The two countries have separate rules, so check both. For Vietnam, citizens of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and several other countries enter without a visa for up to 45 days, while citizens of the United States, Canada and Australia need an e-visa. For Thailand, citizens of 60 countries and territories, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, enter without a visa for up to 30 days, and every traveller must complete the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within three days before each arrival. We help with these procedures, but entry rules change, so please confirm the position for your own passport before booking flights.
Yes. Every trip is private, so there are no fixed departures: you can set the dates that suit you or give the best flight prices, start in Vietnam or in Thailand, and ask us to adjust the route, hotels and pace until it fits. Both directions appear on this page, and a few itineraries enter one country twice, so tell us when you book and we will check that your visa and arrival card cover it. Most of our clients book four to six months ahead, because internal flights and the better-regarded hotels in both countries fill up first.
Quoted prices are “from” prices for four travellers staying in standard hotels, and they do not include international flights or travel insurance. Because the trips are private, the final price depends on when you travel, the category of hotels you choose and above all the size of your group: the same itinerary costs less per person for six than for two. Insurance is worth arranging with your own insurer, since the trip crosses two countries and includes internal flights. Send us your dates and group size and we will put together a detailed quote.
Almost always by air: a direct flight from Hanoi to Bangkok takes about two hours, and from Ho Chi Minh City roughly an hour and a half. From Bangkok we continue to Chiang Mai or the islands by domestic flight. The only overland route crosses Laos or Cambodia and takes days, so we suggest it only when it fits the rest of the route. Schedules and airlines change by season, so we confirm the flights when we finalise your itinerary.
Twelve days is the practical minimum: it means choosing one part of Vietnam, usually Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay, plus Bangkok and one Thai region, as on our 12-day Thailand and Vietnam tour. Fifteen to eighteen days is the comfortable length, enough for Vietnam from north to south and for Bangkok with either the northern hills around Chiang Mai or a few nights on a southern island. Three weeks lets you do both without leaving anything out.
November to March suits both countries, and March is the best single month for Vietnam while Thailand is still dry. In Vietnam, March and April offer the most balanced weather from north to south, while October and November can bring heavy rain to central Vietnam (best time to visit Vietnam). In Thailand, the north is at its best from November to February and the Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi) is dry from November to March; from April to August the Gulf islands such as Koh Samui usually have better weather (best time to visit Thailand).
