Halong Bay to Mekong Delta
Feel the rush of adrenaline as you explore Vietnam Explorer's most thrilling landscapes. This package is designed for those who believe holidays should be filled with excitement, new challenges, and the kind of experiences that make your heart race. Come home with incredible stories and unforgettable memories.
From Hanoi's intoxicating Old Quarter chaos to Ha Long Bay's misty limestone cathedrals and Hoi An's lantern-lit riverside charm, Vietnam unfolds like a story that gets better with every chapter. You'll slurp pho at dawn, cruise emerald waters by afternoon, and have custom silk tailored by evening.
10 nights in Vietnam Explorer — day by day, fact-checked
You land at Tan Son Nhat, unusually close to the centre, and settle into District 1. The operator handles the transfer, so the only decisions are dinner and rest.
Tan Son Nhat sits about 8 km from the city centre, but traffic can push the transfer past 50 minutes. The operator meets you and drives you in, so decline any tout offering a free hotel bus. Guard your bag in the crowd at the terminal.
Tan Son Nhat International Airport is about 8 km from the city centre; the transfer can take 50 minutes or more depending on traffic, and is provided by the operator on this package.
Check your arrival time before you fly. Your day begins whenever you land, so plan a light first evening rather than a fixed schedule.
Be cautious about offers of free bus transfers to hotels unless organised in advance, as these may be scams. All airport transfers are operator-provided here, so decline unsolicited touts.
Carry small dong notes from the start for tips, drinks and snacks. This package covers all tours; meals beyond your hotel board basis are yours, so keep cash for those and for small independent spend.
Do not change money with a street or shop money-changer, even near the airport. Changing money outside official counters is illegal and you risk losing it.
Never leave your passport as a deposit. This package includes your hotels and transfers, so there is no legitimate reason to surrender it.
For an easy, English-friendly first meal, walk-in dining is the norm and there is no market-wide booking platform to arrange. A hygienic bistro close to the Reunification Palace cluster keeps the first night simple after a long flight.
For independent free-time dining, walk-in is the norm in Vietnam. There is no dominant local reservation platform, so you do not need to pre-book a table on this trip.
Cards and Grab work in hotels, malls and tourist restaurants in the big cities, but street food, markets, small shops and tips need dong. Cash-vs-card detail is general guidance, not an official figure.
Metered taxis from larger firms are generally reliable, and Grab or XanhSM let you confirm the vehicle and driver match before you get in.
Do not take an unmarked or unlicensed taxi. The FCDO links unlicensed taxi drivers to rapes and sexual assaults, so use official apps instead.
A reliable, hygienic, English-friendly Vietnamese bistro a short walk from the Notre-Dame Cathedral and Reunification Palace cluster, good for an easy first-night walk-in.
A full guided day through District 1's war-history sights. Independence Palace is the most robustly verifiable stop, likely paired with the War Remnants Museum.
Independence Palace, the former Reunification Palace, opens daily 7:00 to 18:00 in District 1. Your guide leads you through the preserved 1970s rooms. On an all-tours-included package the small entry fee is normally covered, so confirm rather than pay twice.
Independence Palace is open daily 7:00 to 18:00, including weekends and holidays (schedule valid from 1 May 2026).
Official entry is 80,000 VND adult for palace and exhibit, or 40,000 VND palace only; an electric car tour is 25,000 VND per ride. On this package these small fees are typically covered, so confirm with your guide.
Ask your guide whether entry fees are pre-paid by the operator before you queue at any ticket window, so you do not pay a fee that is already included.
Do not pay separately for a private guide at the gate. A guide is provided on this escorted package, and no compulsory guide is stated on the official visiting-info page.
The most robustly verifiable sight on the Ho Chi Minh City leg, open daily including weekends and holidays, and the anchor of the guided city block.
The War Remnants Museum on Vo Van Tan in District 3 is one of the city's most-visited sights and a likely stop on the guided block alongside Independence Palace. It runs an official online ticketing system. Hours and prices are not confirmed here, so follow your guide.
The War Remnants Museum is open and locatable at 28 Vo Van Tan, District 3, and runs an official online QR-code ticketing system. Its exact hours and prices could not be confirmed here, so do not assume a specific opening time.
For a hygienic, English-friendly lunch near the Notre-Dame and palace cluster, Propaganda Bistro on Han Thuyen is a dependable walk-in.
Do not photograph near any military base if the day passes one. It is prohibited and taken seriously by the authorities.
One of Ho Chi Minh City's most-visited attractions and a common in-city stop on the guided day, close to the Independence Palace cluster.
A war-history half-day to the tunnel network outside the city, an included excursion on many north-south tours. Tight spaces and a firing range are optional add-ons.
The Cu Chi Tunnels sit roughly 50 km from the city, a 1.5 to 2 hour round transfer, and open 365 days a year. An on-site guide leads you through. The tunnels are physically tight and the lowest levels can flood in the September to October monsoon, so factor that in.
Cu Chi Tunnels operate 365 days a year, including Tet, with an official on-site guide through the network. The optional shooting range is charged separately, around 60,000 VND per bullet with a 10-bullet minimum.
The tunnels are physically tight, and the lowest levels can flood in the September to October monsoon. If crawling in confined spaces is difficult for you, above-ground sections can be viewed instead.
Two sub-sites exist: Ben Dinh is closer and tourist-widened, Ben Duoc is further, more authentic and less crowded. Ask which one your tour uses.
Do not treat the firing range as included; it is charged separately per bullet with a minimum, so skip it if you would rather not pay extra.
A real, trading historic tunnel network and a common included war-history excursion from Ho Chi Minh City, with an on-site guide accompanying visitors.
Back in the centre, the evening is free. Walk-in dining is standard, and a bowl of pho beside Ben Thanh Market is an easy, central option. Hold your bag in front of you in the market crowds, where bag-snatchers operate.
Bag-snatchers, including thieves on motorcycles, operate in crowded tourist areas such as around Ben Thanh Market. Hold bags in front of you or on the side away from traffic.
Street stalls are cash-only in dong and cards or Grab pay rarely work there. Let your guide point out a busy, high-turnover stall rather than chasing a blog name.
Do not follow a single named best-stall claim sight-unseen. Stalls move, change hands and keep irregular hours, so a busy stall your guide vouches for is safer.
An unusually central, easy pho walk-in right beside Ben Thanh Market, famous as the pho Bill Clinton ate in 2000 and still trading after 25 years.
An included domestic flight carries you from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, the gateway airport for Hoi An, which has no airport of its own. The operator drives the final leg.
Your included domestic flight lands at Da Nang International, and the operator drives you the 29 km to Hoi An Ancient Town, a 40 to 50 minute transfer. Hoi An has no airport, so this longer-than-30-minute drive is normal and expected.
Hoi An has no airport of its own; it is served by Da Nang International Airport, 29 km from Hoi An Ancient Town, a transfer of about 40 to 50 minutes provided by the operator.
The internal-flight departure time is set by the fixed tour itinerary. Build your day around the operator's schedule rather than your own timing.
Da Nang is the airport city for Hoi An. If you want an upscale sit-down meal near the airport rather than in the Ancient Town, that is where to look.
Do not expect Hoi An to have its own airport or a short airport hop. The 29 km Da Nang transfer is the normal route and needs no special workaround.
Hoi An Ancient Town is walkable day and night and is the lantern-lit centrepiece of the central leg. The streets are free to walk; a single 24-hour foreign-visitor ticket admits you to five heritage houses. Keep your bag close in the evening crowds.
The streets of the Ancient Town are free to walk; a single 24-hour foreign-visitor ticket admits you to five of roughly 22 ticketed heritage houses. The exact ticket price is reported by aggregators only and is not officially confirmed here.
Guard your bag in the lantern-lit Ancient Town crowds; bag-snatching by thieves on motorcycles is common in places visited by tourists.
The evening lantern scene is an after-dark event. Check timeanddate.com for the exact sunset on your tour dates before you plan the walk; no sunset time is confirmed here.
Do not assume you need a ticket to walk the streets; the streets are free, and the paid voucher only covers entry to the heritage houses and halls.
A social-enterprise training restaurant whose revenue funds an 18-month hospitality programme for disadvantaged youth, serving the three iconic central-Vietnam noodle dishes as A Flight of Noodles.
A guided day in the walkable UNESCO town, with time in its heritage houses and craft streets. The town is compact, so no long transfers eat into the day.
Your guide leads you through the Ancient Town's old merchant houses and assembly halls, the ones the 24-hour ticket covers. Cover shoulders and knees for any temple entry; your guide manages the dress code. The town is walkable, so the pace is gentle.
At Hoi An's temples and pagodas, cover your shoulders and knees. Your tour guide typically manages dress-code entry, but dress modestly on the day.
The town is compact and walkable, so no long transfers cut into the day. Build free time around the guided blocks the operator schedules.
For a relaxed coffee or dessert with a river view during free time, a riverside café on Nguyen Thai Hoc is an easy stop; confirm current hours locally.
If your dates fall from late October to mid-December, do not assume the Ancient Town is dry; the low-lying centre can flood, so plan for disruption.
A UNESCO World Heritage town, walkable day and night, and the centrepiece of the central leg, with heritage houses and halls covered by a single ticket.
For a sit-down evening near the lantern-lit riverfront, walk-in dining is standard. A Vietnamese street-food flagship or a fusion room with river views both work. Carry small dong for tips and keep your bag in front of you in the crowds.
Walk-in is the norm and there is no market-wide reservation platform in Vietnam, so you do not need to pre-book a table for independent dining.
Cao lau and mi quang are the central-Vietnam noodle specialities to order in Hoi An. Cash in dong is safest at markets and stalls.
Do not photograph near any military base and do not buy wildlife products from craft or souvenir sellers; both are illegal with serious penalties.
Ms Vy's flagship Vietnamese street-food restaurant, the classic sit-down spot for Hoi An specialities like cao lau and white rose dumplings.
A Vietnamese-fusion sit-down room with river views near the lantern-lit riverfront, a good evening option in the Ancient Town area.
A full-day marquee outing from Hoi An, typically the Champa ruins of My Son or the mountain-top complex at Ba Na Hills. Confirm which is on your itinerary.
My Son Sanctuary, the Champa UNESCO ruins, is roughly an hour's drive from Hoi An and a common included excursion. The published foreign-visitor entrance fee is 150,000 VND. On an all-tours-included package, confirm whether the operator has pre-paid it.
My Son Sanctuary charges 150,000 VND for foreign visitors and 100,000 VND for Vietnamese, per its official online ticketing platform. On an all-tours package, check whether entry is already covered.
Cover your shoulders and knees at this religious and cultural site, as at temples and pagodas across the tour.
If your itinerary instead lists Ba Na Hills, treat it as a full-day marquee outing; it is a mountain-top complex about 70 km from Hoi An, at an altitude of nearly 1,500 m.
Do not assume any specific excursion is included; package inclusions vary by operator, so confirm the exact itinerary rather than expecting a particular site.
The Champa UNESCO ruins, a common included excursion about an hour's drive from Hoi An, with a published official entrance fee.
If your tour runs Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge, it is Da Nang's busiest attraction and consumes most of a day. From 2026 the cable-car ticket is valid for three consecutive days. Coach-tour queues peak mid-morning to early afternoon at the bridge platform.
The 2026 Ba Na Hills cable-car ticket is 1,000,000 VND adult and 800,000 VND child and senior for out-of-province visitors, covering the Golden Bridge, Fantasy Park, mountain railway and more.
The Golden Bridge photo platform and cable-car queues get extremely congested with coach tours from mid-morning to early afternoon; go early or late if you can influence timing.
Ba Na Hills is a mountain-top theme-park complex about 40 minutes inland, not part of Hoi An Ancient Town; treat it as its own full day.
Do not book any elephant, animal-show or dolphin add-on marketed alongside these outings; Animals Asia advises avoiding rides, shows and captive-animal encounters.
Da Nang's single busiest mass-tourism attraction, a mountain-top complex with the Golden Bridge, covered by one cable-car ticket if your itinerary includes it.
An included domestic flight takes you from Da Nang to Noi Bai. The transfer into the Old Quarter is the longest routine drive of the trip and is operator-provided.
Your included domestic flight lands at Noi Bai, about 27 km from downtown Hanoi. The drive into the Old Quarter usually takes about an hour, the longest routine transfer on the trip, and the operator handles it. Decline any tout offering a hotel bus.
Noi Bai International Airport is about 27 km from downtown Hanoi and usually takes about an hour to reach, the longest routine transfer on the trip, provided by the operator.
Decline unsolicited free hotel bus transfers at Noi Bai; these may be scams and all transfers here are already operator-provided.
Hanoi is cool and dry from about November, a change from the warm south. Pack a layer if your dates fall in that cooler window.
Do not use a street or shop money-changer in the Old Quarter to top up dong; only official counters or banks are legal.
The Old Quarter is walkable and packed with food. A fried-turmeric-fish house is an iconic single-dish dinner near the hotels. Keep your bag in front of you; bag-snatching by motorbike thieves is common here. Pay stalls in dong.
Guard your bag in the Old Quarter; bag-snatching by thieves on motorcycles is common in crowded tourist areas.
For Cha Ca Thang Long, ignore the Google Maps pin, which its own site says is wrong, and navigate by the Duong Thanh address instead.
Do not confuse Cha Ca Thang Long with the older Cha Ca La Vong at 14 Cha Ca St; they are different restaurants.
An iconic single-dish fried-turmeric-fish specialist, walkable in the Old Quarter near the hotels, a good escorted-tour fit.
A guided day through the historic core. The Temple of Literature is reliably open; the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum carries a real closure risk you should check against your date.
The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is morning-only, free, with a strict dress code and a silent single-file queue. It closes roughly two months each summer for maintenance, so if your date falls then only the exterior and Ba Dinh Square are viewable. Your guide handles the queue and rules.
The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum closes each year for roughly two months of maintenance; recent windows ran 12 June to 15 August 2023, 10 June to 12 August 2024, and 2 June to 31 July 2025. If your date falls in a closure, the exterior and Ba Dinh Square can still be viewed and the daily flag ceremony continues.
The Mausoleum enforces a strict dress code; cover your shoulders and knees. You cannot enter in shorts or vests, and there is a compulsory bag and camera deposit.
Verify the current-year maintenance closure dates against your tour date before you travel; the annual pattern is confirmed but the exact 2026 window is not officially confirmed here.
Do not arrive in shorts or a vest expecting to enter; you will be turned away, and visiting is morning-only with long lines even when open.
A solemn morning-only landmark on the guided Hanoi day, with the guide managing the strict queue, dress code and bag deposit.
The Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first national university, opens daily 8:00 to 17:00. It is a working Confucian temple, so cover shoulders and knees; your guide manages entry. On an all-tours package the daytime entry is normally covered by the operator.
The Temple of Literature is open all days of the week, 8:00 to 17:00. A separately-ticketed evening program runs 18:00 to 22:00 on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday only.
Standard entry is 70,000 VND, priority concession 35,000 VND, with free entry for under-16s, seniors 60+ with ID and others. On an all-tours package the daytime entry is normally covered.
Dress modestly on this day; it is a working Confucian temple, so cover your shoulders and knees per the temple dress code.
Do not turn up for the evening program on a Monday or Tuesday; it runs only on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday and needs a separate ticket.
Vietnam's first national university and a working Confucian temple, reliably open daily and a fixture of the guided Hanoi day.
A slower guided day in the Old Quarter, with time for its lanes, food and a famous pho counter. Compact and walkable, with cash the currency of the streets.
The guided morning moves through the trading lanes of the Old Quarter on foot. For breakfast, a long-famous pho counter is a locals' queue-and-point spot. Carry small dong notes; stalls are cash-only. Hold your bag close in the narrow crowds.
Street stalls are cash-only in dong; cards and Grab pay rarely work there. Carry small notes for food and for tipping guides and drivers.
Bag-snatchers, including thieves on motorcycles, operate in the Old Quarter crowds; hold your bag in front of you.
Pho Gia Truyen is cash and queue-and-point; because it has no working official site, check its hours on the day rather than trusting a posted time.
Do not chase a single named best stall from a blog; stalls move and change hands, so follow your guide to a busy, high-turnover one.
A long-famous, still-trading pho counter in the Old Quarter, a locals' breakfast queue-and-point spot with a recent Michelin Bib Gourmand mention.
Your last full evening is free for a final Old Quarter meal. Walk-in is standard, and Cha Ca Thang Long's turmeric fish is a fitting close, navigated by its Duong Thanh address. Keep cash small notes for tips and keep your bag in front of you.
Tipping is not obligatory but is customary and appreciated for guides and drivers on escorted tours; carry small dong notes to hand over. Tipping norms could not be verified from an official source.
Walk-in is the norm; there is no market-wide reservation platform, so no table booking is needed for independent dining.
Do not leave your passport with any shop as a deposit for a rental or purchase; shops may refuse to return it, and you have no reason to surrender it on this package.
A single-dish fried-turmeric-fish house in the Old Quarter, a fitting final Hanoi dinner and walkable from the hotels.
A lighter final day in Hanoi before departure. Time for any last independent walking, food or shopping, with the operator's schedule still setting the frame.
With no long transfers today, the morning is yours. Walk the Old Quarter or the temple lanes again, using official taxi apps for any hop. If shopping, pay in dong at stalls and keep your bag guarded in the crowds.
For any independent hop, use metered taxis from larger firms or the Grab or XanhSM apps, which let you confirm the vehicle and driver match before you get in.
Do not buy wildlife products as souvenirs; buying, selling or collecting protected wild animals or plants is illegal, with a fine or long prison sentence.
ATMs dispense dong only; only change money at official counters or banks, as changing money elsewhere is illegal. ATM prevalence and fees are general guidance, not officially confirmed here.
A final chance for craft and souvenir shopping on foot in a compact, walkable area with no long transfer, paced around whatever the operator schedules.
A quiet afternoon to repack and settle up. Confirm your onward departure details with the operator and set aside small dong notes for final tips. A last walk-in meal in the Old Quarter needs no reservation.
Set aside small dong notes for final tips to your guide and driver before the trip ends; tipping is customary but was not verifiable from an official source.
Do not photograph near any military base on a last independent walk; it is prohibited and taken seriously.
Keep at least 7 days' worth of any prescription medicine within the limit, and a doctor's letter if you carry more, ready for your return journey.
Pho, banh mi and bun cha are the Hanoi street specialities to close on, best chosen at a busy, high-turnover stall your guide vouches for.
The operator drives you back to Noi Bai for your return flight. Count back from your departure to allow for the hour-long transfer from the Old Quarter.
Count back from your departure to leave the Old Quarter in good time; Noi Bai is about 27 km away and the drive usually takes about an hour. The operator provides this transfer, so decline any unsolicited transport tout at the hotel.
Noi Bai is about 27 km from downtown Hanoi and usually takes about an hour to reach; the departure transfer is operator-provided.
Count back from your departure time, which you should check before you fly, and allow for the hour-long transfer plus airport time.
Spend or keep small dong notes for last tips before you leave, and remember you must declare cash over 15 million dong or 5,000 US dollars at customs.
Do not exit on a different passport from the one you entered on; you must enter and exit Vietnam on the same passport.
Decline any unsolicited free transport offer at the hotel; your departure transfer is already arranged by the operator.
Practical details verified 21 July 2026. Prices and opening hours change — we re-check them monthly, but confirm anything critical before you travel.
Real-time hotel prices for Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An and Hanoi. Upgrades are shown over each location's included hotel.
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