9-Day Vietnam Tour: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An & Saigon

Your guide and driver greet you at Noi Bai International Airport and transfer you to your hotel in central Hanoi. After time to rest and freshen up, your guide leads a gentle late-afternoon walk through the Old and French Quarters.

• Hoan Kiem Lake, the heart of the capital
• Ngoc Son Temple, a Taoist temple on the lake
• A traditional Hanoi ancient house
• Local tastings as your guide suggests: Hanoi noodle soup, rolled pancake, fried spring rolls and egg coffee

St. Joseph’s Cathedral and Dong Xuan Market can be added if you have the energy. Optional evening: a traditional water puppet show.

Meals: Dinner

A full day of Hanoi’s history and culture, at an easy pace with a rest before dinner. Visitors are asked to dress modestly (shoulders and knees covered) at the mausoleum and temples.

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum area: the stilt house, the “Uncle Ho” fishpond and the French botanical garden
• One Pillar Pagoda, a lotus-shaped temple first built in the 11th century
• Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s most famous Confucian temple and home of its first national university

Afternoon, choose one: Hoa Lo Prison (built by the French in the late 19th century and known to American POWs as the “Hanoi Hilton”), or one museum: the Vietnam National Museum of History, the Vietnamese Women’s Museum or the Fine Arts Museum.

Optional early morning: a cyclo ride through the French Quarter, the flag-raising ceremony at Ba Dinh Square (6:00 am in summer, 6:30 am in winter), and locals exercising in Bach Thao Botanical Garden Park.

Local Hanoi alternative: explore quiet alleys and narrow streets few tourists see, with local life beside the railway, a coffee stop and a short train ride across the historic Long Bien Bridge. In the afternoon, visit a museum of your choice.

Please note: the Mausoleum is closed on Mondays and Fridays and for annual maintenance, so your guide will adjust the order of the day if needed.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, drive about 2.5 hours (roughly 100 miles) to the coast. Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering 1,553 km² (about 600 square miles) with nearly 2,000 islands and islets. A small tender takes you to your cruise, where the crew welcomes you with drinks. We recommend Lan Ha Bay, which is usually quieter than the central Ha Long area.

• Cruise past legendary limestone islands
• Kayak or rowboat through Luon Lagoon
• Swim, relax on deck and watch the sunset
• Overnight on board

Note: the cruise route may vary slightly depending on the boat chosen.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy a slow morning exploring the bay, then disembark around noon. Drive about 3.5 hours to Ninh Binh and check in. In the afternoon, choose one activity.

• Option A: Thung Nham Bird Sanctuary (gentle, mostly seated). Stroll through the flower gardens, take a rowboat through an impressive natural cave tunnel, then continue by boat to the sanctuary, an ecosystem of more than 300 hectares (about 740 acres) that is home to about 48 bird species and 150 animal species.
• Option B: Hang Mua (Mua Cave, more active). Climb over 486 stone steps to the Mua Viewpoint for a sweeping view of the countryside, best on a clear day in the late afternoon.

You are also welcome to skip both and rest at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast and check-out, enjoy the morning on the water, then take an afternoon flight south to the central coast.

• Choose one boat trip: Van Long Nature Reserve, one of the country’s largest wetland reserves and home to many langurs (about one hour by boat), or Trang An
• Early lunch, then drive to Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi
• Flight to Da Nang (about 1 hour 20 minutes), where a local driver meets you and takes you to your hotel in Hoi An

Optional, time permitting: an early-morning cycle through the villages with a stop at Bich Dong Pagoda, and a visit to Hoa Lu Ancient Capital with its two royal temples from the 11th century.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hoi An has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 and is a fine example of a Southeast Asian trading port from the 15th to the 19th century, known for its old architecture, skilled crafts, delicate food and warm hospitality.

• Morning: guided walk through the Old Town: Tan Ky Old House, the Japanese Bridge (Bridge Pagoda), Fujian Assembly Hall and the Hoi An Traditional Market
• Afternoon: free time for a café stop, a rest, or An Bang Beach
• Evening: a lantern-lit stroll along the river

Optional: cycle through the countryside to Tra Que vegetable village, try a basket boat ride, or join a cooking class. Hoi An is famous for tailoring, so order early in the day, as fittings take 24 to 48 hours.

Meals: Breakfast

After a relaxed morning and check-out, your driver takes you to Da Nang Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, about 1 hour 20 minutes. You are met on arrival and transferred to your hotel.

• Afternoon: War Remnants Museum, with indoor photos and artifacts on the effects of Agent Orange, other chemicals and bombing, plus outdoor displays of jets, tanks and cannons. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours, followed by a coffee break
• Optional walk: Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral (built 1863 to 1880 in neo-Roman style) and the Central Post Office (built 1886 to 1891 in neoclassical style)

Please note: the museum closes in the late afternoon, so the visit depends on your flight time. The exhibits are sensitive, and you are welcome to go at your own pace.

Meals: Breakfast

Drive about 2 hours from the city to the Mekong Delta, ideally to a quieter area such as Ben Tre or Cai Be, for a day of river life.

• Visit a workshop to see how coconut candy and popped rice are made
• Enjoy local fruit in a fruit garden
• Take a sampan along small canals to see local life
• Watch a show of traditional music and singing
• Cycle or walk on the island (optional)

Return to Saigon in the late afternoon, with a free evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Spend a last relaxed morning in Ho Chi Minh City.

• Coffee and a stroll along Nguyen Hue Walking Street
• Souvenir shopping at Ben Thanh Market
• A massage or spa treatment
• Optional: a street-food tour, a good fit for this lighter day

Your driver collects you on time and takes you to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your flight home. Please allow at least 3 hours before an international flight.

Meals: Breakfast