Vietnam
Vietnam
A thousand miles from top to bottom, and the whole point is to travel it. Fly into Hanoi, out of Ho Chi Minh City, and let the country change around you as you go.
The short version
Never book a return to the same airport
Vietnam runs north to south and so should you. An open-jaw — in at Hanoi, out at Ho Chi Minh City — costs about the same as a return and saves you a thousand-mile backtrack. Almost every online quote you'll see does it the wrong way round, because the booking engines can't price it.
The north
Hanoi, Ha Long and Ninh Binh
Hanoi is the better city — older, denser, better food, and the Old Quarter is genuinely medieval in its street plan. Use it as a base for two nights, then Ha Long Bay overnight on a boat. If Ha Long is booked out or you'd rather avoid the crowds, Ninh Binh gives you the same karst scenery from a rowing boat on a river, an hour and a half from the capital.
Further north
Sapa, if you have the days
The terraces around Sapa and Mu Cang Chai are the most striking landscape in the country, and they're a full day from Hanoi each way. Worth it if you have fourteen nights, cuttable if you have ten. Go in September or October when the rice is gold and about to be cut — the rest of the year they're green and far less dramatic.
The route
Five stops, north to south
Two or three nights. The Old Quarter, the lakes, and the best street food in the country. Start here.
One night on a boat, not a day trip. The bay empties after four and the morning is what you came for.
Three nights. Lantern-lit old town, tailors, the beach, and the Golden Bridge up at Ba Na Hills.
Two nights and fly home. Faster, louder and more modern than Hanoi, and the Mekong Delta is a day trip away.
When to go
Vietnam has two climates at once
The country is long enough that north and south run different seasons. The north has a genuine winter — Hanoi drops to 15°C in January and Sapa can freeze. The south is hot all year with a wet season from May to October. There is no month that's perfect everywhere.
The north · Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa
The south · Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong, Phu Quoc
March, April, October and November are the four months that work reasonably everywhere. If your dates are fixed in July we'd weight the trip north and accept some rain, rather than talk you out of it.
Worth the early start
What we'd actually book
Quang Phu Cau, outside Hanoi. Twenty minutes off the tourist track and the most photogenic hour of the trip.
The highest point in Indochina, reached by cable car from Sapa. Go early or you're above cloud and see nothing.
The Golden Bridge is here, and it's busier than the photographs suggest. First cable car up, and you'll have twenty minutes alone on it.
Near Ho Chi Minh City, and almost entirely domestic visitors. A good half day if you've done the Mekong already.
Before you book
Three things worth knowing
Internal flights, not the train. The railway is romantic and very slow — Hanoi to Da Nang is sixteen hours. Domestic flights are an hour and cost little. Take the train for one leg if you want the experience, not for the whole trip.
Ha Long is an overnight. A day trip means four hours on a coach for three hours on the water at the busiest part of the day. One night on a boat is the difference between seeing the bay and queuing in it.
Check the visa rule against your dates. UK passports get 45 days visa-free, which covers most trips — but if you're combining Vietnam with a longer Asia route, count the days carefully. We'll check it against your itinerary.
Next step
Tell us your dates and we'll route it properly
We'll come back with an open-jaw itinerary north to south, internal flights costed, the Ha Long boat booked, and the payment plan written out in full.
Practical
Vietnamese dong. Cash for markets and street food; cards are fine in hotels. Note the number of zeros before you pay.
UK passport holders get a visa exemption for short stays, but the rules change — we confirm the current position for your dates.
Internal flights link Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City in about two hours. The overnight train is romantic and slow.
7 hours ahead of the UK.
Vietnam packages
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
7 nights in Vietnam
- Return flights and private transfers
- Half board throughout
- Financial protection confirmed in writing before you pay
10 nights in Vietnam
- Return flights and private transfers
- Half board throughout
- The extra nights cost proportionally less — fixed costs don't change
14 nights in Vietnam
- Return flights and private transfers
- Half board throughout
- Best value per night, and worth it on a longer flight
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Packages that include Vietnam
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
12 Night Singapore & Bali
12 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,749pp
13 Night Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Krabi
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,649pp
13 Night Vietnam & Cambodia
13 nights · Nov–Mar · from £2,099pp
13 Night KL, Langkawi & Penang
13 nights · Dec–Mar · from £1,599pp
14 Night Singapore, KL & Bali
14 nights · Apr–Oct · from £1,849pp
15 Night Thailand & Bali
15 nights · Apr–Oct · from £2,199pp
14 Night Japan & Singapore
14 nights · Mar–Apr, Oct–Nov · from £2,999pp
12 Night Dubai & Thailand
12 nights · Nov–Mar · from £1,849pp
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