Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Vietnam and the neighbours
North to south through Vietnam, and out to Angkor
Hanoi and a night on the bay, three nights in Hoi An, three in Saigon with a delta day, and a flight to Siem Reap for three at Angkor. Three short flights, no overnight buses.
Overview
The classic line, with Angkor at the end instead of a beach
Two weeks covers the three regions of Vietnam if you fly between them, and it will take Angkor on the end if you give up something else. What we give up here is the far north and a beach. What you keep is the core: Hanoi, one night on the water in Ha Long Bay, the old port of Hoi An, Saigon and a delta day, then three nights at the temples.
The direction is north to south because it ends at Angkor, and because the north is at its best from late winter into spring when the south is still dry. Every internal leg is a flight of under an hour and a half; the longest road day is the drive to the bay.
- Length
- 14 days, 13 nights
- Start
- Hanoi
- Finish
- Siem Reap
- Flights
- Three: Da Nang, Saigon, Siem Reap
- Longest drive
- About 3 hours, Hanoi to the bay
- Pace
- Moderate, two free afternoons
Nights
The nights
Day by day
The fortnight in detail
Day 1
Arrive in Hanoi
Our partner’s driver meets you at Noi Bai, about forty-five minutes from the Old Quarter. The first evening is free.
Day 2
Hanoi on foot
The Temple of Literature, the lake, and the Old Quarter’s trade streets, at walking pace, with lunch at a noodle shop. The afternoon is free for the Ho Chi Minh complex or a rest.
Day 3
To the bay
About two and a half to three hours by expressway to the pier, then aboard by lunchtime. The afternoon is kayaking or a cave, and the evening at anchor among the islands.
Day 4
Back to Hanoi
An early morning on deck while the water is still, brunch on board, and back at the pier before noon. In Hanoi by mid-afternoon, with the evening free.
Day 5
Fly to Da Nang, drive to Hoi An
A flight of about an hour and twenty minutes, then forty-five minutes by road to Hoi An. The old town in the late afternoon, when the day visitors leave.
Day 6
Hoi An by bicycle
A flat morning ride out to the vegetable village at Tra Que and along the river, back through the old town’s assembly halls with a guide. Afternoon free.
Day 7
A day of your own
Nothing booked. The beach at An Bang is fifteen minutes away; the Cham sanctuary at My Son is an hour inland if you want another morning of history — we can add it.
Day 8
Fly to Saigon
Back to Da Nang for a flight of about an hour and twenty minutes to Tan Son Nhat. Our own driver meets you, and the evening is for Saigon’s street food.
Day 9
Saigon, the essentials
The palace and the war museum in the morning, a market, and the afternoon free. Or swap the day for the tunnels at Cu Chi.
Day 10
The delta
Out to My Tho and the islands of Ben Tre, leaving the main channel for the back canals by rowing boat. About an hour and a half each way. Back in the city by four.
Day 11
Fly to Siem Reap
An hour and a quarter in the air, an hour to town from the new airport. Buy the Angkor pass late in the afternoon, when it normally covers that evening’s sunset as well, and see Pre Rup at dusk.
Day 12
Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm
The Bayon in the morning, when its faces are lit from the east, then the terraces and Ta Prohm. Break for the heat, then Angkor Wat in the late afternoon.
Day 13
The outer temples
Banteay Srei and the quieter temples on the grand circuit. A last evening in Siem Reap.
Day 14
Leave from Siem Reap
Transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 1895 | from 2370 | from 3600 |
| 4 travelling | from 1555 | from 1940 | from 2950 |
| 6 travelling | from 1400 | from 1755 | from 2665 |
Three flights are a fair share of the cost and they are quoted at the fare on the day we book. The boat night on the bay is the item that varies most: the difference between a simple boat and a good one is larger than the difference between hotel tiers anywhere else on the route.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Thirteen nights in your chosen tier, one of them on board
- Private car and driver for all transfers and touring
- English-speaking guides on touring days
- Three internal and regional flights, economy
- All meals on the boat night
- A three-day Angkor pass and the entry fees in the day-by-day
- Lunches as listed
- Our 24/7 line throughout
What it does not include
- International flights to Hanoi and from Siem Reap
- Vietnamese and Cambodian visas
- Travel insurance
- Drinks on board and elsewhere, dinners, tips
- My Son or other additions on the free day
Practical
Planning notes
We operate the Saigon and delta days ourselves. In Hanoi and on the bay we use the northern partner we have worked with for years; in Siem Reap, a long-standing Cambodian partner. One planner in Saigon holds the whole trip together and answers the phone.
You need to be admitted to Vietnam for the first eleven days and to Cambodia for the last three. Vietnam’s e-visa or exemption depends on your nationality; for Cambodia an e-visa exists and works at Siem Reap airport, with a visa on arrival there as the alternative. We check both against your passport before we book anything.
Central Vietnam has its rainy season from October to December, when Hoi An can flood. The north is cool and often grey from December to February. February to April is the best fit for the whole line, and Angkor turns properly hot from March.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
If you want time in the mountains of the far north, or a beach at the end, this trip trades both away for Angkor. Book something else if they matter more: our fourteen-day Vietnam route keeps Hue and more of the delta instead. It also does not suit anyone who dislikes airports, because three flights in two weeks, plus the ones home, is the price of covering this much ground without long drives.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Can we add a second night on the bay?
Yes, and the second morning on the water is the quiet one. It adds a day to the trip.
Could we go south to north instead?
Only by starting in Siem Reap, which works fine; the weather logic changes slightly, but not much.
Is a delta day enough of the south?
For this length of trip, yes. If the south matters more to you, drop the free day in Hoi An and add a night in Can Tho.
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Example journey
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Example journey
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Start planning
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