03 — Itinerary
Day by day
Two weeks from the mountains of the north to the lanterns of Hoi An. Slow enough for a 6 year old and his grandparents, full enough that nobody got bored.
| Day | Stop | What we did |
|---|---|---|
| Day0 | Departure | Evening flight from Vilnius, via Istanbul. |
| Day1 | Hanoi | Landed at 3.30pm. Train Street for Noah, who loves trains, the night market, a cyclo ride and bún chả at Hương Liên. |
| Day2 | Sapa | VIP bus at 7am, in Sapa by 1pm. Rice terraces and Cat Cat village. |
| Day3 | Sapa | Fansipan cable car, the highest peak in Indochina. Love Waterfall, the Lonely Tree of Ô Quy Hồ and the Rồng Mây glass bridge. |
| Day4 | Hanoi | Bus back to Hanoi at 4pm. Phở, and a massage with the blind therapists of Tẩm quất Toàn Phát. |
| Day5 | Cat Ba | Bus at 10.30am. Afternoon at Cát Cò beach, seafood dinner by the harbour. |
| Day6 | Cat Ba | A day on Lan Ha Bay with the Serenity Premium Cruise, with kayaking and lunch on board. |
| Day7 | Ninh Binh | Bus to Ninh Binh in the afternoon, check in at An's Eco Garden. |
| Day8 | Ninh Binh | Boat ride in Tam Cốc, cycling through the rice fields, then the climb to Hang Múa for sunset. Expect people and lots of steps, but it's one of my favourite spots. |
| Day9 | Ninh Binh | Trang An by boat, then the night train to Da Nang. |
| Day10 | Ba Na Hills | Arrived in Da Nang at 12.30pm and went straight up to Ba Na Hills. Night at the Mercure. |
| Day11 | Hoi An | Golden Bridge in the morning before the crowds, then Grab to Hoi An. Lanterns in the old town, BBQ by the river at Ba Tý. |
| Day12 | Cham Island | Speedboat to the island for one night. Clear water, a round basket boat with local fishermen, and a quiet evening once the day trippers leave. |
| Day13 | Hoi An | Back to Hoi An. Cao lầu at the market, a last walk in the old town. |
| Day14 | Departure | Flight from Da Nang at 6.30pm. |
The South is next
We're putting together the South trip right now: Ho Chi Minh City, Dalat and the quiet central coast. Leave your email and you'll get it the day it goes live, with the stories from the road.
