The Ho (Chi Minh) to the Hanoi. See how the locals live on on the Mekong Delta staying in a local guesthouse, then get your beach on in Nha Trang. Pagodas, history and yum yums galore in Hoi An and Hue. Drift the emerald waters of Halong Bay by boat and go for a snoop through any of Hanoi's many markets. This is your full-on trip up the coast of Vietnam and into Halong Bay. From hectic Ho Chi Minh City to historic Hanoi. Ready, set, pagoda.
Themes
Adventure
Beach
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Highlights
- It's not just boring hotels on this trip where you could be anywhere in the world. We mix it up with a guesthouse in the Mekong Delta, overnight trains and of course our night on board in Halong Bay.
- It's taken 400 million years for the Phong Nha Caves to look this good! Explore the spectacular scenery of underground rivers and caverns that form some of the world's largest caves.
- Limestone karsts and mysterious caves - Halong Bay feels a world away from the world we live in. Many other tour groups just visit for the day - we stay overnight on the boat.
- There's great food wherever you go in Vietnam, but combine sumptuous snacks with cycling in the surrounding countryside and you will see why we love Hoi An. Check it out: https://www.geckosadventures.com/tales/5-awesome-things-hoi-vietnam/
- This is one of the most popular trips in the entire Geckos range and a firm favourite with our travellers.
- Travel the length of Vietnam with a small group of like minded travellers your own age and an expert leader to make sure you get the best out of your time in each destination.
- Where better to enjoy loads of free time than in the coastal city of Nha Trang, which features irresistable beaches, crazy-good snorkelling and even mud baths! Here's what you have in store for you: https://www.geckosadventures.com/tales/nha-trang-vietnam/
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What's Included
Meals
2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners
Transport
Boat , Private bus , Private vehicle , Overnight sleeper train
Accommodation
Guesthouse (2 nights), Hotel (8 nights), Overnight boat (1 night), Overnight sleeper train (3 nights)
Included Activities
- Halong Bay - Overnight boat cruise
- Hanoi - Old Quarter Walking Tour
- Hoi An - Countryside bicycle tour
- Hoi An - Old Town walking tour
- Mekong Delta - Boat cruise and guesthouse
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Pricing
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- Start Date
- End Date
- Price
- Availability
Please note: while prices are accurate at time of loading they are subject to change due to currency fluctuations and currency surcharges may apply. Please check price at time of booking -
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Itinerary
Day - 1
Location: Ho Chi Minh City - Xin chao! Welcome to Vietnam. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6pm on Day 1. Please look for a note in the hotel lobby or ask the hotel reception where it will take place. If you're going to be late, please inform the hotel reception. We'll be collecting your insurance details and next of kin information at this meeting, so please ensure you have all these details to provide to your leader. Also known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City is characterised by a vast array of sights and sounds, and is a fascinating blend of old and new. The huge number of people rushing about their daily lives in Vietnam's largest city gives it a dynamic atmosphere and the French influence is evident in the excellent baguettes sandwiches (banh mi) and coffee on offer. If you arrive early, this city has a vast array of sights and sounds to explore: ancient pagodas and cathedrals sit squarely up against the former Presidential Palace, historic Dong Khoi Street (the Rue Catinat from Graham Greene's novel, The Quiet American) and the bustling markets of Ben Thanh and Cholon (Chinatown). Many travellers choose to visit the Reunification Palace or War Remnants Museum here. If you don't want to explore on your own, consider booking one of our Urban Adventures before your arrive: https://www.urbanadventures.com/destination/ho-chi-minh-city-tours
Day - 2
Location: Mekong Delta - Travel by bus to the Mekong Delta today (approx 3 hours). Explore Ben Tre, where coconut is everything and everywhere. Coconut candy anyone? The fertile delta is famous for its abundant harvests of tropical fruits and flowers as well as its waterways. Board a private boat and cruise along the maze of waterways to visit some local cottage industries. Then head to a guesthouse, our home for the night. Lunch and dinner are included today, so fill up on typical Vietnamese staples and enjoy some home cooking.
Day - 3
Location: Ho Chi Minh City - Overnight Train - Wake to dawn on the Delta and enjoy a simple breakfast before getting back on the boat and then bus back to Ho Chi Minh City. You'll have a bit of free time here to squeeze in more sightseeing or street food. Shared hotel rooms will be available today between up to 6 members of the group, so you can prepare or repack if needed before your train journey. Late this afternoon transfer to the train station and board our first overnight train to Nha Trang (approx 11 hours). Settle in for the night and enjoy the experience of snoozing as you snake through the countryside, knowing you'll wake up in a new and exciting destination tomorrow morning.
Day - 4
Location: Nha Trang - Arrive in Nha Trang at approximately 5am and transfer to your hotel. As it's early we may not be able to check in right away, but there's always a cafe selling Vietnamese coffee nearby to perk us up. We will have shared use hotel rooms before regular check in. Nha Trang is one of Vietnam's most popular beach side cities. In recent years it has ended up on every Chinese and Russian tourist's bucket list, which means that you'll see plenty of other travellers around town. Still, Nha Trang's sandy palm-lined beach and island-dotted bay make an idyllic picture. Spend your days here soaking up the sun on the beach, exploring the local markets or checking out the ancient Cham Towers nearby. Make sure you try some of the excellent seafood restaurants - you are right by the sea after all! There are Urban Adventures available here too. Check them out here: https://www.urbanadventures.com/destination/Nha-Trang-tours. Your leader can help you to book.
Day - 5
Location: Nha Trang - Overnight train - Today is the day is all yours! Fit in some more time seaside or maybe check out the mud baths. There's also a palace near here known as the Bao Dai Villa. Board our next overnight train late in the evening, this time bound for Danang (approx. 8 hours).
Day - 6
Location: Hoi An - Arrive in Danang around 7am and travel by private vehicle to Hoi An (approx 1 hr). Declared a World Heritage site, Hoi An is being beautifully restored and preserved. Today, parts of Hoi An look exactly as they did more than a century ago and it retains the feel of centuries past, making it the sort of place that grows on you the more you explore it. It's also a shopping mecca – with so much to browse and buy. Spend your hard earned pocket money on original paintings, handcrafted woodwork, ceramics, embroidery, lanterns and more. Hoi An has also become famous for its tailoring, with a great variety of fabrics and tailors to choose from. Bring your favourite piece of clothing or even just a picture, and you'll be able to have it copied. Sweet! It's not just shopping here though. Your leader will take you on a walk through the old town streets and cooking classes here are always a hit. Of course, there's Urban Adventures here too: https://www.urbanadventures.com/destination/Hoi-An-tours
Day - 7
Location: Hoi An - This one of our favourite days of the trip! There's no better way to explore the peaceful countryside of Hoi An than by bike. Your leader will take you to places not every tourist gets the chance to see, past green rice paddies and small creeks and out into rural Vietnam. It's a leisurely cycle, no need to be a professional. In the afternoon you might like to head out to the My Son ruins, the most extensive legacy of the Cham dynasty in Vietnam or take a boat trip along the river.
Day - 8
Location: Hue - Departing Hoi An by bus, we pass by My Khe Beach before crossing the dramatic Hai Van Pass to the picturesque fishing village of Lang Co. After a quick break here, continue on to Hue. Total travel time is usually 5 hours, including stops. As the former imperial capital of Vietnam, Hue holds the treasures of Vietnam's royal past and is a curious mix of bustling streets and tranquil settings. Your afternoon is free to explore. The Dong Ba market, which sells everything imaginable, is a great place to spend some time. Visit the Imperial Citadel, including the Forbidden Purple City. The latter was almost totally destroyed during the Vietnam War's Tet Offensive, but the foliage-covered ruins are still atmospheric and the gaping holes left by bombs give an idea of the destruction wreaked upon the country during the war as well as a glimpse of the distant past.
Day - 9
Location: Hue - Today is another free day. Some favourites are dragon boating on the Perfume River or visiting Thien Mu Pagoda, considered by many to be the symbol of Hue. It's an active Buddhist monastery with its origins dating back to 1601. One of the most poignant displays inside is a car belonging to a former monk who, in 1963, drove to Saigon and set himself alight to protest against the treatment of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese regime.
Day - 10
Location: Phong Nha NP - Bus your way to Phong Nha today, around 4 hours journey. On the way there's the chance to check out the Hien Luong Bridge – it's smack bang on the 17th Parallel, so it separated the North from the South during the war. You can also choose to head underground at Vinh Moc, an expansive network of limestone tunnels that locals used as shelters from the bombing. Travel on and take the afternoon to explore your surroundings. You'll stay just outside town, and there are loads of optional activities to take advantage of. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is an amazing landscape riddled with caves and underground rivers. Maybe take a boat through Phong Nha Cave, or check out one of the spectacular huge caverns such as the giant Paradise Cave.
Day - 11
Location: Phong Nha NP - Overnight train - Make the most of your time in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the oldest karst (which basically means underground eroded limestone) mountain range in Asia. This bad boy is over 400 million years old so there's plenty to explore. Jump on one of the optional tours available or just take in this stunning scenery. Later today you'll head back to Dong Hoi and hop onto our final sleeper train, leaving around 8pm. You'll be pro at this now and know exactly what to do!
Day - 12
Location: Hanoi - Arrive in Hanoi very early (like 5.30am early!) and transfer to your hotel. Shared use hotel rooms are available at your hotel this morning before check in. The capital of Vietnam is a charming city with a population of over six million. Hanoi is famous for its beautiful lakes, shaded boulevards, verdant public parks and its thriving Old Quarter, which is an architectural museum piece with blocks of ochre buildings retaining the air of a 1930s provincial French town. As Vietnam develops to compete with other South-East Asian countries, the beautiful Hoan Kiem Lake reflects the contrasts of modern office buildings, old Buddhist temples and the tangle of ancient streets in its still surface. Take a walking tour of the Old Quarter with your leader. You'll visit Dong Xuan market, the biggest wholesale market in northern Vietnam and stroll through some of the ancient '36 streets' where you can discover an amazing selection of shops selling everything from souvenirs to exquisite silk clothing. For your free time today, see the Ho Chi Minh Complex and Mausoleum to learn more about the revered man himself, stop in at one of the many excellent museums (we highly recommend the unique Womens Museum) or take in some more war history.
Day - 13
Location: Halong Bay - Travel by private minibus (approximately 4 hours) to the awesome World Heritage site of Halong Bay. This secluded harbour has something like 2,000 little limestone islands. And the water is one pretty green scene. It's one of Vietnam's most 'scenic' places, so get that camera ready. You'll jump on a boat and cruise the bay so you can take it all in. You'll explore some of the awesome caves in the area and fill up with both lunch and dinner onboard. What's on the menu? Seafood of course. Enjoy optional kayaking or swimming from Ti Top Beach in the warmer months. Once you settle into junk boat life you won't want to go anywhere – so spend the night rocking away on the waters of Halong Bay (with the waves and maybe a spot of karaoke).
Day - 14
Location: Hanoi - Perhaps wake up early if you want to practice some Tai Chi on the deck. All that is left to do is enjoy another meal prepared by your crew as you cruise on in to port around midday. Take a bus back to Hanoi (approx. 3 hours) for some free time and a optional final group dinner.
Day - 15
Location: Hanoi - The trip ends in the morning today. There are no activities planned for the final day and you are able to depart the accommodation at any time. For those staying on longer, there are Urban Adventures to keep you busy. Check them out here and ask your leader to book for you: https://www.urbanadventures.com/destination/hanoi-tours