Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
The length of Vietnam
The classic route, with the sea put back
Most Vietnam itineraries treat the coast as scenery seen from a car window. This one stops at it twice: beach days near Hoi An in the middle, and four nights on Con Dao, the island most visitors have never heard of, before a last three days in Saigon.
Overview
Two kinds of coast in one trip
The first week is sightseeing: Hanoi, a night on Ha Long Bay and the old town of Hoi An. The second week changes speed. The Hoi An hotel is by the sea rather than in the old town, so the last two days there are beach days. Then comes Con Dao: an island group off the south coast with a heavy prison history, a small town, a national park, and sea clear enough to snorkel from the shore in the right months.
We chose Con Dao over Phu Quoc on purpose. Phu Quoc is bigger, busier and easier. Con Dao has a handful of places to stay and a few good places to eat, and very little happens there, which is what people want from a finish. If you would rather have Phu Quoc’s restaurants and resorts, we will swap it, and the best months change with it.
- Length
- 16 days, 15 nights
- Beach nights
- Nine, in two places
- Flights
- Four short legs
- Island
- Con Dao, four nights
- Direction
- North to south
- Pace
- Busy week, easy week
Nights
Where you sleep
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive in Hanoi
A first walk round the lake
Pick-up at Noi Bai and forty-five minutes into the Old Quarter.
Day 2
Hanoi
Egg coffee
A morning in the Old Quarter and the Temple of Literature with our partner guide, and Hoa Lo prison in the afternoon.
Day 3
To Ha Long Bay
Evening on deck
Two and a half hours to the harbour. Kayaks and a cave in the afternoon.
Day 4
Off the boat, fly to Da Nang
The bay at dawn
Sunrise, brunch, back at the harbour around 11:00 and on to Noi Bai for an afternoon flight (about 1 hour 15 minutes). In Hoi An by evening.
Day 5
Hoi An old town
The old town before eight
The old town at 07:00 with the guide, and back to the beach by lunch.
Day 6
My Son, or the countryside
Your choice
The Cham towers at opening time, or bicycles through the vegetable village at Tra Que. Afternoon on the beach.
Day 7
Beach day
The sea
Nothing planned. The Cham islands by speedboat are an option on a calm day.
Day 8
Beach day
Nothing to catch
A second day for swimming or the tailors, or both.
Day 9
Fly to Con Dao via Saigon
Landing between the hills
Da Nang to Saigon (about 1 hour 20 minutes), then a connection of about an hour on a smaller plane to Con Dao. On the island by afternoon.
Day 10
The prisons
Hang Duong at dusk
The French-built prison complex, the tiger cages, and the Hang Duong cemetery with a local guide. Sobering, and essential to understanding the island.
Day 11
The national park and the beaches
Dam Trau beach
A forest walk to a quiet beach, and snorkelling if the sea is calm. Turtle-nesting visits to the outer islands need permits and an overnight stay, and we arrange them in season if you ask early.
Day 12
Free on Con Dao
An empty beach
Nothing booked.
Day 13
Fly to Saigon
Seafood on the pavement
About an hour back to the city. An evening food walk in District 4.
Day 14
Saigon and Cu Chi
The tunnels before nine
The tunnels at Ben Duoc early, back for lunch, and the War Remnants Museum in the afternoon.
Day 15
Cho Lon, or the delta
Binh Tay market
A morning in the Chinese city at Cho Lon, or a day on the back channels of the nearer delta.
Day 16
Departure
A last coffee
Transfer to Tan Son Nhat.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 2095 | from 2620 | from 3980 |
| 4 travelling | from 1720 | from 2145 | from 3265 |
| 6 travelling | from 1550 | from 1940 | from 2945 |
The Con Dao flights and the island’s small supply of good hotels are what make this route cost more than the classic fourteen days. Tier 3 on Con Dao means one of a very few places, and they fill early. Swapping Con Dao for Phu Quoc usually lowers the price.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Private car and driver in each region, and all transfers
- Partner guides in Hanoi and Hoi An, a local guide on Con Dao, ours in Saigon
- Fifteen nights in your chosen tier, one of them on the bay
- Four flight legs in economy: Hanoi–Da Nang, Da Nang–Saigon, Saigon–Con Dao, Con Dao–Saigon
- Meals as listed, entrance fees and boats
What it does not include
- International flights and visas
- Travel insurance
- Drinks, tips and meals not listed
- Snorkelling boat trips, the Cham islands and turtle-nesting permits
Timing
The narrow window, explained
● ideal · ◐ workable · ○ poor.
This route has the tightest timing in the group, because three coasts have to agree. April to June is when they do: the sea at Hoi An is calm and warm, Con Dao is in its calm window with the clearest water, and the bay is before its typhoon months. The costs are heat in Hanoi, which is humid by June, and the start of Saigon’s afternoon rains in May.
July and August still work for Hoi An, but Con Dao gets rougher and the bay can close. From December to February, Hoi An’s beach is grey and the Con Dao crossing is choppy. In those months we build this trip with Phu Quoc instead, where December to March is at its best.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
If your dates fall between October and February, this route is wrong for you as written; ask for the Phu Quoc version. If you want nightlife, shopping or a choice of restaurants on the island, Con Dao will disappoint. It is quiet on purpose. And if the island’s prison history is something you would rather not spend a morning on, you should know it is present everywhere on Con Son, not only in the museum.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Is Con Dao hard to get to?
Only in the sense that the flights from Saigon are small and fill early. The flight takes about an hour. There is also a boat, but in most months it is not a pleasant crossing.
Can we see turtles?
Nesting runs roughly from May to October on the outer islands. It needs a permit and a night on the island with the rangers, and places are limited. We apply when you book.
Why not start in Saigon?
In April to June the north is better early, before it gets humid, and ending on the islands would put the sea next to your flight home. We finish in Saigon because its international flights are the easiest.
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Southern Vietnam
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Empty beaches, real diving, and a serious history.
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Example journey
Vietnam for two
Hanoi, Ninh Binh, a private bay night, Hoi An and five nights on Phu Quoc.
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Tours
Tours
Day trips, regional routes and full-length itineraries.
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Start planning
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