Lantern-lit evenings and tranquil bay cruises
Whether you're celebrating a honeymoon, anniversary, or simply your love for each other, Vietnam provides the perfect backdrop for romance. Imagine sunset dinners, intimate experiences, and moments designed to bring you closer together. This is the escape you've been dreaming of.
Discover the wonders of Vietnam, a captivating destination that offers unique experiences, rich culture, and memorable adventures. Whether you're seeking relaxation, adventure, or cultural immersion, Vietnam promises to exceed your expectations with its warm hospitality and stunning scenery.
10 nights in Vietnam — day by day, fact-checked
Land at Da Nang International, then a short transfer south to your Hoi An boutique base, about 30 km away.
Your included transfer covers the roughly 30 km, 45-minute road run from Da Nang International to Hoi An, which has no airport of its own. Check your arrival time so you know whether you reach the hotel by day or after dark. Hoi An's Ancient Town becomes a lantern-lit evening scene, so save it for later days.
Hoi An has no airport of its own; the gateway is Da Nang International Airport, roughly 30 km and about a 45-minute drive to Hoi An. On this package the transfer is included and pre-arranged.
Use your included transfer, or the Grab or XanhSM apps, which supply licensed cabs; book the full journey in the app and check the vehicle and driver match. Be wary of anyone claiming to be from these companies, and avoid unmarked taxis.
Change money only at official exchange counters with a clear sign. Cards work at hotels, restaurants and spas, but keep cash for street vendors; use ATMs at major banks or malls and avoid standalone ATMs at night.
The 20,000 VND and 500,000 VND notes are both blue, a 25x value difference. Double-check the note before you pay.
Do not plan to self-drive here. To drive legally you need both a 1968-version International Driving Permit and your UK licence plus third-party insurance, and motorbike travel is much more dangerous than in the UK; your transfers are already covered.
You land at Da Nang. The digital arrival card, encouraged from 15 April 2026, is not mandatory and applies only at Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City, so it does not currently apply to you, though this could change with little notice.
A dependable first Vietnamese sit-down meal in a lantern-decorated riverfront house on the Han riverbank in central Da Nang, cited on its own site as Michelin Selected 2024, easy to reach by your transfer or Grab.
The heritage buildings by day and the lantern-lit riverfront after dark, with the paper Old Town ticket bought in person.
The 120,000 VND Old Town ticket, bought same-day at the yellow booths, admits the shared streets plus a set of heritage sites; it is valid across your stay for up to 3 days. Walking is the norm inside the pedestrianised Ancient Town. Do the heritage houses in daylight and hold the candle-lit riverfront for the evening.
The Hoi An Ancient Town ticket starts at 80,000 VND (the shared Old Town spaces plus a major site and two more attractions); a 120,000 VND tier adds museum access and further sites. You buy it once and it is valid throughout your stay for up to three days.
Hoi An's pedestrian zones operate roughly 09:00 to 21:30 in summer and 09:00 to 21:00 in winter. The town is at its best in the late afternoon into the evening, when the candle-lit lanterns take over.
Cover shoulders and knees for the assembly halls, temples and pagodas; enforcement is refusal of entry, not a fine, so carry a scarf or light layer.
A complimentary tour guide is provided only for groups buying 8 or more tickets; a guide is not compulsory for individual or private travellers, so you are free to walk it at your own pace.
Do not try to book the Ancient Town ticket online. It is a same-day paper ticket from the physical booths; advance online reservation is not required and no genuine website sells timed entry.
Ms Vy's refined Central-Vietnamese kitchen, the heartland of cao lau and Hoi An home-style cooking, just across the Japanese Covered Bridge on An Hoi Island and walkable from the Ancient Town.
The candle-lit lanterns and floating-lantern riverfront are the town's evening draw; on the 14th day of a lunar month the town cuts its lights for a full lantern festival, so no single vendor is fixed here.
A slower day for the riverfront, tailoring and a recommended spa treatment, keeping the pace boutique.
An unstructured Hoi An day with time for a spa treatment, which we recommend booking. Sit on a riverfront terrace, shop the town on foot, and time the treatment for the midday heat. Cards cover spas and sit-down meals; keep cash for stalls. A small tip to your therapist is appreciated, though not expected.
Spas, hotels and sit-down restaurants generally take cards (Visa etc.), so spa bookings and half-board are card-friendly; keep cash only for street food, market stalls and tips.
Central Vietnam is hot through the middle of the day and the Old Town is best early morning or evening, so a midday spa treatment is a sensible use of the hottest hours.
A small discretionary tip is increasingly appreciated for beauty and spa services and for private guides, even though tipping is not a normal part of Vietnamese culture and is not expected in restaurants.
Do not change money with an informal street changer for a better rate. Changing money anywhere but an official signed counter is illegal and you risk losing it.
An all-day café, bakery and patisserie serving Western and Vietnamese favourites, with a terrace over the Thu Bon river; a convenient card-friendly coffee and lunch stop between Old Town walks.
A short private-transfer half-day to the Marble Mountains pagodas, best done early, with a Da Nang evening.
The Marble Mountains, about 7 km from Da Nang on the road between the city and Hoi An, are five limestone peaks with caves and Buddhist pagodas, open daily 07:00 to 17:30. Go at opening when the air is cool and the paths near-empty, beating the mid-morning coach surge. Entry is 40,000 VND, with an optional 15,000 VND lift.
The Marble Mountains are open daily 07:00 to 17:30, about 7 km from downtown Da Nang and a genuine short leg from either the Da Nang or Hoi An base.
Entrance is 40,000 VND, with an optional elevator at 15,000 VND. Allow at least two hours. Carry a little cash.
This is a working spiritual and pilgrimage site: dress modestly, covering knees and shoulders, and remove shoes and hats before entering the pagodas.
Go early, at opening, when the air is cool for climbing and the paths and pagodas can be near-empty; arriving at opening beats the mid-morning coach-tour surge.
Avoid the hottest hours and the rainy season for this climb; official advice is to come early rather than in the midday heat with the coach crowds.
A storytelling tasting-menu restaurant holding Vietnam's first Michelin Green Star, built on hyper-local ingredients; the standout special-occasion dinner for the romance theme, near the Marble Mountains side of the city.
The flagship cultural day-trip: the UNESCO Cham ruins, a distinct half-day with its own transfer, done early.
My Son, the UNESCO Cham Hindu temple complex, is about 40 km and roughly an hour each way from Hoi An, so it runs as its own half-day with a dedicated transfer, not a quick hop. The foreign-visitor ticket is reported at 150,000 VND. Go early for cooler air, softer light and fewer coaches.
My Son is about 40 to 45 km from Hoi An, roughly one to one-and-a-quarter hours each way by car — a distinct half-day rather than a quick side-trip, with private transfers covered by your package.
The foreign-visitor ticket is reported at 150,000 VND (100,000 VND for Vietnamese citizens). Confirm the current figure at the official ticket booths on the day and carry cash.
Dress respectfully for this heritage and religious site: cover shoulders and knees and carry a scarf or light layer.
The reported ticket includes the electric shuttle from the entrance to the ruins and a Cham (Apsara) dance performance; times and inclusions are not confirmed from an official source, so check on arrival.
Do not arrive at My Son in the midday heat with the coach crowds. It is a UNESCO Cham ruin best done early, in cooler air and better light, with respectful dress.
The UNESCO Cham Hindu temple complex is central Vietnam's flagship cultural day-trip and the single most important excursion from the Hoi An base.
A choice of an active marine-park day or the famous Golden Bridge, then time for a spa treatment back in Hoi An.
Two options for the romance-and-serenity brief. Cham Islands is a protected marine park reached by a 20-minute speedboat from Hoi An, with a strict no-plastic-bag rule. Or Sun World Ba Na Hills, home of the Golden Bridge, a manufactured theme-park attraction that reviewers call seriously overcrowded. An hour there is enough for photos; go at opening.
Cham Islands (Cu Lao Cham) run by speedboat from Sunbay Wharf, a crossing of about 20 minutes each way, with morning departures around 08:00 and 09:15 and an afternoon at 13:30.
Cham Islands speedboat: 290,000 VND per person one-way, 450,000 VND round-trip (400,000 VND for groups of 6 or more). The page self-dates to 2025, so re-confirm the 2026 price at booking.
Sun World Ba Na Hills, home of the Golden Bridge, is open 08:00 to 22:00 per the operator's own site, which cautions hours may change; a single admission covers the cable car, Golden Bridge, French Village, Fantasy Park and shows.
Cu Lao Cham is a protected marine reserve and the operator enforces a strict no-single-use-plastic-bag rule, so bring none onto the island and do not touch coral.
Do not treat the Golden Bridge as a serene nature highlight. Reviewers consistently describe it as seriously overcrowded with constant selfie queues, and it sits inside the Ba Na Hills complex reached by cable car, so plan at least half a day and go at opening.
A protected marine reserve reached by a short speedboat from Hoi An, run responsibly with a no-plastic rule; the quieter, active-and-serene alternative to the theme park.
Back in Hoi An for your included afternoon spa treatment, the still centre of the day. Spas take cards, so no cash is needed for the treatment itself. A small tip to your therapist is appreciated but never expected. Keep cash for anything you buy on the walk back through the Old Town.
Spas generally accept international debit and credit cards, so your included treatment is card-friendly; keep small notes only for stalls on the way.
Tipping is increasingly common in beauty salons and for private guides, so a small tip to your spa therapist is a natural, if optional, gesture.
Do not assume a Western booking app runs here for restaurants; reservations are handled directly with venues or via your hotel concierge, not through platforms like OpenTable.
Ms Vy's interactive street-food hall of individual stalls recreating old Hoi An, the safe sit-down way to sample cao lau, white rose and banh xeo in one place with table service and card payment.
The mandatory internal flight to Hanoi, then a road transfer to the Halong cruise port; a distinct northern leg.
Halong Bay is reached from the Hanoi region, never overland from Da Nang. Your routing is a domestic flight from Da Nang to Hanoi, about 1h20 to 1h40 and flown many times daily, then a road transfer of about 2.5 to 3 hours by expressway to the cruise port. Check your flight and count the road time in.
The correct routing is a domestic flight from Da Nang to Hanoi (about 1h20 to 1h40, flown many times daily by Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways and VietJet), then a road transfer of about 2.5 to 3 hours by expressway from the Hanoi region to the Halong cruise port. Never route Da Nang to Halong overland; that is about a 16-hour drive.
From Noi Bai airport it is roughly 160 to 190 km and about 2.5 to 3 hours by expressway to the Halong cruise ports; the former Halong seaplane service stopped on 1 April 2026, so a road transfer is now the only way from Hanoi.
Your Halong overnight cruise is a pre-booked operator package, not a walk-up. Overnight-cruise bay-access fees set by the management board run about 500,000 to 550,000 VND per person for one night, normally bundled into the cruise price.
Confirm the exact embarkation port with your cruise line; it changes the road-transfer time. Ports near Halong City, Hai Phong or Tuan Chau are all in use, and your operator sets which one anchors the day.
Do not try to fold Halong into a day-trip from Da Nang or drive it overland. It is a separate northern segment on its own flight and transfer; the overland option is a roughly 16-hour drive and is dropped.
A genuine cruise line running two vessels on Lan Ha Bay with departures through at least December 2026; the cleanest reference for the pre-booked overnight the itinerary is built around.
A full day and night on the bay's limestone seascape aboard a pre-booked cruise, with all board meals included.
Your day is on the water, on the overnight cruise booked through the operator. All board meals are included, typically Vietnamese and Western dishes built around seafood, and cruises often run a Vietnamese cooking demonstration on board. Bay-access fees are bundled into the package. Daily sightseeing routes on the bay operate roughly 06:30 to 18:30.
Daily sightseeing routes on Halong Bay operate 06:30 to 18:30, so the cruise programme runs within that window, with overnight vessels holding permitted mooring locations set by the management board.
The bay-access fees, about 500,000 to 550,000 VND per person for a one-night stay on the overnight routes, are set by the Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee and are normally bundled into your operator's cruise price.
On this itinerary you eat on the cruise: all meals are included and the onboard kitchen serves Vietnamese and Western dishes with seafood, so dining is part of the pre-booked package rather than a walk-up restaurant.
Halong cruises can be disrupted or cancelled by fog in winter or storms in summer and autumn, so build in flexibility; roughly February to May is the safer weather bet for both central Vietnam and a bay cruise.
Do not assume you can top up cash mid-bay. Draw what you need before you leave the mainland, since the cruise is offshore and market or tip cash is easier to sort in town.
On an overnight Halong cruise all board meals are included, built around seafood and Vietnamese and Western dishes, with a cooking demonstration often offered; dining is part of the pre-booked package, not a restaurant you seek out.
Cruise disembarkation, the road transfer back toward Hanoi, and the return domestic flight to the central base.
You disembark on the bay's morning schedule, then reverse the northern leg: the road transfer of about 2.5 to 3 hours back toward Hanoi and the domestic flight south to Da Nang, about 1h20 to 1h40. Your private transfer runs you the last 30 km to Hoi An. Check the flight and allow for the road time.
The return reverses the northern leg: a road transfer of about 2.5 to 3 hours from the Halong port back toward Hanoi, then the domestic flight to Da Nang (about 1h20 to 1h40), then the roughly 30 km private transfer to Hoi An.
Overnight cruises run on fixed embark and disembark windows, and daily bay routes operate 06:30 to 18:30, so your morning disembarkation time is set by the cruise line; work the onward flight around it.
For any non-package hop at either airport use the Grab or XanhSM app and check the vehicle and driver match; avoid unmarked taxis and anyone claiming to be from these companies.
Do not accept a free or unsolicited transfer at either airport. Use your included package transfer or the official apps; unarranged offers can be scams.
If the flight lands with time in hand, Vietnam's first Michelin Green Star tasting-menu restaurant is the standout Da Nang dinner before the drive to Hoi An; it must be pre-booked directly.
A last full day in Hoi An for tailoring pickups, the market and a final spa treatment if you book one, before departure.
Your final full day. Collect any tailoring, buy last gifts in the market, and book a final spa treatment if you would like one. Settle a small discretionary tip in cash for your therapist, guide or driver. Watch the blue-note quirk when you pay, and keep enough small notes for the market on your way through the Old Town.
Hoi An's market, street food and tips are effectively cash-only, while hotels, spas and sit-down restaurants take cards; draw cash before the market and check the blue 20,000 and 500,000 VND notes before paying.
A discretionary cash tip to your spa therapist, guide or driver is the main tipping decision on this package; it is appreciated for spa and guiding services though not expected in restaurants.
Do not run out of small notes on your last day. The market and street food are cash-first and cards are not reliable at stalls.
If your dates fall in October or November, keep an eye on central-Vietnam flood warnings; Hoi An sits on low river ground and the 2025 floods physically disrupted the town, not just brought rain.
The market and Old Town stalls are a cash-first shopping category for last gifts and tailoring; keep small notes and watch the blue-note quirk, with no single vendor fixed.
Private transfer back to Da Nang International for your onward flight, timed by counting back from your departure.
Your included transfer runs the roughly 30 km back to Da Nang International, about 45 minutes. Count back from your departure to leave time for the road and check-in. Enter and exit Vietnam on the same passport you arrived with, and do not overstay your visa-free entry.
Da Nang International is roughly 30 km from Hoi An, about a 45-minute drive. Count back from your departure to allow for the transfer and airport time; the private transfer is included.
Work backwards from your flight rather than to a fixed clock: allow the road time plus standard check-in, and let your hotel confirm the pickup.
You must leave Vietnam on the same passport you entered on; the entry stamp shows the date you must leave by, comfortably within the 45-day visa-free allowance for a 10-night trip.
Do not present travel insurance as an entry requirement; it is not legally mandatory, but GOV.UK advises getting appropriate travel insurance that covers your itinerary, planned activities and emergency expenses before you travel.
Practical details verified 21 July 2026. Prices and opening hours change — we re-check them monthly, but confirm anything critical before you travel.
Real-time hotel prices for Hoi An & Da Nang and Hanoi & Halong Bay. Upgrades are shown over each location's included hotel.
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