Classic Vietnam: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City — Self-Launched
10 days · Vietnam
G Adventures charges £1,400
No-markup version: ~£613 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of G Adventures' 10-day "Classic Vietnam Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City" family tour — same route (Hanoi → Halong Bay → Hue → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City), but booked independently: budget guesthouses and hostels instead of tour hotels, a self-booked Halong Bay overnight junk cruise, the Reunification Express sleeper train, open-tour buses over the Hai Van Pass, and self-bookable day tours for Hue's citadel and the Cu Chi tunnels. Costs are approximate backpacker rates in GBP per person and assume shared twin/dorm rooms; solo travellers will pay a little more for private rooms.
Day-by-day
Arrive Hanoi — Old Quarter orientation
Hanoi
Land at Noi Bai Airport and take the Vietnam Airlines shuttle bus or bus 86 into the Old Quarter (~£1.20-1.50, 45-60 min) rather than a £12-15 taxi. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Old Quarter and spend the evening wandering Hoan Kiem Lake, catching a water puppet show (~£3-4) and eating bun cha or pho bo at a street stall for under £2. If you arrive early, add the Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake (free entry) — the optional extra the tour charges for.
🚌Airport bus 86 / shuttle (~£1.50); walk everywhere in the Old Quarter
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget guesthouse twin (~£8-12 pp/night)
- →Hoan Kiem Lake evening walk
- →Water puppet theatre (~£3-4)
- →Tran Quoc Pagoda (free)
- →Street food dinner (~£2)
Halong Bay overnight junk cruise
Halong Bay
Book a 2-day/1-night Halong Bay junk boat trip through your hostel or a Hanoi agent the day before (typical budget rate £55-85 pp including transfers, all meals, kayaking and cave entry). A shuttle collects you around 8am for the 3.5-hour drive, then you board a traditional wooden junk, cruise among the limestone karsts, kayak, visit Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave and a viewpoint, and eat a seafood lunch and dinner on board. Anchor overnight in the bay.
🚌Shared shuttle Hanoi–Halong–Hanoi (included in cruise)
🛏Twin/double cabin on budget junk boat (included in cruise price)
- →Halong Bay junk cruise
- →Kayaking
- →Sung Sot Cave visit
- →Island lookout
- →Seafood dinner on board
Back to Hanoi — overnight train to Hue
Hanoi / sleeper train to Hue
Cruise returns to port after brunch and you're back in Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Collect your bags, grab dinner near the station, then board the Reunification Express (SE trains) evening service to Hue — soft-sleeper berth costs roughly £25-35 pp and takes about 13 hours. Book on the Vietnam Railways website or via a local agent a few days ahead; bring snacks and earplugs.
🚌Shuttle back to Hanoi (included); Vietnam Railways sleeper train Hanoi–Hue ~£25-35
🛏Soft-sleeper berth on Reunification Express train
- →Free afternoon in Hanoi Old Quarter
- →Reunification Express overnight train
Hue — Imperial Citadel, Royal Tombs and Thien Mu Pagoda
Hue
Arrive early morning, drop bags at your guesthouse in the backpacker strip along Pham Ngu Lao, then do the imperial sights yourself. The Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City entry is ~£4.50; hire a bicycle or grab a Grab bike to the Thien Mu Pagoda (free) and the Khai Dinh or Tu Duc Royal Tomb (~£4.50 each). Alternatively book a small-group Hue city day tour via GetYourGuide/Klook for £20-30 if you want a guide. Optional countryside motorbike tour with an Easy Rider-style driver runs £25-40 for half a day.
🚌Walk, bicycle hire (~£1.50/day) or Grab bikes (~£1-2 per ride)
🛏Hue guesthouse/hostel twin (~£9-14 pp/night)
- →Imperial Citadel & Forbidden Purple City (~£4.50)
- →Thien Mu Pagoda (free)
- →Royal Tomb (~£4.50)
- →Optional motorbike countryside tour (~£25-40)
Hai Van Pass to Hoi An
Hue → Hoi An
Take a local open-tour or minibus from Hue to Hoi An (~£6-9, 3-4 hours), which routes over the Hai Van Pass — sit on the right for the coastal views. Ask the driver to stop at the Marble Mountains and Danang's My Khe Beach en route. Alternatively hire a motorbike with an Easy Rider driver for the pass (~£25-35). Arrive in Hoi An late afternoon, check in and walk the lantern-lit Ancient Town at dusk (entry ticket £4.80 covers five heritage houses, assembly halls and the Japanese Bridge).
🚌Open-tour bus or minibus over Hai Van Pass (~£6-9)
🛏Hoi An hostel/guesthouse twin (~£10-15 pp/night)
- →Hai Van Pass scenic drive
- →Marble Mountains stop
- →Hoi An Ancient Town by lantern light (~£4.80 ticket)
Hoi An — cooking class and tailoring
Hoi An
Morning at An Bang or Cua Dai beach (free, cycle there for ~£1.50). In the afternoon take a self-booked Vietnamese cooking class — the 'Oodles of Noodles' style market-tour-plus-cooking sessions cost £20-28 via Klook or directly with local schools like Red Bridge or Morning Glory, and include a market visit and a feast of dishes. Get something made at one of the town's tailors (a shirt from £15-20, 24-hour turnaround) and pick up a Cao Lau noodle dinner for £2-3.
🚌Bicycle hire (~£1.50/day)
🛏Hoi An hostel/guesthouse twin (~£10-15 pp/night)
- →An Bang Beach
- →Vietnamese cooking class with market tour (~£20-28)
- →Tailor fitting
- →Cao Lau street food dinner
Hoi An — My Son Sanctuary or free day
Hoi An
Take a half-day sunrise tour to the My Son Cham ruins (UNESCO site) — shared minibus plus entry comes to £12-18 booked through your guesthouse or Klook, or ride there yourself by rented motorbike (~£6/day plus £4.50 entry). Spend the afternoon at the beach or cycling the rice paddies to Tra Que vegetable village (£1.50 farm fee). Evening: boat ride on the Thu Bon River and the night market.
🚌Shared minibus to My Son (~£12-18 incl. entry) or scooter hire (~£6)
🛏Hoi An hostel/guesthouse twin (~£10-15 pp/night)
- →My Son Sanctuary half-day tour
- →Tra Que vegetable village cycle
- →Thu Bon River boat ride
- →Hoi An night market
Fly Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City
Shared shuttle from Hoi An to Da Nang Airport (~£4-6, 45 min; allow 2.5 hours before your flight). VietJet and Vietnam Airlines fly Da Nang–Saigon in about 1h20 for £25-45 booked a few weeks ahead — check the 20kg baggage allowance. Arrive in Saigon and stay in District 1 (Pham Ngu Lao for hostels), then spend the evening on Bui Vien walking street and eating banh mi for £1.50.
🚌Shuttle to Da Nang Airport (~£5); domestic flight (~£25-45); Grab from Tan Son Nhat (~£3-4)
🛏District 1 hostel/guesthouse twin (~£10-15 pp/night)
- →Bui Vien walking street
- →Ben Thanh night market
- →Banh mi street dinner
Cu Chi Tunnels and Saigon highlights
Ho Chi Minh City
Book a half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour via Klook or GetYourGuide (~£15-22 including entry and transport, morning departure) and crawl through a section of the tunnels and try the shooting range. Back in town in the afternoon, visit the War Remnants Museum (~£1.60) and the Reunification Palace (~£2.60), or take a 30-minute cyclo ride around the colonial district for £6-8. Finish with a banh xeo or com tam dinner.
🚌Tour minibus to Cu Chi (included); Grab bikes around town (~£1-2 per ride)
🛏District 1 hostel/guesthouse twin (~£10-15 pp/night)
- →Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour (~£15-22)
- →War Remnants Museum (~£1.60)
- →Reunification Palace (~£2.60)
- →Cyclo tour of colonial district (~£6-8)
Depart Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Last morning for a coffee at a Cong Caphe or a stroll through Tao Dan Park before heading to Tan Son Nhat Airport — bus 109 or 152 costs ~£0.50 from District 1, or a Grab is £3-4. Depart at any time.
🚌Bus 109/152 to airport (~£0.50) or Grab (~£3-4)
🛏—
- →Tao Dan Park morning walk
- →Vietnamese coffee
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£613 | £1,400 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £787 per person (56%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£613
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 Classic Vietnam: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £613 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 G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,400 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £613 — a saving of roughly £787 (56%) 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, 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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