Why travel this route
Twenty days buys you the two things shorter trips give up first: the far north, and time to sit still. This route takes in Sapa's terraced valleys and Ninh Binh's karst rivers, then works down the coast at a pace that leaves afternoons free.
It is a private trip with your own guide and driver in each region, so the itinerary bends around you. Several of our travellers use the Nha Trang stop as a genuine holiday inside the holiday, and we are happy to build it that way.
- Two nights in the Sapa valleys, walking between Hmong and Dao hamlets rather than driving past them
- A night at anchor in Bai Tu Long Bay, with kayaks and a bay that empties out after dark
- Ninh Binh by rowboat through flooded caves and rice fields under limestone peaks
- Hue's citadel and tombs, then the Hai Van Pass down to the coast
- Two days in Hoi An with a cooking class and a countryside cycle to the fishing villages
- Beach time and an island boat trip at Nha Trang
- Cu Chi tunnels, the Cao Dai temple and Saigon's war-history sites
- A closing run through the Mekong Delta: floating market, orchards and river life
Where you sleep, night by night
Nineteen nights, ten places. Anything can be traded — most people either add beach days or add Pu Luong.
| Stop | Nights | Why we stop here |
|---|---|---|
| Hanoi | 3N | A thousand-year-old capital where lake-side boulevards, shophouse alleys and street-food corners sit side by side. |
| Sapa | 2N | High valleys under Fansipan, terraced from valley floor to ridge line and farmed by Hmong, Dao and Tay families. |
| Ha Long Bay | 1N | Thousands of limestone towers rising out of jade water, best seen from a small boat on the quieter Bai Tu Long side. |
| Ninh Binh | 1D | Karst peaks rising straight out of rice fields and slow rivers — the dry-land twin of Ha Long Bay. |
| Da Nang | 1D | A beach city between the Hai Van Pass and Marble Mountains, and the easiest gateway to central Vietnam. |
| Hue | 1N | The Nguyen capital: a walled citadel, royal tombs scattered along the Perfume River, and Vietnam's most particular cooking. |
| Hoian | 2N | A lantern-lit trading port turned UNESCO town, ringed by rice fields, herb gardens and fishing hamlets. |
| Nha Trang | 2N | A long curve of sand with islands offshore, snorkelling, and a seafood scene locals take seriously. |
| HCMC | 4N | Vietnam's loudest, fastest city — colonial facades, war-history museums and an endless appetite for coffee. |
| Mekong Delta | 1N | A flat maze of channels, orchards and floating markets where daily life still happens on the water. |
What you actually do
A mixed-effort trip: two walking days in Sapa, gentle cycling in Hoi An and the delta, and everything else at sightseeing pace.
- Valley walking between hill-tribe villages in Sapa
- Overnight cruise and kayaking on Bai Tu Long Bay
- Rowboat through the Ninh Binh caves
- Imperial citadel, royal tombs and handicraft villages in Hue
- Countryside cycling and a cooking class in Hoi An
- Island boat trip and snorkelling at Nha Trang
- Cu Chi tunnels and Cao Dai Great Temple
- Cai Rang floating market and delta backroads by bicycle
Good to know before you book
Two internal flights keep the long transfers short. Sapa is reached by expressway from Hanoi in roughly five hours, or by night train if you prefer to sleep through it.
Plan this trip with us
Tell us your dates, how many of you are travelling and what you would like to change. A trip planner in our Hanoi office replies within one working day with a day-by-day plan and a price.