Flavors of Vietnam: Hanoi to Saigon (Self-Launched Edition)
10 days · Vietnam
BestPrice Travel charges £875
No-markup version: ~£452 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 10-day do-it-yourself version of BestPrice Travel's "Flavors of Vietnam" itinerary, running from Hanoi through Halong Bay and Hoi An down to Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. Same route, same food-first experiences — but you book your own hostels, overnight sleeper trains, local food tours and shared day trips instead of a partially guided package. Budget estimate assumes hostel dorms or private budget rooms, local eating and public transport; the two short domestic flights (Hanoi–Da Nang and Da Nang–Saigon) are the biggest single cost, but flying Vietnamese low-cost carriers booked in advance keeps it well under the tour price. All figures are approximate per person.
Day-by-day
Arrival in Hanoi — settle into the Old Quarter
Hanoi
Land at Noi Bai (Terminal 2) and take the local Vietjet/Vietnam Airlines shuttle bus (~£1) or an official taxi/Grab (~£7–8) into the Old Quarter. Check into a hostel dorm or budget guesthouse near Hoan Kiem Lake, then spend the evening wandering the 36 Guild Streets. Grab a bowl of pho and a bia hoi on a plastic stool for under £2, and get a feel for the neighbourhood before your food tour tomorrow. Buy a local SIM/eSIM with data (~£5) for ride-hailing and maps.
🚌Airport shuttle bus ~£1 or Grab ~£7–8; walk everywhere in the Old Quarter
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, ~£10–14/night
- →Old Quarter self-guided evening walk
- →Hoan Kiem Lake loop
- →Street pho and bia hoi dinner
Hanoi street food tour
Hanoi
Book a small-group Hanoi street food walk through GetYourGuide or Klook (~£20–25) — or join a free walking food tour and tip your guide. Expect banh cuon (steamed rice rolls), bun cha, banh mi and ca phe trung (egg coffee) from stalls in the Old Quarter. In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Literature (~£1.50) or the Women's Museum, then sort out your onward travel: buy your Halong Bay day-trip or overnight cruise ticket and, ideally, your sleeper train to Hoi An online in advance.
🚌Walking + occasional Grab bike (~£1)
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, ~£10–14/night
- →Small-group Old Quarter street food tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£20–25)
- →Temple of Literature
- →Egg coffee tasting
Halong Bay — overnight boat or full-day cruise
Halong Bay
Take a shared minibus transfer from Hanoi to Halong Bay (~3.5 hours, ~£12–15) as part of a self-booked day cruise or overnight cruise package. Choose either a full-day boat trip (~£45–55 incl. pickup, lunch and kayaking) or an overnight junk cruise if you'd rather sleep on the water (from ~£85–110). Kayak through limestone lagoons, explore Thien Cung or Luon cave, and swim if the weather allows. A seafood lunch on board is included.
🚌Shared minibus Hanoi–Halong (~£12–15 return), included in most day trip packages
🛏Budget overnight Halong cruise or return to Hanoi hostel (if day trip)
- →Halong Bay boat cruise with kayaking
- →Cave exploration
- →Swimming stop
Halong back to Hanoi, then overnight train south
Halong Bay → Hoi An (overnight train)
Disembark and take the shared bus back to Hanoi by midday. Use the afternoon to shower at your hostel and grab lunch. The self-launched alternative to the tour's domestic flight is the Reunification Express sleeper train from Hanoi to Da Nang — a soft-sleeper berth costs roughly £30–40 and covers the 16-hour journey overnight, so you wake up ready for Hoi An. (If you prefer to fly, book Vietjet or Vietnam Airlines Hanoi–Da Nang in advance for ~£30–45 plus ~15–20kg luggage.) Board the evening train at Hanoi station.
🚌Shared minibus Halong–Hanoi ~£12–15; Reunification Express Hanoi–Da Nang soft sleeper ~£30–40
🛏Overnight soft-sleeper train berth
- →Hanoi afternoon wander
- →Reunification Express overnight train ride
Hoi An — motorbike food tour
Hoi An
Arrive at Da Nang station and take the local bus or Grab to Hoi An (~45 mins, ~£4–6). Check into a budget hotel or guesthouse in the Ancient Town. In the afternoon, join a small-group Hoi An motorbike food tour through Klook or GetYourGuide (~£25–30): white rose dumplings at a family restaurant, bun bo at a local home, a Tra Que vegetable village visit, banh mi and banh khot street tastings. Hold off on the balut challenge unless you're feeling brave.
🚌Da Nang–Hoi An bus or Grab ~£4–6; motorbike tour in town
🛏Hoi An budget hotel/guesthouse private room, ~£12–16/night
- →Hoi An motorbike food tour (~£25–30)
- →Tra Que Vegetable Village
- →White rose dumpling tasting
Hoi An at leisure
Hoi An
A free day to do Hoi An your way. Hire a bicycle (~£2/day) and cycle to An Bang or Cua Dai beach, browse the Ancient Town's tailors and lantern shops, and pay the ~£4 Old Town entry ticket for access to the merchant houses and the Japanese Covered Bridge. Book a lantern-making workshop (~£8) or simply wait for dusk when the town lights up. Cheap and excellent local food all day — cao lau and white rose for under £3 a plate.
🚌Bicycle hire ~£2/day
🛏Hoi An budget hotel/guesthouse private room, ~£12–16/night
- →Old Town entry ticket and merchant houses
- →An Bang Beach cycle
- →Lantern-making workshop (optional)
Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Take the local bus back to Da Nang airport (~£5) and fly south on Vietjet or Vietnam Airlines to Ho Chi Minh City (~£35–50 booked in advance, ~1h20). Grab a ride into District 1 (~£3) and check into a budget hotel or hostel. The alternative is a 20-hour Reunification Express day/night train segment (~£25–35) if you have the time. Spend the evening in District 1 and District 4 — coffee shops, the riverfront and Bui Vien walking street.
🚌Hoi An–Da Nang bus ~£5; flight Da Nang–Saigon ~£35–50; Grab ~£3
🛏District 1 hostel dorm or budget hotel, ~£12–16/night
- →Flight to Ho Chi Minh City
- →Evening stroll in District 1 / Bui Vien
- →Vietnamese coffee at a local cafe
Ho Chi Minh City street food & nightlife by scooter
Ho Chi Minh City
Book a scooter food tour through Klook or GetYourGuide (~£25–30) for the evening, or do a cheaper self-guided version by grabbing a Grab bike between known spots. The tour route takes in local neighbourhoods and street BBQ stalls — grilled meats, local beer and a Vietnamese dessert to finish. During the day, visit the War Remnants Museum (~£1.50) and the Ben Thanh Market area on your own. Leave dinner to the scooter tour.
🚌Grab bikes between sights ~£2–3; scooter tour included
🛏District 1 hostel dorm or budget hotel, ~£12–16/night
- →Scooter street food and nightlife tour (~£25–30)
- →War Remnants Museum
- →Ben Thanh Market
Mekong Delta day trip
Mekong Delta / Ben Tre or My Tho
Take a self-booked small-group Mekong Delta tour from Ho Chi Minh City (~£30–40 incl. hotel pickup, lunch and all boats) — most run to Ben Tre or My Tho and cover the same ground as the operator's version: boat cruise along the Ham Luong River, a brick-making workshop, a coconut processing workshop, mat weaving, a xe loi (motorised rickshaw) ride through fruit orchards and a sampan paddle through palm-lined canals, with a riverside lunch of elephant ear fish. Book 24–48 hours ahead via Klook or GetYourGuide. Back in Saigon by early evening.
🚌Included minibus pickup and return from Saigon
🛏District 1 hostel dorm or budget hotel, ~£12–16/night
- →Mekong Delta small-group day trip (~£30–40)
- →Sampan canal ride
- →Coconut and brick workshops
- →Fruit orchard rickshaw ride
Departure from Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Have a final Vietnamese coffee and banh mi breakfast, do any last-minute shopping at Ben Thanh or the Saigon Square area, then take a Grab to Tan Son Nhat Airport (~£4–5, allow extra time for traffic). If your flight is late, drop your bag at the hotel and walk the Notre Dame Cathedral / Central Post Office block before heading out.
🚌Grab to Tan Son Nhat Airport ~£4–5
🛏—
- →Ben Thanh shopping
- →Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post Office
- →Airport transfer
Self-launched vs. BestPrice Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | BestPrice Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£452 | £875 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £423 per person (48%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more BestPrice Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£452
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 Flavors of Vietnam: Hanoi to Saigon (Self-Launched Edition) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £452 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 BestPrice Travel?+
Yes — BestPrice Travel charges around £875 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £452 — a saving of roughly £423 (48%) 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 foodie, culture, 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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