Vietnam North to South Private Journey | 15 Days 14 Nights

VIETNAM NORTH TO SOUTH

15 days | 14 nights

A private journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, combining culture, heritage, spectacular scenery, traditional villages and the waterways of the Mekong Delta. This tailor-made itinerary is designed for first-time visitors wishing to discover the best of Vietnam in 15 days.

From US$4,450 per person

International flights included

The price may vary depending on the chosen departure date, flight prices and availability of flights, hotels and other services.

Day 01 | Arrival in Hanoi

Included meals: No meals included

Welcome to Vietnam. After immigration and customs at Hanoi Airport, meet your private guide and driver and transfer to your hotel. Check-in is from 14:00.

Your guide will adapt the afternoon visits to your wishes and energy levels. Dinner is at your own expense. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 02 | Discover Hanoi

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Explore Hanoi by cyclo through the 36 streets of the Old Quarter, where traditional Asian charm meets French influences. Discover streets associated with trades such as cooking, plumbing, musical instruments and toys.

Visit Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, But Tower, Dai Nghien ink stand, the red wooden The Huc Bridge and a local market.

After lunch, visit the Temple of Literature, known as Vietnam’s first university. Continue to West Lake and cycle through its quieter surroundings. Visit Phu Tay Ho, dedicated to the Mother Goddess Thanh Mau. An optional spa and massage stop is available at your expense. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 03 | Hanoi’s traditional crafts

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, travel approximately 15 km to Bat Trang Ceramic Village. Explore its narrow streets and workshops, watching artisans shape and decorate clay using traditional techniques.

Join a hands-on pottery session with a local artisan: try making a small object on the potter’s wheel and decorating your creation. Visit a showroom displaying household ceramics and decorative pieces.

Return to central Hanoi and visit a shoemaking workshop. Discover the production process and, if you wish, order custom-made shoes at your expense. Dinner is at your expense. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 04 | Hanoi to Ninh Binh

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, drive approximately 2.5 hours to Ninh Binh, often called Ha Long Bay among the rice fields.

Explore Trang An by rowing boat through caves and waterways amid limestone formations, rice paddies and rural scenery. Visit the 17th-century temples dedicated to Kings Dinh and Le in Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s ancient capital. Overnight in Ninh Binh.

Day 05 | Ninh Binh to Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, drive approximately four hours to Ha Long Bay and board your overnight cruise. Enjoy a welcome drink, an itinerary and safety briefing, and check into your cabin. Lunch is served while sailing among the bay’s striking rock formations.

Explore the Tra Bau area of Lan Ha Bay, known for unspoilt scenery. Kayak among limestone islands, swim in the emerald waters or relax in the cruise’s Jacuzzi pool, according to operating conditions.

Join a Vietnamese spring-roll cooking demonstration or admire the sunset over the Gulf of Tonkin from the upper deck. Enjoy dinner and overnight on board in a private air-conditioned cabin with a bathroom and hot shower. The cruise is shared; a private boat may be requested.

Day 06 | Lan Ha Bay and Viet Hai village

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Start with tai chi and sunrise views, followed by breakfast. Board a day-trip boat to explore quieter parts of Lan Ha Bay.

From Viet Hai jetty, cycle or take an electric cart through tropical rainforest and limestone mountains to Viet Hai village. Learn about village life and traditional bamboo and thatch houses with walls made from straw and mud.

Return to the day boat for lunch while cruising to a kayaking and swimming spot. Explore a peaceful lagoon by kayak or swim from the boat, subject to conditions. Return to the main cruise to relax, enjoy the Jacuzzi and music; drinks are at your expense. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 07 | Ha Long, Hanoi and flight to Hue

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Begin with tai chi and sunrise views. Breakfast is served while cruising towards Gia Luan jetty. Transfer across Cat Ba Island’s biosphere-reserve area to Trung Trang Cave, approximately 30 minutes from Gia Luan. Discover its limestone formations, varied stalactites and cave ecosystem.

Return to the main boat, check out of your cabin and enjoy lunch. Disembark at approximately 11:00. Meet your guide and driver and transfer to Hanoi Airport for the flight to Hue. On arrival, meet your local guide and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Hue.

Day 08 | The imperial heritage of Hue

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Discover the UNESCO-listed Imperial City. Hue was Vietnam’s capital under the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945; its monuments, tombs, pagodas and temples tell the story of the country’s last imperial dynasty.

Continue to Phu Mong village to see garden houses dating from the Nguyen period. Visit the Minh Mang Mausoleum, set among pines and frangipani trees. Discover workshops making incense and traditional hats along the way, and finish at Dong Ba Market. Overnight in Hue.

Day 09 | Hue, Tam Giang Lagoon and Hoi An

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Travel through villages and rural landscapes to Tam Giang Lagoon, approximately 30 km from Hue near Quang Ngan. Walk through a village, visit a pagoda and traditional house, and discover vegetable fields where you can help a farmer with watering.

Visit the lagoon’s beach and trees growing in the sand, with time to relax or swim as conditions allow. After lunch, continue towards Hoi An, an important trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries. Cross Hai Van Pass, the Ocean Cloud Pass, and stop for views over Da Nang Bay. Total driving time is approximately four hours.

In Da Nang, formerly Tourane, visit the Cham Museum and its sculpture collection. On arrival in Hoi An, enjoy the opportunity to order custom-made suits, dresses, shirts, trousers, jackets or a traditional ao dai, at your expense. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 10 | Hoi An heritage and river life

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, discover the Fujian sanctuary dedicated to Thien Hau, protector of sailors and fishermen; Phuc Thanh Pagoda, founded in 1454; and the Japanese Bridge, built in 1593 between Cam Pho and Minh Huong. Visit Phuoc Kien Communal House, built in 1792, and Tan Ky traditional house, whose preserved decoration reflects Hoi An’s prosperous merchant past. A photography-gallery visit may be arranged if you wish.

In the afternoon, visit Cam Thanh village beside the Thu Bon River, with its water coconut palms. Ride in a traditional thung chai basket boat, with two guests per boat, and learn about the fishermen’s work.

Continue by boat along the Thu Bon River towards central Hoi An. Observe fishing nets, daily river life and the sunset. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 11 | Hoi An, Da Nang and flight to Can Tho

Included meals: Breakfast

Free time at leisure, followed by transfer to Da Nang Airport for your flight to Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta.

On arrival, meet your guide and transfer to your hotel. Check in and enjoy time at leisure. Overnight in Can Tho.

Day 12 | Can Tho and the Mekong Delta

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, visit Cai Rang floating market. In the early morning the waterways fill with boats carrying fruit, vegetables, plants and food. Vendors display samples on long poles so buyers can identify their goods from afar.

Visit a hu tieu noodle workshop and taste this regional speciality. Continue to a late-19th-century mandarin house in a peaceful setting, where green tea will be served.

Explore Con Son Islet, a community-based destination known for fruit orchards, fish farms, traditional activities and local hospitality. Finish at Munir Ansay Khmer Pagoda to discover Khmer Buddhist architecture, religious traditions and cultural heritage. Overnight in Can Tho.

Day 13 | Can Tho, Vinh Long and Ho Chi Minh City

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Drive towards Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, with countryside discoveries in Vinh Long Province. Total driving time is approximately four hours.

Visit a riverside community to discover Mekong Delta agriculture. Stop at a pottery or brick-making workshop to observe clay shaping, brick drying and handmade ceramic production. Take a small traditional boat along quiet canals past vegetation, homes and fruit gardens.

Visit a tropical orchard to discover seasonal produce such as rambutan, longan, pomelo, mango and jackfruit. Enjoy fruit tastings and learn about local farming. Alternatively, the visit may focus on tropical fruit cultivation and seasonal tastings at a local orchard.

Continue to Ho Chi Minh City in the afternoon, arriving towards the end of the day. Check into your hotel and enjoy free time. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 14 | Cu Chi: cooking and wartime history

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, travel to Cu Chi for a cooking class at a botanical farm. Visit gardens growing herbs, spices and vegetables, then a mushroom house to learn about cultivation. A pharmacist and chef introduce the traditional use of herbs and spices in Vietnamese cooking and medicine. Learn to prepare local dishes.

Continue to the Cu Chi Tunnels, approximately one hour away. This network was used during the Vietnam War and served as a Viet Cong base during the 1968 Tet Offensive.

Discover tunnel entrances, different types of traps, weapons-production areas, rest areas, meeting rooms, a hospital and ventilation openings. Approximate return driving time for the day is 2.5 hours, as indicated in the programme. Overnight at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 15 | Ho Chi Minh City and departure

Breakfast

After breakfast, enjoy a city tour including Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office and Reunification Palace.

Transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your departure flight. End of the journey.

Suggested hotels and cruise

Accommodation is subject to availability at booking. Similar properties may be substituted. Hotels are proposed in the 5-star category, except Emeralda Tam Coc and Victoria Can Tho, listed as 4*++ in the original programme.

Included services

• Accommodation in a shared double room at the selected hotels or similar.
• A three-day, two-night shared cruise in Ha Long Bay, in a private cabin.
• English-speaking local guides in each region, as specified in the programme.
• International flights and airport taxes.
• Two domestic economy-class flights: Hanoi–Hue and Da Nang–Can Tho.
• Entrance fees for the sightseeing visits listed in the programme.
• Meals as indicated in the daily itinerary.
• Private vehicle with an experienced driver.
• Local VAT.

Additional services

• Bottled water and fresh towels available during the journey.
• Masks and hand sanitiser available.
• A personal welcome meeting at your hotel, offered without additional charge if the schedule permits.
• Round-the-clock trip support from the Hanoi office.

Excluded services

• Vietnam entry visa, if required.
• Drinks, tips and personal expenses.
• Meals not specified as included.
• Travel insurance and any supplementary coverage required by local authorities.
• Health formalities or medical documentation, if required by local authorities.
• Any service not explicitly listed as included.

Useful information

• Hotel check-in is from 14:00; check-out is by 12:00.
• Itineraries and activities may change or be cancelled without prior notice due to weather or local regulations.
• Driving and flight timings are approximate and subject to the confirmed schedule.
• The cruise is shared with other guests, with a private air-conditioned cabin and bathroom. A private boat may be requested.
• Visits and activities are subject to operating conditions and local schedules.