North South Coastal Adventure

With a private guide, spend the next few days sightseeing in Hanoi.  Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s House, The Hanoi Hilton (prison), the Old Quarter.

A morning street food tour sampling pho, noodles and BBQ, followed by lunch at a local restaurant.  In the afternoon, visit the Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake temple and enjoy the Water Puppet Show in the afternoon.  Stay or at least enjoy a drink on the terrace of the wonderfully colonial Metropole Hotel and watch the world go by.

Drive (4hrs) or, even better, fly to Halong Bay via seaplane.  Getting a bird’s eye view of the beautiful karst.  Take a private boat and sail out for the day amongst the karst.  Enjoy a delicious meal on the boat.  

Head from Hanoi south to Hue 0n a short internal flight.  Visit Hue, including Vinh Moc Tunnels where 300 people lived and Tiger Arena where the annual tiger/elephant fight took place.  If time Truong Son National Cemetery is worth a diversion.

Drive further south down the coast to Hoi An via Bach Ma Park, one of Vietnam’s national parks.  Spend time walking in the park and then arrive at Hoi An.  Take a tour to My Son in  war-era American Army Jeep.  It’s open air, but 4 wheel drive means you go off the beaten track and see some of the real Vietnam.  My Son is the Angkor Wat of Vietnam without the crowds.  Spectacular views and lovely light on the return visit is great for photos. 

Fly to Ho Chi Min City (HCMC).  Sightseeing around HCMC for two days.   Perhaps take a  motorbike tour of fabulous markets and get to experience the traffic first hand!  Ends with lunch of a steaming bowl of Hue beef noodles.

Continue sightseeing on foot – Cantonese Thien Hau Pagoda, War Remnants Museum, ex-Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the 19th Century Post Office etc.  Spend time visiting the markets, especially the bustling Bến Thành Market.

After the high octane buzz of HCMC it’s time to relax.  Start by taking a replica of a traditional sampan boat along the iconic Mekong River.  Meander along watching the world go by and reaching far into the delta – its small size means you can get into the smaller and less travelled canal ways.  Then stay overnight on the boat.  

Fly to Con Dao (off the southern coast of Vietnam, 3.5hr flight) or Phu Quoc Island (off the south west coast of Cambodia, 3.5hr flight)  to enjoy some R&R on an off-the-beaten-track beach.

Fly back to London via Hanoi.