Vietnam North to South | 15 Days 14 Nights

Vietnam North to South

15 days | 14 nights

Price from 4.400$ per person

Prices can vary depending on availability for both flights and hotels

An immersive north-to-south journey through Vietnam, combining historical heritage, limestone landscapes, traditional handicrafts, rural communities, vibrant cities and the river life of the Mekong Delta.

Daily itinerary

Meals: B = breakfast | L = lunch | D = dinner

Day 01 | Arrival in Hanoi

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.

The afternoon programme can be adapted to your energy levels and preferences with your guide. Dinner is at your own expense. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 02 | Hanoi city tour

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Explore Hanoi's Old Quarter on a cyclo tour through its 36 streets, traditionally associated with different trades, from musical instruments to toys and cooking utensils. Discover the blend of Vietnamese heritage and French influences. Visit Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple, But Tower, Dai Nghien ink stand, the red 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 on a peninsula in the lake, a shrine dedicated to the Mother Goddess Thanh Mau, one of the four immortals of Vietnamese tradition.

There is an optional stop at a spa and massage boutique at your own expense. Overnight in Hanoi.

Day 03 | Hanoi and Bat Trang handicrafts

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, travel approximately 15 km from central Hanoi to Bat Trang Ceramic Village. Walk through narrow streets, visit workshops and watch artisans shaping clay, decorating ceramics and using traditional techniques.

Join a hands-on pottery session with a local artisan. Try shaping a small object on a potter's wheel and decorating your creation. Visit a showroom displaying Vietnamese ceramics, from everyday household items to decorative pieces.

Return to central Hanoi and visit a shoemaking workshop to discover the process. Tailor-made shoes can be ordered at your own expense. Dinner is at your own 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 the Trang An landscape on a rowing-boat excursion through caves and waterways, surrounded by limestone formations, rice paddies and rural scenery.

Visit the 17th-century temples dedicated to Kings Dinh and Le at 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 cruise. Enjoy lunch while sailing among the bay's limestone formations. A welcome drink and an itinerary and safety briefing accompany cabin check-in.

Explore the Tra Bau area of Lan Ha Bay, known for its peaceful scenery. Kayak among limestone islands, swim in the emerald waters or relax in the cruise's Jacuzzi pool.

Towards sunset, join a cooking demonstration to learn how to make Vietnamese spring rolls, or enjoy views of the Gulf of Tonkin from the upper deck. Dinner and overnight on board.

Your private cabin is air-conditioned and has an en-suite bathroom and hot shower. This is a shared cruise; a private boat may be requested.

Day 06 | Lan Ha Bay and Viet Hai village

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Begin with sunrise and tai chi, followed by breakfast on board. Transfer to a day boat to explore quieter areas of Lan Ha Bay.

From Viet Hai jetty, cycle or ride an electric cart through tropical rainforest and limestone mountains to Viet Hai village. Learn about daily life and traditional thatched bamboo houses, whose walls combine straw, mud and trellis to shelter against rain and wind.

Return to the day boat for lunch while cruising to a kayaking and swimming area. Explore a secluded lagoon by kayak or swim from the boat. Return to the main cruise to relax in the Jacuzzi pool and enjoy music and drinks at your own expense. Dinner and overnight on board.

Day 07 | Cat Ba Island and flight to Hue

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Start with tai chi and sunrise views, then enjoy breakfast as the cruise approaches Gia Luan jetty. Transfer into Cat Ba's biosphere reserve area for a visit to Trung Trang Cave, around 30 minutes from Gia Luan.

Explore this limestone cave, known for its many stalactites and distinctive cave ecosystem. Return to the main boat, check out of your cabin and enjoy lunch on board.

Disembark at approximately 11:00. Meet your guide and driver and transfer to the airport for your flight to Hue. On arrival, meet your local guide and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Hue.

Day 08 | Hue and its imperial heritage

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Discover Hue's UNESCO-listed Imperial City. Vietnam's capital under the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945, Hue preserves imperial tombs, pagodas, temples and monuments associated with the country's last feudal dynasty.

Continue to Phu Mong village to see garden houses built during the Nguyen period. Visit Minh Mang's mausoleum, set among pine and frangipani trees.

Stop at workshops producing incense and traditional hats, then finish the day at Dong Ba Market. Overnight in Hue.

Day 09 | Hue to Tam Giang Lagoon and Hoi An

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Travel through villages and rural scenery to Tam Giang Lagoon, around 30 km from Hue in the Quang Ngan area. Walk through a village, visit a pagoda and a traditional old house, and help a farmer water the vegetable fields.

Discover the lagoon beach and its trees growing in the sand. Enjoy time to swim and relax. After lunch, continue to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass, stopping for panoramic views of Da Nang Bay. Road travel for the day is approximately four hours.

In Da Nang, visit the Cham Museum and its sculpture collection. Arrive in Hoi An, a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries. There is an opportunity to order tailor-made suits, dresses, shirts, trousers, jackets or traditional ao dai at your own expense. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 10 | Hoi An and Cam Thanh waterways

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, explore Hoi An's historic centre. Visit the Fujian Assembly Hall, also called Phuoc Kien, 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. Discover Tan Ky's traditional merchant house and its preserved decoration. An optional visit to a photographer's gallery can be arranged.

In the afternoon, drive to Cam Thanh to see water coconut palms beside the Thu Bon River. Board a traditional thung chai basket boat, with two guests per boat, and learn about fishing techniques from local fishermen.

Continue by boat along the Thu Bon River towards central Hoi An. Observe fishing nets and daily life on the water as sunset approaches. Overnight in Hoi An.

Day 11 | Hoi An to Da Nang and Can Tho

Included meals: Breakfast

Enjoy time at leisure before your transfer to Da Nang Airport. Fly to Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta.

Meet your guide on arrival and transfer to the hotel. Check in and spend the rest of the day at leisure. Overnight in Can Tho.

Day 12 | Can Tho and Cai Rang floating market

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, visit Cai Rang floating market. In the early morning, boats gather with fruit, vegetables, plants and other produce; sellers display samples on tall poles so buyers can identify their goods from a distance.

Visit a workshop making hu tieu noodles, a regional speciality, and sample the dish. Continue to a late-19th-century mandarin house for a peaceful visit and green tea.

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

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

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Travel towards Ho Chi Minh City, allowing approximately four hours on the road. En route, discover the countryside of Vinh Long Province and visit a riverside community to learn about agriculture in the Mekong Delta.

Stop at a pottery or brickmaking workshop to observe clay shaping, brick drying and handmade ceramic production. Board a small traditional boat to explore quiet canals lined with lush vegetation, village homes and orchards.

Visit a tropical fruit orchard and taste seasonal produce such as rambutan, longan, pomelo, mango or jackfruit while learning about local farming. Orchard visits and tastings may be adapted to availability.

Continue to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving in the late afternoon. Check in and enjoy time at leisure. Overnight in the city.

Day 14 | Cooking experience and Cu Chi Tunnels

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, travel to a botanical farm in the Cu Chi area for a cooking class. Explore gardens of herbs, spices and vegetables, and visit the mushroom house to learn how different varieties are grown.

With a pharmacist and chef, discover the role of herbs and spices in Vietnamese cooking and traditional medicine, then learn to prepare local dishes.

Continue to Cu Chi Tunnels, approximately one hour from the farm. Learn about the tunnel network's role during the Vietnam War, including its use as a Viet Cong base during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Discover entrances, traps, weapons-production areas, rest and meeting rooms, a hospital and ventilation shafts.

Return to your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City for the night. Approximate return road travel for the Cu Chi excursion: 2.5 hours.

Day 15 | Ho Chi Minh City tour and departure

Included meals: 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 flight home. End of the journey.

Suggested hotels and cruise

Accommodation is subject to availability at booking. Similar properties may be substituted. Categories below follow the supplier proposal.

Included services

• Accommodation in a shared double room at the selected hotels or similar.
• Three-day, two-night shared Ha Long Bay cruise, in a private cabin.
• English-speaking local guides in each region, as specified in the programme.
• Two domestic flights in economy class: Hanoi to Hue and Da Nang to 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.
• 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

• International and regional flights and airport taxes, except the domestic flights explicitly included.
• Vietnam visa, if required.
• Drinks, tips and personal expenses.
• Travel insurance, including any cover required by local authorities.
• Health formalities 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.
• Road, train and cruise timings are approximate and subject to the confirmed schedule.
• Private cruise cabins include a bathroom, hot water and twin beds or a double bed. The boat is shared; a private boat may be requested.

Regional map

Regional map from the original programme, for general orientation.