Vietnam in 7 Days: Hanoi to Saigon

Every part can be changed to suit your group.

1. Day 1 Arrival in Hanoi

   We meet you at Noi Bai airport and drive into the city to your hotel near the old quarter. After some rest, your guide takes you out on foot as the evening comes alive: the narrow streets named after the crafts once sold there, small temples hidden between shops, and families cooking on the pavement. We stop at several street food stalls to taste dishes such as bun cha, banh cuon and egg coffee, and finish beside Hoan Kiem Lake. Your guide gives you a short briefing about the trip and some tips for exploring Hanoi on your own. The old quarter is busy and noisy in the evening, with motorbikes, street vendors and families eating on low plastic stools, and it is the best introduction to the energy of the capital.

   
2. Day 2 Hanoi to Lan Ha Bay

   After breakfast we drive about two and a half hours to the coast and board a small wooden boat for Lan Ha Bay, a quieter neighbour of Halong with the same limestone islands and far fewer boats. Lunch is served on deck as we sail between the karsts. In the afternoon we kayak through lagoons and under rock arches, and swim from a small beach when the weather allows. Dinner is on board, and the night is spent anchored in a calm bay. Our boat is small, with only a few cabins, so the atmosphere is calm and personal. Lan Ha has clear water and small sandy beaches, and in the evening you can try squid fishing from the deck or simply relax under the stars.

   
3. Day 3 Lan Ha Bay to Hanoi, Fly to Hoi An

   Wake up early for sunrise over the karsts and a short boat or kayak trip to a floating fishing village before breakfast. We sail back to land in the late morning and drive to Hanoi airport for the flight to Da Nang. On arrival, a short drive brings you to Hoi An, where you check in to your hotel and have the evening free to wander the lantern-lit streets along the river. The floating villages are home to fishing families who live in wooden houses on the water, and some of them farm fish, clams and pearls. Brunch is served on board as we sail slowly back to the harbour. The flight to Da Nang takes just over an hour.

   
4. Day 4 Hoi An Old Town and Countryside

   We start early in the old town, before the day visitors arrive, walking past yellow merchant houses, Chinese assembly halls and the Japanese Covered Bridge, and stopping at a family-run tailor and a local coffee shop. Late morning we get on bikes and ride out through rice fields to Tra Que, a village of herb gardens, where farmers show us how they grow the greens used in Hoi An cooking. We continue to Cam Thanh for a ride in a round basket boat through the water coconut palms, and have lunch with a local family. Tra Que farmers grow their herbs without chemicals, using seaweed from the river as fertiliser. In Cam Thanh, the basket boat rowers like to show off by spinning their boats, so be ready to laugh and hold on.

   
5. Day 5 Fly to Saigon

   Enjoy a slow morning in Hoi An, with time for the market, a swim or last fittings at the tailor. Around midday we drive to Da Nang airport for the flight to Saigon. In the late afternoon your guide leads you through the city on foot, away from the main boulevards: small alleys where families live and work, a neighbourhood market, an old pagoda and a quiet cafe, ending at a street food stall for dinner. Saigon is a city of contrasts, where tall towers stand next to old pagodas and narrow alleys full of family life. Your guide shares stories about the history of the city and how it is changing today, and recommends places for your free time.

   
6. Day 6 Mekong Delta by Bike and Boat

   We leave Saigon at around 8:00 AM and drive south to Ben Tre, the coconut province of the Mekong Delta. A local boat takes us from the wide river into narrow canals, past brick kilns and family workshops making coconut candy and mats. We then get on bikes and ride small roads through coconut groves, fruit gardens and villages, stopping often to meet people and take photos. Lunch is served in a countryside house, and in the afternoon a sampan carries us quietly through water coconut canals before we drive back to Saigon.

   
7. Day 7 Departure from Saigon

   Free time in Saigon for shopping, a last coffee or a visit to a museum, depending on your flight time. Your driver picks you up at the hotel and takes you to Tan Son Nhat airport for your onward journey. Depending on your flight time, you may have a few hours for last shopping, a coffee or a visit to a museum. Your guide or driver will pick you up at your hotel in good time and help you with check-in at the airport.