Essential Vietnam - 12 Days

Day 1

Hanoi Arrival and Street Food Tour

We meet you at the airport, settle you into your hotel, then introduce you to Vietnam the way it should be done: through food. A local guide leads you on a private walk through 6-8 tastings at the small places most visitors never find - bun cha, banh mi, fresh spring rolls - with vegetarian and vegan swaps arranged on request. Cap it off with Hanoi's famous egg coffee or a local craft beer, ending at Hoan Kiem Lake just as the evening lights come on.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 2 · Breakfast

Hanoi by Vintage Jeep, Night Bus to Sapa

This morning you ride through Hanoi in an open-air vintage jeep - past the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum on Ba Dinh Square, into Tran Quoc Pagoda rising over West Lake, and down the famous Train Street for the photo everyone wants. The afternoon is yours for Old Quarter browsing: silk, handicrafts, souvenirs. In the evening, settle into your cabin on a comfortable sleeper bus for the overnight ride up to Sapa.

Overnight on the sleeper bus.

Day 3 · Breakfast, Lunch

Sapa, Fansipan Summit and Cat Cat Village

After breakfast, the cable car lifts you above the clouds to Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina at 3,143m, where the Great Amitabha Buddha watches over the valleys. Ride the mountain train through the Muong Hoa Valley, refuel with a buffet lunch, then spend the afternoon wandering Cat Cat, the prettiest of Sapa's Hmong villages. When the mountain air turns cold in the evening, do what locals do: pull up a stool at a sizzling Vietnamese BBQ stall.

Overnight in Sapa.

Day 4 · Breakfast

Sapa Free Morning, Return to Hanoi

The morning is yours to design. Brave the Rong May Glass Bridge suspended over the valley, strike a pose at the Bali-style gate of Moana Sapa, or simply nurse a hot drink at Viet Trekking Coffee with the whole mountain range in front of you. At 3 PM the sleeper bus rolls back down to Hanoi, arriving around 10 PM so you can check in and rest.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 5 · Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ha Long Bay Overnight Cruise

A morning transfer brings you from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, where your cruise sets sail around midday and lunch is served as thousands of limestone islands drift past. In the afternoon, climb Ti Top Island for the classic panorama over the bay and step into Sung Sot Cave, the largest and most dramatic grotto in Ha Long. The day closes exactly as it should: a sunset party on the sundeck, then a gala dinner on the water.

Overnight on the cruise.

Day 6 · Breakfast, Lunch

Ha Long Sunrise, Back to Hanoi

Set the alarm - sunrise Tai Chi on the sundeck, with mist lifting off the karst towers, is worth every minute of lost sleep. Then paddle a kayak through the low stone arch of Luon Cave, one of the quietest corners of the bay, before a generous brunch buffet as the boat cruises back to shore. The afternoon transfer returns you to Hanoi with the evening free.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 7 · Breakfast, Lunch

Ninh Binh Day Trip

Today heads south to Ninh Binh, starting at Hoa Lu, Vietnam's capital back in the 10th century, ringed by karst cliffs. An easy 30-minute cycle through the rice paddies follows (or skip it and enjoy the view), then a buffet lunch before a rowing boat carries you through the caves and waterways of UNESCO-listed Trang An, a filming location for Kong: Skull Island. The finale asks something of you: 500 stone steps up Mua Cave to a dragon-crested ridge with the best view in the whole valley. Back in Hanoi by about 7 PM.

Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 8 · Breakfast

Fly to Da Nang, Evening in Hoi An

Fly from Hanoi to Da Nang in the morning and check in before the afternoon adventure: a round basket boat spinning through the water-coconut channels of Cam Thanh village. Then Hoi An Ancient Town takes over for the evening - the Japanese Covered Bridge, Fujian Assembly Hall, centuries-old merchant houses and a lantern-lit night market. End the night on the Hoai River, releasing a flower lantern with a wish for your family.

Overnight in Da Nang.

Day 9 · Breakfast, Lunch

Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge

Ride the famous cable car over jungle canopy and waterfalls up to Ba Na Hills, then walk the Golden Bridge, held aloft by two giant stone hands - the most photographed spot in central Vietnam. Visit Linh Ung Pagoda and the flower gardens before a grand buffet lunch with plenty of vegetarian and Indian-friendly choices. The afternoon is for the French Village and the indoor rides of Fantasy Park, with a supermarket stop on the way home for Vietnamese coffee, cashews and dried fruit.

Overnight in Da Nang.

Day 10 · Breakfast

Fly to Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi Tunnels

A morning flight takes you south to Ho Chi Minh City, and by early afternoon you are heading out to the Cu Chi Tunnels, a 250km underground network dug by hand during the war. Crawl through sections widened for visitors, see the hidden bunkers and booby traps, and taste the tapioca with peanut sugar that kept soldiers alive. An optional shooting range (own expense) and a lacquerware workshop stop round out the drive back.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 11 · Breakfast

Mekong Delta Day Trip

Swap the city for the slow green world of the Mekong. Start at Vinh Trang Pagoda, the largest ancient temple in the Delta with its giant Buddha statues, then board a motorboat at My Tho to cruise past Unicorn and Coconut islands. Ashore, taste honey straight from a bee farm, watch coconut candy being made by hand, then glide down a narrow canal by rowing sampan under a roof of water-coconut leaves - the quietest, best moment of the day. Fresh orchard fruit and a village spin by horse cart, tuk-tuk or bicycle finish things off before the drive back to Saigon.

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 12 · Breakfast

Ho Chi Minh City Departure

A slow final morning: breakfast at the hotel, one last banh mi, maybe a browse through Ben Thanh Market for souvenirs. Then your driver takes you to the airport with time to spare, and we send you home with a full camera roll and a longer list of reasons to come back.