Vietnam Highlights - 11 Days (Self-Launched)

Land at Noi Bai (HAN) and take the public Vietjet/Vietnam Airlines minibus or the 86 express bus (about 35,000-45,000 VND / £1.50) into the Old Quarter, or a Grab car for roughly £8-10. Check into a hostel or small guesthouse near Ma May or Hang Bac. Spend the afternoon walking the Hoan Kiem Lake loop, crossing the red Huc Bridge to Ngoc Son Temple, and getting lost in the 36 streets. Book your Halong Bay overnight cruise tonight for tomorrow (online or via your guesthouse) and grab a bia hoi on Ta Hien street.

🚌Airport bus 86 or Grab from Noi Bai (~£2-9)

🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or private budget room (e.g. Hanoi La Selva-style guesthouse, £10-16)

• →Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple
• →Old Quarter street wander
• →Bia hoi corner, Ta Hien street

Do the big Hanoi circuit yourself: start at Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake, walk to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex and his stilt house (free entry, closed Monday-Friday afternoons - check times), then One Pillar Pagoda. Continue to the Temple of Literature (£2), and in the afternoon the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (£2) or the Vietnamese Women's Museum. Finish at Hoa Lo Prison ('Hanoi Hilton', £1.50). A guided street-food walk on GetYourGuide or a local operator runs around £20-25 if you want the food context - otherwise self-cater with bun cha and egg coffee.

🚌Walking plus short Grab rides (£3-5 total)

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget guesthouse (£10-16)

• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex and stilt house
• →One Pillar Pagoda
• →Temple of Literature
• →Hoa Lo Prison
• →Optional street food tour (£20-25)

Book a 2D/1N Halong or Lan Ha Bay cruise directly with a budget-mid operator (Phoenix, Milia or similar mid-range boats run £95-140 per person including all meals, kayaking and transfers from Hanoi - book on GetYourGuide, Klook or direct by email). Shared shuttle pickup from the Old Quarter around 8am, ~3.5 hours to the harbour. Afternoon: cruise among the karst islands, kayak or swim, visit a cave (Amazing/Sung Sot or similar), sunset on the top deck and a seafood dinner. Cheaper alternative: Cat Ba Island hostel base plus a day boat (£55-70).

🚌Shared shuttle bus Hanoi-Halong return (included in cruise)

🛏Overnight on a mid-range junk boat, twin/double cabin with private bathroom (included in cruise price)

• →Karst island cruising
• →Kayaking and swimming
• →Cave visit
• →Sunset and stargazing on deck

Sunrise on deck, morning cruise back past the floating fishing village, brunch on board, then the shuttle drops you in Hanoi early afternoon. Fly Hanoi to Da Nang (DAD) on VietJet or Bamboo - book 3-5 weeks ahead for £35-55 one way; from Da Nang airport a Grab or shared shuttle to Hoi An is £6-10 (about 45 minutes). Check into a riverside guesthouse or hostel in Hoi An. Evening: walk the Ancient Town after 6pm when entry is free, see the Japanese Covered Bridge and the lantern glow on the Thu Bon River.

🚌Hanoi-Da Nang flight (£35-55) + Grab to Hoi An (£6-10)

🛏Hoi An guesthouse or hostel, riverside or near Ancient Town (£12-18)

• →Sunrise cruise and floating village
• →Hoi An Ancient Town at night
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →Lantern shopping

Take a self-booked My Son Sanctuary half-day tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, £18-25 including entry and minibus, sunrise departures avoid the heat and crowds) to the UNESCO Cham temple towers in the jungle valley. Back by early afternoon - hire a bicycle (£2/day) to Kim Bong carpentry village or the Tra Que herb gardens, and get something tailor-made in the cloth market (allow 24 hours, £20-40 for a dress or shirt). Optional: a £15 cooking class.

🚌Shared minibus to My Son (included), bicycle hire (£2)

🛏Hoi An guesthouse or hostel (£12-18)

• →My Son Sanctuary half-day tour
• →Kim Bong village or Tra Que gardens by bike
• →Tailor fitting
• →Optional cooking class (£15)

Morning in Hoi An: visit the Assembly Halls, the old merchant houses and the Sa Huynh museum, then take a boat trip on the Thu Bon River to Kim Bong. Travel to Hue either by the local train from Da Nang (a stunning coastal stretch, £3-4) with a Grab to Da Nang station, or by an open-tour bus/minivan that goes over the Hai Van Pass with a stop at Lang Co Beach (£6-9, 3.5 hours). Alternative: hire an Easy Rider motorbike guide for the pass (£25-30). Evening in Hue: walk the Truong Tien Bridge and eat bun bo Hue.

🚌Train Da Nang-Hue (£3-4) or open-tour bus over Hai Van Pass (£6-9)

🛏Hue budget hotel or guesthouse in the backpacker strip (£10-16)

• →Hoi An assembly halls and merchant houses
• →Thu Bon River boat to Kim Bong
• →Hai Van Pass and Lang Co Beach
• →Truong Tien Bridge at night

Rent a bicycle or hop on the back of a motorbike taxi (£12-15 for a half-day driver) to cover the imperial sites: the Imperial Citadel and Purple Forbidden City (£6), then south along the Perfume River to the Khai Dinh and Tu Duc mausoleums (£4 each). Stop at Thuy Xuan incense-making village on the way and end at Dong Ba Market. Late afternoon, take a shared dragon boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda (£3-5). More efficient option: a self-booked Hue imperial full-day tour on GetYourGuide for £25-35 including a guide.

🚌Bicycle hire or motorbike driver (£5-15), shared boat (£3-5)

🛏Hue budget hotel or guesthouse (£10-16)

• →Imperial Citadel and Purple Forbidden City
• →Khai Dinh and Tu Duc mausoleums
• →Thuy Xuan incense village
• →Dong Ba Market
• →Perfume River boat to Thien Mu Pagoda

Morning free in Hue - a Ca Phe Muoi coffee and the riverside, or the Cham Museum in Da Nang if you detour. Fly Hue (HUI) or Da Nang to Saigon (SGN) on VietJet/Bamboo for £30-50 booked ahead, or take the Reunification Express sleeper from Hue to Saigon (about 20 hours, soft sleeper £28-40) if you want the slow-travel version. Land/arrive and check into a guesthouse in District 1 or the backpacker area around Pham Ngu Lao / Bui Vien. Evening: Ben Thanh night market and street food.

🚌Domestic flight Hue/Da Nang-Saigon (£30-50) or Reunification Express soft sleeper (£28-40)

🛏District 1 guesthouse or hostel (£10-18)

• →Hue riverside morning
• →Ben Thanh night market
• →Bui Vien street food

Walk the city centre early: Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior, under restoration), the Central Post Office, Nguyen Hue walking street and the Reunification Palace (£2). Midday, join a self-booked Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, £15-25 including entry and minibus; the smaller Ben Duoc site is less crowded than Ben Dinh). Crawl a section of the tunnels and taste the tapioca and sesame salt eaten by tunnel fighters. Back in the city by evening - try a banh mi and a rooftop beer.

🚌Walking plus shared minibus to Cu Chi (included) and Grab rides (£3)

🛏District 1 guesthouse or hostel (£10-18)

• →Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office
• →Reunification Palace
• →Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour
• →Nguyen Hue walking street

Self-book a Mekong Delta small-group day trip for £18-30 (GetYourGuide, Klook, or any Pham Ngu Lao travel agent) covering My Tho, the Vinh Trang Pagoda, a sampan row along the coconut canals of Ben Tre, coconut candy workshops, bee farms and a honey-tea stop. Pickup 7.30-8am, back in District 1 around 4.30-5pm - plenty of time for a late flight. Or DIY it: public bus from Mien Tay station to My Tho (£1.50) and hire a local boatman (£10-15/hour).

🚌Shared minibus to My Tho and back (included in day tour)

🛏District 1 guesthouse or hostel (£10-18)

• →Vinh Trang Pagoda
• →Mekong sampan row along coconut canals
• →Coconut candy and bee farm stops
• →Optional DIY public bus version

Slow breakfast - pho or a banh mi from a street cart - and a last wander through the city (the Fine Arts Museum or the War Remnants Museum if you have a late flight, £2). Reach Tan Son Nhat (SGN) by Grab bike (£2) or car (£5-8), about 30-45 minutes from District 1; leave 3 hours before an international departure.

🚌Grab to Tan Son Nhat airport (£2-8)

🛏Not included

• →Final street-food breakfast
• →Optional War Remnants or Fine Arts Museum