Vietnam From North to South

Thirteen nights down the length of Vietnam, from the lakes of Hanoi to the river city of Saigon. A seaplane day over the karsts of Halong Bay, a 14-seat teppanyaki counter beneath the Hanoi hotel, Hoi An's old artisan workshops and family kitchens, and a Cham feast and blessing at night on a quiet bay in a national park.

Length: 13 nights
Pace: Four stays
Style: Culture, food, sea, beach
Route: Hanoi to Hoi An to Vinh Hy Bay to Saigon

HanoiFour nights
Hoi AnFour nights
Vinh Hy BayTwo nights
SaigonThree nights

A white Art Deco hotel building with gilded balconies on a tree-lined street corner. — Photo: Capella Hanoi

Days 1 to 5 · four nights

Hanoi

Met on arrival and driven into the Old Quarter. A full day with a private guide, an evening of water puppets or a performance at the Opera House, and a morning in the markets eating your way round the city. A day out to Halong Bay by seaplane, over the karsts. One evening at Hibana by Koki, a MICHELIN-starred teppanyaki counter of 14 seats on the hotel's lower floor, where abalone, spiny lobster and Hokkaido hairy crab arrive from Japan every two weeks.

Where you stay

Capella Hanoi

Capella Hanoi stands on a quiet boulevard a short walk from Hoan Kiem Lake, with 47 rooms and suites designed by Bill Bensley and styled with opera memorabilia. Backstage serves Vietnamese and international cooking, Koki is given to Japanese food, and La Grotta is an indoor pool built to suggest a singers' retreat.

Wooden boats moored on a river in front of a row of old yellow shophouses.

Days 5 to 9 · four nights

Hoi An

A short flight south to Da Nang. A full day with a guide in the old imperial capital of Hue, among its citadel, tombs and pagodas, then half days in Hoi An's old town and the option of a morning at the temple ruins of My Son. The resort's own walk through Hoi An goes to generations-old artisan workshops, markets and family kitchens, and an early start takes in the sunrise fish market and a basket boat in a fishing village.

Where you stay

Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai

Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai is on Ha My Beach near Hoi An, with 100 villas, most with their own pool, from one bedroom to five. The Nam Hai Cooking Academy teaches Vietnamese cooking, and Heart of the Earth Spa offers a sound and breath ritual with eight quartz bowls.

An aerial view of villas scattered through forested hills around a lake, with the sea on the horizon. — Photo: Aman and Amanoi

Days 9 to 11 · two nights

Vinh Hy Bay

A short flight from Da Nang to the south-central coast, and two days with little planned beyond the beach and the reef, where more than 350 kinds of staghorn, plate and brain coral grow. One evening, the Sacred Cham Experience, a private feast of Cham cooking followed by a traditional blessing ceremony in the open air. In October, guests can join the Cham Kate Festival, with traditional dances and temple visits.

Where you stay

Amanoi

Amanoi sits within Nui Chua National Park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, above Vinh Hy Bay, a 75-minute drive from Cam Ranh Airport. Pavilions and villas look over the ocean or the hillside, and there is a private beach of golden sand, a lakeside Aman Spa and restaurants on the clifftop.

Days 11 to 14 · three nights

Saigon

A flight to Saigon and a full day in the city with a guide. Then a choice of the Cu Chi tunnels and the Cao Dai temple, or a day on the waterways of the Mekong Delta, before the flight home.

Where you stay

Park Hyatt Saigon

Park Hyatt Saigon is on Lam Son Square in District 1, near the Opera House, with 253 rooms including 27 suites. Square One pairs French technique with Vietnamese flavours, and there is a 20-metre outdoor pool, open from early morning to evening, and Xuan Spa.

Arranged on request

Hibana by Koki

A teppanyaki counter of 14 seats on the lower floor of Capella Hanoi, MICHELIN-starred; abalone, spiny lobster, sea urchin and Hokkaido hairy crab come from Japan every two weeks.

The Sacred Cham Experience

A private feast of Cham cooking at Amanoi, followed by a traditional blessing ceremony at night.

The Kate Festival

In October, the Cham Kate Festival, with traditional dances and temple visits.

Hoi An's artisan workshops

A walk through Hoi An to generations-old artisan workshops, markets and family kitchens, arranged by the resort.

Subject to availability.

Ways to make it yours

Lantern making or conical hat embroidery in Hoi An.
A day by bike and boat through the farms and fishing villages around Hoi An.
A climb to Bai Da or Goga Peak in Núi Chúa National Park, or a catamaran on Vinh Hy Bay by night.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.