Package overview
This twenty-one-day itinerary is our most complete Vietnam routing, adding a Ninh Binh/Tam Coc day trip and a two-night Phu Quoc island finish to the eighteen-day tour's Sa Pa, Hue, Danang, Da Lat and Mui Ne stops. It runs Hanoi through the northern highlands, the full central coast and highlands, Ho Chi Minh City, and out to Phu Quoc for snorkeling before departure.
Three domestic flights, Hanoi–Hue, Danang–Da Lat and Ho Chi Minh City–Phu Quoc, manage the longest jumps, with Sa Pa, Ninh Binh, Da Lat–Mui Ne and Mui Ne–Saigon covered by road. It's built for long-haul or incentive groups with three weeks to spend, ending the trip on a beach rather than a final city day.
Trip highlights
- Tam Coc rowboat through Ninh Binh's limestone grottoes
- Fansipan cable car in Sa Pa
- Overnight Halong Bay cruise and Hue's Perfume River
- Ba Na Hills, Cham Island and Hoi An Ancient Town
- Da Lat's hill town and Mui Ne's sand dunes
- Sao Beach and a 3-island snorkeling trip in Phu Quoc
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: Ninh Binh day trip: Hoa Lu and Tam Coc
A full day trip reaches Ninh Binh's Hoa Lu, Vietnam's ancient 10th-century capital, with a short walk to its Dinh and Le dynasty temples. At Tam Coc, a local rowboat — often paddled by foot — glides through three limestone grottoes (Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba) along the river before the drive back to Hanoi.
Day 6: 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 7: 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 8: 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 9: 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 10: Overland to Danang via Hai Van Pass (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, before checking in to your hotel for the next three nights in the city.
Day 11: 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 12: Cham Island excursion and Hoi An (1 hr / 30 km)
A speedboat from Cua Dai harbor reaches Cham Island in about 20 minutes. A local guide leads visits to the Cu Lao Cham museum, the Au Thuyen boat-shelter cove and the 200-year-old Hai Tang Temple, with time on Bai Bac beach for lunch and a swim. The return route continues to Hoi An's Ancient Town for a walking tour of its old houses, assembly hall and Japanese Covered Bridge before heading back to Danang.
Day 13: Fly to Da Lat
A domestic flight from Danang reaches Da Lat, Vietnam's French-era hill station at around 1,500m above sea level. After check-in, the afternoon covers Lang Biang Mountain, Datanla Waterfall and Dalat Flower Park — a cooler-climate contrast to the coast.
Day 14: 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 15: 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 16: 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 itinerary continues with Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta before flying on to Phu Quoc.
Day 17: 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 18: 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 19: Fly to Phu Quoc, Sao Beach and island sights
A domestic flight from Tan Son Nhat International Airport reaches Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island, in the Gulf of Thailand. The day continues with Sao Beach's white sand and swing-over-the-water photo spot, a stop at the Phu Quoc Prison historical site, Ho Quoc Pagoda and Dinh Cau Temple in Duong Dong town, ending with sunset at Sunset Sanato Beach Club and the Dinh Cau night market for seafood and street food.
Day 20: Full-day 3-island snorkeling tour
A full-day boat trip visits three islands off Phu Quoc's south coast — Finger Island, Dam Ngang Island and May Rut Island — with snorkeling stops over coral at each to see the Gulf of Thailand's marine life.
Day 21: Departure from Phu Quoc
The morning is left free to enjoy the beach one last time or browse Duong Dong town before the transfer to Phu Quoc International Airport for your onward flight, closing out the itinerary on the island rather than back in a city.
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.