Vietnam Highlights — Self-Launched

Land at Noi Bai International Airport and take the local alternative to a private transfer: bus 86 (Vietjet/Hanoi Express, ~£1) or Grab to the Old Quarter (roughly £6-8 for the 45-minute ride, easy to split). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Old Quarter. In the evening, join a Hanoi street food walking tour (£20-25, bookable on GetYourGuide/Klook) or simply grab bun cha and bia hoi around Ta Hien street for under £5. Short visa note: most Western passports can get a 45-day e-visa online for ~£20 — apply in advance.

🚌Airport bus 86 (~£1) or Grab (~£6-8)

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, private room (~£15)

• →Airport transfer to Old Quarter
• →Self-guided Old Quarter wander
• →Optional street food tour (~£22)

Explore Hanoi on foot — it's compact and walkable. Start at Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple, then walk to the Temple of Literature (entry ~£1.50), Vietnam's first university founded in 1070. Continue to Hoa Lo Prison ('Hanoi Hilton', ~£1.50) and the fine arts museum if you fancy. Rent a bicycle or Grab-bike to West Lake in the afternoon, or join a free walking tour (tip-based, ~£3-5). Evening: catch a water puppet show at Thang Long theatre (~£4).

🚌Walking + occasional Grab (~£2)

🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, private room (~£15)

• →Temple of Literature entry (~£1.50)
• →Hoa Lo Prison entry (~£1.50)
• →Water puppet show (~£4)

Book a 2-day/1-night budget junk boat cruise online (Klook or GetYourGuide) with pickup from Hanoi's Old Quarter — shared minibus transfer (~4 hours each way), meals, kayaking and a cabin included. Expect to pay £75-110 per person for a decent mid-range boat; cheaper party-style boats exist around £55. In the afternoon, drift among the limestone karsts, hike to a viewpoint on Ti Top or similar island, and swim in the roped-off area. Sunset on the top deck is the highlight; bring cash for drinks from the bar.

🚌Shared minibus from Hanoi included in cruise (~4 hrs)

🛏Twin-share cabin on a junk boat (included in cruise price)

• →Ha Long Bay overnight cruise
• →Kayaking
• →Island viewpoint hike
• →Swimming

Morning cruise and a cooking demo or tai chi on deck before returning to port late morning. Shared minibus back to Hanoi (arrive mid-afternoon) — drop bags at a café and explore the Old Quarter or hang around Hoan Kiem Lake. In the evening, head to Hanoi railway station for the Reunification Express (SE1/SE3) overnight sleeper to Hue (688km, ~14 hours). Book a soft-sleeper 4-berth directly on dsvn.vn or via 12go.asia for around £25-30 — far cheaper than the tour's private arrangement. Bring snacks and earplugs.

🚌Cruise minibus back to Hanoi (included); overnight train Hanoi–Hue (~£27)

🛏Soft-sleeper 4-berth on Reunification Express (~£27 included in cost)

• →Morning bay cruise
• →Hanoi Old Quarter free time
• →Reunification Express sleeper train

Arrive in Hue mid-morning and walk or Grab (~£1.50) to a guesthouse near the Citadel or the backpacker strip on Pham Ngu Lao. Rest, then visit the Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City in the afternoon (entry ~£5) — the bomb-scarred ruins are atmospheric and best seen when the light softens. Optional: cycle out to the Thien Mu Pagoda and take a Dragon Boat along the Perfume River (~£4), or eat bun bo Hue at a local stall (~£2). Don't miss the vegetarian feast at one of Hue's Buddhist nunneries.

🚌Grab from station (~£1.50); rented bicycle (~£2/day)

🛏Hue guesthouse or budget hotel, private room (~£13)

• →Imperial Citadel & Forbidden Purple City entry (~£5)
• →Thien Mu Pagoda
• →Perfume River dragon boat (~£4)

Travel the scenic 130km south the local way: a shared limousine bus/van (Hue–Hoi An, ~£7-9, book on 12go.asia) which crosses the Lang Co lagoon and the Hai Van Pass — grab a window seat on the left. Alternatively hire an easy-rider motorbike guide for the day (~£25-30, bookable locally) if you want the full open-air experience. Arrive in Hoi An and check into a budget hotel in the Old Town or across the river. In the afternoon, buy the Old Town entry ticket (~£5), which covers five heritage houses, assembly halls and the Japanese Covered Bridge. Wander the riverside market and get a tailor fitting for cheap silk clothes.

🚌Shared limousine bus Hue–Hoi An over Hai Van Pass (~£8)

🛏Hoi An budget hotel or homestay, private room (~£15)

• →Hai Van Pass scenic drive
• →Hoi An Old Town entry ticket (~£5)
• →Riverside night market

Book a Tra Que village cooking class (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£25-30) — you cycle out to the herb and vegetable gardens (~3km), plant and harvest with the farmers, then a local chef guides you through making cao lau, fresh spring rolls and banh xeo. Alternatively join a half-day My Son Sanctuary tour (~£20) to see the UNESCO Hindu temple ruins, or rent a bicycle and cycle to An Bang Beach (free, ~30 min) for the afternoon. Evening: sunset drinks on An Hoi islet and street food (white rose dumplings and cao lau, ~£5).

🚌Bicycle hire (~£2)

🛏Hoi An budget hotel or homestay, private room (~£15)

• →Tra Que village cooking class (~£27)
• →Optional My Son Sanctuary (~£20)
• →An Bang Beach

Take a Grab to Da Nang Airport (~£8, 40-50 min from Hoi An) and fly VietJet or Bamboo Airways Da Nang–Saigon (~£30-40 one way if booked a few weeks ahead; ~1h20). Land mid-day, check into a backpacker hostel or budget hotel in District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao/De Tham area). In the afternoon, do a DIY walking tour: Ben Thanh Market, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, then the War Remnants Museum (entry ~£2; some exhibits are graphic). Finish with a rooftop drink or a bia hoi in Bui Vien — the scooter-fuelled energy is the whole point.

🚌Grab to Da Nang airport (~£8); domestic flight (~£35; airport transfer Grab ~£3)

🛏District 1 budget hotel or hostel private room (~£14)

• →War Remnants Museum (~£2)
• →Ben Thanh Market
• →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
• →Bui Vien evening

Take the morning half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour (~£18-22, GetYourGuide/Klook, includes bus out to the tunnels and a guide) — crawl through a section of the 250km network and see the traps and kitchens. Back in the city by early afternoon: visit the Reunification Palace (~£2.50, closed midday) or the Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, or take the public ferry across the Saigon River to District 2 for lunch. Final evening: a rooftop beer and a last bowl of pho or com tam.

🚌Tour bus out to Cu Chi (included in tour) + Grab (~£2)

🛏District 1 budget hotel or hostel private room (~£14)

• →Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour (~£20)
• →Reunification Palace (~£2.50)

Breakfast and check out — Tan Son Nhat Airport is a 20-30 minute Grab ride away (~£3-4) or bus 109 for ~£0.50. If your flight is later, stash bags at the hostel and do a final wander around the Fine Arts Museum or the city's coffee scene (Vietnamese ca phe sua da, ~£1). Optional extension: add a Mekong Delta day trip (~£20) or move on to Cambodia by land via Moc Bai or by bus to Phnom Penh (~£20).

🚌Grab to airport (~£3.50)

🛏None (check-out day)

• →Fine Arts Museum
• →Airport transfer