Originally Posted by NBwoodstock

Hi! I am heading to Vietnam in January 2025. I am planning on visiting Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue, and DaNang, and then I will travel to Laos and Cambodia for a bit.

I am unclear on how to best travel between these areas within Vietnam and its border countries. When traveling, I typically fly in, rent a car, and road trip it all, or take express trains, walk around local cities, and then take quick flights to neighboring countries.
I am largely not comfortable in taxis or buses. I am willing to travel on public transport under the right conditions. I have taken an overnight ferry to Crete—a good experience; a cross-country day train in Norway—a great experience; several express trains throughout Europe—varying experiences; and a sleeper train in Sweden—a poor experience. I see very mixed reviews on the Reunification Express. Does Vietnam have good, clean, reliable, comfortable trains? And if so, is this the best route? Or should I fly between each destination?

Once I reach these cities, how best to navigate them? I find many blogs/videos by backpackers using motorbikes and tourists taking tour buses. I am not interested in either avenue. Is a private driver the best route? Will one drive us throughout Vietnam? Or do I need to schedule them individually throughout? Will any go into neighboring countries? And what range of cost might this be?

Thanks for any assistance!