nature Reserve, pedalling flat countryside lanes past wetlands and karst peaks. In the afternoon, return to your guesthouse to pack up and rest. Head to Ninh Binh train station in the evening and board the SE or TN Reunification Express sleeper train to Da Nang (~£15–25 for a 4-berth soft sleeper, bookable at baolau.com or 12go.asia). Departures are typically around 21:00–22:00, arriving Da Nang around 11:00–12:00 next day.

🚌Ninh Binh to Da Nang: overnight Reunification Express sleeper train (~14 hrs, ~£15–25pp)

🛏Overnight sleeper train (4-berth soft sleeper cabin) — ~£15–25pp

• →Sunrise hike to Mua Cave viewpoint — ~£2.50 entry
• →Cycling around Van Long Nature Reserve — hire bike ~£2/day
• →Board overnight Reunification Express sleeper train to Da Nang — ~£15–25pp (book via baolau.com or 12go.asia)

Arrive into Da Nang station around midday. Take a GrabCar or a local taxi to Hoi An (~£8–12, about 45 min). Check in and grab lunch in the Ancient Town. In the late afternoon, book a sunset kayaking tour through the coco palm forests and local villages of the Thu Bon River to Hoi An's Lantern Town (~£15–20pp via GetYourGuide or local operators). Paddle into the golden hour as the town's famous lanterns begin to glow. Finish the evening wandering Hoi An's lantern-lit streets and stopping at a riverside café.

🚌Da Nang station to Hoi An: GrabCar or taxi ~£8–12, 45 min

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in or near Hoi An Ancient Town (e.g. Hoi An Backpacker Hostel, Hoi An Chic) — ~£8–15/night

• →GrabCar from Da Nang station to Hoi An — ~£8–12
• →Sunset kayaking tour through coco palm forest to Lantern Town — ~£15–20pp (GetYourGuide or local booking)
• →Evening stroll through Hoi An Ancient Town under the lanterns

Hire a bicycle from your hostel (~£2–3/day) and pedal across the Cam Kim Bridge to the south bank of the Thu Bon River. Explore local weaving villages where artisans craft sedge mats by hand, stop at a traditional ancestral house, and cruise through rice fields and areca nut groves. Book a Hoi An cooking class via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£20–28pp) which typically includes a visit to Tra Que vegetable village, guided herb harvesting and a hands-on lunch you cook yourself — a fantastic foodie highlight. Spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the Ancient Town or heading to An Bang Beach (~5km away by bike).

🚌Bicycle hire for the day — ~£2–3

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Hoi An — ~£8–15/night

• →Self-launched cycling tour of Cam Kim Island and surrounding villages — hire bike ~£2–3/day
• →Hoi An cooking class with Tra Que village visit via GetYourGuide/Klook — ~£20–28pp
• →Free afternoon in Hoi An Ancient Town or cycle to An Bang Beach

Take an early GrabCar or taxi from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport (~£10–14, 45 min). Fly Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) with VietJet Air or Bamboo Airways — book in advance for ~£25–45pp, flight time ~1.5 hrs. On arrival at Tan Son Nhat, take a GrabCar to the Mekong Delta (Cai Be area, ~3 hrs, ~£20–25 or join a shared minibus for ~£8–12). Book a Mekong Delta overnight tour from Ho Chi Minh City via GetYourGuide (~£40–60pp including boat, accommodation at a riverside lodge and meals) — these tours include the boat cruise to a guesthouse or eco-lodge, an orchard walk and a market visit, closely mirroring the commercial itinerary experience.

🚌Hoi An to Da Nang Airport by taxi/Grab (~£10–14); Da Nang to HCMC flight (~£25–45); HCMC to Mekong Delta by shared minibus or Grab (~£8–25)

🛏Riverside eco-lodge or guesthouse in Cai Be / Mekong Delta (included in tour package) — ~£15–25/night

• →GrabCar/taxi from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport — ~£10–14
• →Fly Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City with VietJet/Bamboo Airways — ~£25–45pp (book at vietjetair.com or bambooairways.com)
• →Mekong Delta overnight tour from HCMC via GetYourGuide — ~£40–60pp including boat, lodge and meals

Start the morning with a gentle cycle through the flat village paths of Tan Phong Island (typically included in your Mekong Delta tour package, or hire a bike locally for ~£2). Watch locals craft rice paper for spring rolls, weave coconut leaves for rooftops, and shape dried water hyacinth into colourful baskets and hats. If not included in a package, a self-bookable Mekong Delta cycling day tour via Klook covers this experience for ~£20–30pp. Return to the lodge for a late lunch and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the river or in the pool if available.

🚌Local cycling — flat terrain, no additional transport needed

🛏Riverside eco-lodge or guesthouse in Mekong Delta (included in tour package) — ~£15–25/night

• →Cycling through Tan Phong Island village paths — included in tour or hire locally ~£2
• →Visit rice paper making, coconut leaf weaving and water hyacinth craft workshops
• →Relaxed afternoon at riverside lodge

Enjoy a final breakfast at your riverside lodge, soak in your last views over the Mekong waterways, and say goodbye to your hosts. Transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat Airport, SGN) by shared minibus or GrabCar (~£8–25, about 3 hrs). We recommend booking flights departing after 17:00 to allow plenty of buffer time. Alternatively, ask to be dropped in HCMC city centre for a few hours of last-minute exploring before heading to the airport.

🚌Mekong Delta to Ho Chi Minh City (Tan Son Nhat Airport): shared minibus (~£8–12) or GrabCar (~£20–25), approx. 3 hrs

• →Final breakfast and farewell at the Mekong Lodge
• →Optional: last-minute explore of Ho Chi Minh City centre before departure