Twenty-two nights, four rucksacks, one country — from Hanoi in the north down to Saigon in the south.
The stops, in order: two cities, a bay, a valley, a night train, an old town, a beach resort, and one last city before the flight home.
It starts at Terminal 4 on a Monday afternoon. Qatar Airways QR0008 to Doha, a short layover in the small hours, then QR0976 east into the sunrise — landing in Hanoi at 13:55 the next day.
Four days in the thousand-year-old capital: the Old Quarter's 36 streets, egg coffee, the train street, Hoan Kiem lake at dawn before the heat. Home is The Legend Hanoi — family connecting room, breakfast in, five minutes from everything.
One night on Lan Ha Bay aboard the Tulip, one of the newer boats on the water. Kayaking in the lagoons, squid fishing after dark, and sunrise tai chi on deck for anyone who's up early enough. The boat drops us at Ninh Binh afterwards instead of heading back to Hanoi, so we keep moving south.
"Ha Long Bay on land." Rowing boats through river caves at Trang An, bicycles between paddy fields, the 500 steps up Mua Cave for the view that ends up on everyone's phone. Base camp is a family-run ecolodge under the cliffs — pool included, which matters in August.
SE19, the Lotus sleeper: a private four-berth cabin covering 620km overnight, with the Hai Van Pass at daylight — jungle on one side, the sea on the other. Fourteen hours, and probably the most memorable single leg of the trip.
One deliberate night in Vietnam's easiest city — and if there's time, the cable car up to Ba Na Hills for the Golden Bridge held aloft on two giant stone hands. Otherwise: My Khe beach across the road, the Dragon Bridge breathing fire, seafood by the Han river. A decompression stop between the train and the old town.
Six nights in Hoi An — the longest stop on the trip. Tailors, a cooking class, mornings at An Bang beach, evenings by the lantern-lit Thu Bon river, and banh mi from wherever looks busiest. We're staying at Em's House in Cam Pho, an interconnected family suite with a family downstairs who are known for looking after their guests well.
A forty-minute hop down the coast, then three days of doing very little at Fusion Cam Ranh: a two-bedroom suite facing the ocean, breakfast whenever we feel like it, and — the highlight — two spa treatments each, every day. Bãi Dài beach out front. Phones face-down.
We'll decide closer to the time how to get from Cam Ranh to Saigon — the scenic coast road, the expressway, or a short flight. Two nights near Ben Thanh Market to finish things off: a rooftop bar, District 1 at full volume, and one last round of everything we haven't eaten yet.
Twenty-two nights, eight beds, one boat, one night train, and five flights in total. Home with sand still in the rucksacks and thousands of photos to sort through.
Weather where we are, money maths, the dozen phrases that unlock a country, and the packing list.
Rate set at ≈ 35,200 ₫ / £1 (mid-market, July 2026). Rough rule of thumb: knock four zeros off the dong price, then take off about a third. Airport rates are usually a bit worse.
Type English, get Vietnamese you can play aloud.
Shared across all our phones — add a spot to try, a reminder, anything. Everyone sees it.
Booking references, door PINs, phone numbers and check-in alarms. Kayiras only past this point.
Enter the family PIN to open the vault.
