Vietnam Highlights — Self-Launched

Land at Noi Bai (HAN) and take the VietJet/other public bus 86 express (about £1.20) or a Grab car (about £9-12) into the Old Quarter — roughly 45 minutes. Check into a budget hotel or hostel private room around Ma May / Hang Bac. Wander the 36 streets, watch the motorbike ballet, and grab a bia hoi on Ta Hien corner before a self-guided street-food crawl: bun cha, banh cuon and egg coffee (about £5-7 all in). Book your Ha Long Bay overnight cruise online this evening for day 3 (GetYourGuide or direct with a reputable junk operator).

🚌Airport bus 86 ~£1.20, or Grab ~£10

🛏Budget hotel private room or hostel twin, Old Quarter (approx £12-18)

• →Old Quarter self-guided wander
• →Hoan Kiem Lake evening loop
• →Street-food dinner crawl (bun cha, egg coffee)

Walk or Grab to the Temple of Literature (entry ~£1.50), Vietnam's first university founded in 1070. Continue on foot through the French Quarter to Hoa Lo Prison museum (~£1.50) and the Long Bien Bridge, then hop a cheap local train experience if you fancy it — the repurposed railway-side cafes near Long Bien station are the same spot the tour visits. Afternoon free: the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (~£2.50) is excellent, or just café-hop. Book a GetYourGuide Hanoi food walking tour (~£20) if you want a guided foodie evening instead of DIY.

🚌Walking + Grab rides ~£2-3

🛏Budget hotel private room or hostel twin, Old Quarter (approx £12-18)

• →Temple of Literature
• →Hoa Lo Prison
• →Long Bien Bridge walk
• →Optional evening street-food walking tour

Most budget/mid junk-boat cruises include an Old Quarter hotel pickup around 8am in a shared minibus (about 3.5-4 hours). Board a wooden junk, eat lunch on deck and drift among the limestone pinnacles. Stop at a karst island for the steep viewpoint hike and a swim, with optional kayaking (~£5-8) if weather allows. Sunset on the top deck, dinner and a twin-share cabin with private bathroom. Book via GetYourGuide or direct — 2D1N mid-range junks run roughly £95-140 all-in including transfers, all meals and activities.

🚌Shared minibus from Hanoi included in cruise

🛏Overnight on a traditional junk boat, twin cabin (included in cruise price)

• →Ha Long Bay junk cruise
• →Karst viewpoint hike
• →Swimming stop
• →Optional kayaking

Early tai chi or coffee on deck as the boat cruises back past the karsts, then disembark mid-morning and take the included shared shuttle back toward Hanoi. Rather than routing via Hanoi, book a one-way VietJet or Bamboo Airways flight from Hai Phong/Cat Bi or Hanoi to Hue (book ahead, ~£35-55; Hanoi–Hue is about 1h15). Alternatively take the Reunification Express sleeper train from Hanoi to Hue — roughly 13 hours, soft sleeper ~£25-30 — if you want to save a night's accommodation. Evening free in Hue: walk the Perfume River promenade and eat bun bo Hue by the river.

🚌Shared shuttle from bay + domestic flight ~£45, or sleeper train ~£28

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Hue city centre (approx £14-20)

• →Sunrise on the bay
• →Perfume River evening walk
• →Bun bo Hue dinner

The Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City are a 10-minute walk or short Grab from most central hotels — entry ~£5. Continue by Grab or a rented bicycle (~£2) out to the tomb of Tu Duc (~£5 entry), one of the most elaborate Nguyen mausoleums. For the An Nhien Garden plant-based lunch, book direct by phone/message a day ahead (~£10-14) — it's a 22-generation family garden restaurant and worth the detour. Alternatively join a GetYourGuide Hue city + tombs half-day tour (~£25) for transport and commentary. Optional afternoon Perfume River dragon-boat cruise (~£4-6).

🚌Grab/bicycle around town ~£4

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Hue city centre (approx £14-20)

• →Imperial Citadel & Forbidden Purple City
• →Tu Duc tomb
• →An Nhien Garden lunch
• →Optional Perfume River boat trip

Cover the scenic 130km yourself: the cheapest option is a local public bus Hue–Da Nang (~£4-5, about 3 hours); the more fun option is hiring a motorbike with an Easy Rider/driver for the Hai Van Pass (~£20-25 including the Lang Co lagoon stop and Marble Mountain). If you ride yourself, a one-way rental with drop-off in Hoi An is ~£10-15 plus fuel. Climb Marble Mountain (entry ~£1.50) to see the wartime cave hospital and the views over My Khe beach. Arrive Hoi An, check in, then self-guide the Old Town at dusk with a multi-site ticket (~£5) covering the merchants' houses, assembly halls and Japanese Bridge. Riverside night market for dinner.

🚌Public bus ~£5, or Easy Rider/motorbike ~£22

🛏Boutique guesthouse or budget hotel, Hoi An Old Town fringe (approx £15-22)

• →Hai Van Pass and Lang Co lagoon
• →Marble Mountain caves
• →Hoi An Old Town ticket sites
• →Riverside night market

Cycle (~£1.50 rental) or Grab 10 minutes out to Tra Que herb-garden village. Book a half-day cooking class direct with one of the village families or via Klook/GetYourGuide (~£18-25) — includes a garden tour, market visit and cooking your own lunch. Afternoon free: cycle to An Bang beach (~£2 and 15 minutes), get a £5 tailor-made shirt in the Old Town, or take a boat to the Cam Kim craft village. Final evening: cao lau and white rose dumplings at a local spot, followed by lantern-lit drinks by the river.

🚌Bicycle rental ~£3

🛏Boutique guesthouse or budget hotel, Hoi An Old Town fringe (approx £15-22)

• →Tra Que village cooking class
• →An Bang beach afternoon
• →Hoi An lantern-lit evening

Breakfast, then a shared shuttle bus or Grab from Hoi An to Da Nang airport (about 45 minutes; shared shuttle ~£4, Grab ~£10-13). If your flight is later, squeeze in a sunrise walk on An Bang beach or one last banh mi. Travellers continuing onward can pick up the Reunification Express north or south from Da Nang station.

🚌Shared shuttle or Grab to Da Nang airport ~£6

🛏None (departure day)

• →Sunrise beach walk
• →Last banh mi