Where to stay in Vietnam: the best areas and hotels

Hanoi is where most journeys begin, and it sets the tone fast. Scooters pour around Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter's narrow streets are lined with stalls selling steaming bowls of pho, and the night market fills the lanes after dark. It's noisy, a little overwhelming and utterly addictive.

For a calmer base, look north to West Lake, where hotels sit on leafy streets with water views and the Old Quarter is a short ride away; one boutique five-star here is a walk from Dong Xuan Market and has its own spa. Grand city hotels overlook Giang Vo Lake, while big-name resorts on the western side offer outdoor pools and space. Hanoi is also the springboard for the mountains of Sa Pa, where resorts gaze out at Fansipan peak.

Ha Long Bay is the image on every Vietnam brochure, and it lives up to it: a vast UNESCO-listed seascape of jungle-topped limestone pinnacles, hidden caves and fishing boats. Most visitors cruise it in a day from Hanoi, but staying a night or two lets you see it at dawn, before the boats arrive.

The pick of the places to stay are out in the islands of Bai Tu Long Bay, where Quan Lan has a resort on an unspoilt shore with a spa, hot springs and its own beach, about three hours' drive from Hanoi plus a short boat ride. Closer to the mainland, newer resorts at Van Don suit families and longer stays, while Ha Long city itself has spa hotels with indoor and outdoor pools.

If you only have time for one stop between the cities, make it this one. Hoi An's old town is a riverside tangle of yellow merchants' houses, tailors' shops and lantern-strung lanes, with the Japanese Covered Bridge at its heart and a night market humming along the Thu Bon River. It's photogenic to the point of seeming unreal.

Da Nang, half an hour up the coast, is the beach half of the deal: a long sweep of sand backed by big resorts. Stay in Hoi An for atmosphere, with riverside resorts a short walk from the bridge and infinity pools overlooking the rice fields; stay in Da Nang for classic beach-resort days, with lagoon-style pools, Japanese-style spas and an all-inclusive island hideaway.

Nha Trang is Vietnam's big beach city: a long crescent of golden sand, a palm-lined promenade and a bay scattered with islands you can reach by boat. Downtown is lively and built up, with a five-star right on the seafront overlooking the bay.

The quieter, more glamorous stays lie just outside. North of the centre, resorts tuck into sheltered coves about ten minutes from town, with villas big enough for the whole family. South towards Cam Ranh airport, Bai Dai Beach is lined with roomy resorts inspired by traditional Vietnamese design, around 15 minutes from the terminal. They suit families who want space and couples who want calm.

Quy Nhon is what Nha Trang might have been before the high-rises. It's a working seaside city with a long town beach, seafood restaurants and very few international tourists, and the coast either side is lined with headlands, coves and fishing villages.

Hotels range from smart towers on the town beachfront, about 100 metres from the sand, to properly secluded hideaways. The standout is a collection of just 25 villas on a private cove with mountains on three sides and butlers on call. Out of town there are resorts with private beaches and golf, linked to the sand by shuttle.

Saigon, as almost everyone still calls it, is Vietnam's biggest and brashest city. Motorbikes swarm the boulevards, rooftop bars glitter above District 1, and the French colonial set pieces, the Opera House, the post office and Notre-Dame Cathedral, sit a short walk apart. The food scene, from plastic-stool noodle stalls to slick restaurants, is the best reason to come.

Stay in the centre. The Caravelle, opened in 1959 as the city's first international hotel, still looks out over the city from its 24-storey tower, and the airport is about 8 km away. Le Méridien has a spa and outdoor pool for recovering from the heat.

Vietnam's largest island is the country's answer to a tropical beach break. Phu Quoc sits off the southern coast, a short flight from Saigon, with long sandy beaches on the west side where the sun sets straight into the sea.

Long Beach (Bai Truong) is the main strip, with five-star resorts right on the sand offering bungalows with private pools, kids clubs and spas. One huge resort is only ten minutes from the airport, with seven restaurants and a choice of rooms, suites and villas. It's the easiest place in Vietnam to do nothing at all, and that's the point.