‘Safari? Maldives?’ My new husband Jack and I knew that we wanted a mix of adventure and relaxation for our honeymoon, alongside incredible food.
All of a sudden, it was obvious: Vietnam.
We’d loved Southeast Asia when we’d visited Thailand for an anniversary, and friends who had spent their gap years exploring the country were still banging on about it 12 years later.
So we decided to swap the hostels for hotels and night buses for taxis, to take a luxury trip around a country so many in the UK associate with backpacking.
There was one immediate problem, however: I had no idea where to start when it came to planning. Vietnam is a long country, with different climates at each end, and a huge amount to offer from cities, to mountains, beaches, and historical sites.
So I turned to Unforgettable Travel Company (UTC) and had a call with Asia specialist, Luke Stapylton-Smith, who got to work on planning our trip. The whole process was seamless, and when our itinerary arrived in a slick app I couldn’t have been more excited.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
In early March, after a 17-hour flight, the 35 degree heat of Cambodia’s Phnom Penh, sound of beeping horns and colourful buildings cured our tiredness.
We dumped our bags and headed for a food tour with our local guide, Lee.
Picking us up by tuk-tuk, we zoomed around and stopped to sit on plastic stools where we ate pork skewers coated in a sticky sweet and spicy marinade, water buffalo, chicken noodle soup, papaya salad, and a flaky baguette.
We also attempted to eat 20-day eggs (Google it, if you dare).
The sheer amount of food ensured a good kip and the next day we headed down to the port for the Aqua Mekong.
For three nights, we would be on board a luxury boat (prices start at £3,523pp), taking us down the Mekong River to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Boasting a 1:1 staff ratio, a pool, gym, cinema and spa, fantastic local excursions and food, the Aqua Mekong calls itself a floating paradise.
On being shown our room, Jack and I couldn’t get over our luck.
Wood panelled, with a double bed, sofa, armchair – we had so much space. I could have sat for days watching the river meandering by.
But that was impossible when there was so much to do.
Branching out on RIBs, we saw floating fishing villages, visited market tours markets andpagodas, and experienced the hospitality of local families (including many shots of rice wine in one man’s home).
We got to see a side of Vietnam that many tourists don’t.
My favourite excursion was a 18km cycle from Gieng Island towards My An Hung village. We biked along to waves from children, stopping at a golden temple, before taking green back streets and a ferry to get to our destination.
Once there, we were met by boat staff who handed us Aperol spritzes, as we sat down to watch a traditional unicorn dance, mouths agape at the skill and strength involved in the performance.
All of this accompanied by Chef Phaera’s culinary skills. All food was included, along with wine and beer, and meals were phenomenal, multi-course affairs.
Laksa, pho, congee, ban xeo (Vietnamese pancakes), alongside such dishes as caramelised pork ribs in young coconut juice and black pepper and grilled river lobster.
The staff, who were all Vietnamese or Cambodian, had thought of everything. From personalised water bottles, to a free laundry service, we felt very cared for.
I didn’t want to get off the boat but three days later we checked out, with cruise director Vuthy giving all the women a rose to mark International Women’s Day.
Ho Chi Minh City
In HCMC, we stayed in District 1, surrounded by skyscrapers, designer shops, mopeds, and must-see spots like Notre Dame (established by French colonists), Saigon Central Post Office (built by Gustave Eiffel), and the Café Apartments (flats that are also cafés).
We met Bien, our guide, and saw locals take morning dance classes in the park; watched men ready their birds for a singing competition; toured temples; heard Bien’s stories of growing up during the Vietnam War; and stopped in District 5’s Chinatown for tasty breakfast noodles topped with pork mince, fish balls and prawns.
That night we met Hai, who took us on a street food tour by vintage Jeep. We had banh xeo and banh khot (smaller pancakes with shrimp); Vietnamese pizza (grilled rice paper covered in an array of sauces and toppings); finishing with cleansing coconut ice cream topped with pistachios and a side of coconut water.
Quy Nhon
The next day we made our way to Quy Nhon in Central Vietnam, a favourite of Vietnamese tourists.
An hour flight from HCMC, Quy Nhon is an escape from the hustle and bustle. We stayed at Anatara Quy Nhon (prices for March 2025 start at £397 per night), a resort with villas that overlook the hotel’s private beach.
Our room boasted a massive bed – the comfiest I’ve ever slept in – an indoor and outdoor shower, and a tub overlooking our private, ocean-side pool.
A minute’s walk away, the hotel’s restaurant, Sea Fire Salt, showcased elevated dishes using local ingredients. We ate like kings with a surf and turf tower cooked atop a millions-year-old chunk of pink Himalayan rock salt.
My favourite experience at Anantara came after a morning market tour with the hotel’s sous chef, who asked us what we did and didn’t like, and came away with bags full, ready to create a menu just for Jack and I.
Among the glorious 12 oysters covered in scallion oil and crispy onion bites, the cabbage and prawn soup, and razor clams with morning glory, there were two dishes that stole my heart.
The squid and shredded mango salad with peanuts, chilis, and herbs and the fish that flaked apart, coated in a spicy turmeric broth and green chillies, which packed an umami punch and still, months on, makes my mouth water at the memory.
It’s safe to say this was the point where we stopped being able to fit into our clothes.
We also booked a few of the hotel’s other offerings, including martial arts class, a couple’s massage – which had me drifting off to another plane – and Thich’s Tours, which was a fantastic way to learn about the history of the region.
Grateful not to be saying goodbye to Anatara, we headed to their second branch in Hoi An, travelling in style as the hotel operates a luxury train carriage – The Vietage (prices start at £257 per person) – between the two.
The six-hour journey would get us in the early hours of the morning and during that time we had a private booth for dining, and two more sleeping cabins – a world away from the classic backpacker sleeper train.
This was like no first class train I’ve ever experienced, with a fine dining three course menu including dishes like duck terrine, Hoi An chicken rice and passionfruit tart.
I was soon ready for the sleep compartment, where I dozed peacefully until we arrived.
Hoi An
Hoi An’s ancient town – a UNESCO world heritage site – contains Chinese architecture and French colonial buildings. Its pedestrianised, lantern clad streets, host bustling shops and restaurants, night markets and trips in highly decorated boats down the central river.
And Hoi An Anatara’s (prices start at £228 per night) impressive building is only minutes from the entrance and also offers fantastic hospitality and the best breakfast buffet I’ve ever eaten.
Each room has its own veranda, and as much as I wanted to relax with a book, there was much to see. First, we had a cooking class, before meeting our guide, Lap, who would accompany us throughout Central Vietnam.
He took us on a bike ride across the river to the carpentry and boat-making village, where we admired the skills of their trade.
Further afield, Lap took us on a private tour of My Son Sanctuary – a collection of temples created by the Cham people between the 4th and 14th century – in a reclaimed US army Jeep.
We took in the architecture of these buildings that have astonished experts since their rediscovery in the late 1800s, and now had us in raptures.
This was followed by a trip to The Marble Mountains, which hide religious statues built from the marble within their caves, the scale of which has to be seen to be believed.
Then we were off again to former capital Hue, where we spent a night at Phuoc’s family homestay.
Read more about Jess’s homestay experience here
Lang Co
Lap picked us up and from there we drove an hour to Banyan Tree Lang Co (prices start at £290 per night), situated between beach and forest.
At reception, we were given kumquat tea and mung bean sweets, then introduced to our butler, Phung, wearing a beautiful green and white áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress).
Opening the gates to our villa, our mouths dropped. We had a garden, a deck and sparkling blue private pool, which itself looked onto a green lake with purple flowers, and views of mountains behind.
Phung sweetly took a picture of us in our stunning room, which she later presented to us in a homemade frame decorated with shells from the beach.
The hotel is unrivalled when it comes to activities on offer. There’s chest opening yoga, kayaking, golf, conical hat painting, water sports, bamboo weaving and so much more.
Knowing we didn’t have long in this oasis, we made a beeline to the spa, where we had foot baths, and a couple’s massage.
Unsurprisingly, we ate a lot at the hotel’s Mediterranean, Vietnamese and Thai restaurants.
And on our last night, we opted for Destination Dining, where we tucked into lobster bisque, pan fried sea bass, and tiramisu on the beach, surrounded by glowing fairy lights and tiki torches.
Before we knew it, we were off to Da Nang Airport for our 1hr 30 flight to Hanoi – the country’s capital.
Hanoi
Meeting us off the plane, our local guide Tchung explained that we might need a jacket. We’d become accustomed to the high 30s, now we were in the low 20s.
We were staying at InterContinental Hanoi Westlake (prices start at £135 per night) – the 5 star hotel famous in the city – whose colonial style building sprawls across the biggest lake in Hanoi. Offering views of the sunset from their bar – and from our room’s balcony.
With a ginormous breakfast buffet, state of the art gym, and friendly staff ready to golf-buggy you around the resort whenever needed (a luxury I soon became accustomed to), it would be understandable if you wanted to stay put.
But the area has lots to offer. We saw people renting swan shaped pedalos and sipping coffees outside cafes, while others took in the Trấn Quốc Pagoda – the oldest temple in Hanoi.
Ha Long Bay
Sadly, it was just a quick pit stop for us before our two hour drive to Ha Long Bay, where we boarded an Orchid Cruise to take in the sights of the Cat Ba Archipelago – another UNESCO World Heritage site.
With a balcony, full sized bathtub, and overlooking some of the thousands of towering rocky islands in the water, it was hard to tear ourselves away from our room.
But things only got better on the top deck – and not just because it was happy hour at the bar – with all round views.
During our two full days on the boat we disembarked to walk through caves steeped in history and cycled to a village where we tried snake wine and had our feet nibbled by fish.
It was time to go back to Hanoi – but this time by seaplane because we’d become used to the high life.
Hanoi
The next morning, Tchung picked us up and took us on a tour of his city.
We visited Ngoc Son Temple and heard the legend of the turtles who lived in the surrounding waters. We took a rickshaw journey before ending up in Hang Bac Street where we met an elderly woman and her son, who welcomed us into their traditional home, hidden behind a more modern frontage.
While plying us with sweets and green tea, she told us about their life and her memories of the French occupation of Hanoi and the Vietnam war, when the family hid under their floor. We felt extremely privileged to hear her story and receive such a warm welcome.
We then took a car to the Museum of Ethnology, where we learnt about the cultures of the 54 different ethnic groups in Vietnam. This was followed by an egg coffee (which had the consistency of flan), a hearty pho, and a lesson in making banh cuon – a rolled rice pancake with pork.
The time came to say goodbye to Tchung, and to Vietnam – even though we would have liked to have stayed for another three weeks.
We made our way to the airport determined to come back and explore even more of the beautiful country.
Maybe for our wedding anniversary?
UTC organised all activities, guides, private transfers, the homestay, Orchid Cruise and seaplane (prices for honeymoon packages start at £3,950). Anything else was organised directly with the hotels/Aqua Mekong.
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