Vietnam Classic 15 Day — Self-Launched

Land at Tan Son Nhat, take the yellow bus 109 or a Grab bike (~£2-3) into District 1 and check into a hostel or budget hotel around Bui Vien / Pham Ngu Lao. Do your own version of the welcome evening: walk the Ben Thanh Market / Nguyen Hue pedestrian street loop at dusk, then hit a rooftop bar for a cheap beer overlooking the skyline (Chill Skybar or the Saigon Saigon rooftop). Book tomorrow's Reunification Express ticket online today (vietnamrailway.vn or a local agent) — soft sleeper 4-berth Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, ~£30-38.

🚌Bus 109 or Grab from airport (~£3); walking in District 1

🛏Hostel dorm or budget 3* hotel, District 1 (~£9-14)

• →Ben Thanh Market & Nguyen Hue walking loop
• →Rooftop bar sunset drinks
• →Book Reunification Express sleeper ticket

Morning free-walk of the city: War Remnants Museum (£2), the Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral exteriors, and a coffee stop at a local cafe. In the afternoon, join the free/cheap badminton-in-the-park scene at Le Van Tam Park — public courts are open to all, just turn up mid-afternoon and ask to join a game. Grab a banh mi dinner and head to Saigon station for the ~17:00-19:00 Reunification Express departure (SE trains, ~17-19 hours to Da Nang).

🚌Reunification Express soft sleeper SE train (~£32)

🛏4-berth soft sleeper on the Reunification Express (~£32, included in transport)

• →War Remnants Museum
• →Central Post Office & Notre Dame Cathedral
• →Badminton at Le Van Tam Park
• →Overnight Reunification Express (soft sleeper)

Arrive Da Nang mid-morning; take the local Hoi An bus from Da Nang bus station (~£1) or a Grab (~£9 split) for the 45-minute run south. Check into a guesthouse or hostel in Hoi An (plenty of £10-16 doubles). Afternoon walking tour of the UNESCO Ancient Town on a single old-town entry ticket (~£4) covering the Japanese Covered Bridge, assembly halls and merchant houses, plus a browse of Hoi An Market. Optional: get measured for custom tailoring at one of the many tailors on Tran Phu — 24-hour turnaround from ~£25.

🚌Local bus Da Nang–Hoi An (~£1) or shared Grab (~£9)

🛏Hoi An guesthouse / hostel private room (~£14)

• →Hoi An Ancient Town walking ticket
• →Hoi An Market browse
• →Optional custom tailoring

Hire a bicycle (~£2/day) and take the bridge-ferry across to Cam Kim Island for a self-guided loop through rice paddies, mat-weaving and wooden boat-building villages. Mid-afternoon, join a short soap-making or lantern-making workshop in town (~£8-12, bookable direct or via Klook). At sunset, hire a traditional wooden boat or join a shared paddle/kayak trip on the Thu Bon River to watch the lanterns light up (~£8-10). Eat cao lau and white rose dumplings for dinner.

🚌Bicycle hire (~£2)

🛏Hoi An guesthouse / hostel private room (~£14)

• →Cam Kim Island bike loop
• →Soap or lantern-making workshop
• →Sunset river paddle among the lanterns

Do the Hai Van Pass the independent way: the local Hoi An–Hue public bus (~£4) climbs the pass with sea views, or hire an Easy Rider motorbike rider one-way (~£25-30) for the classic open-air crossing via the pass summit and Lang Co lagoon. Arrive Hue, check into a hotel in the backpacker strip near Pham Ngu Lao, then visit the Imperial Citadel (~£5) in the late afternoon light. Optional add-on: an evening dragon boat on the Perfume River (~£3).

🚌Local bus Hoi An–Hue (~£4) or Easy Rider motorbike (~£27)

🛏Hue budget hotel, private room (~£16)

• →Hai Van Pass crossing
• →Imperial Citadel of Hue
• →Optional Perfume River dragon boat

Cycle (~£2) out to Thuy Bieu village for a half-day cooking class in a traditional garden house — bookable direct with village families or via GetYourGuide/Klook for ~£22-28, including market shopping and a multi-course lunch. Visit the Luong Quan communal house and Thanh Toan area en route. Later, climb the steps at Thien Mu Pagoda (~£2 by river ferry or bike). Evening: overnight train from Hue to Ninh Binh (~£28-33, soft sleeper 4-berth, ~11-12 hours) — book ahead as this is a popular leg.

🚌Overnight Reunification Express Hue–Ninh Binh (~£30)

🛏4-berth soft sleeper on the northbound train (~£30, in transport)

• →Thuy Bieu garden-house cooking class
• →Luong Quan communal house
• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Overnight sleeper train to Ninh Binh

Arrive Ninh Binh early morning, drop bags and take a sampan rowboat through the Thung Nang caves and limestone karsts (~£6-8, 1.5-2 hours). Then arrange a shared or private car transfer up to Pu Luong Nature Reserve via the Ho Chi Minh Road (~£25-30 per person split, ~3 hours) — hostels and homestays in Pu Luong can arrange this. Check into a stilt-house homestay in Don village or Ban Hieu (~£10-14 incl. dinner). Evening walk through the terraced valley at golden hour.

🚌Shared car Ninh Binh–Pu Luong (~£27 split)

🛏Pu Luong stilt-house homestay, multi-share (~£12 with dinner)

• →Thung Nang sampan boat trip
• →Road transfer into Pu Luong Nature Reserve
• →Don village sunset walk

Full-day trek with a local village guide arranged at your homestay (~£10-15): follow rice terraces and bamboo paths to Hieu Waterfalls, swim in the pools, and stop for a picnic lunch cooked by a village family (~£5). Bring water and shoes with grip — it's slippery. Loop back through Thai ethnic minority villages to your homestay for dinner.

🚌On foot; local guide included

🛏Pu Luong stilt-house homestay, multi-share (~£12 with dinner)

• →Trek to Hieu Waterfalls
• →Swimming in the falls
• →Local family picnic lunch
• →Village loop walk

Morning walk to Bang Cong village; join a short com lam (bamboo-tube sticky rice) cooking session with a local family (~£5) and a bamboo raft float on the Song Ma (~£4). Late morning shared transfer back to Hanoi (~£18-22, ~3.5 hours). Check into a hotel in the Old Quarter (~£14-18). Even the evening: a self-booked street food tour via GetYourGuide (~£20-25) or just DIY it — bun cha on Hang Manh, banh cuon, egg coffee on Nguyen Huu Huan, and bia hoi on Ta Hien corner.

🚌Shared car Pu Luong–Hanoi (~£20); walking in the Old Quarter

🛏Hanoi Old Quarter budget hotel, private room (~£16)

• →Bang Cong village walk
• →Com lam cooking session
• →Bamboo rafting
• →Hanoi Old Quarter street food tour

Book an overnight cruise direct with a Bai Tu Long Bay operator (Renea, Dragon Legend or equivalent — ~£85-110 per person for a 2D1P including meals, kayaking and transfers; check Klook and the operator's own site for the best rate). Morning minibus transfer from Hanoi (~3.5 hours) and board around midday. Afternoon kayaking around Cap La Island and a swim stop, sunset drinks on deck, and a seafood dinner.

🚌Cruise shuttle minibus from Hanoi + boat (~£10 extra)

🛏Overnight on a Bai Tu Long Bay cruise boat, twin cabin (~£95 incl. meals)

• →Bai Tu Long Bay cruise
• →Kayaking around Cap La Island
• →Swimming stop
• →Sunset on deck

Sunrise tai chi on the sundeck, then a visit to Thien Canh Son Cave before brunch onboard and the midday return transfer to Hanoi (~£10). Evening: overnight sleeper train Hanoi to Lao Cai (~£22-28, soft sleeper 4-berth, departs ~21:30-22:00, arrives ~05:30-06:30) — book on vietnamrailway.vn or via a Hanoi agent. Arrange your Sapa homestay pickup in advance by WhatsApp.

🚌Cruise transfer to Hanoi (~£10) + sleeper train (~£25)

🛏4-berth soft sleeper on the Hanoi–Lao Cai train (~£25, in transport)

• →Sunrise tai chi on deck
• →Thien Canh Son Cave
• →Overnight sleeper train to Lao Cai

Arrive Lao Cai ~06:00, take the local bus or shared minibus up to Sapa town (~£2-3, 1 hour). Drop bags, then trek the Muong Hoa Valley with a Hmong village guide arranged through your homestay (~£10-15): down through Lao Chai and Ta Van villages with rice-terrace views. Overnight in a Ta Van homestay dorm (~£10-14 incl. family dinner).

🚌Local bus/minibus Lao Cai–Sapa (~£3); trekking on foot

🛏Ta Van village homestay dorm (~£12 with dinner)

• →Trek Lao Chai & Ta Van villages
• →Muong Hoa Valley views
• →Ta Van homestay family dinner

Breakfast at the homestay, then continue the trek to Giang Ta Chai village and the bamboo forest (~£10 guide share), with a local lunch in the village (~£4). Afternoon walk or short taxi back up to Sapa town and check into a budget hotel with valley views (Cat Cat View or similar, ~£15-20). Optional: rent a scooter for sunset at a viewpoint (~£6).

🚌On foot; short taxi back to town (~£3)

🛏Sapa town budget hotel, private room (~£18)

• →Trek Giang Ta Chai village
• →Bamboo forest walk
• →Sapa town valley viewpoint

Rent a scooter (~£6-8, bring your licence/international permit) or take a shared taxi (~£10 return) out to Silver Waterfall (~£1) and Love Waterfall (~£3) on the Tram Ton Pass road — combine both in a half-day loop with a final pho lunch in Sapa town (~£3). Afternoon: local bus down to Lao Cai (~£3) and the overnight sleeper back to Hanoi (~£26, arrive ~05:00-06:00).

🚌Scooter or shared taxi (~£8) + bus to Lao Cai (~£3) + sleeper train (~£26)

🛏4-berth soft sleeper on the Lao Cai–Hanoi train (~£26, in transport)

• →Silver Waterfall
• →Love Waterfall
• →Tram Ton Pass viewpoint
• →Overnight sleeper train to Hanoi

Arrive Hanoi early morning; use a luggage-storage cafe or a day room in the Old Quarter, then do a last loop of Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature (~£1.50) and a final egg coffee before heading to Noi Bai Airport (bus 86, ~£1.30, or Grab ~£10). If flights are late, consider one extra night in Hanoi (~£16).

🚌Bus 86 to Noi Bai Airport (~£1.30) or Grab (~£10)

🛏None included (day room optional, ~£8)

• →Hoan Kiem Lake walk
• →Temple of Literature
• →Egg coffee in the Old Quarter