10 Days in Vietnam: Halong Bay to Hue & Hoi An (Self-Launched)
10 days · Vietnam
Vietnam Real Tour charges £610
No-markup version: ~£460 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Vietnam Real Tour's 10-day Hanoi–Halong Bay–Hue–Hoi An group tour. You'll do the same limestone karst boat trips, cave hikes and kayaking, the same imperial citadel and tomb circuit in Hue, and the same basket-boat farming village day in Hoi An — but booked yourself through GetYourGuide/Klook day tours, local buses and the Reunification Express rather than a fully guided group package. Expect hostels and family guesthouses instead of tour hotels, and roughly a third of the operator's advertised price, with more freedom to linger or skip days.
Day-by-day
Arrive Hanoi — Old Quarter orientation
Hanoi
Land at Noi Bai (HAN) and get to the Old Quarter cheaply: the Vietnam Airlines/Circle Vietnam city bus #86 costs about £1.20 and drops at the edge of the Old Quarter, or a Grab car is around £9-11. Skip the operator's airport transfer. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Old Quarter, then walk the Hoan Kiem lake loop at dusk and eat bun cha or pho bo at a pavement stall (£2-3). Get a local SIM/eSIM (Viettel or Viettel-affiliated data plan, ~£6-8 for 30 days with data) so you can book day trips on GetYourGuide/Klook. Sort your Halong Bay cruise tonight or tomorrow morning — 2D1N cruises on Klook/GetYourGuide start around £90-130 for budget boats, or book direct with a Hanoi travel agent on Hang Bac Street.
🚌Airport bus #86 ~£1.20 or Grab ~£10
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget private room, £8-16/night
- →Bus 86 or Grab from Noi Bai to Old Quarter
- →Hoan Kiem Lake evening walk
- →Street food dinner: bun cha, pho, egg coffee
- →Sort local SIM and Halong cruise booking
Hoa Lu & Tam Coc day tour (Ninh Binh)
Ninh Binh / Tam Coc
Book the Hoa Lu–Tam Coc day tour independently via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£28-35 including hotel pickup from the Old Quarter, buffet lunch, sampan boat and bicycle hire). You visit the 10th-century Hoa Lu ancient capital and temples, then take the two-hour rowing boat down the Ngo Dong River through Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba caves — go early afternoon when the light is best. Afternoon cycling through paddy fields and villages past limestone peaks. Alternatively do it yourself: open bus/train to Ninh Binh (~£5), rent a bike (£3) and pay the boat trip directly (~£7) and temple entry (~£2) — cheaper but a longer day. Back in Hanoi by evening.
🚌Included in day tour, or train/bus to Ninh Binh ~£5 each way
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget private room, £8-16/night
- →Hoa Lu ancient capital and temples
- →Rowing boat through three caves on Ngo Dong River
- →Cycling through paddy fields and villages
- →Optional DIY alternative via Ninh Binh by train or bus
Hanoi free day — food tour and city sights
Hanoi
The operator leaves this as an optional day; make it your own. Book a small-group Hanoi street food walking tour on Klook/GetYourGuide (~£20-28, 3-4 hours, 6-8 tastings) — this is the best-value way to eat well and learn the neighbourhoods. Or DIY a city loop: Temple of Literature (~£1.50), Hoa Lo Prison (~£1.30), the Women's Museum, and a walk around Hoan Kiem and the French Quarter. Alternative: a half-day Vietnamese cooking class (~£25-30 including market visit and lunch), or the Perfume Pagoda day trip (~£25). Consider swapping this day for a Ha Giang or Cat Ba extension if you have time — but keep the itinerary tight for a 10-day trip.
🚌Walking and short Grab rides ~£3
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget private room, £8-16/night
- →Hanoi street food walking tour (book via Klook/GetYourGuide)
- →Temple of Literature and Hoa Lo Prison
- →Optional Vietnamese cooking class
- →Evening bia hoi on Ta Hien Street
Halong Bay cruise — caves, Titop Island, sunset
Halong Bay
Your 2D1N cruise bus picks you up from the Old Quarter around 8am (included in the cruise price). Board a budget-to-midrange junk boat and cruise out among the karst towers. Afternoon: walk through Sung Sot (Surprising) Cave, climb the ~400 steps on Titop Island for the bay panorama, and swim off the beach. Sunset party on deck with fruit and local wine, then dinner of fresh seafood and Vietnamese dishes. Book through Klook, GetYourGuide or a Hanoi agent — budget junks run £90-130pp all-in (transport, meals, guide, activities, cabin). Note: many cheap boats go to Lan Ha Bay instead of Halong proper, which is quieter and just as beautiful.
🚌Shuttle bus from Hanoi included in cruise package (~3.5 hrs each way)
🛏Overnight on a budget/midrange cruise junk, twin-share cabin (included in cruise price)
- →Kayak or swim in the bay
- →Sung Sot (Surprising) Cave
- →Titop Island viewpoint hike and beach swim
- →Sunset deck party and seafood dinner
Sunrise kayaking, then overnight train to Hue
Halong Bay → Hanoi → Hue
Wake early for sunrise on the water — the bay is at its best before 8am. Kayak around the karsts after breakfast, then join the Vietnamese spring roll cooking demo before the boat returns to harbour around 11am. Shuttle back to Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Tonight take the Reunification Express south: the SE19/SE3 sleeper leaves Hanoi around 19:30-20:00 and arrives Hue around 08:00-09:00 next morning. Book a soft-sleeper 4-berth cabin direct at dsvn.vn or via a Hanoi agent — roughly £22-30pp. Buy snacks and drinks at the station; the train food is forgettable. A hard-sleeper 6-berth is cheaper (~£16-20) but noisier.
🚌Cruise shuttle to Hanoi (included) + Reunification Express soft sleeper Hanoi–Hue ~£22-30
🛏Soft-sleeper 4-berth train cabin (costed in transport)
- →Sunrise viewing in Halong Bay
- →Kayaking among the limestone karsts
- →Vietnamese spring roll cooking demonstration
- →Overnight sleeper train to Hue
Arrive Hue — slow day by the Perfume River
Hue
Arrive Hue mid-morning, walk or Grab to a guesthouse in the backpacker strip around Pham Ngu Lao / Chu Van An (£10-18/night), and shower. The operator gives you a free day here; use it to recover from the train. Wander the Imperial Enclosure's outer moat, grab bun bo Hue (the city's spicy beef noodle soup, £1.50) for lunch, and cross the Trang Tien Bridge at sunset. Book tomorrow's Hue city tour tonight — a small-group guided tour via GetYourGuide/Klook costs around £25-35 including lunch, or rent a bicycle and do it yourself for entry fees only.
🚌Walking and Grab ~£3
🛏Hue guesthouse private room, £10-18/night
- →Bun bo Hue lunch
- →Perfume River and Trang Tien Bridge sunset walk
- →Dong Ba Market browse
- →Book Hue city tour for tomorrow
Hue imperial city and tombs tour
Hue
Full day on the self-booked Hue city tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£25-35 with guide, lunch and boat). The classic route: the Royal Citadel and Forbidden Purple City (entry ~£6), the Hue Royal Antiquities Museum, then a dragon boat down the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda. Afternoon continues to the tomb of Minh Mang and the very different Khai Dinh Tomb (each ~£6 entry), plus the conical hat and incense-making villages. DIY alternative: rent a scooter or bicycle (~£5-8/day) and drive the tombs circuit yourself, paying only entry fees — the tombs are 10-15km southwest of town and easy to string together.
🚌Included in day tour, or scooter hire ~£6 if DIY
🛏Hue guesthouse private room, £10-18/night
- →Royal Citadel and Forbidden Purple City
- →Hue Royal Museum
- →Thien Mu Pagoda and Perfume River boat
- →Minh Mang and Khai Dinh tombs
- →Conical hat and incense-making villages
Hue to Hoi An over the Hai Van Pass
Hue → Da Nang → Hoi An
Two good options. Cheapest: a local open bus or minibus Hue–Hoi An takes about 4 hours and costs £7-10 (book via hostel, 12Go Asia or Klook) — some services stop at Lang Co beach and the Hai Van Pass viewpoint. More fun: take a train Hue–Da Nang (3 hours, £3-5, sit on the left for the coastal views), then a Grab or local bus from Da Nang to Hoi An (~£5, 45 mins). If you're a confident rider you can hire a scooter one-way or join the Hai Van Pass motorbike 'easy rider' tour (~£25-35 with a driver-guide). Arrive Hoi An, check into an old-town-adjacent guesthouse (£10-18) and walk the lantern-lit riverside after dark.
🚌Train Hue–Da Nang ~£4 + bus/Grab Da Nang–Hoi An ~£5, or direct minibus ~£8
🛏Hoi An guesthouse or budget hotel, £10-18/night
- →Hai Van Pass and Lang Co Beach viewpoint
- →Coastal train Hue–Da Nang
- →Da Nang's My Khe Beach stop
- →Hoi An Ancient Town lantern walk
Hoi An farming and basket boat village day
Hoi An
Book the Tra Que vegetable village and Cam Thanh basket-boat experience independently — small-group tours via Klook/GetYourGuide run about £18-25 and include bicycle hire, traditional fishing demonstration, bamboo basket boat ride, farming activities with local farmers, a herbal foot massage and the chance to ride a water buffalo. Lunch included. If you'd rather skip the group, cycle out to Tra Que (15 mins from old town) and pay the village entry fee (~£3) directly — farmers will happily show you around. Evening options: a Hoi An tailor fitting, a lantern-making workshop (~£10), or the My Son Sanctuary sunrise tour (~£25) if you swap this day.
🚌Bicycle included in tour; ~£2 otherwise
🛏Hoi An guesthouse or budget hotel, £10-18/night
- →Cycling through Tra Que farming villages
- →Traditional fishing demonstration
- →Bamboo basket boat ride on the Thu Bon river
- →Herbal foot massage at a farmer's home
- →Water buffalo ride photo op
Hoi An free morning, transfer to Da Nang airport
Hoi An → Da Nang
Spend the morning on the riverfront, at a tailor or café, and pick up last-minute souvenirs at Hoi An Central Market. Book a shared shuttle or Grab from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport (about 45 minutes; shared shuttle £4-6, Grab £10-12). Allow 2.5-3 hours before your flight. The operator's end point is Da Nang (DAD), so flights home or onward south to Ho Chi Minh City are easy from here.
🚌Shared shuttle Hoi An–Da Nang Airport ~£5 or Grab ~£11
🛏None — departure day
- →Hoi An morning market and old town
- →Shared shuttle or Grab to Da Nang Airport
Self-launched vs. Vietnam Real Tour
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Vietnam Real Tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£460 | £610 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £150 per person (25%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Vietnam Real Tour-style trips? Check them out here.~£460
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does 10 Days in Vietnam: Halong Bay to Hue & Hoi An (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £460 per person for 10 days in Vietnam. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Vietnam Real Tour?+
Yes — Vietnam Real Tour charges around £610 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £460 — a saving of roughly £150 (25%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through Vietnam.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, foodie trip through Vietnam, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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