Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
The length of Vietnam
Five bases, and time to use them
Travellers often book this route on their second visit, after a first trip that moved every day. Five bases, three or four nights in each, and half the days with no guide at all. Time to learn the way to the market and let a place become familiar.
Overview
What slow means here
It does not mean doing less badly. It means choosing five places where a third or fourth night pays off, and then not filling those nights. Can Tho, where the second morning on the river is better than the first. Hoi An, which improves once you know it well enough to avoid its busy hours. Hue, where the tombs are best taken one or two a day. Pu Luong, where there is nothing to do except walk and look. And Hanoi at the end, as a city you live in for three days rather than tour.
The bay is left out deliberately, because a boat night means two transfer days. If you want it, it fits as a nineteenth and twentieth day. Most people who book this route choose the better hotel tiers, since four nights in a room you like changes the whole trip.
- Length
- 18 days, 17 nights
- Bases
- Can Tho, Hoi An, Hue, Pu Luong, Hanoi
- Nights per base
- Three or four
- Guided days
- About half
- Flights
- Saigon–Da Nang, Hue–Hanoi
- Pace
- Genuinely slow
Nights
Where you sleep
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Land in Saigon
Sleep
Pick-up and a quiet night.
Day 2
To Can Tho
The river at sunset
Three to three and a half hours with a stop for lunch. The afternoon is free on the riverfront.
Day 3
Cai Rang, then nothing
The market as the boats trade
On the water at 05:30 for the wholesale market, back for a late breakfast, and a free afternoon.
Day 4
The orchards by bicycle, unguided
Getting slightly lost
We leave you a map and a bicycle for the islands across the river. Come back when you like.
Day 5
Fly to Da Nang
Arriving in the fields at dusk
The drive back to Saigon and an afternoon flight of about 1 hour 20 minutes, or a flight from Can Tho if the schedule suits. Hoi An by evening.
Day 6
Hoi An, guided once
The morning streets
The old town at 07:00 with a guide who shows you how to avoid it at every other hour.
Day 7
Free
No plan
Bicycles, the beach, or the hotel.
Day 8
My Son, or free
My Son in morning light
The Cham towers at opening time if you want them.
Day 9
The train to Hue
The cliffs from the train
Forty-five minutes to Da Nang station and the coastal line over the Hai Van, about two and a half to three hours.
Day 10
Hue, the citadel
The Perfume River at dusk
The imperial city and Thien Mu pagoda by boat, with our partner guide in Hue.
Day 11
One tomb, slowly
Tu Duc’s lake pavilion
Tu Duc’s tomb in the morning, then a free afternoon. Hue has a dozen tombs; one a day is the right dose.
Day 12
Fly to Hanoi, drive to Pu Luong
The valley opening out
A morning flight of about 1 hour 10 minutes, then about four hours by road west into the hills. The longest travel day of the trip.
Day 13
Walking in Pu Luong
Bamboo bridges over the streams
A guided walk of three to four hours through villages and terraces, and a late lunch at the lodge.
Day 14
Free in the hills
Silence
Read, swim, or walk to the next village on your own.
Day 15
Back to Hanoi
The Old Quarter by contrast
About four hours to the city, arriving by mid-afternoon.
Day 16
Hanoi, guided once
Bun cha
The Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature and a bowl of bun cha at noon.
Day 17
Free in Hanoi
A café you now know
West Lake, the Fine Arts Museum, or a morning café that you will return to.
Day 18
Departure
The unhurried end
Transfer to Noi Bai.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 2295 | from 2870 | from 4360 |
| 4 travelling | from 1880 | from 2350 | from 3575 |
| 6 travelling | from 1700 | from 2125 | from 3225 |
Fewer guided days make this route cheaper per day than the others. The hotels are what cost more, because most people choose Tier 2 or 3 when they will spend four nights there. The Pu Luong lodges are small and the good ones book out months ahead in spring.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Private car and driver for every transfer and guided day
- Guides on the guided days only: ours in the delta, partner guides in Hoi An, Hue, Pu Luong and Hanoi
- Seventeen nights in your chosen tier
- Saigon–Da Nang and Hue–Hanoi flights, and the Da Nang–Hue train
- Meals as listed, bicycles in Can Tho, entrance fees on guided days
What it does not include
- International flights and visas
- Travel insurance
- Drinks, tips and meals not listed
- A car on free days, which we arrange locally if you want one
Timing
When to go slowly
● ideal · ◐ workable · ○ poor.
March and April suit every base: the delta is dry, Hoi An and Hue are dry and not yet hot, and Pu Luong’s terraces are being planted and turning green. May and June still work and Pu Luong is at its greenest, but the delta and Hue get very hot. The terraces turn gold in late September and October, when the central coast is in its storm season. That is worth doing only with flexible bookings in Hoi An and Hue.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
Restless travellers: if an empty afternoon makes you anxious, this route will feel like a waste of money, and the fourteen-day classic is better value for you. First-time visitors who want Ha Long Bay, since it is not here. And people who need a planned itinerary to feel that the trip is working. We leave the free days free. We can suggest things, but we will not fill them.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Is there really nothing booked on free days?
Nothing. Your driver is not on duty those days, though we can arrange one locally, and our 24-hour line still works.
Can we swap Pu Luong for Sapa?
Yes, but Sapa is five and a half hours from Hanoi and busier. Pu Luong fits the pace of this trip better.
Why only one night in Saigon?
Because this route’s delta time is spent in Can Tho. If the city interests you, add two nights at the start. That is our city and we will make them good ones.
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Start planning
Tell us about the trip you have in mind
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.
Or talk to us:+84 766 045 399