Private journeys built around the hotels
Tours · Vietnam
Vietnam Heritage Hotels, 12 days
Three stays and two hotel changes: three nights in a hotel that opened in 1901, three on the Perfume River in Hue, then five by the sea near Hoi An. Fewer places, more time in each, and a route that ends with nothing to do.
At a glance
- Length
- 12 days, 11 nights
- Party
- Private, 1 party
- Starts
- Hanoi
- Ends
- Da Nang
- Hotel changes
- 2
- Price
- On request
Who this route is for
This route is for travellers who choose a trip by its hotels. It stays in one country, changes hotel twice, and gives the last five nights to the sea. The guiding is light: a morning in each city with a private guide, and the rest of the time is yours. If you want a full programme of sites with a historian at your side, this is the wrong route; if you want to come home rested, it is the right one.
We call it a heritage route because of the first two stays. Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi opened in 1901 and has hosted Charlie Chaplin, Graham Greene and Somerset Maugham, by its own account. In Hue the stay is Azerai La Residence, 122 rooms and suites on a two-and-a-half-hectare site along the Perfume River. The third stay is honest about being something else: an all-villa beach resort, because by day eight most people want a pool more than a museum.
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive in Hanoi
Your driver meets you at Noi Bai. The drive into the centre takes 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. We ask the hotel to name your room category in writing before you fly — Heritage Wing and Opera Wing rooms feel quite different, and the quote says which you are getting.
Day 2
A guided morning
Three hours with a private guide: the Temple of Literature at opening time, then the Old Quarter on foot. You are back at the hotel for lunch or after it, as you prefer.
Day 3
Hanoi at your pace
No guide, no car unless you ask. The hotel sits in the French quarter, a short walk from the Opera House and Hoan Kiem Lake. This is the day to use the hotel itself.
Day 4
Fly to Hue
A late-morning flight to Hue's Phu Bai airport, then the drive into the city. You arrive at the river with the afternoon ahead of you; we do not plan any touring on a flight day.
Day 5
The citadel in the cool hours
The citadel before mid-morning
Your guide meets you at 07:30. The walled citadel is across the river from the hotel. Two to three hours on foot, then the car takes you back before the heat. In the afternoon, if you want, a short drive to one of the royal tombs outside the city.
Day 6
A free day on the river
Nothing booked. A private boat on the Perfume River can be added for an hour at the end of the day; the hotel pool and gardens are the alternative.
Day 7
Over the Hai Van Pass to the coast
The road south climbs over the Hai Van Pass, with a stop at the summit if the cloud allows, then runs down to Da Nang and along the coast to Ha My beach. About three hours with stops. We choose the road over a flight here because there is no sensible flight, and because the pass is worth seeing once.
The suggested stay is Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai: 100 villas, from ocean-view one-bedroom villas up to pool villas with several bedrooms.
Day 8
Hoi An old town before the crowds
An old merchant house with no one else in it
A private guide and the old town at 07:30. Hoi An's ticket for foreign visitors covers entry to several of its old houses and assembly halls. You are back at the beach by late morning.
Day 9
Resort day
No plans. The resort has its own beach, pools and restaurants; this and the next two days are what the route was built for.
Day 10
Resort day, or a tailor in town
If you want something made in Hoi An, the first fitting fits easily on day 8 and the last on day 10. We arrange a car for the afternoon on request.
Day 11
Resort day
The last full day. Many travellers return to the old town after dark, when the lanterns are lit. The car is available for that evening on request.
Day 12
Depart from Da Nang
Da Nang airport is a short drive from the resort. We request a late checkout matched to your flight and tell you the hotel's answer before you travel.
Price
| Party | Room level on the quote | Price per trip |
|---|---|---|
| Private, 2 travellers | Entry category in each hotel (garden-view room or above in Hue) | On request |
| Private, 2 travellers | Suite in Hanoi, pool villa at the beach | On request |
| Private, 3–4 travellers | Two rooms, or a two-bedroom pool villa at the beach | On request |
| Private, family of 4–6 | Family villa at the beach; connecting rooms in the cities | On request |
Five beach nights make the beach villa the single largest cost of the trip. Moving one night from the beach to Hanoi lowers the total in most months; moving it to Hue lowers it further. The pricing page shows why, and how to book explains what happens after you send the form.
What the price includes
- 11 nights as listed, in the room category named on the quote, with daily breakfast
- Private car and driver for every transfer, including the Hai Van Pass road
- Private English-speaking guide on days 2, 5 and 8
- Hanoi–Hue flight in economy
- Entrance tickets on guided days, including the Hoi An old town ticket
- Late checkout requests on departure day
What it does not include
- International flights
- Vietnam visa
- Travel insurance
- Lunches and dinners, drinks, spa and hotel extras
- Tips
- Optional extras: Perfume River boat, evening car in Hoi An, tailoring
Gallery
Who this trip is NOT for
- Travellers who want guided sightseeing every day — this route has three guided mornings in twelve days
- September to December travel: Hue and Hoi An carry central Vietnam's main rain and flood risk then
- Anyone wanting to see the south — Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta are not on this route
- Travellers who would be bored by five nights at one beach; take two of them to Hanoi instead
Hotels on this site are named as public facts taken from each hotel's own website, with the date we read it. Naming a hotel does not mean we hold a contract, an allocation or a special rate there. Room rates are not published here; your quote carries the rate available on the day you confirm.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Why five nights at the beach?
Because the first six nights include two cities, a flight and a long drive. Five nights in one place is what turns the trip from travel into rest. If that is too long, four works; three is the floor.
Is there a heritage hotel in Hoi An itself instead?
There are smaller hotels in and near the old town. They put you closer to the lanterns and further from the sea. We can quote one for two nights and the beach for three.
Can we start in Hoi An and end in Hanoi?
Yes. Reversed, the trip ends in a city rather than at the beach, which suits travellers who want to shop or eat out on the last nights.
Do we need a guide in Hue?
For the citadel, yes; it is large and the signage explains little. For the rest of the stay, no.
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Start planning
Tell us about the trip you have in mind
A month, how many are travelling and any hotel you already want are enough to start. We reply by email with questions or a first draft that names every hotel and room category.