Package overview
This is the longest itinerary in the catalogue, running the full length of Vietnam from the northern mountains to the southern islands over twenty-five days. It opens with five nights in Hanoi built around two full nights on Ha Long Bay — including Fairy Lake Cave by kayak — a Ninh Binh countryside day, and two nights in Sa Pa for the Fansipan cable car, before a flight to Hue for a Perfume River boat trip and a drive on to Da Nang.
From Da Nang, three nights support Ba Na Hills and a full-day Cham Island and Hoi An excursion before flights carry the group to Nha Trang and on to a fully overland stretch through Da Lat and Mui Ne. Four nights in Ho Chi Minh City add a Vung Tau beach day alongside Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta, and the trip closes with two nights in Phu Quoc for Sao Beach and a three-island snorkeling tour.
Trip highlights
- Two full nights on Ha Long Bay, including Fairy Lake Cave by kayak and a pearl farm
- Sa Pa's Fansipan cable car and Heaven Gate, the highest road pass in Vietnam
- Hue's Perfume River boat trip and Da Nang's Ba Na Hills and Golden Bridge
- A full-day boat excursion to Cu Lao Cham (Cham Island) paired with Hoi An
- A Vung Tau beach day trip alongside Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta
- A two-night Phu Quoc finish with Sao Beach and a three-island snorkeling tour
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Hanoi (about a 45-minute, 25 km transfer from the airport)
Hanoi's tree-lined boulevards, French colonial buildings and lakeside pagodas set the pace for the days ahead. Arrival afternoons are usually spent close to the hotel, with time for an optional walk through the Old Quarter's narrow lanes of shophouses, street-food stalls and small trades that have worked the same blocks for generations.
Day 2: Hanoi city tour
The full-day tour covers Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and stilt house, the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature, then Quan Thanh Temple and Tran Quoc Pagoda beside West Lake. After lunch the group visits the Museum of Ethnology, finishing at Hoan Kiem Lake with a walk through the Old Quarter.
Day 3: Hanoi to Ha Long Bay, board cruise for two nights (about 3 hours / 170 km one way)
An 8am pickup starts the drive through the Red River Delta's rice fields and villages to Ha Long Bay, where guests board a traditional junk for the first of two nights on board. The route passes Dinh Huong, Ga Choi, Dog and Sail Islands, calls at a pearl-farming site and paddles into Luon Cave, with a swim near Ti Top Island before sunset and dinner on board.
Day 4: Ha Long Bay, Fairy Lake Cave and pearl farm
A transfer to a smaller boat reaches Head Islet for Fairy Lake Cave, known locally as Tien Ong Cave, explored by kayak or small local paddle boat through a narrow entrance opening into two chambers, the second holding a shallow lake ringed by limestone walls. An afternoon visit to a pearl farm covers how cultured pearls are produced before rejoining the main cruise route.
Day 5: Ha Long Bay to Hanoi, Surprise Cave (about 3 hours / 170 km one way)
A Tai Chi session on the sundeck opens the morning before the cruise visits Surprise Cave, entered by around 100 steps and explored on a roughly hour-long walk. After brunch, the boat passes Ga Choi Island, Binh Phong Mountain and Tortoise Island before disembarking at Tuan Chau port for the road transfer back to Hanoi.
Day 6: Ninh Binh, Hoa Lu and Tam Coc excursion
Hoa Lu, capital of Vietnam from 968 until the early 11th century, is reached through limestone-studded countryside for a short walk to the temples of the Dinh and Le dynasties. At Tam Coc, a local rowing boat — paddled hands-and-feet style by its operator — passes through three grottoes, Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba, before the return drive to Hanoi.
Day 7: Hanoi to Sa Pa by road (about 6 hours / 315 km one way)
The drive north on the Noi Bai–Lao Cai highway climbs steadily through terraced rice fields carved into the northwest mountains, with a short break en route. After check-in and lunch at a local restaurant, the rest of the afternoon is free for an easy evening walk around Sa Pa town.
Day 8: Heaven Gate, Silver Waterfall and Fansipan by cable car
The drive uphill takes in rose farms and chayote frames before a stop at Silver Waterfall, then continues to Tram Ton Pass and Heaven Gate — at 2,047 metres, the highest road pass in Vietnam — where a half-hour walk gives views over both sides of the Hoang Lien Son range, often clear on one side and clouded on the other.
Returning downhill, a stop at O Quy Ho takes in terraced vegetable, flower and medicinal-plant farms before the Fansipan cable car, one of the world's longest and highest, covers 6.5 km up to the 3,143-metre summit known as the roof of Indochina in about 25 minutes. Late afternoon transfer back to Hanoi.
Day 9: Sa Pa to Hanoi by road (about 6 hours / 315 km one way)
The return drive follows the same Lao Cai–Noi Bai highway back through the terraced northwest mountains, with a short break along the way. Arrival in Hanoi is usually in the early evening, leaving the rest of the day free before an early departure the next morning.
Day 10: Fly to Hue, Perfume River boat trip
A morning domestic flight covers the distance from Hanoi to Hue's Phu Bai Airport, where a representative meets the group for the transfer into the city. The afternoon boat trip on the Perfume River calls at Thien Mu Pagoda and Hon Chen Temple, followed by visits to the Forbidden City and Dong Ba Market.
Day 11: Hue to Da Nang by road (about 2½ hours / 120 km one way)
The drive south takes in Minh Mang Tomb, one of the more elaborate royal mausoleums outside Hue, before continuing to the Cham Museum's sandstone sculpture collection and the cave shrines of Marble Mountain. The route then climbs Hai Van Pass for coastal views before dropping to Lang Co Beach ahead of the final stretch into Da Nang.
Day 12: Ba Na Hills excursion
Ba Na Hills, a hill station known locally as the central region's answer to Sa Pa or Da Lat, is reached by one of Southeast Asia's longest cable car systems. The day covers the French Village's wine cellar, the flower-lined Golden Bridge supported by giant stone hands, Linh Ung Pagoda and Fantasy Park, with panoramic views over Da Nang from King Peak's Linh Tu Pagoda at 1,487 metres.
Day 13: Cham Island and Hoi An full-day tour (about 1 hour / 30 km one way)
A speedboat crossing of about twenty minutes from Cua Dai harbour reaches Cu Lao Cham, where a small museum covers local history before a walk past Au Thuyen, where fishing boats shelter from storms, and on to the centuries-old Hai Tang Temple. A stop at Bai Bac beach allows time for lunch and a swim before the return crossing.
In Hoi An, the afternoon and evening cover the Old Town on foot — Tan Ky House, the Chinese assembly halls, the Japanese Covered Bridge, old wells and the local market — before the drive back to Da Nang.
Day 14: Fly to Nha Trang via Cam Ranh (about 1 hour / 50 km one way)
A short domestic flight from Da Nang reaches Cam Ranh International Airport, where a representative meets arriving guests for the drive into Nha Trang and hotel check-in — the day left otherwise free after two flights and a long central-Vietnam touring stretch.
Day 15: Nha Trang city tour
The day covers Ponagar Champa Temple, the brick towers built between the 7th and 12th centuries on a hill above the Cai River, followed by the Nha Trang Aquarium and Vinpearl Land, the cable-car-linked resort island with its amusement park and water park.
Day 16: Nha Trang to Da Lat by road (about 3 hours / 140 km one way)
The road climbs from Nha Trang's coastline into the central highlands, arriving in Da Lat by early afternoon. After check-in, the day covers Langbiang Mountain, Datanla Waterfall and Da Lat Flower Park before the evening is left free in the cooler mountain air.
Day 17: Da Lat to Mui Ne by road (about 4 hours / 170 km one way)
The drive descends back toward the coast, arriving in Mui Ne by early afternoon. After checking in, the rest of the day is free to enjoy the South China Sea shoreline that has made this stretch a long-standing beach stop on the south Vietnam circuit.
Day 18: Mui Ne jeep tour, sand dunes
The morning is left free before a 2pm jeep tour covers Fairy Stream, a fishing village, and the White and Red Sand Dunes, timed to end with sunset over the dunes.
Day 19: Mui Ne to Ho Chi Minh City by road (about 5 hours / 220 km one way)
The road runs back down the coast into Ho Chi Minh City, arriving by early evening. A representative meets the group at the bus station for the transfer to the hotel, closing out the beach-and-dune stretch of the trip before four nights based in the city.
Day 20: Cu Chi Tunnels and half-day Ho Chi Minh City tour (about 1½ hours / 70 km one way)
The morning covers the Cu Chi Tunnels, the underground network built by Vietnamese resistance fighters during decades of conflict, with a chance to see original and widened tunnel sections and wartime displays.
In the afternoon, the tour continues on foot through the former Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street, the Continental Hotel, the Opera House and City Hall.
Day 21: Mekong Delta excursion (about 2 hours / 80 km one way)
The drive southwest crosses into the Mekong Delta, Vietnam's rice bowl, for a boat cruise along the Vam Xep canal to a small islet and a walk through shaded, palm-lined trails past local villages. Stops along the way take in a bee farm, a small coconut workshop and a rowing-boat passage through narrow canals before returning to the city by road.
Day 22: Vung Tau beach day trip (about 2½ hours / 100 km one way)
The drive southeast reaches Vung Tau for the climb of 847 steps to the hilltop Christ the King statue, one of the tallest of its kind in Asia, with arms spanning over 18 metres. After lunch, the afternoon is free at Back Beach, a roughly 10 km stretch of fine sand, before the return drive to Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 23: Fly to Phu Quoc, Sao Beach and Duong Dong town
A short flight from Tan Son Nhat Airport reaches Phu Quoc in under an hour. The afternoon opens at Sao Beach, known for its pale sand and clear shallow water, before continuing to the wartime displays at Phu Quoc Prison.
The route back into Duong Dong town takes in Ho Quoc Pagoda's hillside views and Dinh Cau Temple on its seafront rock, with Truong Beach or Sunset Sanato Beach Club as options for watching the sunset, before the Dinh Cau night market for seafood and street food.
Day 24: Three-island snorkeling tour
A full day out from Phu Quoc's south coast covers three snorkeling stops in the Gulf of Thailand — Finger Island, Dam Ngang Island and May Rut Island — for time in the water over coral formations rather than further sightseeing on land.
Day 25: Departure from Phu Quoc
The final morning is free until transfer to Phu Quoc International Airport for the onward or homeward flight, closing a 25-day routing that has covered nearly every region between Sa Pa's mountains and the southern islands.
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.