Vietnam · Sample itinerary
Countryside, coast and caves
- Length
- 15 nights
- Best for
- Couples and friends
- Best time
- February to July
- Pace
- Slow, with active days
Why I love this trip
This is the Vietnam I wish more people saw. It starts with the noise and flavour of Hanoi, slows down among the limestone karsts of Ninh Binh, heads into one of the largest cave systems on earth, and ends with a full week by the sea.
It travels the way Vietnam is best travelled: by rowing boat, bicycle and train, with time to sit on a low stool with a bowl of something wonderful and simply watch the street.
- Day 1
Fly to Hanoi
- Days 2 to 4
Hanoi
3 nights in a city-centre boutique hotel
Explore the old quarter with a private guide, eat your way through the street food stalls, try Vietnamese coffee the way locals drink it, and finish the day with a cold beer on a corner stool.
- Day 5
Ninh Binh
1 night among the rice fields
Drive two hours south into a landscape of limestone peaks and waterways. Explore the Trang An area by rowing boat and by bicycle, through villages and paddies.
- Day 6
The night train south
1 night in a private sleeper cabin
Board the Reunification Express in the evening and wake up in central Vietnam. It is slow travel at its most romantic.
- Days 7 to 9
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
3 nights on the edge of the park
A jungle-covered limestone wilderness with some of the largest caves on the planet. Choose a boat trip into the caves, a jungle trek, kayaking and cycling through riverside villages, or a two-day expedition with a night camping inside Hang En cave.
- Days 10 to 16
The coast near Hoi An
7 nights at a beach resort
Take the day train through Hue to the coast, then slow right down. Walk Hoi An’s old town early in the morning before the crowds, ride a Vespa or bicycle out to farms and fishing villages, and spend long days by the sea.
- Day 17
Fly home
Make it yours
This is a starting point, not a package.
I design every trip with trusted experts who live and work in the region, and I can change anything here: your dates, your pace, the hotels, or how long you stay in each place. Where I can, I’ll add preferred-partner perks like daily breakfast and hotel credits to your stays. Pricing depends on season and the hotels you choose, so I’ll prepare a personal proposal for you.
Ready when you are