Depending on where and when you start your travels, you’ll likely arrive in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, late this evening. Check into your hotel, either the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, a longtime favorite with a classic colonial style and a garden courtyard with a pool, or the more over-the-top Capella Hanoi across the street, which has a lavish and theatrical art deco décor but more-limited outdoor space.

Take it easy your first full day. Start sightseeing a little later than you ordinarily might this morning, meeting a guide for a walking tour around Hoan Kiem Lake and the adjacent Old Quarter. The latter has been tidied in recent years, but it still has numerous crumbling colonial-era buildings to give it ample charm. The shopping is excellent.

Take at least one more day to explore Hanoi, perhaps booking a private street food tour and/or visiting the Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison (the notorious “Hanoi Hilton” during the Vietnam War), contemporary art galleries and local craft brew pubs, as your interests dictate.

The new highway reduces the travel time from Hanoi to Ha Long to about two hours, making it possible to see Ha Long Bay as a long day trip. But if time permits, consider spending the night there, perhaps even aboard a traditional wooden junk, allowing more time to leisurely cruise the spectacular labyrinth of limestone stacks rising out of the sea.

Return to Hanoi’s airport and take a short flight to Hue, Vietnam’s former imperial capital. Transfer to the Azerai La Residence, a stylishly renovated 1930s hotel on the Perfume River. Take the afternoon to relax by its pool or perhaps have a spa treatment.

Spend a full day exploring Hue, starting with the immense Imperial City, a walled compound in the center. Although it was heavily damaged during the war, many of its gates, temples and pavilions have been restored, as have some of its patios and gardens.

After lunch, visit some of the notable sights on Hue’s outskirts, including the tranquil Thien Mu Pagoda and one or two of the imperial tombs (the hillside tomb of Khai Dinh and lakeside resting place of Tu Duc are especially recommended).

Transfer with a car and driver from Hue to Danang, where gleaming new hotels and apartment towers have sprouted along famed China Beach. Nearby is the Museum of Cham Sculpture, housing an arresting collection of artworks and artifacts dating from the 5th to the 15th centuries. Alternatively, detour a few miles inland to the Bach Ma National Park, where hiking trails lead to picturesque pools and waterfalls.

Check into the Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, set on the beach between Danang and Hoi An. Relax for a spell on the sand or beside the immense sea-view pool.

Make a short day trip to Hoi An, a well-preserved port town with a pretty (if quite touristy) historic center. After seeing the ornate Japanese Covered Bridge, the unofficial symbol of Hoi An, explore the city’s pedestrian-friendly streets, visiting old assembly halls and temples and shopping in the stylish boutiques.

Return after lunch to the Four Seasons, where we highly recommend enjoying a treatment in one of its entrancing spa pavilions, built over the edge of a placid lotus pond.

Transfer to Danang’s airport and fly nonstop to Nha Trang, Vietnam’s most famous resort town. Check into one of our recommended hotels in the region. Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is accessible only via a 20-minute speedboat ride from town. Some of its sea-view villas have dramatic private pools hewn from boulders. Exquisite Amanoi overlooks Vinh Hy Bay, about an hour and a half south of Nha Trang by car, in a remote location on the coast of Nui Chua National Park.

Alternative route: If you don’t mind changing planes at one point, consider an alternative routing for Days 10 to 13. We recently had an unforgettable stay at Zannier Bai San Ho, a coastal resort located about 90 minutes south of Quy Nhon’s airport. It’s rich in character and offers some fascinating culturally focused excursions. On Day 10, fly from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City, change planes, and fly to Quy Nhon. Spend Days 11 and 12 at Zannier Bai San Ho before flying to Ho Chi Minh City, as on Day 13 below.

Spend at least two days experiencing the amenities of your resort, perhaps enjoying sightseeing cruises, hikes, spa treatments and/or snorkeling.

Take a short flight to Ho Chi Minh City, known more popularly as Saigon. Check into either the Park Hyatt Saigon or the Mia Saigon. The former is right in the heart of town by the Opera House, but its garden courtyard pool is an oasis of tranquility. The latter is on the city’s outskirts, with a large swimming pool facing the Saigon River, giving it more of a resort feel (a motorboat shuttles guests between the hotel and the city center at scheduled times throughout the day).

Although mostly contemporary in appearance, Ho Chi Minh City has a rich history and numerous attractive colonial-era buildings in addition to appealing midcentury-modern architecture. Take a private guided sightseeing tour with a driver and guide, or simply relax at your hotel.

Your flight out of Ho Chi Minh City will likely leave either in the morning or late in the evening, meaning that you can depart first thing today, have another full day in Ho Chi Minh City before heading off, or even start your journey home late on Day 15.