Lantern lit old towns, an imperial capital on a perfumed river, and the high velocity south that spills into the Mekong, the other half of Vietnam.
Land at Da Nang and transfer to Hoi An, a honey coloured former trading port hung with silk lanterns. After the flight we keep it gentle, a first cao lau noodle, a wander over the Japanese covered bridge, the river glowing at dusk.
Hoi An on foot, the merchant houses and assembly halls, a tailor fitting if you fancy one, a lantern making workshop. A morning market cooking class, then the lanes light up after dark and the river fills with floating candles.
Dawn at the My Son sanctuary, brick Hindu towers of the old Cham kingdom in a jungle bowl, before the heat. Then a basket boat spin through the coconut palm waterways, and an afternoon on An Bang beach with nothing to do.
North over the Hai Van, the 'ocean cloud' pass, the most beautiful coastal road in Vietnam, stopping at the Marble Mountains and the Lang Co lagoon. Arrive Hue, seat of the Nguyen emperors, in time for the citadel at golden hour.
The walled Imperial City and its Forbidden Purple enclosure, a dragon boat along the Perfume River to the Thien Mu pagoda, and the grand riverside tombs of the emperors, Minh Mang and Tu Duc, each a landscaped world of its own.
South to Ho Chi Minh City, all scooters and skyline and energy. The War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace tell the modern story straight; then a street food scooter tour by night, riding pillion between plastic stool kitchens.
A morning at the Cu Chi tunnels, the underground war the guerrillas fought, then back to the city, Cholon's Chinatown temples, the Ben Thanh and Binh Tay markets, and a rooftop sundowner over the neon.
South into the delta, the rice bowl of Vietnam, sampans through the coconut canals, a floating market where business is done boat to boat, a fruit orchard lunch, and a night at a riverside eco lodge with the water for a lullaby.
A last delta morning before the road back to Saigon and your flight. Vietnam's south sends you off the way it greeted you, loud, warm, and impossible to forget.
Three ways to do the same route: Comfort, Premium or Luxe. Breakfasts in. Mix tiers city by city if you like, it is your trip.
Priced to your dates, your hotel tier and how the two of you like to travel. Ask, the first answer usually lands within minutes.
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