Northern Vietnam Highlights — Self-Launched (Hanoi, Sapa, Ninh Binh & Ha Long Bay)

Land in Hanoi and settle into a hostel or budget hotel in the Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem area) — aim for something around £15-20/night. Spend the afternoon on foot: Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple, then get lost in the 36 Streets of the Old Quarter. In the evening do a DIY street-food crawl — bun cha, banh mi, egg coffee — rather than a paid food tour, or book a small-group Hanoi street food walk on GetYourGuide (~£20) if you'd rather have a guide. Worth booking your Sapa sleeper train and Ha Long Bay cruise online tonight or the day before so you have confirmed berths/cabins.

🚌Airport bus #86 or Grab from Noi Bai Airport to Old Quarter (~£1-2)

🛏Budget hotel/hostel in Hanoi Old Quarter (~£15-20)

• →Self-guided Old Quarter walk
• →Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple
• →DIY street food crawl
• →Optional: small-group Hanoi street food tour (~£20)

Use the day to see Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum complex (free, mornings only, closed Mon/Fri) or the Temple of Literature (~£1.50). Then take the evening sleeper train from Hanoi to Lao Cai — the Livitrans/Victoria/Chapa express carriages cost roughly £20-30 for a soft sleeper berth, far less than a tour transfer. Book on baolau.com or Vietnam Railways (dsvn.vn). Arrive Lao Cai early morning and take a shared minibus or local bus up to Sapa (~£2-3), about an hour. Note the original itinerary does the Sapa leg by day minibus; the train saves a full day of road time.

🚌Sleeper train Hanoi–Lao Cai (~£20-30) + shared minibus Lao Cai–Sapa (~£2-3)

🛏Sleeper train berth (Hanoi–Lao Cai) (~£20-30)

• →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free)
• →Temple of Literature
• →Overnight sleeper train booking

Check into a Sapa guesthouse — the town has plenty of basic-but-friendly family-run places for £10-15/night. Walk downhill from Sapa to Cat Cat Village in the Muong Hoa Valley (~3km, entrance ~£2.50) to see Black H'mong stilt houses, indigo weaving and the Cat Cat waterfall. Afternoon: Sapa Market and town for coffee with valley views. Book your guide for tomorrow's valley trek through your guesthouse (roughly £15-20 for a half-day private guide) or join a small-group trek via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£18). Optional upgrade: Fansipan cable car to the summit (~£25-30 return) — a highlight if the weather is clear, and often a better call than a long trek in mud.

🚌On foot; local taxi for return to town (~£2)

🛏Family-run guesthouse in Sapa (~£10-15)

• →Hike to Cat Cat Village & waterfall
• →Black H'mong stilt houses and weaving displays
• →Sapa Market
• →Optional: Fansipan cable car (~£25-30)

Trek from Sapa down through the Muong Hoa Valley rice terraces: Y Linh Ho (Black H'mong), Lao Chai, and Ta Van (Tay minority village) — roughly 10-12km, 4-5 hours, moderate. Go with a local H'mong guide arranged through your guesthouse; it's cheaper and the money goes straight to the village. Lunch in Ta Van, then a shared minibus back to Lao Cai or Sapa town. Take the evening sleeper train back to Hanoi (arrive early morning), or a late VIP sleeper bus (~£10) if the train is full. Tip: check the weather — trails get extremely muddy after rain, so bring grippy shoes or swap to a lower valley walk.

🚌Shared minibus Ta Van/Sapa–Lao Cai (~£2-3) + sleeper train to Hanoi (~£20-30)

🛏Sleeper train back to Hanoi (~£20-30) or overnight bus (~£10)

• →Guided valley trek Y Linh Ho – Lao Chai – Ta Van (~£15-20)
• →Rice terrace viewpoints
• →Tay and H'mong village visits
• →Village lunch

From Hanoi, take a limousine bus or train south to Ninh Binh (~£5-7, 2 hours). Base yourself in Tam Coc village at a homestay (£10-15). Hire a bicycle (~£2/day) and ride out to Hoa Lu, the 10th-century ancient capital, then to Tam Coc for a 1.5-hour rowboat trip through the caves (boat ~£10-12 per person, shared). Alternatively Trang An Grottoes is the more scenic, less crowded option (~£10). Finish with the Mua Cave viewpoint hike (~£2.50) for the classic limestone panorama. Eat at a local homestay — goat meat and com chay are the local specialities (~£5). Note: the operator's version runs this as a day trip from Hanoi with a buffet lunch; staying overnight here is calmer and cheaper.

🚌Limousine bus or train Hanoi–Ninh Binh (~£5-7) + bicycle hire (~£2)

🛏Homestay in Tam Coc/Ninh Binh (~£10-15)

• →Hoa Lu ancient capital
• →Tam Coc or Trang An sampan boat trip
• →Mua Cave viewpoint hike
• →Bicycle around Tam Coc villages

Morning bus/shuttle from Ninh Binh or Hanoi to Ha Long (or better, Lan Ha Bay / Bai Tu Long for fewer boats) — ~£8-12, 3-4 hours. Board a mid-range overnight junk booked directly or via Klook/GetYourGuide: budget-to-mid boats run roughly £70-110 per person for a 2D/1N cruise including cabin, all meals, kayaking and activities. Afternoon: guided visit to Sung Sot (Amazing) Cave, climb Titop Island for the bay panorama and a swim, then a sunset cooking demo on deck and squid fishing with the crew at night. Smaller boats from Lan Ha are usually newer than the older junks used on the packaged group route.

🚌Shuttle bus Ninh Binh/Hanoi–Ha Long (~£8-12)

🛏Overnight on a mid-range Ha Long Bay junk — cabin included (~part of cruise price)

• →Sung Sot Cave
• →Titop Island viewpoint & swim
• →Sunset cooking demonstration
• →Squid fishing with crew

Sunrise tai chi on the sundeck, then kayak or take a local rowed sampan through Luon Cave (~£3-5 for the sampan if not included). Brunch on board, disembark late morning and shuttle back to Hanoi (~£8-12, ~3.5 hours). Drop bags at your Hanoi hotel and spend the last afternoon on anything you missed — Train Street, the Women's Museum, or a bia hoi corner. Depart Hanoi in the evening or next day.

🚌Shuttle Ha Long–Hanoi (~£8-12)

🛏Budget hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter (~£15-20) or onward travel

• →Sunrise tai chi
• →Kayaking / sampan at Luon Cave
• →Final Hanoi exploration