Vietnam & Bali Self-Launched: Ho Chi Minh City to Seminyak in 12 Days
12 days · Vietnam & Bali
Legend Travel Group charges £1,523
No-markup version: ~£690 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched take on Legend Travel Group's 12-day Vietnam & Bali run: Ho Chi Minh City and the Cu Chi Tunnels, a Mekong Delta day trip to My Tho, then Hanoi's temples and museums, a rural homestay-style night in Mai Chau, an overnight junk cruise in Halong Bay, and finally three nights in Bali with a DIY Kintamani/Ubud loop and a Bedugul–Tanah Lot temple day. You book hostels and budget guesthouses yourself, use VietJet/AirAsia for the internal hops, hop-on walking tours and GetYourGuide day trips instead of a private guide, and keep roughly £900–£1,000 in your pocket versus the guided package. All figures are approximate per person, excluding international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive Ho Chi Minh City (District 1)
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Fly into Tan Son Nhat (SGN) and take Grab bike or car to District 1 (£2–4) instead of a pre-paid airport transfer. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Pham Ngu Lao / Bui Vien or District 1's Dong Khoi fringe. Spend the afternoon on a free self-guided wander: Ben Thanh Market, the Nguyen Hue walking street, and a rooftop beer on the Bitexco or a cheaper local spot. Evening street-food crawl — banh mi (£1), bun thit nuong (£1.50), Che Thai dessert.
🚌Grab from SGN airport to District 1 ~£3
🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, District 1 / Pham Ngu Lao (£10–18)
- →Self-guided District 1 walk
- →Ben Thanh Market
- →Bui Vien street-food crawl
Cu Chi Tunnels half-day + city landmarks
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Book a shared half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour on GetYourGuide or Klook (£18–25 including entry and transport) — pick the morning departure to dodge the heat. Back by early afternoon, walk the city-centre cluster yourself: Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior, under restoration), the Central Post Office, the Reunification Palace (£2 entry) and the War Remnants Museum if you have the energy (£2). Skip the operator's set wartime-cuisine lunch and eat com tam (broken rice) at a local canteen for £2.
🚌Included in tour; Grab/walking in the afternoon (~£3)
🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, District 1 (£10–18)
- →Cu Chi Tunnels shared tour
- →Notre Dame Cathedral & Central Post Office
- →Reunification Palace
- →War Remnants Museum (optional)
Mekong Delta day trip to My Tho, then night flight to Hanoi
My Tho & Hanoi, Vietnam
Join a shared Mekong Delta group day trip to My Tho via GetYourGuide/Klook (£25–32) — boat ride on the Mekong, coconut-candy workshop, bee farm and Vinh Trang Pagoda, all self-bookable via resellers. Return to Saigon by late afternoon, grab your bag and head to SGN for a VietJet or Vietnam Airlines evening flight to Hanoi (~£55–75 booked 3–6 weeks ahead). Check into the Old Quarter and grab a £1.50 bowl of pho for dinner.
🚌Shared tour minibus + VietJet SGN–HAN ~£60 + Grab ~£4
🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, Hanoi Old Quarter (£8–16)
- →Mekong Delta boat trip, My Tho
- →Vinh Trang Pagoda
- →Coconut candy & bee farm visit
Hanoi's big-ticket sights on foot
Hanoi, Vietnam
Do Hanoi in your own order: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free, mornings only, closed Mon/Fri), One Pillar Pagoda, then 10 minutes west to the Temple of Literature (£2) and the Vietnam Ethnology Museum (£2) — or the Women's Museum if it's Monday. Lunch at a bun cha spot near Hoan Kiem (£2.50). Afternoon: Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake, then Hoa Lo Prison ('Hanoi Hilton', £2). Book directly or take a free-option walking tour from Hanoi Kids/Hostel-run tours for cultural context. Evening at Hoan Kiem Lake and Ta Hien beer street.
🚌Walking + Grab within city ~£4
🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, Hanoi Old Quarter (£8–16)
- →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & One Pillar Pagoda
- →Temple of Literature
- →Vietnam Ethnology Museum
- →Tran Quoc Pagoda
- →Hoa Lo Prison
Hanoi to Mai Chau Valley
Mai Chau, Vietnam
Self-book the public or shared minibus from Hanoi's My Dinh bus station to Mai Chau (£8–12, ~4 hours) — or arrange a local homestay pickup for roughly the same money. Stay in a White Thai stilt house homestay in Lac or Poom Coong village (£10–15 incl. dinner and breakfast). Afternoon walk to Na Phon and the viewpoints over the rice paddies, or rent a bicycle for £2 and roll between villages. Ask your homestay about a traditional dance gathering with villagers in the evening — often free or a small tip.
🚌Shared minibus Hanoi–Mai Chau ~£10
🛏Thai stilt-house homestay, Lac/Poom Coong village (£10–15 with meals)
- →Cycle/walk between Thai villages
- →Rice-paddy viewpoints
- →Village dance evening (if on)
Mai Chau East Mountain trek, back to Hanoi
Mai Chau & Hanoi, Vietnam
Hire a local guide through your homestay for a 3–4 hour trek up the East Mountain route (£12–18 including guide and lunch) — the classic ridge trail with valley views. Alternatively do the easy Sa Pa-style loop unguided for free. Lunch with the family, then catch the afternoon shared minibus back to Hanoi (£10, ~4 hours). Dump bags in the Old Quarter and spend the evening dodging motorbikes on the way to a bia hoi corner (£1 a glass) and some cheap street grill.
🚌Shared minibus Mai Chau–Hanoi ~£10 + Grabs ~£4
🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, Hanoi Old Quarter (£8–16)
- →East Mountain trek
- →Hanoi Old Quarter nightlife
Halong Bay overnight junk cruise
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Book a 1-night Lan Ha / Halong Bay budget-to-mid cruise through Klook or GetYourGuide (£95–130 for a 3-star boat incl. transfers, all meals, kayaking and cave entry — book 2+ weeks out as boats fill). Shared shuttle from Hanoi's Old Quarter picks up around 8am, transfers you to the harbour, and by early afternoon you're kayaking and swimming off the junk. Visit a limestone cave, watch sunset from the top deck with a beer, and join the squid-fishing demo after dinner.
🚌Shuttle + boat included in cruise package
🛏Overnight on a 3-star junk cruise, ensuite cabin (£included in cruise price)
- →Kayaking & swimming in Halong Bay
- →Limestone cave visit
- →Sunset on deck
- →Squid fishing
Halong Bay sunrise, back to Hanoi
Halong Bay & Hanoi, Vietnam
Tai chi on deck at sunrise, breakfast, then a slow cruise back through the karst islands with a stop at a floating fishing village (or a pearl farm on the Lan Ha routing). Shuttle drops you back in Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Free afternoon: wander the Old Quarter, try egg coffee (£1.50), pick up a Banh Mi Pham for £1, and browse Dong Xuan night market if it's a weekend. Ask your hostel to arrange a cheap airport transfer for tomorrow.
🚌Shuttle included in cruise; Grab ~£4
🛏Hostel dorm or budget private room, Hanoi Old Quarter (£8–16)
- →Sunrise on deck
- →Floating village stop
- →Old Quarter shopping & egg coffee
Fly Hanoi to Bali (Seminyak/Legian)
Hanoi & Seminyak, Bali
Morning flight from Noi Bai (HAN) to Denpasar (DPS) — AirAsia via Kuala Lumpur or VietJet direct where available, £75–110 if you book early. Grab from DPS to Seminyak/Legian (£4–6). Check into a budget guesthouse or the 3-star equivalent of Favehotel Sunset for a fraction — there are dozens of £20–30 Seminyak guesthouses with pools. Afternoon at Seminyak or Double Six beach with a Bintang (£2), then sunset at La Plancha or a cheaper warung with nasi campur (£3).
🚌HAN–DPS flight ~£90 + Grab ~£5
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Seminyak/Legian (£22–30)
- →Double Six beach
- →Seminyak sunset
- →Warung dinner
Kintamani & Ubud day loop
Kintamani & Ubud, Bali
Skip the private coach: book a shared small-group Kintamani–Ubud day tour on GetYourGuide/Klook (£25–35 incl. entry fees and buffet lunch with volcano views) or hire a private driver for the day for £40–45 split between two. Typical stops match the original: a Barong dance performance, Celuk silver village, Mas woodcarving, Tampak Siring's Tirta Empul holy spring, the rim of the Batur caldera at Kintamani, and a coffee/spice plantation tasting (Luwak coffee optional — expect touts). Finish with an Ubud wander and the Campuhan Ridge Walk if you still have legs.
🚌Shared tour or split private driver ~£15 each
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Seminyak/Legian (£22–30)
- →Barong dance
- →Celuk & Mas craft villages
- →Tirta Empul holy spring
- →Kintamani volcano rim
- →Coffee plantation tasting
- →Ubud Campuhan Ridge
Bedugul, Ulun Danu & Tanah Lot
Bedugul & Tanah Lot, Bali
Another shared day tour (£25–30) covering the Bedugul fruit and flower market, Ulun Danu Beratan temple on Lake Bratan in the cool highlands, and the sea temple at Tanah Lot timed for sunset. If you'd rather go independent: ride a Grab or local bemo to Bedugul (£10), pay £3 entry at Ulun Danu, then head south for Tanah Lot (£3 entry) — splittable if you're with a hostel buddy. Dinner back in Seminyak at a local warung (£4) or a Jimbaran-style seafood spot if you fancy it.
🚌Shared tour ~£12 each leg, or Grab ~£25 total
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Seminyak/Legian (£22–30)
- →Bedugul market
- →Ulun Danu Beratan Temple
- →Lake Bratan
- →Tanah Lot sunset
Beach morning and depart Denpasar
Seminyak & Denpasar, Bali
Slow breakfast, last swim at Seminyak or a cheap massage (£6) before you fly. Grab to Ngurah Rai International Airport (£4–6, allow 45–60 minutes in traffic). If you're extending: Uluwatu, Canggu or the Gili Islands are an easy Bolt/Grab + fast boat away, and extra nights in Seminyak guesthouses cost £22–30 rather than the operator's £140+/night resort upgrade.
🚌Grab to DPS ~£5
🛏—
- →Beach morning
- →Balinese massage
- →Departure transfer
Self-launched vs. Legend Travel Group
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Legend Travel Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£690 | £1,523 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £833 per person (55%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Legend Travel Group-style trips? Check them out here.~£690
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 Vietnam & Bali Self-Launched: Ho Chi Minh City to Seminyak in 12 Days cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £690 per person for 12 days in Vietnam & Bali. 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 Legend Travel Group?+
Yes — Legend Travel Group charges around £1,523 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £690 — a saving of roughly £833 (55%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam & Bali trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 day-by-day stops through Vietnam & Bali.
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, beaches trip through Vietnam & Bali, 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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