First Evening in Hanoi
Vietnam Airlines direct · London Heathrow → Noi Bai International
The journey starts at Heathrow, boarding Vietnam Airlines' direct service into Hanoi. There's a particular thrill to that long eastward haul anticipation building with every time zone crossed. Landing into Noi Bai, the warm humid air greets you before you've even cleared the terminal, and the energy of the city begins well before you reach it.
Our base for the first night was the Silk Path Hotel, perfectly placed in the heart of the Old Quarter. But before sleep, there was an evening to savour and what an evening it turned out to be.
VIVU Rooftop Bar Grand Mercure Hanoi
Dinner at the Grand Mercure was the perfect soft landing. Afterwards, we headed up to VIVU, their rooftop bar, and watched Hanoi's skyline shift from gold to amber to deep blue. The tangled wires and temple spires of the Old Quarter stretched out below a city unlike any other, best understood from above first.
The view from VIVU Rooftop Bar — karst peaks of Halong Bay at golden hour
Train Street
Barely two minutes from the Silk Path Hotel, Train Street is one of Hanoi's most extraordinary pockets a narrow lane where everyday life and an active railway line share the same few feet of space. Café tables line both sides, and when the train comes, everyone simply presses to the walls and watches it pass at arm's length.
The French Quarter, Hanoi — colonial architecture still standing proud under the Vietnamese flag
King Ly Thai To — the golden statue standing watch over Hoan Kiem Lake by night
Halong Bay the Âu Cơ Cruise
Northeast Vietnam · 1 night aboard The Âu Cơ
Day two meant leaving the city behind and heading northeast toward the Gulf of Tonkin. Boarding the Âu Cơ, you immediately understand why Halong Bay is one of Vietnam's most celebrated landscapes. The cruise struck a rare balance genuine relaxation alongside activities that offered a real window into Vietnamese culture, rather than just a scenic boat ride.
"To drift between thousands of limestone karsts rising from jade-green water, with nothing to do but be present this is what travel is for."
Halong Bay by day and by night aboard the Âu Cơ
Fairmont, Capella & the Lake at Night
Halong Bay sunrise · then Hanoi Old Quarter
An early alarm the best kind. We gathered on deck before dawn to catch the sunrise over the bay, the karsts emerging from morning mist, then sat down to breakfast before disembarking. Back in Hanoi, we transferred to our next base: the brand-new Fairmont Hanoi, sitting beautifully in the Old Quarter.
Fairmont Hanoi Wellness at 3,500 sqm
The standout feature of this brand-new property is its extraordinary wellness centre 3,500 square metres of spa and fitness facilities. We made full use of it: an early session in the fitness centre followed by time in the spa. As a new hotel in one of Asia's most exciting cities, the Fairmont Hanoi has arrived in serious style.
The Fairmont Hanoi wellness centre — 3,500 sqm of pure luxury
Capella Hanoi Dinner at the Most Unique Hotel I've Ever Seen
If you love opera, theatre or extraordinary attention to detail, the Capella Hanoi demands a visit. Every corridor, every room, every surface is a set theatrical in the finest sense. Dinner carried the same spirit, the restaurant feeling more like a performance than a meal. And tucked away within? A speakeasy bar that rewards those who seek it out.
Inside Capella Hanoi — theatre, gold, and extraordinary food
Hoan Kiem Lake & the Night Market
After the Capella, we stepped out into the night and wandered around Hoan Kiem Lake peaceful even as the city buzzes around it. The nearby night market was alive with colour, food smells and locals going about their evening. The perfect end to a long and layered day.
Danang & Arriving in Hoi An
Hanoi → Danang · ~1 hour · then onward to Hoi An
An early flight south to Danang a city that feels worlds apart from Hanoi in the best possible way, coastal and open and bathed in light. At arrivals, we met our local representative, who would guide us through the days ahead, turning every stop from a visit into a genuine experience.
Sheraton Grand Danang 250 metres of infinity pool
A hotel inspection at the Sheraton Grand Danang delivered one of the visual highlights of the trip. Their infinity pool stretches 250 metres along the beachfront one of the longest in Asia and we sat down to a traditional Vietnamese lunch facing it, waves beyond. A combination that's hard to beat.
The 250m infinity pool and the traditional beachfront lunch at Sheraton Grand Danang
"Bliss Hoi An felt less like a resort and more like a village that had grown organically beside the sea dark timber, huge balconies, total calm."
Our night's accommodation was the Bliss Hoi An Beach Resort & Wellness right on the beach, its architecture referencing Vietnamese vernacular design with rich dark timber, pitched rooflines and generous outdoor spaces. Set out like a village rather than a single building, every room feels private and enveloped in greenery. We had an early night, ready for everything Day 5 had planned.
Basket Boats, Cooking Classes & Lantern-Lit Streets
Hoi An villages · herb garden · ancient town
Day 5 was the fullest day of the trip, and the one that got closest to the heart of Vietnam. The morning was spent out in the villages surrounding Hoi An a world away from hotel lobbies and restaurant menus.
Basket Boat Ride
A uniquely Vietnamese experience traditional circular woven basket boats, propelled with a swirling motion that looks impossible until suddenly you're gliding through the water channels between palms.
Fishing & Village Life
Time with local fishermen, taking in the unhurried rhythm of rural life along the Thu Bon waterways the kind of morning that resets your sense of pace entirely.
Basket boats on the Thu Bon waterways and the iconic Cam Thanh crescent moon
Herb Garden Cooking Class
We biked out to a local herb garden where a traditional cooking class unfolded beautifully learning to make spring rolls, Vietnamese pancakes and chicken in a clay pot, while our hosts explained the provenance of every ingredient growing around us. A neck and foot massage afterwards rounded off the morning perfectly.
The herb garden — every ingredient explained from field to plate
Hoi An Ancient Town
As evening fell, we explored the Old Town colourful merchant houses glowing amber, hundreds of silk lanterns reflected in the canal, extraordinary local artwork lining every street. One of Southeast Asia's most photogenic places, and every bit as magical in person.
Hoi An Ancient Town — lanterns, lotus flowers, the Japanese Bridge and extraordinary local art
Dinner at Anantara Hoi An on the Thu Bon River
Dinner at the Anantara Hoi An Resort, sitting peacefully on the Thu Bon River. Watching life drift by on the water as the town glowed behind you, the Anantara offers exactly what many travellers need the energy of Hoi An within easy reach, and a quiet riverside sanctuary to come back to.
InterContinental Danang A Jungle Above the Sea
Son Tra Peninsula · InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort
Our final hotel, and perhaps the most dramatic arrival of the trip. The drive up to the InterContinental Danang climbs into dense jungle on the Son Tra Peninsula and somewhere along the way, monkeys appeared at the roadside, watching the convoy pass with casual indifference. A reminder that this place is genuinely wild.
"The view from the room was breathtaking miles of jungle, sea and sand, and not a single thing to interrupt it."
The view from the room — miles of jungle, sea and sand in every direction
Sunset from the InterContinental Danang — champagne in hand as the light shifts gold to purple
Beach Day Service That Sets the Standard
A few hours on the resort's private beach, where the staff arrived with a cool bag filled with chilled water, cool towels and fresh beach linen without being asked. It is the small, considered gestures that separate good hospitality from great hospitality and this was the latter.
The InterContinental Danang — thoughtful beach service and a stunning flower-filled lobby
Champagne Afternoon Tea & the Final Sunset
The last evening was spent exactly as it should be champagne in hand as the sun slipped into the South China Sea, jungle on three sides, the light shifting through gold to rose to deep purple. Dinner followed at their Italian beachfront restaurant, all lit up against the darkness of the water, where a five-course meal brought the trip to a perfect close.
The final course of the final evening — the perfect way to end the trip
The extraordinary canapes at the InterContinental Danang — art on a plate
"Vietnam I will be back."
Six days, four destinations, two coasts and one cooking class that changed how I think about spring rolls. Vietnam rewards curiosity at every turn historically rich, naturally extraordinary, and with a hospitality industry that genuinely punches above its weight. This was an educational trip in the truest sense: every single day taught us something new.