Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Vietnam: Hanoi to Saigon
12 days north to south: a night on Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh at first light, Hue, three nights in Hoi An and the Mekong Delta.
12 days · Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City · up to 12 guests
Sunrise from the water in Ha Long Bay. Photo: Andrea Schaffer, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sunrise,_Halong_Bay_(5678869517).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 12 days, 11 nights
- Start and end
- Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Mostly easy walking in towns and at sites, with some early starts, about 500 steep steps at Mua Cave, optional kayaking and three short bicycle rides on flat lanes, each with an option to ride in the vehicle.
- Meals included
- 11 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 400
- Season
- Best February to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- A night on the water in Ha Long Bay, with sunset and sunrise from the deck
- Mua Cave at first light and an early rowing boat through the caves of Trang An
- Hue's Imperial City as the gates open and Thien Mu Pagoda before sunset
- The Hai Van Pass by road, timed for the clearest hour
- Three nights in Hoi An, with a dawn photo walk at the Japanese Covered Bridge
- My Son at opening time, a cooking class at Tra Que and two street food evenings
- The Mekong Delta by sampan and bicycle at Ben Tre
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 400.
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Hanoi
Noi Bai International Airport to the Old Quarter
- Welcome street food dinner
- Stay in Hanoi
Your trip starts at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), north of the city, where we meet you and drive you to your hotel near the Old Quarter. Hanoi has been Vietnam's capital for most of the last thousand years, and the Old Quarter still keeps its tight grid of narrow tube houses, with many streets named after the goods once sold on them.
Evening
Rest after the flight, then meet your guide and the group in the early evening for a walk by Hoan Kiem Lake and a street food dinner on foot. Expect bowls of pho or bun cha on low plastic stools, crisp banh mi and, if you have room, an egg coffee, Hanoi's whipped yolk and coffee dessert served in a small cup. Your guide shows you how to order, what to try and how to cross a road full of scooters calmly. If your flight lands too late for dinner, we meet you at breakfast instead.
Included
- Pick-up at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
- Welcome walk by Hoan Kiem Lake
- Street food dinner in the Old Quarter with your guide
Free time: Afternoon free to rest before the welcome dinner
Hanoi
Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn, the Temple of Literature and Ba Dinh
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hanoi
Morning
Start early if you like: at first light Hoan Kiem Lake fills with people doing tai chi, dancing and stretching before work, and your guide walks the shore with anyone who wants to see it, past the red The Huc Bridge that leads to Ngoc Son Temple. After breakfast we visit the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070 to honour Confucius and home from 1076 to the Imperial Academy, often called Vietnam's first university. Its 82 stone stelae, carried on the backs of stone turtles, list the names of the scholars who passed the royal exams. At Ba Dinh Square you see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the small One Pillar Pagoda nearby. The mausoleum closes on Mondays and Fridays and for maintenance once a year, and on those days we see it from the square.
Afternoon
Lunch together, then Hoa Lo Prison, built by the French colonial government in the 1890s and later called the Hanoi Hilton by American prisoners of war.
Evening
The late afternoon and evening are free.
Included
- Dawn walk at Hoan Kiem Lake with your guide (optional, early)
- Temple of Literature
- Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the One Pillar Pagoda
- Hoa Lo Prison
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Ha Long Bay overnight
Hanoi to the bay, then a night on the water
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Ha Long Bay
- Drive about 2.5 h
Afternoon
After breakfast we drive east from Hanoi on the expressway to the coast and board an overnight boat around midday. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a bay of close to 2,000 limestone islands and islets rising straight out of the Gulf of Tonkin, and in 2023 the listing was extended to the Cat Ba archipelago and Lan Ha Bay to its south. We choose a boat route that spends the afternoon in quieter water, with time to kayak between the karsts, or to swim when the weather is warm, and a visit to a cave or a floating fishing area depending on the route.
Evening
Lunch and dinner are served on board. Stay on deck for sunset, when the islands fade into dark outlines one behind another, and then sleep on the water instead of driving back to Hanoi the same evening, as most day trips do.
Included
- Transport from Hanoi to the harbour with your guide
- Overnight boat in Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay in a private cabin with its own bathroom
- Kayaking among the islands, weather permitting
- Cave or floating fishing area visit, depending on the boat route
Activity: Kayaking is optional and depends on the weather and sea state.
Sunrise on the bay, then Ninh Binh
Ha Long Bay to Ninh Binh
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Ninh Binh
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
Set an alarm for sunrise. The first hour of the day is the quietest on the bay, often still and misty in the cooler months, and for many people it is the best photograph of the trip. After coffee on deck and a last cruise through the islands, brunch is served before the boat returns to the harbour in the late morning. Instead of driving back to Hanoi, we drive south-west to Ninh Binh, the country of limestone towers and rice fields that people call Ha Long Bay on land. Check in near Tam Coc and rest.
Afternoon
In the late afternoon, when the heat has gone out of the day, cycle the flat lanes between the paddies and villages with your guide while the light softens over the karst hills, or ride along in the vehicle if you prefer.
Evening
Dinner together tonight, close to the hotel, with an early night before tomorrow's first-light start at Mua Cave.
Included
- Sunrise on the boat
- Brunch on board
- Transport from the harbour to Ninh Binh with your guide
- Late afternoon bicycle ride around Tam Coc
Easier option: Skip the bicycle ride and see the villages from the vehicle with your guide.
Free time: Early afternoon free to rest
Activity: The bicycle ride is on flat village lanes.
Mua Cave at first light, Trang An, fly to Hue
Ninh Binh to Hanoi airport, then the flight to Hue
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hue
- Drive about 2.5 h
An early start for the best light of the day. We are at Mua Cave as it opens, before the heat and the tour buses, and climb about 500 stone steps to the stone dragon on the summit ridge, with the view over the rice fields and the Ngo Dong River winding through Tam Coc.
Morning
Back to the hotel for breakfast, then the Trang An Landscape Complex, Vietnam's first mixed natural and cultural World Heritage Site, listed in 2014. We take one of the first rowing boats of the morning, and a local rower takes you along the river and through low caves cut into the limestone, with short stops at temples on the banks.
Afternoon
After lunch we drive to Noi Bai International Airport and fly to Hue, a little over an hour in the air, and your guide flies with you.
Evening
We drive you from Phu Bai airport to your hotel near the Perfume River, and the evening is free.
Included
- Mua Cave viewpoint at opening time
- Trang An rowing boat trip on an early boat
- Transport from Ninh Binh to Noi Bai International Airport
- Flight from Hanoi to Hue, with transfer to your hotel
Optional experiences
- Overnight sleeper train from Ninh Binh to Hue instead of the flight. It replaces the first night in Hue.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: About 500 steep stone steps at Mua Cave, with rails; you can wait at the foot instead.
Hue
The Imperial City, two royal tombs and the Perfume River
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Hue
- By boat
Hue was the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945, and its monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We enter the Imperial City through the Meridian Gate as it opens, when the courtyards are cool and nearly empty, and your guide walks you through the throne hall, the dynastic temples and the gardens, explaining what was lost in the fighting of 1968 and what has been rebuilt since.
Morning
Late morning we drive into the hills south of the city to the tomb of Tu Duc, a lakeside park of pavilions the emperor used as a retreat while he was alive, and the tomb of Khai Dinh, finished in 1931, its inner rooms covered in glass and porcelain mosaic.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free to rest.
Evening
Before sunset we board a dragon boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda and its seven-storey tower, at its best in the late light. Dinner together, with Hue dishes such as bun bo Hue.
Included
- Imperial City of Hue at opening time
- Tomb of Tu Duc
- Tomb of Khai Dinh
- Dragon boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda
Free time: Afternoon free
Over the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An
Hue to Hoi An by Lang Co, the Hai Van Pass and Da Nang
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hoi An
- Drive about 3 h
Today the drive is part of the trip.
Morning
After breakfast we head south along the coast to Lang Co, a fishing village between a lagoon and a long sand beach, and then climb the Hai Van Pass, the pass of the sea clouds, where a spur of the Truong Son range runs into the sea. It has long marked a climate divide between the north and the south, and at the top stand the ruins of a gate built under the Nguyen emperors and a few wartime bunkers. Cloud often sits on the pass, so your guide watches the sky that morning and picks the time; if it is hidden, we spend longer at Lang Co and take the tunnel underneath.
Afternoon
Seafood lunch together, a stop at the Marble Mountains in Da Nang, then Hoi An by mid-afternoon.
Evening
In the evening we walk across to the An Hoi side of the river to watch the lanterns come on along the Thu Bon, before the main evening crowd arrives.
Included
- Transport from Hue to Hoi An with your guide
- Lang Co
- Hai Van Pass, weather permitting
- Marble Mountains, Da Nang
- Evening lantern walk on the An Hoi side of the river
Free time: Late afternoon free
Hoi An: photo morning and a cooking class
The Old Town at dawn, then Tra Que village
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Hoi An
Morning
This is the morning to set an alarm for. At about 6 am the Japanese Covered Bridge, built by Hoi An's Japanese merchants at the end of the 16th century and reopened in 2024 after a long restoration, is often empty, and the yellow merchant houses of the Old Town take the early light. Your guide walks the quiet lanes with you, with time for photographs before the shops open. Please keep tripods off the bridge itself: it shakes. Hoi An Ancient Town was a busy trading port from the 15th to the 19th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After breakfast we cycle out to Tra Que, a vegetable village known for its herbs and greens, for a cooking class.
Afternoon
You help in the gardens, then cook and eat dishes such as cao lau noodles or banh xeo pancakes for lunch.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free to wander, swim at the hotel or go back to the river after dark.
Included
- Dawn photo walk in Hoi An Old Town and at the Japanese Covered Bridge
- Hoi An Old Town entry
- Bicycle ride to Tra Que vegetable village
- Cooking class with lunch
Easier option: Ride to Tra Que in the vehicle instead of by bicycle.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
My Son at opening time
Hoi An to the My Son sanctuary and back, then a free afternoon
- Breakfast
- Stay in Hoi An
- Drive about 2 h
My Son is the reason to be up early again. The sanctuary lies in a green valley under Cat's Tooth Mountain, about an hour west of Hoi An, and from the 4th to the 13th century the kings of Champa built brick temples here, most of them to the Hindu god Shiva. Many were destroyed by American bombing in 1969, but the groups that survive, with their carved brick and sandstone, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We arrive as the gates open, while it is cool and before the day groups, and your guide explains how the Cham builders laid brick with almost no visible mortar.
Afternoon
We are back in Hoi An by late morning, and the rest of the day is free: rest, have clothes made by one of the town's tailors, or take a taxi to An Bang beach for the afternoon.
Evening
Your guide can suggest where to eat on your own tonight.
Included
- My Son sanctuary at opening time, with your guide
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Fly to Saigon
Hoi An to Da Nang airport, the flight to Ho Chi Minh City and the old centre
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
- By plane
Morning
A slower morning in Hoi An, then we drive to Da Nang International Airport and fly south to Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by most of the people who live there. The flight takes about an hour and a half, and your guide flies with you.
Afternoon
In the afternoon we see the old centre: the Independence Palace, where a tank broke through the gates on 30 April 1975 and ended the war, the red-brick Notre-Dame Cathedral, built by the French between 1877 and 1880, and the Central Post Office beside it, still working under its vaulted iron roof. The War Remnants Museum tells the story of the war from the Vietnamese side and is hard viewing, so you can choose it or a walk instead.
Evening
In the evening we go out for a street food dinner in the backstreets, from broken rice to grilled seafood, with the city at its busiest.
Included
- Transport from Hoi An to Da Nang International Airport
- Flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, with transfer
- Independence Palace
- Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, from outside
- War Remnants Museum or a city walk, your choice
- Street food dinner with your guide
Activity: Notre-Dame Cathedral has been under restoration for several years, so it may be seen from outside only.
The Mekong Delta at Ben Tre
Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Tre and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
- Drive about 4 h
We leave Saigon early, around 7 am, to reach the Mekong Delta at Ben Tre before most day groups. Ben Tre is a coconut-growing area of islands, rivers and narrow canals where the Mekong splits into its branches on the way to the sea. After a boat across the wide river, you board a small sampan, rowed by a local, along a canal shaded by water coconut palms; this is the quietest part of the day. Then we cycle lanes between orchards, small farms and village houses with your guide, at an easy pace with stops.
Afternoon
Lunch is in a family's garden, with Mekong dishes such as fried elephant ear fish, rolled at the table with herbs and rice paper.
Evening
We are back in the city by late afternoon, with time to rest before a farewell dinner together, the last evening of the trip.
Included
- Transport from Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Tre and back with your guide
- Boat across the Mekong
- Sampan ride on the small canals
- Bicycle ride through the villages
- Lunch in a family garden
- Farewell dinner
Easier option: Ride in the vehicle instead of cycling.
Depart from Saigon
A free morning, then Tan Son Nhat International Airport
- Breakfast
The last day is yours, with no early start.
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel, then the morning is free until your airport transfer.
Evening
If you want one more outing and your flight leaves in the afternoon or evening, your guide can arrange either of two short options: a half-day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the network dug under the farmland north-west of the city and used through the wars against the French and the Americans, or a guided morning walk through Ben Thanh Market and the streets around it. If you would rather keep it quiet, pack slowly, have a last iced coffee with condensed milk and a bowl of noodles near the hotel. We drive you to Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in good time for your flight home, at the hour that suits your departure.
Included
- Drop-off at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
Optional experiences
- Cu Chi Tunnels half-day trip. For afternoon or evening flights.
- Guided morning walk around Ben Thanh Market
Free time: Morning free
- Hanoi2 nights
- Ha Long Bay1 night
- Ninh Binh1 night
- Hue2 nights
- Hoi An3 nights
- Ho Chi Minh City2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: February to April is the driest and most comfortable time to travel the whole length of the country. Ha Long Bay can be misty or drizzly in February and March, which softens the views but makes for calm, atmospheric mornings. Saigon is hot all year and hottest in April. Hue and Hoi An get most of their rain, and the risk of typhoons, from September to December.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors to Vietnam who want the whole country in under two weeks without the overnight bus and train days, travellers who like early light and photographs, and anyone who wants the meals and the best extras included.
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want to sleep in every morning, those who need a beach week, and anyone set on Sapa or the far north, which this route does not reach.
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
11 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Hanoi2 nights
- Ha Long Bay1 night
- Ninh Binh1 night
- Hue2 nights
- Hoi An3 nights
- Ho Chi Minh City2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 11 nights: 2 in Hanoi, 1 on an overnight boat in Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay, 1 in Ninh Binh, 2 in Hue, 3 in Hoi An and 2 in Ho Chi Minh City
- Hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with air-conditioning and private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- A private cabin with its own bathroom on the boat
Transport
- Pick-up at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) and drop-off at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)
- A vehicle and driver for the group in each region
- Domestic flights from Hanoi to Hue and from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
- The boat in Ha Long Bay, the rowing boats at Trang An, the dragon boat in Hue and the boats in the Mekong Delta
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 12, including on the flights
- Local site guides where a site requires them
Activities
- Hanoi: Hoan Kiem Lake, Temple of Literature, Ba Dinh Square and Hoa Lo Prison
- Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay overnight cruise with kayaking, weather permitting
- Ninh Binh: bicycle ride at Tam Coc, Mua Cave and a Trang An boat trip
- Hue: Imperial City, the tombs of Tu Duc and Khai Dinh, and a dragon boat to Thien Mu Pagoda
- The Hai Van Pass, Lang Co and the Marble Mountains
- Hoi An: dawn photo walk, Old Town entry, Tra Que cooking class and My Son sanctuary
- Ho Chi Minh City: Independence Palace and the old centre
- The Mekong Delta at Ben Tre by boat, sampan and bicycle
- All entrance fees for included sights
Meals
- 11 breakfasts
- 6 lunches and a brunch on the boat, including the cooking class lunch
- 6 dinners, including two street food evenings and a farewell dinner
Not included
- International flights to Hanoi and from Ho Chi Minh City
- Vietnam visa
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed above
- Drinks
- Tips for guides, drivers and boat crews
- Optional activities, such as the Cu Chi Tunnels
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 400
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We confirm your departure within 24 hours.
Want your own dates? We can book the same hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your confirmation.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the trip include?
11 nights in 3-star-plus hotels and a night on a boat in Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay, airport transfers, two domestic flights, a vehicle and driver in each region, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, all the sights in the day plan with entrance fees, and 11 breakfasts, 6 lunches plus a brunch, and 6 dinners.
Why fly to Hue instead of taking the overnight train?
The sleeper train from the north to Hue takes most of a night in a shared berth, and it is one of the parts of this route travellers complain about most. We fly from Hanoi to Hue in a little over an hour, after a morning at Mua Cave and Trang An. If you want the train for the experience, ask us: it can be booked from Ninh Binh on request.
Is Ha Long Bay a day trip?
No. You spend a night on the boat, so you see the bay at sunset and again at sunrise, and you drive on to Ninh Binh the next day instead of going back to Hanoi.
Where do we stay?
Hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with air-conditioning, private bathrooms and hot water, in central locations, and a private cabin with its own bathroom on the boat. We name each hotel when we confirm your dates.
When is the best time to go?
February to April, when the weather is mostly dry and mild from Hanoi to Saigon. We avoid the week of Tet, the Lunar New Year. Hue and Hoi An get most of their rain from September to December.
How active is the trip?
Moderate. Most days are walking in towns and at sites, with some early starts for the light. Mua Cave has about 500 steep steps, and there are three short bicycle rides on flat lanes, each with the option to ride in the vehicle instead. Kayaking on the bay is optional.
Which airports do I fly into and out of?
Fly into Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), where we meet you on day 1. Fly home from Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City on day 12; we drive you there at a time that suits your flight.
Do I need a visa for Vietnam?
Most visitors do, Canadians included. Vietnam issues e-visas online before you travel. Rules change, so check the official requirements for your passport before you book flights.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests.
Can we travel privately or on our own?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose. If you would rather travel on your own on your own dates, ask us from the dates section: we can book the same hotels, flights, boat and guided days for you to travel independently.
How much does it cost?
Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and differ by style: small group or private. The small group starts from CAD 2,295 per person, and a room of your own is from CAD 400 more. Pick your start date when you request to book, and we confirm your trip within 24 hours. Nothing is charged until then.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.