Why this shape and not another
A week in Vietnam usually gets spent proving the country is long. This one does the opposite: it treats the Red River delta as the destination rather than the departure lounge, and puts the saved days into second nights.
Day by day
Day 1 — Arrive Hanoi
Airport transfer and nothing else scheduled. The Old Quarter is best met after a night's sleep.
Day 2 — Hanoi
Temple of Literature and the Ho Chi Minh complex in the morning; the thirty-six trade streets on foot in the afternoon. Street food after dark if you want it.
Day 3 — Hanoi to Ninh Binh
Two hours south to the limestone valleys. Afternoon rowing through the flooded caves at Trang An, which is the same geology as the bay with rice fields instead of sea.
Day 4 — Ninh Binh
Hoa Lu, the tenth-century capital, then the climb at Mua Cave for the view down the valley — around five hundred steps, and worth it. Afternoon by bicycle on the flat.
Day 5 — Ninh Binh to Lan Ha Bay
Cross-country drive east, board after lunch. Kayaking among the karsts, swimming off the boat, dinner at anchor.
Day 6 — Bay to Hanoi
Ashore by late morning and back to the city for the afternoon. A last evening in Hanoi, which most people want by this point.
Day 7 — Depart
Transfer to Noi Bai, forty minutes when traffic allows.
What you should know before booking this one
- No flights means no weather-related flight risk, but the bay night still depends on sea conditions between June and September.
- Ninh Binh is at its best from late May to early June when the rice is high, and again in the dry autumn. In midwinter the valleys can be grey for days.
- The Mua Cave climb is steep and uneven. It is skippable without changing anything else in the day.
- Days
- 7
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