Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
The length of Vietnam
Ten days, three regions, nothing wasted
This is the shortest route we are willing to sell as the whole country. It works because it is ruthless about what it leaves out, and we would rather you knew that list before you book than discovered it on day six.
Overview
What ten days can honestly hold
Most people with ten days of leave try to fit in everything from the delta to Sapa and end up spending a third of the trip in airports. We start from the other end: which four places give the best picture of the country for the fewest transfers? Saigon for the south’s energy and its war history, one night in the delta so the floating market happens at dawn, three nights in Hoi An because the old town needs a morning, and Hanoi with a night on the bay to finish.
The price of that is Hue, Phong Nha and the northern mountains. None of them fits without turning one of the other stops into a drive-through. If Hue matters more to you than the delta, we will swap them — the flight pattern works either way — but we will not add it on top.
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Bases
- Saigon, Can Tho, Hoi An, Hanoi
- Flights
- Saigon–Da Nang, Da Nang–Hanoi
- Longest day
- Day 4, market to Hoi An
- Bay
- One night on board
- Pace
- Brisk, with two slack afternoons
Nights
Where you sleep
Nine nights, six beds. The only one-night stops are the delta and the bay, and both are there because a single night changes what you see rather than just where you sleep.
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive in Saigon
The first plate of broken rice
Airport pick-up and the twenty- to forty-minute drive into District 1. If you land before mid-afternoon, a first walk with your guide: the post office, the cathedral square and a street kitchen for dinner.
Day 2
Cu Chi early, the city after
The tunnels before nine
Away at 07:00 to reach the tunnels at Ben Duoc before the coaches. Back for lunch, then the War Remnants Museum and the Independence Palace in the hot middle of the day, when being indoors is the point.
Day 3
Into the delta
The narrow channels at An Binh
West to Vinh Long and across to the orchard islands for a small-boat afternoon on the side channels, then on to Can Tho by late afternoon. Dinner on the riverfront.
Day 4
Floating market, then fly north
Cai Rang at first light
On the water at 05:30 for Cai Rang while it is still a wholesale market. Back by 08:30, breakfast, and the drive to Tan Son Nhat for an early-afternoon flight to Da Nang (about 1 hour 20 minutes). In Hoi An by early evening. It is the longest day of the trip and the only one like it.
Day 5
Hoi An before the crowds
The Japanese bridge with nobody on it
The old town at 07:00, when the assembly halls are open and the streets are empty. The afternoon is free; we suggest a bicycle and the rice fields towards Tra Que.
Day 6
My Son at opening time
The towers in early light
An hour inland to the Cham sanctuary at My Son for 06:30, back by late morning. The rest of the day is yours: tailors, the beach at An Bang, or nothing.
Day 7
Fly to Hanoi
Hoan Kiem lake at dusk
Da Nang to Hanoi takes about 1 hour 15 minutes. Afternoon in the Old Quarter on foot with a guide from our Hanoi partner, and bun cha for dinner.
Day 8
Out to Lan Ha Bay
Kayaking the lagoons
Three hours by expressway to the harbour and aboard by midday. Kayaking in the afternoon among the limestone, dinner on board.
Day 9
Morning on the water, back to Hanoi
Sunrise between the karsts
The early hour on deck is the best of the bay. Brunch, disembark around 11:00, and back in Hanoi by mid-afternoon. A free evening.
Day 10
Hanoi, then home
The courtyards at the Temple of Literature
The Temple of Literature and a coffee before your transfer to Noi Bai. For evening flights we keep the room until mid-afternoon where the hotel allows.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 1295 | from 1620 | from 2460 |
| 4 travelling | from 1060 | from 1325 | from 2020 |
| 6 travelling | from 960 | from 1200 | from 1820 |
The fixed costs are the two flights, the bay boat and four regional guides; the hotel tier moves the total more than anything else. Choosing Ha Long instead of Lan Ha lowers the boat cost slightly. Travelling over Tet, late December or the Easter weeks raises it.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Private car and driver in every region, and all airport transfers
- English-speaking guide: our own in the south, long-standing partner guides in Hoi An and Hanoi
- Nine nights in your chosen hotel tier, with the bay night on board
- Both internal flights in economy, with a checked bag
- Meals as listed, entrance fees and the boats named in the itinerary
What it does not include
- International flights and your Vietnam visa
- Travel insurance
- Drinks, tips and meals not listed
- Tailoring, shopping and optional extras
Timing
Which months suit this direction
● ideal · ◐ workable · ○ poor.
Running south to north is right from late January to April: the south is dry, Hoi An is dry and not yet fierce, and Hanoi has warmed up by the time you reach it in March. May and June still work if you can take heat, and the bay is at its calmest then.
We would not run this route in October or November, when Hoi An floods most years and the bay can close for storms. In December and early January we usually suggest turning it round and finishing in the warm south instead.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
If you want to sleep somewhere for four nights and unpack properly, this is not your route; look at the slow version instead. It is also the wrong trip if Hue or the caves are the reason you are coming, or if a 05:30 start followed by a flight on the same day sounds like punishment rather than a fair trade.
And if you have more than ten days, do not use this as a base and pad it. The fourteen-day route is built differently, with Hue and a second bay night in it, and it is a better trip than this one with extras bolted on.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Can we add the Mekong on a day trip instead of a night?
You can, and it saves a night, but the day trip reaches the nearer delta around My Tho. Cai Rang only works as a market if you are on the water before seven, which means sleeping in Can Tho.
Is the bay really worth only one night?
One night is the minimum that works. If you can find an eleventh day, the second night is the single best addition to this route.
Could we do it north to south instead?
Yes, with the same flights reversed. Between December and early February that is the better direction.
Related
Read next
Southern Vietnam
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The city we work in: districts, food, timing and honest advice.
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Mekong Delta
Can Tho
The delta base: Cai Rang, canals and a real night market.
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Central Vietnam
Hoi An
Old town, beach, tailors and the honest timing.
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Northern Vietnam
Hanoi
The capital: Old Quarter, food, and the northern base.
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Example journey
Vietnam in 14 days
Saigon to Hanoi in two weeks: four bases, two flights, two bay nights.
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Tours
Tours
Day trips, regional routes and full-length itineraries.
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Start planning
Tell us about the trip you have in mind
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Or talk to us:+84 766 045 399