Legacies of Shanghai & Vietnam — Self-Launched 13-Day Route

Land at Pudong International Airport and make your own way into the city. The cheapest reliable option is Metro Line 2 from Pudong Airport (about £1) straight to People's Square or Nanjing West Road — it runs roughly 06:00–21:30. A taxi is around £18–22 and takes 45–60 minutes. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around People's Square or the Nanjing Road area so you can walk to the river. In the evening stroll the Bund — free — to see the colonial-era waterfront lit up facing the Pudong skyline. Grab noodles or xiaolongbao at a neighbourhood canteen for roughly £3–5.

🚌Metro Line 2 from Pudong Airport to city centre (~£1, 60 min) or taxi (~£20)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near People's Square / Nanjing Road (£12–22 per night)

• →Evening walk along the Bund (free)
• →Pudong skyline views from Riverside Promenade

Do the Shanghai highlights as a self-guided walk — everything clusters around the old town and downtown. Start at Yuyuan Garden (entry ~£4) and the surrounding bazaar, wander the lanes of Shanghai Old Street, then walk or metro up to Nanjing Road for the pedestrian shopping stretch. After lunch hop the metro to Jade Buddha Temple (~£2 entry) — one of the city's few active Buddhist temples. Finish back at the Bund for a different light and, if you fancy it, a cheap Huangpu River ferry crossing (~£0.25) for skyline photos. Metro journeys are about £0.30–0.60 each.

🚌Shanghai Metro day use (~£2) plus walking

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near People's Square / Nanjing Road (£12–22 per night)

• →Yuyuan Garden entry (~£4)
• →Shanghai Old Street wander
• →Nanjing Road shopping street
• →Jade Buddha Temple (~£2)
• →Oriental Pearl Tower exterior + Riverside Promenade
• →Huangpu River public ferry (~£0.25)

Catch Metro Line 17 from Hongqiao Railway Station to Zhujiajiao (~£0.60, ~35 min) for a full DIY day in this Ming-Qing canal town. Entry to the town is free; individual sights are ticketed, and the combined ticket is roughly £4–5 if you want the gardens and temple. Take a short boat ride along the waterway (~£4) and eat lunch at a local restaurant by the canal (~£4–6). Head back to Shanghai in the late afternoon; the evening is free for more shopping or rest. Total round trip on the metro is under £2.

🚌Shanghai Metro Line 17 return to Zhujiajiao (~£1.20)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near People's Square / Nanjing Road (£12–22 per night)

• →Zhujiajiao Water Town (free entry)
• →Canal boat ride (~£4)
• →Optional combined sight ticket (~£5)

Fly Shanghai to Hanoi (Noi Bai International Airport) — budget carriers and full-service airlines both run this route; book 4–8 weeks ahead for fares around £90–150 one way. If you have time, the Maglev from Longyang Road to Pudong Airport (~£6, 8 minutes) is a fun way to get there. On arrival at Noi Bai, take the local Bus 86 to the city centre (~£1.30) or a Grab car (~£10–13). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in the Old Quarter. Sort out a local eSIM or SIM card (~£6) and your onward plan, then eat a first bowl of bun cha or pho for £1.50–3.

🚌Flight Shanghai–Hanoi (~£90–150); Bus 86 or Grab from Noi Bai (~£1.30–13)

🛏Old Quarter hostel or guesthouse (£8–16 per night)

• →Self-arranged transfer into Hanoi
• →Evening walk of Hoan Kiem Lake (free)

Do your own Hanoi food tour — it is genuinely one of the best DIY experiences in Asia. Book a small-group street food tour on Klook or GetYourGuide (~£18–25) if you want a guide and a curated route, or self-guide: start at the Old Quarter and work through bun cha, pho bo, pho ga, grilled-pork vermicelli, sticky rice (xoi), banh cuon steamed pancakes and Vietnamese coffee. Budget ~£6–9 for a generous multi-stop crawl paying cash at stands. In the afternoon take a free/self-guided walking loop of the Old Quarter (St Joseph's Cathedral, Train Street viewpoint at a licensed café, Dong Xuan Market). Note temples and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum area are free or a couple of pounds.

🚌Walking in the Old Quarter; occasional Grab (~£1–2)

🛏Old Quarter hostel or guesthouse (£8–16 per night)

• →Self-guided Hanoi Old Quarter walk (free)
• →Optional guided street-food tour (~£18–25)
• →Street food tastings (~£7)

Book a budget-to-midrange overnight cruise directly with the operator or through Klook/GetYourGuide — expect ~£95–140 per person for a 2-day/1-night trip including coach transfer from Hanoi, all meals, kayaking and cave entry. Most operators run a shuttle pickup from Old Quarter hotels around 08:00, transfer ~3.5 hours to Tuan Chau or Hon Gai harbour, then board for a seafood lunch on deck. Afternoon is limestone cave exploration and kayaking or swimming near the floating villages. Dinner is served onboard and the boat anchors overnight among the karsts.

🚌Included cruise shuttle coach from Hanoi (~3.5 hrs each way)

🛏Overnight cabin on a budget Halong Bay cruise (£95–140 total for the whole 2-day trip)

• →Halong Bay cruise
• →Limestone cave exploration
• →Kayaking or swimming near floating villages

Wake for sunrise over the karsts and join the optional tai chi on the sun deck if your boat offers it. Brunch is served as you sail back to harbour, then the shuttle returns you to Hanoi mid-afternoon. From Hanoi, fly to Da Nang (1 hr 20 min, ~£35–60 booked ahead) and take a Grab or shared shuttle the 30–40 min to Hoi An (~£6–8); alternatively take the overnight train from Hanoi to Da Nang (~£20–30 in soft sleeper) if you want to save on a hotel night — the train is slower but a classic Vietnamese experience. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Hoi An old town.

🚌Cruise shuttle back to Hanoi; flight Hanoi–Da Nang (~£35–60) + Grab to Hoi An (~£7), or overnight train to Da Nang (~£25)

🛏Hoi An old-town hostel or budget hotel (£10–20 per night)

• →Sunrise viewing over Halong Bay
• →Tai chi on deck (if offered)
• →Evening lantern walk in Hoi An old town (free)

Book a half-day Cam Thanh Eco-Village and basket-boat experience via Klook or straight with a local operator (~£18–28 including lunch). You cycle through rice paddies and fishing hamlets, paddle a bamboo basket boat through the coconut palms, try traditional net fishing with local fishermen and learn to make a souvenir from nipa palm leaves. Lunch at a local restaurant in Cam Thanh is usually included. If you'd rather self-launch it fully, rent a bicycle for ~£1.50/day and ride out to Cam Thanh yourself, then pay the basket-boat co-op directly (~£4–5 per person). Afternoon is free — the old town's Japanese Bridge, assembly halls and tailors are all walkable.

🚌Bicycle rental (~£1.50/day) or walking

🛏Hoi An old-town hostel or budget hotel (£10–20 per night)

• →Cycle trip through Hoi An countryside
• →Cam Thanh basket-boat ride
• →Net fishing with local fishermen
• →Nipa palm leaf gift making
• →Lunch at local Cam Thanh restaurant

Keep this day open, exactly as the original tour does. Options: a dawn cycle to An Bang or Cua Dai beach (free), a cooking class (~£18–25), a tailor fitting in the old town, or a day trip up to the My Son Sanctuary (~£15–20 with transport and entry). Hire a bike, eat cao lau and white rose dumplings, and take the cheap public ferry to Cam Kim island for a quieter side of Hoi An. Old town entrance ticket is ~£4.50 if you want the heritage sights.

🚌Bicycle rental (~£1.50) or Grab for longer trips (~£3–8)

🛏Hoi An old-town hostel or budget hotel (£10–20 per night)

• →Beach cycling to An Bang / Cua Dai (free)
• →Optional My Son Sanctuary day trip (~£18)
• →Optional cooking class (~£20)
• →Hoi An old town heritage ticket (~£4.50)

Transfer to Da Nang airport (Grab ~£7, 40 min) and fly to Ho Chi Minh City (~£25–50 booked ahead, ~1 hr 25 min). From Tan Son Nhat Airport, take Bus 109 or 152 into District 1 (~£0.40–0.60) or a Grab (~£5–7). Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Pham Ngu Lao / Bui Vien (the backpacker quarter) or District 1. Spend the afternoon walking Dong Khoi, the Notre Dame Cathedral exterior and the Central Post Office (both free to view from outside; post office interior free). Evening street food in District 1 or the Bui Vien area for £3–6.

🚌Grab to Da Nang airport (~£7); flight Da Nang–HCMC (~£25–50); Bus 109/152 to District 1 (~£0.50)

🛏District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao hostel or budget hotel (£8–18 per night)

• →Notre Dame Cathedral exterior (free)
• →Central Post Office (free)
• →Dong Khoi street walk

Book a half-day or small-group Cu Chi Tunnels tour on Klook/GetYourGuide (~£14–22 including transport, guide, tunnel entry, tea and cassava) — or go fully DIY: Bus 13 from Ben Thanh to Cu Chi town (~£0.50) then a motorbike taxi to the tunnels, entry ~£5. In the afternoon visit the War Remnants Museum (~£1.60) and Independence Palace (~£2.70) — both easy to do independently in District 1; the War Remnants Museum is the more affecting of the two. Optional gun-range shooting is available at Cu Chi for extra cost. Dinner is cheap and excellent around Ben Thanh market.

🚌Tour bus or public Bus 13 to Cu Chi (~£0.50); Grab within the city (~£1–2)

🛏District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao hostel or budget hotel (£8–18 per night)

• →Cu Chi Tunnels tour or DIY visit (~£5–22)
• →War Remnants Museum (~£1.60)
• →Independence Palace (~£2.70)
• →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
• →Tea and cassava at Cu Chi

Book a group Mekong Delta day tour to My Tho via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£20–30 including transport, boat rides, fruit tasting and lunch) — this is the easiest self-launchable version of the itinerary's Mekong day. You visit Vinh Trang Pagoda, take a sampan around the four islands (Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, Tortoise), walk Unicorn Island, taste tropical fruit, ride a hand-rowed sampan through Thoi Son canal, see a honey-bee farm and coconut-candy workshop, and cycle around Tan Thach village. Hammocks await anyone skipping the cycling. Return to HCMC in the evening.

🚌Included minibus/coach on group day tour (~2 hrs each way)

🛏District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao hostel or budget hotel (£8–18 per night)

• →Vinh Trang Pagoda
• →Four-island sampan cruise
• →Unicorn Island walk + tropical fruit tasting
• →Thoi Son canal hand-rowed sampan
• →Honey-bee farm and coconut candy workshop
• →Cycling in Tan Thach village

Last morning in HCMC — coffee, a final banh mi, and any souvenir shopping at Ben Thanh market. Take Bus 109/152 or a Grab to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your onward flight (allow 45 min from District 1 with traffic; buses cost ~£0.50, Grab ~£5–7). If you're continuing your trip, Vietnam's 90-day e-visa and cheap onward flights make it easy to extend toward Cambodia, Laos or back up the coast.

🚌Bus 109/152 (~£0.50) or Grab (~£6) to Tan Son Nhat Airport

🛏—

• →Ben Thanh market shopping
• →Departure transfer