Vietnam 11 Day Tour: Hanoi to Saigon via Ha Long Bay and Hoi An

A driver waits for you at Noi Bai Airport and brings you into the centre of Hanoi, a drive of around 45 minutes across the Red River. Nothing is planned for the rest of the day, so arrive at any hour.

If you have energy left, the Old Quarter is the place to spend it (optional, on your own). Its streets are still named after the trades once sold on them, and a loop around Hoan Kiem Lake takes half an hour at a slow pace. Your guide briefs you on the next ten days when you meet.

Today you head out to Giang Bien, a farming village in the Red River Delta. Your guide starts at Quan Tinh Communal House and the pagoda beside it, then hands you over to local farmers, who put you to work in the fields with them for a while.

Next comes a cooking session, where you learn to make two traditional village recipes, che lam and banh duc. In the afternoon local craftsmen show you how hammocks are woven by hand, and a Vietnamese tea session closes the day before the drive back to Hanoi.

The road east to the bay takes around two and a half hours. At the harbour you board a traditional cruise ship and sail out among the limestone karsts. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO site of around 1,600 islands, and the ship heads for a quieter corner of it.

The afternoon brings a lit cave of stalactites and stalagmites, then a choice: paddle a kayak into the lagoons closed off by the rock, or swim off the boat where the water is calm. The evening is spent on board, and your cabin is on the water.

The best light on the bay is at dawn, so get up for the sunrise. Tai chi on the sundeck is included for anyone who wants to join. Later in the morning you can visit a floating fishing village, where families keep their boats and fish pens (optional, paid separately), before the ship returns to the harbour.

The drive back to Hanoi gets you to your hotel by late afternoon. The evening is free to shop for souvenirs or try local dishes in the Old Quarter (optional, at your own cost).

A transfer takes you to Noi Bai for the flight to Da Nang, a little over an hour in the air. From Da Nang it is about 30 km south along the coast to Hoi An, and the driver drops you close to the old town.

The rest of the day is free. Hoi An's old quarter is a UNESCO site and small enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes, so you can look around on your own, be measured at one of the tailors for clothes made to order, or sit at a cafe on the river (all optional, at your own cost). The guided walk comes tomorrow.

Your guide walks you through the old town, which was a trading port for Chinese, Japanese and later European merchants from the 15th century. You start at Hoi An Market, then see the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall built by the Fujian community, the Phung Hung and Tan Ky merchant houses, still lived in by the same families, the Museum of Folk Culture, the Traditional Performing Arts House and the Japanese Covered Bridge.

There is time to browse the galleries and craft shops along the way. In the evening you take a wooden boat on the Hoai River and set a paper flower lantern on the water, as locals do for luck. A meal of Hoi An dishes follows.

No programme today. Most guests borrow a bicycle and ride the 4 km of flat road to An Bang Beach, or wander the back alleys of the old town, which are quietest early in the morning (both on your own).

The other choice is a full day at Ba Na Hills in the mountains behind Da Nang (optional, extra cost): the long cable car up, the Golden Bridge held by two stone hands, the Le Jardin d'Amour gardens, Linh Ung Pagoda, the French Village, Fantasy Park and a buffet meal. Tell us when you book if you want it added.

A driver takes you from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport for the flight south to Ho Chi Minh City, about an hour and a half in the air. On arrival at Tan Son Nhat another driver brings you into District 1.

The afternoon and evening are free. Ben Thanh Market is a short walk from most central streets and worth a look for the food stalls at the back, and the city's rooftop bars are the place to watch the lights come on over the Saigon River (both on your own). The pace here is faster than Hanoi, and the traffic is heavier, so cross roads slowly and steadily.

You drive southwest to My Tho, about 70 km from the city, and begin at Vinh Trang Pagoda, a temple that mixes Vietnamese, Khmer and French styles. A motor boat then carries you along the Tien River past the four islands named after the sacred animals: Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise.

On Unicorn Island you walk the country lanes, taste fruit from the orchards and listen to southern folk songs played live. A hand-rowed sampan takes you along Thoi Son Canal under the water palms, then you visit a family bee farm for honey tea and a workshop where coconut candy is boiled and cut by hand. The day ends with a cycle through Tan Thach Village and a meal of delta dishes before the drive back to Saigon.

Today is free. The main sights of the colonial centre are within a few blocks of each other: Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office with its iron and glass hall, and the War Remnants Museum, which shows the war from the Vietnamese side and is not an easy visit (all on your own).

The other option is a half day at the Cu Chi Tunnels northwest of the city (optional, extra cost): an introductory film, a guided crawl through a section of the tunnels, tea with boiled cassava as the fighters ate it, and a shooting range for those who want it. Ask us when you book and we arrange the car and guide.

Your last morning is free until the driver collects you for Tan Son Nhat Airport, about 30 minutes from the centre outside rush hour. If your flight leaves late, the markets near the centre are a good place for final gifts: coffee, dried fruit and lacquerware pack well.

The tour ends at the airport. If you would like extra nights in Saigon, a beach stay or a different departure city, tell us and we build it into the booking.