Vietnam World Heritage Sites: Self-Launched 10-Day Hanoi to Da Nang Adventure

Fly into Noi Bai (HAN). Skip the private transfer and take the Airport Bus 86 (about 45,000 VND / £1.50) or a Grab car (~£9-11) to the Old Quarter. Check into a hostel or budget hotel near Hoan Kiem Lake. Spend the late afternoon wandering the 36 Streets, catching a water puppet show at Thang Long Theatre (~£4) if timing works, and eating bun cha or pho bo at a pavement spot (~£2). Book your Ha Long Bay cruise and Ninh Binh day trip tonight if you haven't already.

🚌Airport Bus 86 from Noi Bai to Old Quarter (~£1.50) or Grab (~£10)

🛏Old Quarter hostel/budget hotel, private room (~£14-18)

• →Old Quarter walking orientation
• →Hoan Kiem Lake at dusk
• →Optional Thang Long water puppet show (~£4)
• →Street food dinner: bun cha / pho

Do the same sights the tour covers, on foot and by Grab. Start early at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and his stilt houses (free, closed Mon & Fri, mornings only — go before 10:30), then Ba Dinh Square, the One Pillar Pagoda and Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake. Afternoon: Temple of Literature (~£1.50) and the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (~£1.50, excellent on the hill-tribe collections). Finish at Hoa Lo Prison ('Hanoi Hilton', ~£1.50) before it closes at 17:00. Optionally hire a local guide for a half-day via Klook (~£25) if you want context — the tour's own Days 1-2 guide equivalent.

🚌Walking + 3-4 Grab rides (~£6 total)

🛏Old Quarter hostel/budget hotel (~£14-18)

• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & stilt houses (free)
• →One Pillar Pagoda
• →Tran Quoc Pagoda
• →Temple of Literature (~£1.50)
• →Museum of Ethnology (~£1.50)
• →Hoa Lo Prison (~£1.50)

Book a small-group Ninh Binh day tour on Klook or GetYourGuide (~£32-38 including hotel pickup, Trang An sampan ride, bicycle hire, Mua Cave and a buffet lunch) — this is the cheap and easy route. Independent alternative: catch the train or a limousine bus to Ninh Binh (~£4-7 each way), hire a bicycle (~£2), pay the Trang An boat entrance (~£8) and Mua Cave (~£2) yourself. Climb the ~500 steps at Mua Cave for the Hang Mua viewpoint (skip it if stairs aren't your thing — the boat trip is the highlight). Return to Hanoi in the evening.

🚌Small-group day tour minibus, or train/bus to Ninh Binh (~£5-7 each way)

🛏Old Quarter hostel/budget hotel (~£14-18)

• →Trang An UNESCO boat trip
• →Mua Cave viewpoint climb
• →Bicycle ride through Tam Coc villages
• →Hoa Lu ancient capital
• →Local buffet lunch

Take a 2-day/1-night Ha Long Bay cruise booked direct or via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£95-130 for a mid-range boat with private cabin, all meals and kayaking — cheaper backpacker boats from ~£75). Transfer bus from Hanoi Old Quarter is included in most packages. Afternoon: kayak or bamboo boat through Luon Cave, swim and hike Titov Island's viewpoint, then sunset deck drinks and a spring-roll cooking demo. Evening: squid fishing off the stern, karaoke, board games.

🚌Included shuttle bus Hanoi–Tuan Chau harbour (~3.5 hrs each way)

🛏Overnight cruise cabin on Ha Long Bay (included in cruise price)

• →Luon Cave kayaking / bamboo boat
• →Titov Island hike and beach swim
• →Sunset party & fresh spring roll cooking class
• →Night squid fishing

Sunrise on the sundeck, breakfast, a stop at the pearl farm, a final kayak and lunch before docking back at Tuan Chau around 15:00. Shuttle back to Hanoi. Then choose your southbound leg: the Reunification Express sleeper train (SE19/SE3, ~16 hrs, soft sleeper ~£25-35 per berth, hard sleeper ~£18; book on 12go.asia or dsvn.vn) or a cheap VietJet/Vietnam Airlines flight (~£28-40, ~1h20) if you'd rather sleep in a real bed. The train is slower but part of the experience; the flight is often cheaper than buying out a whole cabin.

🚌Cruise shuttle to Hanoi, then Reunification Express soft sleeper (~£28) or domestic flight (~£32)

🛏Sleeper train berth (or Da Nang budget hotel if flying, ~£15)

• →Sunrise on the sundeck
• →Halong Pearl Farm visit
• →Final kayak on the bay
• →Overnight train journey south

Arrive Da Nang early morning. Take local bus #1 or a Grab (~£5-6) the 45 minutes to Hoi An, check in and nap. Afternoon in the UNESCO Old Town: buy the combined Old Town ticket (~£5) which covers Phuc Kien Chinese Assembly Hall, Tan Ky Ancient House, the Museum of Folk Culture and the Japanese Covered Bridge. Wander Hoi An Market, catch a traditional performing arts show, then at dusk hire a small boat on the Thu Bon River and release a flower lantern (~£2-3). Dinner: cao lau and white rose dumplings (~£4).

🚌Local bus or Grab Da Nang → Hoi An (~£5)

🛏Hoi An 3-star hotel or good guesthouse (~£16-22)

• →Hoi An Old Town combined ticket (~£5)
• →Phuc Kien Assembly Hall & Tan Ky House
• →Japanese Covered Bridge
• →Thu Bon River boat + lantern release (~£3)
• →Hoi An Market

Book the Ba Na Hills cable car + entry package yourself via Klook (~£30-35, includes return cable car and Fantasy Park) and take a Grab or shared shuttle from Hoi An (~£8-10 each way, or a Klook combo with transfer for ~£45 all-in). Ride the famous cable car, walk the Golden Bridge, explore Le Jardin d'Amour, Linh Ung Pagoda and the French Village, and use the included Fantasy Park games. Eat at the buffet or grab cheaper food in the French Village. Note: Ba Na is crowded and kitschy — go early, leave by mid-afternoon.

🚌Grab/shared shuttle Hoi An ↔ Ba Na Hills (~£16-20 return)

🛏Hoi An 3-star hotel or good guesthouse (~£16-22)

• →Ba Na Hills cable car & Golden Bridge (Klook ~£32)
• →Le Jardin d'Amour & Linh Ung Pagoda
• →French Village
• →Fantasy Park rides (included)

Get the classic coast road: book a shared 'Easy Rider' motorbike or a private car transfer Hoi An to Hue over the Hai Van Pass (~£25-35 per person, ~5-6 hrs with stops) — far better than the tunnel bus. Stop at Hai Van Pass viewpoint, Lap An Lagoon and Lang Co beach for lunch. On arrival in Hue visit Khai Dinh Tomb (~£4), the Imperial Citadel (~£5) and Thien Mu Pagoda (free), either this afternoon or the next morning. Or take the cheaper public bus (~£4) and do the pass as a separate half-day. Overnight in Hue backpacker zone.

🚌Shared motorbike or car transfer over Hai Van Pass (~£28) — or public bus ~£4

🛏Hue guesthouse/budget hotel (~£13-18)

• →Hai Van Pass viewpoint
• →Lap An Lagoon & Lang Co beach
• →Khai Dinh Tomb (~£4)
• →Hue Imperial Citadel (~£5)
• →Thien Mu Pagoda

Bus back to Hoi An (~£5 on local bus or £8 limousine van, ~3 hrs) or keep going straight to My Son. Book the Cam Thanh coconut village basket-boat experience via Klook (~£12-15) — paddle the round boats, try cast-net fishing, watch the basket-boat spin performance and fire cooking show, then a 7-dish local lunch. Afternoon: My Son Sanctuary (~£6 entry plus ~£10 shared tour or Grab) for the Cham temples and traditional dance performance, ideally arriving before 10am or after 2pm to dodge the crowds. Evening back in Hoi An for tailors and lantern-lit streets.

🚌Hue → Hoi An bus/limousine van (~£5-8); Grab to My Son (~£10)

🛏Hoi An 3-star hotel or good guesthouse (~£16-22)

• →Cam Thanh basket boat & fishing village experience (Klook ~£13)
• →Cooking show with fire performance
• →7-dish local lunch
• →My Son Sanctuary Cham temples & dance (~£16 incl. entry)

Breakfast, a last coffee by the river and any tailoring pickups, then take the local bus or a Grab (~£6) the 45 minutes to Da Nang International Airport. If your flight is late, stash your bag and squeeze in the Marble Mountains (~£2) or My Khe beach on the way. Allow 2.5-3 hours at the airport for international departures.

🚌Grab or local bus Hoi An → Da Nang airport (~£6)

🛏—

• →Morning coffee by the Thu Bon River
• →Optional Marble Mountains stop (~£2)