Border to border, on foot where it counts

The long north section with a car, driver and guide for eleven days is most of the cost. The mountain guesthouses are cheap, so the hotel tier affects this trip less than any other in the group. A car for the loop costs more per person for two than an easy rider, and less for four.

There are two choices. March and April: the delta is dry and the water low, Hoi An is at its best, the terraces are being flooded and planted, and the walking is good and not yet hot. Late September to mid-October: the delta is at high water and Tra Su is at its greenest, the northern terraces are gold at harvest, and Ha Giang has its buckwheat flowers. The risk then is the central coast, which is why this route gives Hoi An a rest role that a wet day does not ruin.

Avoid July and August, when landslides close the mountain roads, and December to February, when Sapa and Ha Giang can be close to freezing in unheated guesthouses.

Anyone who needs reliable comfort every night: of the ten nights in the far north, several are in homestays or simple guesthouses. Travellers who cannot walk 12 to 15 kilometres on uneven, sometimes muddy paths, two days in a row. And first-time visitors who want Hue, Ha Long Bay and the famous sights. They are not here, and this route is better as a second trip. If the long days in a car worry you, the northwest loop on its own covers the mountains in nine days with shorter drives.