The full length of Highway 1 — 1,700 km from Hanoi's Old Quarter down the coast to Ho Chi Minh City, through limestone bays, imperial cities, and the country's best beaches.
The Old Quarter's tangled streets and Hoan Kiem Lake make an easy start before the coast road south.
Tam Coc's limestone karsts rising out of rice paddies — often called "Halong Bay on land."
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park's caves, including some of the largest cave passages on Earth.
The former imperial capital — a moated citadel and royal tombs along the Perfume River.
A lantern-lit UNESCO old town, with the Hai Van Pass's switchbacks just before it.
A long beach city and a natural place to break up the final push south.
The route ends in the country's biggest city — the War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market are both worth the stop.