Self-Launched Ultimate Vietnam: Big Cities, Beaches & The Best Views Ever

Land at Noi Bai and take the cheap local option: bus 86 or the airport minibus into the Old Quarter (~£1.50-3), or a Grab car for ~£7. Check into a hostel dorm around Ma May or Hang Bac. In the evening, book a cyclo tour directly with a driver on the street or via Klook (~£4-6 for an hour) and ride through the 36 streets as they light up. Finish with street eats: bun cha, pho or banh mi at a plastic-stool joint (~£2-3).

🚌Airport bus 86 into the city (~£1.50); walking and cyclo in the Old Quarter

🛏Hostel dorm in Hanoi Old Quarter (~£8/night)

• →Cyclo tour of Hanoi Old Quarter
• →Street food dinner
• →Hoan Kiem Lake evening walk

Pick your own Hanoi day: a self-guided walking loop of the Old Quarter, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Temple of Literature (mostly free/cheap), or book a Ha Long Bay day trip via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£28-40 including lunch and transfers), or a Vietnamese cooking class (~£20-25). In the evening head to Bia Hoi corner on Ta Hien for a 5,000-10,000 VND draught (~30-50p) and work your way between the plastic-stool bars — Hanoi's cheapest and best night out.

🚌Walking or Grab bike within the city (~£1-2)

🛏Hostel dorm in Hanoi Old Quarter (~£8/night)

• →Optional Ha Long Bay day trip
• →Optional cooking class
• →Bia Hoi corner bar crawl

Free day two in the capital. Do a self-guided food walk through Dong Xuan market and the back alleys of the Old Quarter, sampling nem ran (fried spring rolls) and banh goi (fried pillows). Stop at a street-side bar and finish with Hanoi's signature ca phe trung (egg coffee) at Cafe Giang or Hanoi Food Culture (~£1.50). If you want more, add the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (200,000 VND / ~£6.50, book direct or via Klook). Evening free or book a Hanoi street food tour on GetYourGuide (~£18-25).

🚌Walking

🛏Hostel dorm in Hanoi Old Quarter (~£8/night)

• →Self-guided Old Quarter food walk
• →Egg coffee at Cafe Giang
• →Optional water puppet show

Take a local bus or shared limousine van from Hanoi's Giap Bat or My Dinh station to Ninh Binh (~£4-6, around 2 hours) — or a Grab/private car if you want the Tam Chuc stop. Tam Chuc Pagoda sits just south of the route; a Grab from Ninh Binh town is ~£3-4 each way, or join a small-group Tam Chuc + Trang An day tour on Klook (~£25). Check into a hostel or homestay in Tam Coc village, then relax by the rice fields or rent a bicycle from your accommodation (~£1.50/day) for a sunset loop.

🚌Public bus Hanoi to Ninh Binh (~£5); bicycle rental (~£1.50)

🛏Hostel/homestay in Tam Coc, Ninh Binh (~£8/night)

• →Tam Chuc Pagoda visit
• →Bicycle ride through Tam Coc rice fields

Big day out. Rent a bike and cycle to Hang Mua Peak — 500 steps for the classic view over the Tam Coc river and karsts (entry ~150,000 VND / ~£5). Then take a Trang An Grottoes rowboat tour (~200,000 VND / ~£6.50, buy at the ticket office) through the caves and limestone valleys. Ride back via Bich Dong Pagoda (free) if you've got legs left. Collect your bags and catch the overnight sleeper train from Ninh Binh station south — book on the official Vietnam Railways site (dsvn.vn) or 12Go Asia, soft sleeper ~£20-25.

🚌Sleeper train Ninh Binh to Dong Hoi (~£22)

🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train (4-berth)

• →Hang Mua Peak hike
• →Trang An Grottoes boat tour
• →Bich Dong Pagoda

Arrive early in Dong Hoi. Head to the wet/fish market by the river for a proper local breakfast — banh mi with a coffee for ~£1. Then rent a bicycle or scooter and ride the countryside lanes around the Nhat Le river and beaches. In the afternoon take the local bus or shared van from Dong Hoi to Phong Nha (~£3-4, about an hour), check into a hostel in the village and settle in for the evening.

🚌Bicycle/scooter rental (~£3); local bus Dong Hoi to Phong Nha (~£3.50)

🛏Hostel in Phong Nha village (~£7/night)

• →Dong Hoi fish market breakfast
• →Countryside cycling
• →Nhat Le beach stop

Phong Nha-Ke Bang is cave country. The easy win is Paradise Cave (Thien Duong) — boardwalks past enormous white stalactites; a shared day tour or private driver for Paradise + Dark Cave runs ~£25-35 (book via GetYourGuide, Klook or your hostel). Serious cavers can look at Hang Va or Tu Lan day tours (~£60-90). Alternatively hike the Nuoc Mooc eco-trail (~£3) or rent a bike for the Botanic Garden loop. Finish with a cold beer and a bar crawl through Phong Nha's backpacker strip.

🚌Shared tour vehicle or scooter (~£4)

🛏Hostel in Phong Nha village (~£7/night)

• →Paradise Cave day tour
• →Optional Dark Cave zipline
• →Nuoc Mooc eco-trail
• →Phong Nha bar crawl

Take a local bus or shared van north to the Vinh Moc Tunnels (~£4-6 including entry of 40,000 VND / ~£1.30) — the village-built war tunnels with far fewer crowds than Cu Chi. Continue to Hue by bus or the Reunification Express (Dong Hoi to Hue, ~£4-8, 2.5-3 hours). Free afternoon in Hue: walk the Perfume River, cross to the Citadel or just lounge at a riverside bar. Optional: a Hue motorbike tour with a local driver (~£18-22 via Klook, the equivalent of the operator's optional £27 add-on).

🚌Local bus to Vinh Moc and on to Hue (~£10 total)

🛏Hostel in Hue city centre (~£8/night)

• →Vinh Moc Tunnels
• →Perfume River walk
• →Optional motorbike city tour

The best ride in Vietnam. Options: hire an Easy Rider motorbike driver for the Hai Van Pass (~£25-30 for the day, book through any Hue hostel), join an open-top jeep tour on Klook/GetYourGuide (~£30-40), or do it cheaply by hiring a scooter (~£5-7/day) or taking the local bus/train to Da Nang (~£2-4) and grabbing a Grab. Stop at Lang Co Beach for a swim and seafood lunch (~£5), An Bang cemetery, the Marble Mountains (40,000 VND / ~£1.30) and Da Nang bay viewpoints. Continue to Hoi An (~30 mins, Grab ~£5) for a riverside evening in the old town.

🚌Motorbike driver or jeep over Hai Van Pass (~£28); Grab into Hoi An (~£5)

🛏Hostel in Hoi An old town (~£9/night)

• →Hai Van Pass drive
• →Lang Co Beach swim
• →An Bang cemetery
• →Marble Mountains
• →Hoi An riverside evening

The old town is your playground. Hire a bicycle and wander the UNESCO streets (old town ticket ~120,000 VND / ~£4). Optional add-ons: My Son Sanctuary half-day tour (~£22-30 via Klook), the Ba Na Hills and Golden Bridge excursion (~£30-35), or a bike and boat tour of the rice paddies (~£12). For dinner, try cao lau, nem ran and goi du du bo kho at a lantern-lit restaurant (~£6-8). Optional lantern-making workshop (~£5-8).

🚌Bicycle rental (~£1.50); Grab for longer hops (~£3)

🛏Hostel in Hoi An old town (~£9/night)

• →Hoi An old town walk
• →Optional My Son Sanctuary tour
• →Optional Ba Na Hills
• →Local Hoi An dinner

Book a morning Vietnamese cooking class — Oodles of Noodles and several Hoi An cooking schools run half-day classes for ~£18-25 (book direct or via Klook), and you eat your creations for lunch. The afternoon is yours: get a custom suit or dress fitted (from ~£60), learn lantern making, or sit by the river. In the evening take a Grab or local bus to Da Nang station and board the Reunification Express sleeper south toward Dieu Tri/Qui Nhon (~£18-22 soft sleeper, book on dsvn.vn or 12Go).

🚌Sleeper train Da Nang to Dieu Tri (~£20)

🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train (4-berth)

• →Vietnamese noodle cooking class
• →Optional tailor fitting
• →Optional lantern making

Arrive at Dieu Tri station and Grab into Qui Nhon (~£3). Start with a local breakfast — banh xeo or bun thit nuong (~£2) — and walk the coastline. Visit the Thap Doi Cham towers (free/cheap). Then get to Ky Co Beach: a Grab is ~£6-8 each way or join a shared boat trip; it's white sand and turquoise water, and much quieter on weekdays. Dinner at a seafood spot — banh beo chen and grilled scallops for ~£6-8.

🚌Grab from station and to Ky Co (~£12)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Qui Nhon (~£8/night)

• →Thap Doi Cham temples
• →Eoi Gio coastal walk
• →Ky Co Beach
• →Qui Nhon seafood dinner

Take a local sleeper bus or train south to Nha Trang (~£6-9, 3.5-4 hours; book on 12Go or Vexere). Check into a hostel near the beach. Afternoon at Nha Trang beach, or head out to Ganh Da Dia-style rock formations if you're doing them en route. In the evening, do the mud bath — the I-Resort or Thap Ba hot springs (~£10-15, book via Klook) — the same wellness moment the operator includes.

🚌Sleeper bus or train Qui Nhon to Nha Trang (~£8)

🛏Hostel in Nha Trang (~£9/night)

• →Nha Trang beach time
• →Mud bath and hot springs

Book a Nha Trang boat tour and snorkelling trip via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£22-29, includes lunch) to the islands and coral reefs, or just beach-hop along Tran Phu. Afternoon: rent a scooter (~£6) and visit the Po Nagar Cham towers (~£1.30) and the Long Son Pagoda. Evening street food crawl — nem nuong Ninh Hoa, banh canh and seafood on the night market (~£5-6).

🚌Scooter rental (~£6) or Grab (~£4)

🛏Hostel in Nha Trang (~£9/night)

• →Island boat and snorkelling tour
• →Po Nagar Cham towers
• →Nha Trang night market food crawl

Travel south to Saigon — sleeper bus ~£10-14 (about 8-9 hours overnight or daytime), or train to Saigon station ~£12-18. Check in around District 1 or the backpacker area of Pham Ngu Lao. Do a self-guided walking loop: Ben Thanh Market, the War Remnants Museum (~£1.50), Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. Evening: Bui Vien walking street for cheap beers (~£1) and a late-night banh mi.

🚌Sleeper bus Nha Trang to HCMC (~£12)

🛏Hostel dorm in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (~£9/night)

• →Ben Thanh Market
• →War Remnants Museum
• →Bui Vien walking street

Morning trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels — a shared small-group half-day tour is ~£20-27 via Klook or GetYourGuide, or take local bus 13 to Cu Chi (~£1) and pay the ~£4 entry yourself. Back in the city by early afternoon for a last pho, a karaoke bar if you're up for it, and your flight out from Tan Son Nhat (Grab to the airport ~£3-4, or bus 109/152 for under £1).

🚌Shared tour bus or local bus to Cu Chi (~£25); Grab to airport (~£4)

🛏Not included (departure day)

• →Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour
• →Optional karaoke night