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Tourists on motorbikes with local guides pose on a Saigon street near Highlands Coffee at dusk.

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On your own, not alone

Vietnam is one of the easier countries in Asia to travel alone. The questions solo travellers ask us are about cost and company rather than safety, and we answer them plainly here.

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Overview

What changes when you travel alone

Travelling alone changes the arithmetic more than the experience. A private car, a guide and a hotel room cost the same whether one person uses them or two, so the solo traveller pays for all of it. That is the single supplement, and on a private multi-day route it is real. The other change is company. Some people travel alone precisely to be alone; others would like a table to share now and then. A good solo trip plans for both.

Our answer is to mix. In Saigon, the shared day tours we run ourselves — capped at twelve people — give you company and a lower price on the days where a group works well: the street-food evening, the tunnels, the delta. On multi-day routes the trip is private, but we keep guided days to where they add something, which keeps the cost sensible, and we point you towards places where eating alone is easy.

The iconic clock tower entrance of Ben Thanh Market in Saigon with visitors walking past on an overcast day.Saigon after dark: eating alone on a plastic stool is completely normal here.

The trips

Trips that suit one person

Many of these are shared days from Saigon where you will be in a small group; the longer routes are private and priced for one when you ask.

Ben Duoc Temple's ornate pagoda-style facade with Vietnamese flags stands before a wide stone courtyard in Cu Chi.

Day tour · from USD 35

Cu Chi tunnels, half day

The tunnels at Ben Duoc, early, before the coaches — back for lunch.

Tourists ride small wooden boats rowed by local boatmen on the Mekong River at dusk.

Day tour · from USD 55

My Tho and Ben Tre

The nearest delta, done on the back channels rather than the main stage.

A rower guides tourists in conical hats through a narrow water palm channel on the Mekong Delta.

Day tour · from USD 75

Cu Chi and the delta in one day

Eleven hours, four in the van. For people who truly have one day — with the timings on it.

The Independence Palace facade with a fountain and green lawn under a clear sky in Saigon.

Day tour · from USD 45

Saigon in a day, on foot

The palace, the war museum, the post office and a market, paced around the heat.

Aerial view of Ho Chi Minh City skyline with a winding canal and dense mix of low-rise and high-rise buildings.

Day tour · from USD 49

Street food after dark

Four districts, seven stops, on the back of a scooter with a rider who eats there.

A café table in Ho Chi Minh City with iced coffee, a cupcake, and a phone showing the time.

Day tour · from USD 35

Coffee and markets, a morning

Pavement coffee, a wet market at seven and a roaster who explains the robusta.

Yellow entrance gate of Đình Khánh Hội communal temple on a narrow street in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day tour · from USD 45

Backstreets by motorbike

District 4, the canal side and the alleys — the city you do not see from a car.

A boy stands on a wooden plank walkway beside a muddy canal lined with thatched houses in the Mekong Delta.

2 days · from USD 175

A delta homestay, two days

An Binh island, a family house, a night without traffic noise.

Traffic passes buildings including Liberty Central hotel along Bach Dang Quay in Ho Chi Minh City.

3 days · from USD 295

Saigon in depth, three days

The city given three days: food, history, and the districts nobody visits.

A couple sits at a hillside viewpoint café overlooking green hills and the coast along the Hue to Hoi An road.

6 days · from USD 885

The central coast by train

Dong Hoi to Quy Nhon on the coastal line, four stops, no long drives.

An ornate stone temple gate with carved dragons stands on a busy Hanoi street lined with shops and parked motorbikes.

2 days · from USD 235

Hanoi, two days

The Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature and a street-food night, at walking pace.

A turquoise river winds through the deep Nho Que canyon as seen from Ma Pi Leng Pass in Ha Giang.

4 days · from USD 525

The Ha Giang loop

The whole loop with an easy rider or a car, four days, not three rushed ones.

An ornate Hoi An sign arches over the Thu Bon River, with wooden boats moored along the water below.

10 days · from USD 1295

Vietnam in 10 days, south to north

Saigon, the delta, Hoi An, Hanoi and the bay — two flights, no wasted day.

A train winds along tracks beside a wet coastal road through green hills near Da Nang on an overcast day.

15 days · from USD 1795

Vietnam by train, 15 days

Saigon to Hanoi on the Reunification line: four daylight legs and one night train.

Costs

Costs, explained honestly

Shared day toursPriced per person; no supplement
Private day toursPriced for one when you book alone; the car and guide are yours
Multi-day hotelsA single room costs close to a double; the supplement covers it
Private car and guideA daily cost that one person carries alone
Overnight boatsMost charge a large supplement for single use of a cabin
TrainsA berth in a four-berth cabin is priced per berth, no supplement

A private guide costs less than people assume, because the guide is priced per day, not per person, and the daily fee is modest by Western standards. The larger costs are the car on long drives and the single cabin on a boat. We keep those down by using trains and flights for the long legs and by suggesting the shorter boat trips where a single cabin is fairer.

Safety

Safety, and where to be careful

Violent crime against visitors is rare in Vietnam. The common problems are petty and preventable. In Saigon, phones and bags are snatched by passing motorbikes: keep your phone away from the kerb side, carry a bag across your body, and do not walk along a busy road looking at a map. Use the ride-hailing apps rather than taking a taxi off the street. Overcharging happens at the edges of the tourist trade and is annoying rather than dangerous.

Women travelling alone generally find Vietnam comfortable. The usual precautions apply at night and in bars, and we would advise against sleeper buses for anyone travelling alone; the train or a flight is safer and more pleasant. With us, you also have our 24-hour line for the length of the trip, and a planner in Saigon who knows where you are each day.

A young woman in a straw hat and backpack pauses on a quiet tree-lined street in Hanoi.
A motorbike rides a winding mountain road through misty forested hills in Ha Giang, Vietnam.
Hanoi at seven, the easiest hour to find your feet in the Old Quarter. · Ha Giang with an easy rider: one of the best solo trips in the north.

Where

Where solo trips work best, and who should think again

  • Saigon and Hanoi, where the street life gives you company without trying and our shared tours fill the gaps.
  • The Ha Giang loop, ridden pillion with an easy rider, which is naturally a one-to-one trip.
  • Hoi An and Luang Prabang, small, walkable and easy to be alone in.
  • The train along the coast, where you share a cabin and conversations happen by themselves.

Solo travel with us is not the cheapest way to see Vietnam alone; a backpacker bus and hostels will always cost less. It suits people who want their days handled and are content to pay for that. It does not suit those who want to meet many other travellers every evening, who would find a hostel route more sociable.

Checklist

Checklist for travelling alone

  • Leave a copy of your passport and itinerary with someone at home.
  • Save our 24-hour number in your phone before you land.
  • Buy a local SIM or eSIM at the airport; maps and ride-hailing need data.
  • Carry a small amount of cash in a separate pocket from your main wallet.
  • Tell us if you would like shared days or private ones, and we will build the mix.

Common questions

Questions travellers ask most

Is there a single supplement on your day tours?

Not on the shared day tours, which are priced per person. On private day tours the table shows prices for two and four; for one person we quote on request, and it is the same car and guide.

Can you match me with other solo travellers for a multi-day trip?

We do not run shared multi-day departures, so we cannot promise company. Many solo travellers join our shared day tours in Saigon for that reason.

Is it safe to ride a motorbike alone?

We do not recommend self-riding unless you hold a valid licence and are experienced. An easy rider — a local driver with you on the back — gives you the same roads with far less risk.

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Tourists on motorbikes with local guides pose on a Saigon street near Highlands Coffee at dusk.

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