Vietnam is 1,650km of extraordinary diversity — from the mountain rice terraces of Sapa to the limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay, the ancient trading port of Hoi An, and the Mekong Delta. The food is world-class and costs almost nothing.
📅 Day-by-Day Itinerary
📅 Hanoi & Ha Long Bay
Hanoi's Old Quarter — 36 streets each named for a different trade. Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn with tai chi practitioners. Two nights on a traditional junk boat through Ha Long Bay's 1,969 limestone karsts. Kayak into sea caves at sunrise. Best seafood of your life pulled straight from the water.
📅 Hue & the Imperial City
Vietnam's last imperial capital — the Forbidden Purple City, the Citadel, and the emperor's tombs scattered across wooded hills. Ride a dragon boat along the Perfume River. Eat bun bo Hue (spicy beef noodle soup) — the soup that beats pho.
📅 Hoi An
The most perfectly preserved trading port in Southeast Asia — lantern-lit streets, tailor shops, Japanese covered bridge. Sunrise at My Son Hindu ruins. Cooking class at a farm across the river. Rent a bicycle and ride to the ancient rice villages.
📅 Da Nang & the Marble Mountains
The Dragon Bridge breathes fire on weekend nights. Climb the Marble Mountains for panoramic central Vietnam views. Ba Na Hills cable car (the world's longest non-stop). My Khe Beach for a rest day.
📅 Ho Chi Minh City & Mekong Delta
The War Remnants Museum (essential, harrowing). Cu Chi Tunnels — 250km of underground wartime passages. Then the Mekong Delta by boat — floating markets, coconut candy factories, and delta homestays.
🏨 Where to Stay
Sofitel Legend Metropole, Hanoi
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Colonial grand dame — Charlie Chaplin and Graham Greene slept here
💡 Key tips: Negotiate xe om (motorbike taxi) fares in advance. Street food is safe — eat where locals eat. Avoid the tourist pho restaurants — find the place with plastic stools and a queue. ATMs are widespread but carry cash outside cities. Crossing the street: walk slowly and steadily — traffic flows around you.
