Vietnam Roadtrip: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City — Self-Launched

Land at Noi Bai and take the public Vietjet/Vietnam Airlines shuttle bus #86 (about £1.30) or a Grab motorbike/taxi (~£5-7) into the Old Quarter. Check into a hostel dorm or budget guesthouse near Ma May / Hang Bac, grab a bowl of bun cha or pho at a pavement stall for ~£2, then wander Hoan Kiem Lake at dusk. Sort your onward train tickets tonight — either at Hanoi Railway Station or via the official Vietnam Railways app / a reputable agent on the same street.

🚌Airport shuttle #86 ~£1.30

🛏Hostel dorm, Old Quarter (£7-10/night)

• →Old Quarter orientation wander
• →Hoan Kiem Lake at night

Do your own walking loop instead of a guided orientation: Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake (free), the Temple of Literature (~£1), then a $6-8 self-booked street-food walking tour on Klook or GetYourGuide if you want local intel. Overnight train is an option tonight, but there's plenty to see — stay a second night and buy your Da Nang/Ninh Binh tickets in advance.

🚌Walking / Grab bikes ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm, Old Quarter (£7-10/night)

• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Temple of Literature
• →Optional street food tour (~£6 via Klook)

Take a Limousine minibus from Hanoi to Tam Coc (~1.5 hrs, £6-8 booked direct or on Klook). Do the Trang An or Tam Coc paddle boat tour directly at the ticket office (~£8-9, 2 hrs) through the limestone caves and rice paddies — the same experience the tour includes. Rent a bicycle (~£1.50) for the afternoon, visiting Hang Mua viewpoint (~£4 for the 500-step climb). If you're following the tour's exact route, take a late afternoon local bus onward to Vinh (~£4) — though most independent travellers prefer sleeping in Tam Coc.

🚌Hanoi–Ninh Binh shuttle £6-8; bus to Vinh £4

🛏Guesthouse or homestay in Tam Coc (£10-14/night)

• →Trang An/Tam Coc paddle boat tour
• →Hang Mua viewpoint climb
• →Bicycle loop through rice paddies

Overnight or early bus/train from Ninh Binh (Ninh Binh–Dong Hoi sleeper train, soft seat ~£12-15, ~8 hrs) then a 45-min local bus or Grab to Phong Nha village. Check into a riverside homestay; rent a bicycle (~£1.50) and ride the lanes past rice fields and karst peaks, or walk the village strip for dinner.

🚌Sleeper train Ninh Binh–Dong Hoi £12-15; local transfer £2

🛏Homestay or garden guesthouse (£8-12/night)

• →Village cycle
• →Phong Nha riverside evening

Book Paradise Cave direct at the national park ticket office or via Klook (~£10-13 including park entry) — the long wooden boardwalk through the white crystal stalactites is easily done independently. Add a Dark Cave zip-line/kayak combo (~£12) or, if you want the big one, a Hang Va or Tu Lan trek (~£55-90, book weeks ahead with Oxalis). Shared shuttle to the caves ~£4 return.

🚌Shared shuttle to caves ~£4

🛏Homestay or garden guesthouse (£8-12/night)

• →Paradise Cave self-guided boardwalk
• →Optional Dark Cave kayak & zip-line
• →Optional Tu Lan/Hang Va trek

Local bus north to Dong Ha (~£3), then a shared DMZ tour or Grab to the Vinh Moc Tunnels (entry ~£1.50). Alternatively book the classic DMZ day tour via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£18-25) which covers Hien Luong Bridge, Khe Sanh and Vinh Moc en route to Hue. Arrive Hue in the evening — walk the Perfume River and the Citadel moat at night, and eat bun bo Hue for £2.

🚌Bus Dong Ha–Hue £4-6

🛏Budget hotel or hostel, Hue (£8-12/night)

• →Vinh Moc Tunnels
• →DMZ sites
• →Hue evening orientation walk

Morning Imperial Citadel (~£6 entry). Afternoon: hop on the back of a local motorbike guide for the Hue countryside run — book via Klook or ask your guesthouse (~£15-20 for 4 hrs), taking in royal tombs, incense-making villages and the Thien Mu Pagoda. Late afternoon, take the Hai Van Pass by motorbike/coach: the open-tour bus Hue–Hoi An (~£5-7, 3.5 hrs) or a local bus to Da Nang then onward. Evening walk through Hoi An Old Town (buy the £5.50 Old Town ticket for the assembly halls and Japanese Covered Bridge).

🚌Motorbike tour £17; bus Hue–Hoi An £6

🛏Hostel or boutique guesthouse, Hoi An (£8-12/night)

• →Imperial Citadel
• →Motorbike countryside tour
• →Hoi An Old Town ticket

Book a Hoi An cooking class direct with a local provider (G Adventures' Oodles of Noodles partner is a community project — you can often book the same style of class through a local operator for £18-25, including market visit and Cao Lau/Mi Quang noodles). Free afternoon at Cua Dai or An Bang beach (£1 for a sunbed). Evening: bar-hop the riverside with lanterns and £1.50 bia hoi.

🚌Bicycle £1.50

🛏Hostel or boutique guesthouse, Hoi An (£8-12/night)

• →Market-to-table cooking class
• →An Bang beach afternoon
• →Riverside night out

Early start for the My Son Sanctuary ruins: book a shared sunrise tour on Klook (~£12-15 including transport) or take a local bus/Grab and pay the ~£6 entry yourself. Afternoon: get measured for a made-to-order outfit at a tailor on Tran Phu (from £25-40 for a dress or suit — 24-48 hrs turnaround) and do the Thu Bon River boat trip (~£10).

🚌Shared tour transport included

🛏Hostel or boutique guesthouse, Hoi An (£8-12/night)

• →My Son Sanctuary
• →Tailor fitting
• →Thu Bon River boat trip

This is a long travel day on the tour's private minibus; independently, take the Reunification Express train Hoi An-adjacent Da Nang → Dieu Tri (~5 hrs, hard seat/soft seat £6-9, book on dsvn.vn), then a 20-min local bus to Quy Nhon. Alternatively a sleeper bus via a hostel-booked open-tour ticket (~£10). Quy Nhon is wonderfully untouristed — evening seafood barbecue on the beachfront for £4.

🚌Train Da Nang–Dieu Tri £7; local bus £1

🛏Budget hotel near the beach (£9-13/night)

• →Coastal train ride
• →Quy Nhon beachfront seafood

Local bus or shared minibus Quy Nhon → Nha Trang (~4 hrs, £6-8) — sit on the right for the Cao Ma and Deo Ca pass views over the bays. Check in, swim, then do your own evening street-food crawl: nem nuong (grilled pork skewers), banh canh and a seafood hotpot for ~£5-7 total. Booking a £15 guided crawl on Klook is easy but not necessary — the night market on Tran Phu is all you need.

🚌Bus Quy Nhon–Nha Trang £7

🛏Hostel or budget hotel, Nha Trang (£8-12/night)

• →Coastal bus over Deo Ca pass
• →Nha Trang street food crawl

Morning: Thap Ba hot springs and mud baths (~£10), or a boat trip/snorkel to Hon Mun (~£15 via local operator). Afternoon: sleeper bus Nha Trang → Mui Ne (~4.5 hrs, £7-9, book on Klook or at any travel agent). Mui Ne is a laid-back strip of palms and white sand — dinner at a beach shack for £4.

🚌Sleeper bus £8

🛏Beach guesthouse or hostel, Mui Ne (£9-14/night)

• →Mud baths or snorkel trip
• →Mui Ne beach evening

Hire a jeep or motorbike driver for the classic sunrise loop (~£12-15 shared, or £8 for a motorbike with driver): white sand dunes, red sand dunes, the Fairy Stream walk and Mui Ne fishing village. Afternoon is beach time — kitesurfing lessons here are among the cheapest in Asia (~£45 for a 2-hr intro if you fancy it).

🚌Shared jeep tour £13

🛏Beach guesthouse or hostel, Mui Ne (£9-14/night)

• →White & red sand dunes
• →Fairy Stream
• →Fishing village
• →Optional kitesurfing intro

Bus or train Mui Ne/Phan Thiet → Saigon (~4-5 hrs, £7-9). Check into a District 1 hostel, then do the free self-guided city loop: Ben Thanh Market, the Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office exterior, the War Remnants Museum (~£2) and the Reunification Palace. Evening drinks on Bui Vien walking street.

🚌Bus Phan Thiet–HCMC £8

🛏Hostel dorm, District 1 (£6-10/night)

• →Ben Thanh Market
• →War Remnants Museum
• →Bui Vien evening

Optional half-day Cu Chi Tunnels trip (~£18 via Klook including entry, or £5 local bus + £5 entry DIY) if your flight is late. Otherwise coffee, a banh mi and the market before a Grab to Tan Son Nhat (~£4) or bus #109 (~£0.50).

🚌Grab to airport £4

🛏—

• →Optional Cu Chi Tunnels
• →Cafe and market morning