- Tour code
VNMADV01
- Start
Hanoi
- End
Ho Chi Minh City
- Min. age
16 years old
- Group size
Max 6-16 travellers
- Trip style
Explorer
- Trip pace
Active
- Language
English
Vietnam changes dramatically from north to south, and this route follows it down the map. Hanoi is all scooters, street stalls and old French facades. Hue carries the weight of the last imperial dynasty. Hoi An glows with lanterns, and Ho Chi Minh City moves at full speed.
What makes the trip is the time spent with locals: sharing cha ca with a Hanoi family, eating a Buddhist lunch at a pagoda, making noodles with villagers on Cam Kim Island, and learning to make tofu in Hoi An before dinner and music.
Add a night on a junk boat in Lan Ha Bay, sunrise tai chi, a coastal train ride, a countryside bike ride and a day in the Mekong Delta, and you have a full, lively trip. Your Soca Islands Host handles the flights, transfers and train, so you just turn up.
Why This Journey
Plenty of Vietnam trips cover the same four cities. This one is built around the people in them: a three-generation family dinner in Hanoi, a meal in the Buddhist tradition in Hue, village noodle-making near Hoi An and lunch with a family in the Mekong Delta. You come away knowing how Vietnamese people eat and live, not just what the sights look like.
The pace mixes busy days with breathing room, including a free day in Hoi An, and the transport is part of the experience, from a junk boat among the karsts to the train along the coast between Hue and Da Nang.
Where You'll Stay
Hanoi (1 night): La Siesta Premium Hang Be, in the Old Quarter. Lan Ha Bay (1 night): on board a traditional junk boat. Hue (2 nights): Azerai La Residence, Hue, on the Perfume River. Hoi An (3 nights): Anantara Hoi An Resort, on the riverfront near the Old Town. Ho Chi Minh City (2 nights): Hôtel des Arts Saigon - MGallery, in the city center. Proposed accommodation (or similar), subject to confirmation. Prices are based on two people sharing a double room with two beds.
Getting There
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. Fly into Hanoi, Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), and out of Ho Chi Minh City, Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN). Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
What you will see and do
Kayak into the quiet coves and lagoons of Lan Ha Bay
Learn the craft of tofu-making from a local host in Hoi An
Spend the night on a junk boat and greet the sunrise with tai chi
What's included
All activities mentioned on the itinerary
Accommodations in double rooms
Experienced Soca Islands Host with you throughout the trip
One farewell group activity when possible
Max 16 travellers per group
Arrival and departure airport transfers
Group transportation
What's excluded
- International flights (travelers arrange their own)
- Travel insurance (required; proof of cover must be provided)
- Visa for Vietnam
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Personal expenses
- Single room supplement (single rooms on request, subject to availability)
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Group itinerary
After landing in Hanoi, a private transfer takes you to your boutique hotel in the center of the city.
Tonight you're welcomed into a local family's home to share cha ca, Hanoi's famous turmeric-and-dill fish dish (a vegetarian version is available), with grandparents, parents and kids around the table. It's the kind of home cooking you rarely find on a restaurant menu.
Travel to Ha Long Bay and step aboard a traditional junk boat. Lunch is served as you cruise between green water and tall limestone karsts toward quieter Lan Ha Bay.
In the afternoon a bamboo boat slips you through Dark and Light Cave. Evening brings cocktails, dinner at sunset and a karaoke session on deck for anyone brave enough to sing.
Rise early for tai chi on deck as the first light hits the bay. Afterward, kayak around the Frog Pond area, with sheer cliffs and caves on every side.
Back on board, brunch is served while the boat heads for shore, and then you travel on to Hue, the old imperial capital on the Perfume River.
Today you explore Hue's citadel, the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty, Vietnam's last royal family, with its moats, gates and palace courtyards.
Lunch is at Dong Thien Pagoda, where you'll share a meal in the Buddhist tradition in a calm, contemplative setting. In the afternoon, a local workshop shows you how traditional paper flowers are made.
Board the train from Hue to Da Nang for one of the country's great rail journeys, with the sea on one side and mountains on the other.
From there, continue to Hoi An and wander its Old Town: mustard-yellow merchant houses, lantern-hung lanes and a lively riverfront.
Pedal out of town on quiet lanes lined with rice fields and palms, then cross the river to Cam Kim Island to make noodles by hand with villagers.
In the evening, catch a 'bamboo circus' show, where acrobatics and storytelling bring Vietnamese village life to the stage.
Take the day for yourself: browse the markets, linger in cafés or just wander the alleys.
Tonight a local host shows you how tofu is made and shares stories of life in Hoi An. Then the group sits down to a home-cooked meal, with live music and plenty of conversation afterward.
Fly south to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's high-energy commercial capital.
Your first stop is the War Remnants Museum, a sobering look at the country's recent history. Later, climb onto a vintage Vespa for a guided evening food tour that stops at some of the city's best-loved places to eat.
Head into the Mekong Delta to hop between islands and see rural life along the river. You'll visit local workshops, have lunch with a Vietnamese family and glide down narrow waterways in a sampan.
Back in the city, the group gathers for a farewell dinner of modern Vietnamese food and cocktails with a view over the skyline.
Accommodations
Here's a glimpse of the hotels we selected for this adventure.
La Siesta Premium Hang Be
A boutique hotel on Hang Be Street in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter, a few minutes on foot from Hoan Kiem Lake, the night market streets and the old guild lanes.
It has an on-site restaurant and spa, and its central position means the cafés, street-food stalls and markets of the Old Quarter start at the front door.
Hotel websiteAzerai La Residence, Hue
A riverside hotel on Le Loi Street in Hue, built around a 1930s colonial residence with tropical gardens along the Perfume River, across the water from the Imperial City.
It has 122 rooms and suites, a long salt-water pool beside the river, a spa, a fitness centre, and the all-day Le Parfum restaurant and a bar.
Hotel websiteAnantara Hoi An Resort
A 93-room riverside resort on Pham Hong Thai Street on the banks of the Thu Bon River, a short stroll from the lantern-lit lanes of Hoi An's UNESCO-listed Ancient Town.
Rooms are set around gardens and a pool with a pool bar, and there's a riverside café, a breakfast restaurant and a spa on site.
Rooms are 42 m² (452 ft²), with a queen bed or twin beds.
Hotel websiteHôtel des Arts Saigon - MGallery
A design hotel in central Ho Chi Minh City on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, decorated with the owner's art collection and about 20 minutes from Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Its restaurants include Saigon Kitchen and Café des Beaux-Arts, and the Social Club Rooftop Bar on the 24th floor looks out over the city skyline. There is also a spa, a fitness room and a pool.
Hotel websiteRooms
- Included
Shared double
Shared with the person you book with, or a fellow traveller of the same sex.
- Extra cost
Single room
A room to yourself, subject to availability.
You choose your room when you book.
Tour FAQS
Fly into Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) in Hanoi and out of Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City.
Proposed accommodation is La Siesta Premium Hang Be in Hanoi (1 night), a traditional junk boat in Lan Ha Bay (1 night), Azerai La Residence, Hue (2 nights), Anantara Hoi An Resort (3 nights) and Hôtel des Arts Saigon - MGallery (2 nights), or similar, subject to confirmation.
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
Yes. Arrival and departure airport transfers are included. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
The trip includes 9 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 6 dinners, including the family dinner in Hanoi, meals on the junk boat, the pagoda lunch in Hue and the farewell dinner. Other meals are at your own cost.
Extra nights can be requested, subject to hotel availability; contact our Customer Experience team for a quote.
There are no scheduled activities on the final day, so feel free to book your departure at your own convenience.
We recommend arriving before 3 pm on Day 1 to make it in time for the welcome event. But don’t worry no matter when you land, we’ll have an airport transfer ready for you.
Please Refer to your government’s travel advice or consult your local consulate. Remember, passport and visa requirements can change, so make sure to stay updated.
Excluding alcohol, we suggest budgeting around USD $40.00 per day for extras.
While we’re not medical professionals, we want to help you prepare for a safe and healthy adventure. Here are some tips:
- Consult with a healthcare professional: Schedule an appointment with your travel nurse or doctor at least eight weeks before your adventure to get any necessary vaccines or medications.
- Up-to-date medical advice:
- US residents: Check the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- UK residents: Visit the NHS Fit For Travel website.
- Australian residents: Refer to the Smart Traveler Health website.
3. Government travel advice:
- US residents: Consult the US Department of State Travel Advice.
- UK residents: Check the FCDO Travel Advice.
- Australian residents: Visit the Smart Traveler website.
4. Medication tips: If you take prescription medication, bring enough to last the entire trip, plus a few extra days in case of delays. Carry a copy of your prescription in case you need to visit a clinic abroad.
We hope this helps you prepare for a safe and enjoyable adventure.
Please keep in mind that our itinerary, activities, and hotels might change. These adjustments could happen with little notice due to factors like availability, weather conditions, seasonal shifts, or other circumstances beyond our control. Rest assured, we always aim to minimise any impact on your experience. Occasionally, we may tweak the itinerary to try out fresh ideas and keep the adventure exciting.
We believe solo travelers shouldn’t have to pay extra to explore the world. That’s why our group trips are designed around shared accommodation and do not include a single supplement. Solo travelers joining our group trips are paired in twin or multi-share rooms with another traveler of the same sex for the duration of the trip.
Some of our Independent trips are structured differently. For these itineraries, solo travelers will need to book at the single occupancy rate.
Tips are not included in the cost of this tour. Remember, tipping is entirely at your discretion and based on what you feel comfortable with.
Would you like to learn more or customise our Secret Vietnam trip?
Have questions about accommodations, accessibility, group preferences, or dietary needs? Complete the form below and our team will get back to you shortly.
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