Walking in Vietnam

This small-group tour with Explore Worldwide starts amid Hanoi’s tree-lined boulevards and narrow 'tube' houses in the Old Quarter. After a welcome walk through markets, the route leads west to Pu Luong Nature Reserve, where stilt houses of the Thai ethnic minority sit among terraced fields. There are gentle hikes through this limestone landscape, with days of 5 to 10 kilometres meandering past waterwheels and villages.

The itinerary continues with a junk boat cruise through the limestone islands of Halong Bay before boarding the overnight Reunification Express train south to Hue. The former imperial capital reveals its history in a walk around the citadel’s battered walls and the Perfume River countryside. From there it’s a scenic drive over the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An, where a free afternoon offers old houses and lantern-lit streets.

The final stages explore the Mekong Delta’s villages and boat rides before arriving in Ho Chi Minh City for a walking tour of colonial sites and the option to visit the claustrophobic Cu Chi tunnels. There’s an unhurried rhythm here, and a chance to see a range of Vietnam beyond the usual tourist itinerary.

Halong Bay, and the dragon that explains nothing

3 min read

These are the places the trip visits, in order. Explore Worldwide publishes the day-by-day itinerary on its own site.