Incredible Vietnam & Bali in 15 Days — Self-Launched: Halong Bay, Hoi An, Mekong Delta & Bali

Land at Noi Bai (HAN) and take the express bus 86 (about 45,000 VND / £1.50) or a Grab bike/car into the Old Quarter — skip the airport taxi touts. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Ma May or Hang Bac. Spend the afternoon wandering Hoan Kiem Lake, the 36 Streets and Beer Street. Do a self-guided street-food crawl: bun cha, pho and egg coffee for well under £6. Book tomorrow's Ninh Binh trip and your Halong Bay cruise online tonight (Klook/GetYourGuide) so pickups are confirmed.

🚌Airport bus 86 / Grab from Noi Bai (~£1.50–4)

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

• →Hoan Kiem Lake walk
• →Old Quarter street-food crawl
• →Book Tam Coc + Halong Bay cruise online

Take an early limousine van or open tour bus from Hanoi to Ninh Binh (~2 hrs, £6–9) — or the train to Ninh Binh station for ~£3. Rent a bicycle or scooter (£3–5/day) and do it yourself: Hoa Lu Ancient Capital's Dinh and Le dynasty temples (50,000 VND entry), then the classic Tam Coc rowboat through the karst caves and rice paddies (~£10, book at the dock). Cycle the Tam Coc–Bich Dong lanes in the late afternoon. Either return to Hanoi in the evening or stay overnight in Tam Coc village for a quieter night.

🚌Limousine van Hanoi–Ninh Binh return (~£12–18) + bike hire (~£4)

🛏Tam Coc guesthouse or return to Hanoi hostel (~£12–15)

• →Hoa Lu Ancient Capital temples
• →Tam Coc rowboat through limestone caves
• →Cycling Tam Coc–Bich Dong village lanes

Book a 2-day/1-night budget cruise direct or via Klook/GetYourGuide (from ~£90–130 including transfers, all meals, kayaking and cabin — the tour's included cruise is the priciest single item). Get picked up in Hanoi mid-morning, board a traditional junk, cruise among the limestone islets, kayak through caves and lagoons, and enjoy a seafood dinner on deck. Cheaper alternative: a day cruise plus a night in Cat Ba town.

🚌Shuttle bus Hanoi–Halong return included in cruise package

🛏Twin-share cabin on board a budget junk (~included in cruise price)

• →Overnight junk cruise on Halong/Lan Ha Bay
• →Sea kayaking among limestone karsts
• →Seafood dinner on deck

Wake for the sun-deck tai chi session (free on most boats), visit a stalactite cave and a floating fishing village, then cruise back to port after brunch. Shuttle returns you to Hanoi by late afternoon. Evening free: catch a water puppet show at Thang Long theatre (~£4–6) or just wander the night market on a weekend.

🚌Return shuttle included in cruise; local walking/Grab

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

• →Sunrise tai chi on the sundeck
• →Cave and fishing-village shore excursion
• →Water puppet show or night market

Two good options. Cheapest and most atmospheric: the Reunification Express sleeper (soft-sleeper ~£28–35, ~16 hrs, book on dsvn.vn or at the station a few days ahead), arriving Da Nang in the morning — then a Grab or local bus 20 min south to Hoi An. Faster: a 1h20 VietJet/Bamboo flight Hanoi–Da Nang (~£35–55 booked ahead) and a ~£4 Grab to Hoi An. If flying, use the afternoon to settle into an Ancient Town guesthouse and buy a £5 old-town ticket for the heritage houses.

🚌Sleeper train (~£30) or flight (~£45) + Da Nang–Hoi An transfer (~£4)

🛏Hoi An guesthouse or budget hotel near Ancient Town (~£14)

• →Reunification Express sleeper train or short domestic flight
• →Hoi An Ancient Town evening stroll and lantern-lit riverside

Rent a bicycle (~£2) or join a small-group Cam Kim / Tra Que eco tour via GetYourGuide (~£20–28). Cycle through rice paddies and vegetable gardens, learn traditional net fishing, and ride a round bamboo basket boat through the coconut-palm waterways of Cam Thanh. That afternoon get measured for tailor-made clothes (Hoi An's specialty, ~£30–60 for a shirt) or hit An Bang beach for sunset.

🚌Bicycle hire (~£2)

🛏Hoi An guesthouse or budget hotel (~£14)

• →Cycling the Hoi An countryside and Tra Que herb village
• →Basket boat ride on the coconut waterways
• →Traditional net-fishing demo
• →An Bang beach sunset

Book a lantern-making workshop directly with a Hoi An craftsman or via GetYourGuide (~£12–18) — most include a bike ride to the workshop, a demo and your own finished lantern to take home. Spend the rest of the day exploring the Japanese Covered Bridge, assembly halls and the market, then come back after dark for the lantern-lit river, floating candle boats and the night market.

🚌Bicycle or walking

🛏Hoi An guesthouse or budget hotel (~£14)

• →Lantern-making workshop
• →Japanese Covered Bridge & old merchant houses
• →Night market and river lantern floating

Transfer to Da Nang (bus/Grab ~£4) and fly to Saigon (~£35–55 on VietJet/Bamboo if booked ahead; a sleeper train is possible but 18+ hrs). Land at Tan Son Nhat and Grab into District 1 (~£3). Evening: walk Nguyen Hue walking street, the Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office facades, and eat at Ben Thanh night market or a District 1 banh mi stand.

🚌Grab to Da Nang airport (~£4) + flight (~£45) + airport Grab (~£3)

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

• →Domestic flight Da Nang–Saigon
• →Nguyen Hue walking street
• →Ben Thanh night market food crawl

Book a half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (~£18–25 including transport and entry) with an English-speaking guide who explains the tunnel network and war history. Crawl sections of the tunnels, see the trap displays and try manioc (the guerrilla staple) — firing an AK47 at the range is an optional extra (~£1 per bullet). Back in Saigon by mid-afternoon: visit the War Remnants Museum (~£2) or Reunification Palace (~£2.50).

🚌Included in tour bus; local Grab

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

• →Guided Cu Chi Tunnels tour
• →Manioc tasting
• →War Remnants Museum or Reunification Palace

Take a small-group Mekong Delta day tour via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£22–30, or DIY by local bus to My Tho for ~£2 and hiring a boat on the riverbank). Cruise the Mekong by sampan past the Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise islets, walk through a fruit plantation with tropical fruit tasting, hear local folk music, paddle a hand-rowed sampan through the palm canals, and visit a honey-bee farm and coconut-candy workshop. Cycle through Tan Thach village and meet local families. Back in Saigon for dinner.

🚌Shared minibus to My Tho and back (included in tour or ~£4 by public bus)

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

• →Sampan cruise around the Mekong islets
• →Fruit plantation and tropical fruit tasting
• →Folk music performance
• →Hand-rowed sampan canal ride
• →Honey tea and coconut candy workshop
• →Village cycling

Fly Tan Son Nhat to Denpasar (DPS) — AirAsia/VietJet one-way tickets run ~£70–110 booked a few weeks ahead. Arrive, get an Indonesian e-VOA online in advance (~£27), pick up a local SIM, and take a Grab or airport bus to Canggu, Seminyak or Ubud (~£6–12). Check into a surf hostel or guesthouse, then ease into a warung dinner and a Bintang on the beach.

🚌Flight (~£90) + airport transfer (~£8)

🛏Canggu surf hostel private room or Ubud guesthouse (~£15)

• →Flight HCMC–Denpasar
• →e-VOA and local SIM setup
• →Sunset at the beach or Canggu rice-field walk

Join a small-group or shared full-day Kintamani tour via GetYourGuide (~£25–35 including driver, entry fees and often lunch). Watch a Barong & Kris dance in Batubulan, stop at Celuk silver and Mas wood-carving workshops (free entry — buy only if you like the price, and check normal shops first), visit Tampak Siring's sacred water temple, walk Ubud's Puri Saren palace and market, and finish with volcano-and-lake views from a Kintamani restaurant. Prefer DIY? Hire a scooter (~£5/day) or a private driver for the day (~£35 split between two).

🚌Shared tour transport or scooter/private driver

🛏Ubud guesthouse or Canggu hostel (~£15)

• →Barong & Kris dance performance
• →Celuk silver and Mas wood-carving villages
• →Tampak Siring water temple
• →Ubud palace and market
• →Kintamani volcano viewpoint lunch

Do your own thing: scooter to the Tegallalang rice terraces and Tibumana or Tegenungan waterfall (£2–3 entry each), take a beginner surf lesson in Canggu or Batu Bolong (~£20–25), or hike the Campuhan Ridge Walk at sunrise for free. Evening: a £5 Balinese massage and a night market dinner in Gianyar or Canggu.

🚌Scooter hire (~£5) or Grab

🛏Ubud guesthouse or Canggu hostel (~£15)

• →Tegallalang rice terraces by scooter
• →Tibumana or Tegenungan waterfall
• →Beginner surf lesson (optional)
• →Campuhan Ridge Walk

Options: a day trip to Nusa Penida for Kelingking Beach and snorkelling with manta rays (~£35–45 via Klook including fast boat and driver/guide), sunset at Uluwatu temple with a kecak fire dance (~£10 entry + £8 show), or simply beach-hop the Bukit peninsula. Keep it cheap by eating at warungs (~£5–8/day) and using Grab/Gojek.

🚌Fast boat day trip or Grab/scooter

🛏Canggu or Uluwatu guesthouse (~£18)

• →Nusa Penida day trip (optional)
• →Uluwatu temple sunset and kecak dance (optional)
• →Beach hopping on the Bukit peninsula

Last morning for a beach swim or a final £3 nasi campur breakfast, then Grab to Ngurah Rai International Airport (allow 60–90 mins from Canggu in traffic; ~£8). If your flight is late, stash bags at the guesthouse and hit Kuta beach or a spa. Don't forget the departure tax is included in your ticket — but keep ~£10 for airport food.

🚌Grab to DPS (~£8)

🛏—

• →Final beach morning
• →Grab transfer to DPS airport