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
La Siesta Classic Hang Thung, Hanoi
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ · ~$80–120/night · Rated 9.7 by couples
Ranked #3 of 1,006 hotels in Hanoi — boutique gem in the Old Quarter with rooftop Red River views, spa, heated pool & legendary staff
Boat through the Mekong Delta's legendary floating markets at dawn — stalls piled with tropical fruit, fresh seafood, and street food cooked right on the water.
