Package overview
This eighteen-day itinerary is close to a full-country tour, adding Sa Pa's mountains and Nha Trang's beach resort to the Hue, Danang, Da Lat and Mui Ne routing used on our fifteen-day itinerary. Clients see Hanoi, an overnight Halong Bay cruise, Sa Pa, Hue, Danang/Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Mui Ne and Ho Chi Minh City in one continuous routing.
Two domestic flights, Hanoi–Hue and Danang–Nha Trang, cover the longest jumps; the rest — Sa Pa, Nha Trang to Da Lat, Da Lat to Mui Ne, Mui Ne to Saigon — runs overland. At eighteen days this suits agents selling an extended trip, or repeat visitors covering everywhere they missed on a shorter Vietnam itinerary before.
Trip highlights
- Fansipan cable car above Sa Pa's terraced hills
- Overnight Halong Bay cruise
- Hue's Perfume River and Hoi An Ancient Town
- Ba Na Hills' Golden Bridge
- Vinpearl Land in Nha Trang and Da Lat's hill town
- Mui Ne's sand dunes, Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi (45 min / 25 km)
Vietnam's capital greets you on arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, around 45 minutes from the Old Quarter. Hanoi mixes French colonial streets, centuries-old temples and a dense, lake-dotted core built for walking. After check-in, the rest of the day is free to rest from the flight or explore the Old Quarter's trading streets at your own pace.
Day 2: Full-day Hanoi city tour
A full day covers Hanoi's landmark sights: Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and stilt house, the One Pillar Pagoda, and the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first national university. After lunch, the Museum of Ethnology gives context on the country's ethnic diversity before the tour returns to the Old Quarter, taking in Hoan Kiem Lake and a walk through its narrow streets.
Day 3: Hanoi to Halong Bay, overnight cruise (3 hrs / 170 km)
Guides collect you between 8:00 and 8:30am for the road transfer to Halong Bay, passing rice paddies and villages of the Red River Delta en route. On arrival, you board a traditional-style junk and cruise past limestone formations including Dinh Huong, Ga Choi and Sail Island, with a stop to swim near Ti Top Island. Dinner is served on board as the sun sets over the bay, with squid fishing on offer before you retire to your cabin.
Day 4: Halong Bay cruise to Hanoi (3 hrs / 170 km)
An optional sunrise Tai Chi session on the sundeck opens the morning, followed by a visit to Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave, one of the bay's largest grottoes, on a roughly 60-minute walk. Brunch is served as the junk cruises back past Ga Choi and Tortoise islands before docking at Tuan Chau International Passenger Port, where the group transfers back to Hanoi by road.
Day 5: Road transfer to Sa Pa (6 hrs / 315 km)
A roughly six-hour road transfer follows the Noi Bai–Lao Cai highway into Vietnam's northwest mountains, past terraced rice fields, with a short rest stop en route. After checking in to your hotel, the evening is free to explore Sa Pa town on foot.
Day 6: Heaven Gate, Silver Waterfall and Fansipan by cable car
The morning drive climbs past rose and chayote farms to Heaven Gate and Tram Ton Pass, at 2,047m the highest road pass in Vietnam, with a stop at Silver Waterfall en route and time to walk and take in views of the Hoang Lien Son range. The route continues to the Fansipan cable car — among the world's longest and highest — which reaches the 3,143m summit, known as the 'Roof of Indochina', in about 25 minutes. Late afternoon transfer back to Hanoi.
Day 7: Road transfer back to Hanoi (6 hrs / 315 km)
A roughly six-hour road transfer follows the Lao Cai–Noi Bai highway back to Hanoi, passing the same terraced mountain scenery in daylight, with a short rest stop en route. After arrival, check in to your hotel.
Day 8: Fly to Hue, Perfume River boat trip
A domestic flight to Phu Bai International Airport brings you to Hue, Vietnam's former imperial capital. After check-in, a boat trip on the Perfume River stops at Thien Mu Pagoda, Hon Chen Temple, the Forbidden City and Dong Ba Market — a compact introduction to the city's royal and religious landmarks.
Day 9: Overland to Danang via Hai Van Pass, evening in Hoi An (2.5 hrs / 120 km)
The overland transfer to Danang crosses Hai Van Pass with a stop at Lang Co Beach, taking in Minh Mang Tomb, the Cham Museum and Marble Mountain along the way. The route continues into the evening at Hoi An's Ancient Town, where a walking tour covers the Tan Ky old house, Assembly Hall, Japanese Covered Bridge and riverside market before returning to Danang.
Day 10: Ba Na Hills excursion
A cable car system rated among the most modern in Southeast Asia lifts you into the cool hill air of Ba Na, often billed as Danang's answer to Sa Pa or Da Lat. Highlights include the French Village's wine cellar, the Golden Bridge held aloft by giant stone hands, Linh Ung Pagoda and Fantasy Park's amusement rides. A second cable car reaches King Peak at 1,487m for panoramic views over Danang and Quang Nam province before the transfer back to your hotel.
Day 11: Fly to Nha Trang via Cam Ranh, city sightseeing (1 hr / 50 km)
A domestic flight from Danang to Cam Ranh International Airport is followed by a road transfer into Nha Trang. After check-in, the afternoon covers Ponagar Champa Temple, Nha Trang Aquarium and Vinpearl Land, the resort island linked to the mainland by cable car.
Day 12: Road transfer to Da Lat (3 hrs / 140 km)
A roughly three-hour road transfer climbs from the Nha Trang coastline up into the highlands to Da Lat. After checking in, the afternoon covers Lang Biang Mountain, Datanla Waterfall and Dalat Flower Park, Da Lat's most popular sightseeing stops.
Day 13: Road transfer to Mui Ne (4 hrs / 170 km)
A roughly four-hour road transfer brings you down from the highlands to Mui Ne, on Vietnam's south-central coast. After check-in, the rest of the day is free to enjoy the beach along the South China Sea.
Day 14: Mui Ne city tour
A free morning precedes an afternoon jeep tour to Mui Ne's landmarks: the Fairy Stream (Suoi Tien), a working fishing village, and the White and Red Sand Dunes, timed to end with sunset over the dunes.
Day 15: Road transfer to Ho Chi Minh City (5 hrs / 220 km)
A roughly five-hour road transfer returns you to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, a representative meets you at the bus station for the transfer to your hotel, where the closing days of the itinerary focus on Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta.
Day 16: Cu Chi Tunnels and half-day Ho Chi Minh City tour (1.5 hrs / 70 km)
A morning visit to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the underground network built by resistance fighters during Vietnam's wartime decades, is followed after lunch by a half-day tour of colonial Ho Chi Minh City — the former Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street, the Continental Hotel and City Hall.
Day 17: Mekong Delta excursion (2 hrs / 80 km)
A roughly two-hour drive southwest of Ho Chi Minh City reaches the Mekong Delta, Vietnam's rice bowl. A boat cruise along the Vam Xep canal reaches a small islet for a walk past orchards and villages, with stops at a bee farm and a family-run coconut candy workshop. A horse-cart ride and a rowboat trip along shaded canals round out the day before the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 18: Departure from Ho Chi Minh City
The morning is left free for last-minute shopping or a final stroll before the transfer to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your onward flight, closing out a routing that covered nearly every region of Vietnam.
What's included
- INCLUSIONS
- EXCLUSIONS
- ACCOMMODATION
- VISA
- PAYMENT TERMS
- CANCELLATION POLICY
- DO'S IN VIETNAM
- DON'TS IN VIETNAM
- Accommodation with twin/ double/ triple sharing room basis with daily breakfast in the category chosen or similar (subject to availability).
- Meals as mentioned in the Tour Itinerary.
- Sightseeing & Transfers according to the above Tour Itinerary Details only.
- Transportation by vehicle with A/C
- Local English-speaking guide’s assistance.
- All Entrance fees for attractions included in the program
- All activities and cruises clearly mentioned in the program
- Government taxes & service charge
- Air Fare / Train fare.
- Personal Expenses such as Laundry, telephone calls, tips & gratuity, mineral water, soft & hard drinks, porterage, water sports.
- Early check-in, late check-out
- Additional sightseeing or extra usage of vehicle, other than mentioned in the itinerary.
- Room Up gradation Charges.
- Any cost arising due to natural calamities like, landslides, road blockage, political disturbances (strikes), etc (to be borne by the client, which is directly payable on the spot).
- Travel Insurance.
- Bank Charges
- Tip to Driver & Guide (Compulsory)
- Airport Taxes
- Visa and Visa arrangement
- Anything which is not included in the inclusion.
Not included
- Air Fare / Train fare.
- Personal Expenses such as Laundry, telephone calls, tips & gratuity, mineral water, soft & hard drinks, porterage, water sports.
- Early check-in, late check-out
- Additional sightseeing or extra usage of vehicle, other than mentioned in the itinerary.
- Room Up gradation Charges.
- Any cost arising due to natural calamities like, landslides, road blockage, political disturbances (strikes), etc (to be borne by the client, which is directly payable on the spot).
- Travel Insurance.
- Bank Charges
- Tip to Driver & Guide (Compulsory)
- Airport Taxes
- Visa and Visa arrangement
- Anything which is not included in the inclusion.
Book this package
Visa requirements, payment terms and cancellation rules for this destination are set out on our [Vietnam travel information page](vietnam/travel-information).
Rates are quoted on request for your dates, party size and hotel category. Send us the itinerary reference and we will come back with a net B2B quotation.