The “from” price is per person for four travelers in standard hotels and excludes international flights. It covers accommodation, private transport, an English-speaking guide, the listed activities and domestic flights where needed, such as to Phu Quoc. Your final price depends on dates, hotel category, group size and activities; Phu Quoc is cheaper but wetter from June to October. Request a free quote, or see our Vietnam travel cost guide.
October and November are the riskiest months, when storms can bring heavy rain, flooding, rough seas and disrupted flights and roads. Because every trip is private, we can reorder days, swap outdoor visits for indoor ones, or shift time to Da Nang or the south. Avoid booking an international flight right after a weather-sensitive stop. If we must make major changes, you can accept them, switch to another trip or cancel, as set out in our terms and conditions. For more tips, read why Vietnam’s rainy season is full of surprises.
Hoi An has no airport or train station, so you fly into Da Nang and transfer by private car. From Hue, the drive to Hoi An crosses the Hai Van Pass, with stops for the views. From Ho Chi Minh City, the edge of the Mekong Delta is about two hours by car, and Phu Quoc is reached by a domestic flight.
Five days is enough for the core of the region: Da Nang, Ba Na Hills and Hoi An, which is the route of our 5-day tour. Add Hue, with its Imperial City and royal tombs, and you need about seven days, including the drive over the Hai Van Pass. Phong Nha’s caves are a separate addition further north. For day-by-day ideas, read our Central Vietnam travel guide.
Five days covers Ho Chi Minh City, the Cu Chi tunnels and the Mekong Delta, including Ben Tre, Can Tho and the Cai Rang floating market. Seven days adds Phu Quoc island for beach time. The delta rewards at least one night: Cai Rang is busiest around sunrise, so sleeping in Can Tho puts you there at the right time. See what to do in the Mekong Delta.
The two regions have opposite seasons. Central Vietnam is at its best from February to May, and stays sunny through August, though hotter. The rainy season runs from September to December, with storms and flooding most likely in October and November. The south is driest from about November to April. If you travel from October to December, avoid an itinerary that depends entirely on the central coast. Read our best time to visit Vietnam guide.
The “from” price is per person for four travelers in standard accommodation and excludes international flights. It covers accommodation, private transport, an English-speaking guide and the listed activities. Your price depends on dates, group size and activities. Late September, the golden-rice peak, books up early in Sapa and Mu Cang Chai, so request a free quote as soon as you have dates.
By private car with a driver, in a vehicle sized to your group. Distances are longer than most visitors expect: Hanoi to Sapa is about 5 to 6 hours by road and Hanoi to Ha Giang 6 to 7, so the driving is planned into each itinerary. For Sapa, you can take the overnight train to Lao Cai instead if you prefer to travel while you sleep. Our guide to getting around Vietnam compares every option.
Trekking is built around who is travelling. Our consultants ask about fitness, ages and health before planning, and routes range from an easy village walk of around 7 km to long mountain days. A family with children of ten to twelve would normally get routes of 10 to 15 km, and if a walk is too much on the day, your guide adjusts it. For trail ideas, see our Sapa trekking routes or browse our Hiking & Trekking tours.
In cities such as Hanoi you stay in hotels. In the mountains, around Sapa, Hoang Su Phi and Ha Giang, many itineraries use local homestays or ecolodges, which are simpler than hotels but give you an evening with a local family. Ha Long Bay may be an overnight cruise. Tell us your comfort level and we will choose the right mix. Read more about sleeping in the house of a local.
No. Our private tours cover Ha Giang by car with a driver and guide, so you do not need to ride a motorbike or have any riding experience. The roads are steep and winding, and heavy rain in July and August can cause landslides, so we plan the route around the season and keep the schedule flexible. You can read more in our Ha Giang travel guide.
Autumn, September to November, is the most reliable season: the heat drops and the mountain roads are dry. Sapa’s terraces turn gold from about 1 September to 5 October, Mu Cang Chai from about 15 September to 10 October, and buckwheat flowers cover the Ha Giang plateau in October and November. Spring, February to April, is the alternative, with more mist. July and August bring typhoon risk, so keep those trips flexible.
Sapa is easier to reach and more comfortable, so it suits a first mountain trip of around three days: terraces, village treks and a night in a homestay. Ha Giang is wilder and more remote, with longer drives, and works best with four days or more. Sapa is about 5 to 6 hours from Hanoi by road, Ha Giang 6 to 7. With a week, our 7-day Sapa & Ha Giang tour combines both, and you can compare them in Sapa or Ha Giang: 9 key differences.
Five days covers Hanoi plus one nearby area such as Ninh Binh or Pu Luong, and seven days adds Ha Long Bay or Sapa. Ten to twelve days is where the north comes together: the capital, the bay and a proper stay in the mountains without spending most of the trip on the road. Two weeks adds the full Ha Giang loop and Cao Bang. Ha Giang on its own needs about four days. For route ideas by length, see our guide to the best time and routes in North Vietnam.
It depends on your passport. Travelers from countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain can enter visa-free for up to 45 days; US, Canadian and Australian passport holders need an e-visa from the official government portal. Your passport should be valid for six months after your return, and travel insurance covering medical costs and repatriation is required. Rules change, so confirm your own passport before booking flights. For application steps and current rules, see our Vietnam visa guide.
