11-Day Vietnam Self-Launched Adventure: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
11 days · Vietnam
Indochina Today Travel charges £905
No-markup version: ~£534 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Indochina Today Travel's 11-day Hanoi-to-Saigon highlights tour. You'll cover the same route — Hanoi's old quarter and Ho Chi Minh Complex, an overnight Halong Bay cruise, the Hai Van Pass and Hue's Citadel, Hoi An, the Mekong Delta, Cu Chi tunnels and Saigon's museums — but booking each piece yourself through hostels, local buses, trains, budget cruises and GetYourGuide/Klook day tours. Expect roughly a third of the commercial price, with total flexibility to add a Hoi An beach day or a Ba Na Hills/Golden Bridge trip.
Day-by-day
Arrive Hanoi — Old Quarter orientation
Hanoi
Fly into Noi Bai (HAN). Take the Vietjet/Grab or the #86 airport express bus (~£1.20, 45–60 min) to the Old Quarter and check into a hostel or budget hotel near Hoan Kiem Lake. Spend the late afternoon walking the 36 Streets, catching the Hanoi Train Street photo window (~3:30pm or 7:30pm timed trains — check locally, cafes require a drink purchase), and doing a self-guided street-food crawl: bun cha, banh mi, egg coffee, beer hoi at Ta Hien corner (~£6 total).
🚌Airport bus #86 (~£1.20) or Grab (~£8–10)
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or private budget room (~£10–14)
- →Self-guided Old Quarter walk
- →Hanoi Train Street
- →Street food crawl
- →Hoan Kiem Lake evening circuit
Hanoi highlights — Ho Chi Minh Complex, Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo
Hanoi
Do the classic Hanoi circuit on foot or by Grab bike. Start early at Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake, walk to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex and One Pillar Pagoda (free entry, closed Mon & Fri, mornings only — dress modestly), then the Temple of Literature (£2). Afternoon: Hoa Lo Prison museum (£1.20) and either the Museum of Ethnology or the Vietnamese Women's Museum (£2). Evening: Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre tickets (~£3–4) — book at the box office or via Klook. Optional: a Klook/GetYourGuide small-group Hanoi city tour (~£25) if you'd rather have a guide.
🚌Walking + Grab bikes (~£3)
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or private budget room (~£10–14)
- →Tran Quoc Pagoda
- →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & One Pillar Pagoda
- →Temple of Literature
- →Hoa Lo Prison
- →Museum of Ethnology or Women's Museum
- →Thang Long Water Puppet Show
Hanoi to Halong Bay — overnight budget cruise
Halong Bay
Book a 2D/1N Halong or Lan Ha Bay cruise in advance through Klook, GetYourGuide or your hostel (~£85–110 including shuttle from Hanoi, all meals, kayaking and cave visits). Shuttle pickup around 8am, transfer ~3.5 hours, board mid-morning. Afternoon kayaking through karst grottoes and a swim stop at a secluded cove. Sunset on deck, dinner and squid fishing.
🚌Cruise shuttle bus from Hanoi Old Quarter (included)
🛏Overnight on a budget/mid-range junk boat (included in cruise price)
- →Halong Bay cruise
- →Kayaking
- →Cave and grotto visit
- →Swimming stop
- →Squid fishing
Halong Bay to Hanoi to Danang
Danang
Morning tai chi and brunch on board, then shuttle back to Hanoi arriving ~4–5pm. Domestic flight Hanoi–Danang (~£30–45 booked 3–6 weeks ahead on Vietjet or Bamboo; Vietjet often cheapest). Alternatively the Reunification Express sleeper Hanoi–Danang is ~£28–35 and takes 16–18 hours if you want to save a night's accommodation. Check into a Danang hotel near My Khe Beach — Danang hotels are excellent value (~£15–20). Late dinner at a local mi quang spot.
🚌Cruise shuttle to Hanoi (included) + flight to Danang (~£35) or overnight train (~£30)
🛏Danang beachside budget hotel (~£16)
- →Sunrise on the bay
- →Fly to Danang
- →My Khe Beach evening stroll
Hai Van Pass, Hue Citadel and Perfume River
Hue / Danang
Self-launch this as a long day trip. Cheapest option: local bus Danang–Hue (~£2.50, 2.5 hrs) or a shared 'Easy Rider' motorbike transfer over the Hai Van Pass (~£20–25 with a driver, stops at Lang Co Beach for photos). In Hue, enter the Imperial Citadel (£4), take a dragon boat across the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda (~£3 return for a group boat), and visit Khai Dinh Tomb (£2.50). Grab lunch on the riverfront (bun bo Hue ~£2). Late bus or train back to Danang (~£2.50–5).
🚌Easy Rider motorbike transfer or local bus over Hai Van Pass (~£15); dragon boat (~£3)
🛏Danang beachside budget hotel (~£16)
- →Hai Van Pass
- →Lang Co Beach stop
- →Hue Imperial Citadel
- →Thien Mu Pagoda
- →Khai Dinh Tomb
- →Perfume River dragon boat
Marble Mountains and Hoi An Ancient Town
Hoi An
Morning at the Marble Mountains in Danang (£2 entry, plus a small lift fee) — climb Thuy Son for cave temples and viewpoints. Then take a local bus or Grab (30–45 min, ~£4–6) south to Hoi An. Optional detour to Son Tra Peninsula and the Linh Ung Pagoda's giant Lady Buddha (free, Grab ~£4 each way). Check into a garden villa or hostel in Hoi An (~£12–16 — this is one of Vietnam's best-value stays). Evening: Hoi An Ancient Town after 5pm (most temples' ticket not enforced for evening strolling; a £5 old-town ticket covers five heritage sites if you want them). Lantern-lit riverside walk and cao lau for dinner.
🚌Grab/local bus Danang–Hoi An (~£5)
🛏Hoi An garden villa or hostel (~£14)
- →Marble Mountains
- →Son Tra Peninsula & Linh Ung Pagoda (optional)
- →Hoi An Ancient Town at night
- →Lantern shopping
Hoi An free day — tailoring, cooking class or beach
Hoi An
A full free day. Options: a half-day Vietnamese cooking class with market tour (~£22–28 on Klook, includes meal); get clothes tailored (24-hour turnaround, from ~£25 for a dress or shirt); rent a bicycle and ride to An Bang or Cua Dai beach (~£2/day); take a basket-boat tour in the coconut palms (~£5); or cycle to Tra Que vegetable village. Coffee at a riverside cafe, banh mi from Banh Mi Phuong, and a night market dinner.
🚌Bicycle rental (~£2)
🛏Hoi An garden villa or hostel (~£14)
- →Vietnamese cooking class (optional)
- →Tailor fitting
- →An Bang Beach
- →Coconut basket boat
- →Hoi An night market
Hoi An to Danang to Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Transfer to Danang airport (Grab ~£8) and fly to Saigon (~£30–45, 1h20m). Land at Tan Son Nhat and Grab into District 1 (~£4). Afternoon: wander Dong Khoi, the Opera House and Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, and get your bearings in Ben Thanh Market. Evening options: the rooftop bar scene, a Vespa street-food tour (~£35 on Klook — a splurge but highly rated), or simply a bia hoi corner and a bowl of pho.
🚌Grab to Danang airport (~£8) + flight (~£35) + Grab into city (~£4)
🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel (~£15)
- →Dong Khoi & Nguyen Hue walking street
- →Ben Thanh Market
- →Rooftop bar sunset
- →Optional Vespa food tour
Mekong Delta day trip — My Tho and Ben Tre
Mekong Delta / Ho Chi Minh City
Book a small-group Mekong Delta day tour via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£22–30, includes transport, boat, lunch and guide) — this is exactly the experience the commercial tour includes. Typically covers Vinh Trang Pagoda, a Tien River boat cruise past the four islets, Thoi Son Island walks through villages and fruit gardens, a honeybee farm with honey-lemon tea, southern folk music (don ca tai tu), a rowing-boat canal ride and a coconut candy workshop. Back in Saigon by ~6pm.
🚌Included in day tour (minibus + boats)
🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel (~£15)
- →Vinh Trang Pagoda
- →Tien River boat cruise
- →Thoi Son Island village walk
- →Honeybee farm & honey tea
- →Folk music performance
- →Rowing boat through coconut canals
- →Coconut candy workshop
Cu Chi Tunnels and Saigon's war history
Ho Chi Minh City
Morning Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour (~£15–20 on Klook, includes minibus, guide, tunnel entry and a documentary screening — some tours add rice paper and rice wine demonstrations). You can optionally crawl through widened tunnel sections and fire an AK-47 (~£20 per bullet — expensive, your call). Afternoon back in the city: War Remnants Museum (£2), Independence Palace (£2.50), Notre Dame Cathedral exterior (under restoration) and the Central Post Office (free). Finish with a bia hoi and banh xeo.
🚌Tour minibus (included) + Grab around District 1 (~£3)
🛏District 1 hostel or budget hotel (~£15)
- →Cu Chi Tunnels guided tour
- →War Remnants Museum
- →Independence Palace
- →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
- →Optional AK-47 firing range
Saigon morning and departure
Ho Chi Minh City
Slow breakfast — pho or a banh mi from a street stall. If time allows, browse Ben Thanh Market for last souvenirs or pop into the Fine Arts Museum (£1). Grab to Tan Son Nhat airport (~£4, allow 45–60 min in traffic for international departures). End of trip.
🚌Grab to Tan Son Nhat airport (~£4)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Ben Thanh Market shopping
- →Fine Arts Museum (optional)
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. Indochina Today Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Indochina Today Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£534 | £905 |
| Duration | 11 days | 11 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £371 per person (41%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Indochina Today Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£534
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 11-Day Vietnam Self-Launched Adventure: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £534 per person for 11 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 Indochina Today Travel?+
Yes — Indochina Today Travel charges around £905 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £534 — a saving of roughly £371 (41%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam trip?+
This itinerary runs 11 days, covering 11 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, foodie, budget 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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