Vietnam Uncovered: Hanoi to Saigon Self-Launched Adventure - 15 Days
15 days · Vietnam
Crossing Vietnam Tour charges £1,320
No-markup version: ~£1,085 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched, solo-friendly version of Crossing Vietnam Tour's 15-day family holiday from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). You'll cover the same highlights — Hanoi's Old Quarter street food and landmarks, an overnight Halong Bay cruise, UNESCO-listed Hoi An with a countryside cycling day, Ho Chi Minh City's war history, and a Mekong Delta floating-market cruise — but booking everything yourself via local agents, hostels and public transport. Expect sleeper trains, cheap domestic flights, and street-food dinners, all for a fraction of the guided group price. Costs are approximate per person and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrival in Hanoi
Hanoi
Land at Noi Bai Airport and make your own way in — the express bus 86 runs to the Old Quarter for around £1.50, or a Grab car costs about £8-10. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Old Quarter and spend the evening acclimatising with a bowl of pho and a bia hoi on the corner. Pre-book your Halong Bay cruise for day 3 and your onward train for day 7 while you have wifi.
🚌Airport express bus 86 (~£1.50) or Grab car (~£8-10)
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget hotel (£10-18/night)
- →Arrival and check-in
- →Evening wander of Hoan Kiem Lake
- →Street-food dinner (pho, bia hoi)
Hanoi City Tour & Street Food Walking Tour
Hanoi
Do the classic Hanoi sights independently: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (free, mornings only, closed Mon/Fri), the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature (£2 entry). In the late afternoon book a small-group street food walking tour via GetYourGuide or Klook (£18-25) — the operators run the same Old Quarter route with tastings of banh cuon, BBQ skewers, fruit dessert, banh mi, rice wine and egg coffee, finishing near Train Street.
🚌Walking, or Grab motorbike (~£1 per trip)
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget hotel (£10-18/night)
- →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (exterior)
- →One Pillar Pagoda
- →Temple of Literature
- →Old Quarter street food walking tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£20)
- →Train Street
Hanoi Free Day
Hanoi
Keep this as a flexible day. Options: the Museum of Ethnology (£2), the Hoa Lo Prison ('Hanoi Hilton') museum (£1), a water puppet show (£4-6), or a day trip to the Perfume Pagoda. Alternatively just cafe-hop around the French Quarter. Confirm your Halong Bay pickup time for tomorrow morning.
🚌Walking and short Grab rides
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget hotel (£10-18/night)
- →Museum of Ethnology or Hoa Lo Prison museum
- →Water puppet theatre
- →Cafe and market time
Halong Bay Overnight Cruise - Day 1
Halong Bay
Book a 3-day/2-night Halong Bay cruise direct or via Klook/GetYourGuide (budget-to-mid boats run £110-160 per person including transfers, all meals and kayaking). Shuttle pickup from your Hanoi hotel, transfer to Tuan Chau harbour, welcome drink and cruise briefing, lunch while cruising, then Me Cung Cave and a panorama climb. Evening: sunset party on deck, dinner in the cave/dining room with a fruit-carving show, squid fishing and stargazing on the top deck.
🚌Operator shuttle from Hanoi hotel to Tuan Chau (~included), then cruise vessel
🛏Cruise cabin on board (included in cruise price)
- →Welcome drink and cruise briefing
- →Me Cung Cave visit
- →Panoramic viewpoint climb
- →Sunset party on deck
- →Squid fishing
Halong Bay Cruise - Day 2
Halong Bay
Early Tai Chi or sunrise photos on deck, breakfast in the bay, then transfer to a smaller day boat. Cruise to Thien Canh Son Cave to learn about karst formation, hike for bay panoramas, kayak through hidden lagoons and swim at Hon Co Island with beach time. Return to the main boat for lunch, a second kayak session, sunset party and a traditional Vietnamese dinner with vegetable-carving entertainment.
🚌Cruise vessel and day boat
🛏Cruise cabin on board (included in cruise price)
- →Tai Chi / sunrise photography
- →Thien Canh Son Cave
- →Kayaking
- →Swimming at Hon Co Island
- →Sunset party
Halong Bay to Hanoi
Hanoi
Coffee and tea, then continue cruising past Dinh Huong, Ga Choi (Fighting Cocks), Dog and Sail islands toward Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave — the biggest in the bay. Buffet brunch on board, disembark at the pier in the late morning and shuttle back to Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Evening free in the Old Quarter; repack for tomorrow's journey south.
🚌Operator shuttle Halong to Hanoi (~included in cruise)
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm or budget hotel (£10-18/night)
- →Sung Sot Cave
- →Scenic island cruising
- →Buffet brunch on board
- →Old Quarter evening
Hanoi to Hoi An
Hoi An
Two good options. Cheapest: the Reunification Express sleeper train from Hanoi to Da Nang in a 4-berth soft sleeper (~£28-35, ~16-17 hrs) plus a 45-min local bus/taxi to Hoi An (~£4). Fastest: a 1hr 20min domestic flight Hanoi-Da Nang with VietJet/Bamboo (~£35-55 booked ahead). Either way you arrive and check into Hoi An. In the afternoon do the old town on a combo ticket (£6) covering a historic merchant house, the Japanese Covered Bridge, a Chinese assembly hall and a craft workshop.
🚌Sleeper train Hanoi-Da Nang (~£30) or domestic flight (~£45), then local bus/taxi to Hoi An (~£4)
🛏Hoi An hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (£8-16/night)
- →Reunification Express sleeper train or domestic flight
- →Hoi An Ancient Town walking tour
- →Japanese Covered Bridge
- →Chinese assembly hall
- →Historic merchant house
Hoi An Free Day
Hoi An
Slow day. Get something tailor-made (Hoi An's specialty — allow 24-48hrs), rent a bicycle (£1/day) to An Bang or Cua Dai beach, take a cooking class (£18-25) or just eat cao lau and white rose dumplings by the river. Lantern-lit old town in the evening; note the lantern boat rides and night market are busiest 6-9pm.
🚌Bicycle hire (~£1/day)
🛏Hoi An hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (£8-16/night)
- →Tailor fittings
- →Beach day at An Bang
- →Optional cooking class
- →River lantern evening
Hoi An Countryside Cycling Tour
Hoi An
Book a half-day cycling and boat tour to Duy Vinh Island direct or on Klook/GetYourGuide (£15-22). Typical route: sampan boat across the Thu Bon River delta, then cycle on flat lanes past rice paddies to meet artisans building wooden boats with century-old techniques and weaving colourful straw sleeping mats. You'll stop with local families, see water buffalo and farmland, and usually finish with a home-cooked lunch.
🚌Sampan boat and bicycle (included in tour)
🛏Hoi An hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (£8-16/night)
- →Thu Bon River delta boat ride
- →Duy Vinh Island cycling
- →Wooden boat artisans
- →Straw mat weaving
- →Rice field scenery
Hoi An Free Day
Hoi An
Buffer day. Popular add-ons: a sunrise trip to My Son Sanctuary (£10-14 with transport), the Marble Mountains near Da Nang (£4 entry), or Ba Na Hills/Golden Bridge (£30-35 with cable car). Otherwise swim, get a £5 massage, and pick up your tailoring.
🚌Shared minibus or Grab for day trips
🛏Hoi An hostel dorm or budget guesthouse (£8-16/night)
- →Optional My Son Sanctuary tour
- →Optional Marble Mountains
- →Optional Ba Na Hills
- →Massage and beach time
Hoi An to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
Ho Chi Minh City
Fly Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City with VietJet or Bamboo, ~1hr 30min, £30-50 booked a few weeks ahead. Check into a District 1 hostel, then in the afternoon do the city independently: the Reunification Palace (£2.50), the War Remnants Museum (£2.50, allow 2-3 hrs and note it is heavy), plus exterior views of Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office, finishing with haggle-happy browsing at Ben Thanh Market.
🚌Domestic flight Da Nang-Ho Chi Minh City (~£40); Grab around the city
🛏District 1 hostel dorm or budget hotel (£9-17/night)
- →Reunification Palace
- →War Remnants Museum
- →Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior)
- →Central Post Office
- →Ben Thanh Market
Mekong Delta Cruise - Day 1
Mekong Delta (Cai Be / Can Tho)
Join a 2-day/1-night Mekong Delta cruise from Cai Be to Can Tho — book direct with companies such as Mekong Eyes or an equivalent small boat via Klook/GetYourGuide (£95-150 per person depending on cabin class, including meals). Board mid-morning with a welcome drink and safety briefing, lunch while cruising, then an afternoon walk through a village and fruit orchards or rice fields, meeting locals and tasting seasonal produce. Evening: sunset drinks on deck and an on-board dinner.
🚌Minibus/shuttle Saigon to Cai Be (~2.5-3 hrs, usually included), then cruise vessel
🛏Cabin on board the Mekong cruise vessel (included in cruise price)
- →Board Mekong cruise vessel
- →Village and orchard walk
- →Local produce tasting
- →Sunset on deck
- →On-board dinner
Mekong Delta to Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City
Sunrise cruise on the Mekong, early breakfast on board, then transfer to a small sampan boat for Cai Be or Cai Rang floating market — the biggest in the delta, best reached before 8am. Bargain with merchants selling fruit and noodles from their boats, then visit local candy and rice-paper workshops. Cruise back through the green waterways past stilt houses, orchards and shipyards, disembark and shuttle to Saigon for the evening.
🚌Sampan boat and cruise vessel, then included shuttle back to Saigon
🛏District 1 hostel dorm or budget hotel (£9-17/night)
- →Sunrise Mekong cruise
- →Cai Be or Cai Rang floating market
- →Candy and cake workshops
- →Shuttle back to Saigon
Saigon Free Day
Ho Chi Minh City
Your last full day. Consider the Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour (£14-20 with transport), a motorbike food tour (from £22), the FITO Museum of traditional medicine (£3), or a rooftop drink at the Rex or Saigon Saigon bar. Browse the backpacker bars of Bui Vien in the evening and sort your airport transfer for tomorrow.
🚌Grab motorbike/car, or shared minibus for Cu Chi
🛏District 1 hostel dorm or budget hotel (£9-17/night)
- →Cu Chi Tunnels (optional)
- →Motorbike food tour (optional)
- →FITO Museum
- →Rooftop bar and Bui Vien evening
Departure from Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City
Breakfast and check out. Tan Son Nhat International Airport is only 20-30 minutes from District 1 — a Grab car costs about £4-6, or take bus 109/152 for under £1. If you have a late flight, leave bags at the hostel and squeeze in a final banh mi and coffee. Note the original tour ends back in Hanoi, so you save the leg north by flying in and out of the correct cities.
🚌Grab car to Tan Son Nhat Airport (~£5) or local bus 109/152 (~£1)
🛏N/A (departure day)
- →Airport transfer
- →Final souvenir and coffee stop
Self-launched vs. Crossing Vietnam Tour
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Crossing Vietnam Tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,085 | £1,320 |
| Duration | 15 days | 15 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £235 per person (18%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Crossing Vietnam Tour-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,085
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.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Vietnam Uncovered: Hanoi to Saigon Self-Launched Adventure - 15 Days cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,085 per person for 15 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 Crossing Vietnam Tour?+
Yes — Crossing Vietnam Tour charges around £1,320 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,085 — a saving of roughly £235 (18%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam trip?+
This itinerary runs 15 days, covering 15 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, backpacker 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?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.