North to Central
A month across Vietnam from Hanoi’s café culture to mountain loops on the Chinese border, emerald bays and river grottoes, finishing on central beaches and lantern-lit streets.
This route starts in Hanoi, where French boulevards meet Old Quarter alleys and coffee shops. It heads to the highlands, Sa Pa for terraced valleys and the Hà Giang Loop for the most spectacular road in Vietnam, before dropping to the sea for Ha Long Bay. Inland again, Ninh Bình mixes river caves with temple peaks, then it hops to Dà Nang and Hoi An for beaches, cooking classes and craft traditions. Travel is mostly by sleeper bus/ train and short flights. The rhythm balances learning (walking tours, museums), eating (from bún cha to cao lau), and moving (passes, boats, bicycles).
An optional southern extension adds Nha Trang, Mui Né, Ho Chi Minh City and Phú Quoc.
A three or four-day ride showcasing dramatic limestone mountains, terraced rice paddies, deep canyons, and vibrant ethnic minority cultures on the Chinese border. Join a group to do this to add a strong social element, and look to do the four day version if you have time.
From egg coffee to Old Quarter alleys, Hanoi’s street life and museums set the context for the whole journey and gives a great immersion into Vietnamese history and culture.
A charming, lantern-lit UNESCO World Heritage site, once a bustling port, filled with beautifully preserved 17th-19th century timber buildings, narrow lantern-lit streets, ancient temples (like the Japanese Covered Bridge), historic houses, markets, and riverside cafes, offering custom tailoring, amazing food, and cultural experiences. Especially magical at night.
Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi
Day 2: Hanoi history, cafés & food
Day 3: Hanoi backstreets & Train Street
Day 4: Slow day in Hanoi
Day 5: Hanoi → Sa Pa
Day 6: Sa Pa valley trekking
Day 7: Fansipan day
Day 8: Sa Pa / Hanoi → Hà Giang Loop
Day 9: Hà Giang Loop
Day 10: Finish Hà Giang Loop
Day 11: Hà Giang / Hanoi → Cát Bà
Day 12: Lan Ha Bay cruise
Day 13: Cát Bà / Ha Long option
Day 14: Cát Bà → Ninh Bình
Day 15: Explore Ninh Bình
Day 16: Ninh Bình cycling, temples & viewpoints
Day 17: Hanoi → Da Nang
Day 18: Da Nang beaches & pagodas
Day 19: Marble Mountains & beach time
Day 20: Slow day in Da Nẵng
Day 21: Đà Nẵng → Hoi An
Day 22: Explore Hoi An
Day 23: Tailors, cooking class & beach
Day 24: Final day in Hoi An
Day 25: Fly back to Hanoi
Day 26: Departure
The first part of the day-by-day route, free to read.
Hanoi hits you all at once. Mopeds braid through intersections like schools of fish. Sidewalks are alive with plastic stools, steaming broth, and the clink of ice in beer glasses. Check into the Old Quarter (e.g., Bong Hostel 29–31, Hostel One 31–2) so you can explore on foot, the city reveals itself block by block.
Start with a free walking tour to build an instant mental map: the Old Quarter’s guild streets were historically organised by trade, silk here, metal work there, herbs and medicine around the next corner. You will still feel traces of that logic in what people sell and where.
Walk Hoàn Kiem Lake at dusk. The light softens, the city exhales, couples pose for wedding photos, aunties do group aerobics, and the lake becomes Hanoi’s communal living room.
Eat at Pho 10 Lý Quoc Su. The queue moves fast, you order, you eat, you leave.
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Open the full itinerary“The Hà Giang Loop was the highlight of my whole trip. The group we formed was amazing - I made friends for life in that group and it changed the trajectory of my whole trip, then travelling together across Asia. The scenery was stunning. We stopped and swam in waterfalls and went to local villages. I also loved sharing our meals with our easy-riders in local cafes, hearing about their lives. I will always remember the evenings chanting Vietnamese songs.”
“Hanoi is a bit overwhelming at first. The motorbike traffic and narrow alleyways can feel a bit much at first but this city grows on you in the space of 24 hours. You start noticing small coffee shops, bakeries and local hang out spots that make you truly understand the Vietnamese culture and you embrace the chaos”
“I loved suit shopping in Hoi An. The tailors are specialised and care about everything they make. It's a very fun creative process and I left with a great outfit and some funny stories from the interactions with the salesmen!”
Terra Nova Collective
