Vietnam
9 Nights · 10 Days

Land at HAN. Download Grab (Vietnam's ride-hailing app) before landing — far cheaper than metered taxis. Buy a Viettel or Vietnamobile SIM card in arrivals hall (~VND 100,000/USD 4 for tourist data SIM). Grab to Old Quarter (~VND 250,000/USD 10, 45 min). Evening: walk Hoan Kiem Lake — magical at night with the Turtle Tower illuminated. Dinner: Chả giò (spring rolls) and tofu dishes at any Old Quarter com chay (vegetarian restaurant). Look for yellow signs with "Chay" in the alleyways.

DAWN: Hoan Kiem Lake at 06:00 — elderly locals do tai chi on the banks, ladies practice traditional fan dance, fishermen cast lines. Extraordinary living tableau. Morning: Ngoc Son Temple (on an island in the lake — VND 30,000). Walk to Temple of Literature — Vietnam's first university (1070 AD), five beautiful courtyards of scholars' steles. Afternoon: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free — closed Mon/Fri and for maintenance periods — check ahead; dress conservatively), One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Museum. Evening: Hoa Lo Prison "Hanoi Hilton" (VND 40,000), then Dong Xuan market for street food.

Morning: cruise transfer bus picks up from Hanoi hotel (~08:00). Arrive Tuan Chau or Hon Gai harbour by 11:30. Board the junk boat. Welcome lunch on deck as the boat sails into the bay — the first view of the limestone karsts rising from the water is genuinely one of the most dramatic moments in Asian travel. Afternoon: kayaking through the Luon Cave (emerald hidden lagoon surrounded by cliffs), swimming stop, squid fishing at sunset. Dinner on the boat — inform the kitchen at check-in about vegetarian requirement. The cook will prepare a dedicated plant-based menu for all meals on board.

05:30: Wake for sunrise tai chi on the top deck. The mist lifts from the karsts as the sun rises — photograph this moment. 06:00: Early morning kayak while other boats still sleep. 07:30: Breakfast on deck. 09:00: Final cave tour (Sung Sot Cave — most dramatic in Ha Long). 11:00: Return to harbour. 12:30: Bus back to Hanoi. 16:00: Arrive Hanoi, Grab to airport. Evening flight to Da Nang (~18:00–19:00). Taxi or Grab to Hue (1.5 hrs, ~USD 25 shared or USD 45 private). Arrive Hue 21:00.

FULL DAY in Vietnam's last imperial city. Morning: Imperial Citadel (UNESCO) — the Forbidden Purple City within the citadel, halls of mandarins, royal gardens (VND 200,000). Thien Mu Pagoda (free, 20 min by bicycle along the river — the famous seven-storey octagonal tower). Afternoon: dragon boat on the Perfume River to the Royal Tombs of Tu Duc and Minh Mang — the most elaborate in Vietnam, set in pine forests above the river. Evening: Hue is famous for its Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. Ask your hotel for a quan chay near the Buu Long Pagoda — full vegetarian set meals for VND 50,000–80,000 (USD 2–3).

Hire a private car from Hue to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass (NOT the tunnel — insist on the mountain road route). The pass is 21 km of switchbacks rising to 496m — the South China Sea below, forested peaks above, crumbling French and American fortifications at the summit. Stop at the top for photos. Descend to Da Nang, drive south 30 km to Hoi An. Check in early afternoon. Afternoon: walk the Ancient Town with the crowds manageable before sunset. Japanese Covered Bridge (17th century, the icon of Hoi An), Chinese Assembly Halls (Phuc Kien, Trieu Chau), silk lantern shops. NIGHT: Stay until 22:00 — the lanterns are most beautiful after dark. Booking a lantern-lit dinner at a riverside restaurant is the Hoi An experience.

DAWN (06:00): Ancient Town before the tourists arrive — the streets are mist-covered, vegetables unloaded from boats at the river, lanterns still glowing. Best photos of the trip happen here. Morning: visit a tailor — Hoi An is world-famous for custom-made garments in 24–48 hours (silk ao dai, linen shirts, suits, dresses from USD 25). Take measurements and choose fabric. Afternoon: Tra Que Vegetable Village (3 km from town, bicycle ride) — organic farm growing the herbs and vegetables that define Hoi An cuisine. Half-day cooking class using fresh-picked produce, USD 25–35 pp, fully vegetarian possible. Evening: pick up tailored clothing.

Morning flight Da Nang to HCMC (depart ~07:00–09:00). Arrive Tan Son Nhat Airport SGN. Grab to District 1 hotel (VND 150,000–200,000/~USD 6–8, 30 min). Check in. Afternoon: Ben Thanh Market (1920s covered market, no fixed prices — practise bargaining) — dried fruits, Vietnamese coffee, fresh spices, lacquerware. Reunification Palace (VND 65,000 — the presidential palace in use when Saigon fell in 1975, frozen in time). War Remnants Museum (VND 60,000 — the most powerful and sobering museum in Southeast Asia). Evening: rooftop bar — Chill Skybar at AB Tower for the city panorama.

MORNING: Cu Chi Tunnels (1.5 hrs from HCMC, USD 10–15 entry + USD 20–30 tour). The 250 km underground network used by Viet Cong during the Vietnam War — crawl through tunnel sections, see trap mechanisms, firing range. One of the most significant historical sites in Southeast Asia. Return HCMC by midday. Afternoon: Binh Tay Market (Chinatown district, Cho Lon) — the real local market away from tourists · Notre-Dame Cathedral · Old Post Office (colonial masterpiece, free to enter). Evening: Saigon street food tour on motorbike — many operators offer vegetarian food tours specifically (USD 25–40 pp, 3 hrs, visits 6–8 street food spots).

SGN airport is 30–45 min from District 1 by Grab (~VND 150,000/USD 6). Allow 3 hours minimum for international departures — SGN is one of the busiest airports in Southeast Asia and security queues can be long. Duty-free: Vietnamese coffee (Trung Nguyen, Highlands), silk scarves, lacquerware, Phu Quoc pepper, and Vietnamese cinnamon (the world's finest) make excellent gifts. Last purchase: a bag of ca phe trung (egg coffee) to take home — Vietnam's most unique café tradition.