Vietnam: 12-Day Luxury Small-Group Tour from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City with Hạ Long Bay Cruise & Cambodia Extension

Covid-19 health and safety practices: Our expert Tours team is working hard to ensure the highest health standards at every point of your journey. Find out more.

Book with Confidence: We work directly with our trusted partners and provide 24/7 customer service to ensure that no matter what happens, we’re here to help. If your escape is affected by Covid-19 restrictions, we will do our best to assist you with a date change or provide you with a Luxury Escapes credit for another Limited Time Lux Exclusive accommodation, tour or cruise offer, less any unrecoverable costs; excludes flights. Find out more.

The Experiences – Ancient sites, bustling cities and exquisite natural beauty

An intoxicating fusion of East meets West, Vietnam is a treat for the senses. From dynamic megacities to charming riverside villages, colourful markets and peaceful natural beauty, there is always something to captivate and excite. With a complex and diverse culture — something of a history lesson — unforgettable experiences beckon.

Lose yourself in bustling cities rich in history such as Hanoi, the country’s French-influenced capital, the ancient trade port of Hội An, Ho Chi Minh City with its countless prominent sites, and historic Hue.

Discover Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, with its colonial architecture, palaces and pagodas, and enjoy a tour including the Ho Chi Minh Complex, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, Hoa Lo Prison, and the One Pillar Pagoda.

Vietnam is also renowned for its spectacular natural beauty, with some of the best views admired from the water. Soak up the exquisite vistas of Hạ Long Bay, with its emerald-green waters and lush, rainforest-capped islands, onboard a traditional junk boat before taking a dip in the waters and exploring the local caves.

Ideally situated on the Perfume River, Hue is a captivating city with an illustrious history and the centre for Vietnam’s former imperial rulers. Hue maintains much of its majestic charm, with royal tombs and an imposing Imperial Citadel that reveals the extravagant lifestyles of former emperors.

Hội An, with its Ancient Town which dates back to the 15th century, is where you’ll discover centuries-old traditions with a hands-on farming visit and lantern-making class.

Delve into Vietnam’s history in Ho Chi Minh City, visiting the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum and the Củ Chi tunnels, with their underground network of living areas, hospitals and weapon factories.

The Accommodation – From colonial-style luxury in the bustling city to a traditional junk boat on serene waters

Relax in five-star luxury after busy days exploring with stays at the Hotel de l’Opera Hanoi – MGallery in the heart of the city, a meticulously designed modern vessel on Hạ Long Bay, the warm and inviting Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa in Hue, the boutique Le Pavillon Hội An and New World Saigon Hotel, ideally situated in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City District 1.

Experience the glamour of ‘A Night at the Opera’ at Hotel de l’Opera Hanoi – MGallery, located in the heart of Hanoi. Boasting views over historic streets, the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, this award-winning hotel features outstanding French colonial architecture, operatic interiors, two restaurants and a heated indoor pool.

The renowned Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa offers the harmony of authentic Vietnamese culture and hospitality in a rustic resort in a secluded area of Thua Thien Hue. Choose to refresh your spirits and feel rejuvenated at the resort’s swimming pools and spa, head to one of the onsite bars and restaurants for delicious dining or explore the city of Hue on a complimentary shuttle bus.

Enjoy the stunning views from your balcony as you cruise through the beautiful Hạ Long Bay onboard the Paradise Elegance. Complete with a piano bar, day spa and wellness centre, this sleek and modern ship fuses contemporary styling with Vietnamese design concepts, creating the perfect overnight experience.

Optional Mekong Delta and Cambodia Extension

Want to really make the most of your time in Southeast Asia? Select the extended 17-day tour, which will unveil the wonders of the Mekong Delta and Cambodia. Visit the Vietnamese countryside town of Bến Tre, board a boat for a scenic ride along the Mekong Delta, drop by the Cai Rang Floating Market and the French colonial-style house of Binh Thuy, then enjoy dinner on the Mekong River. After flying to Cambodia and exploring Siem Reap, admire intricate Angkorian carvings at Banteay Srei, Angkor Thom and Bayon, visit Angkor Wat at sunrise, and savour a sunset gondola cruise along Angkor’s ancient moat with drinks and canapés.

Your tour starts in Hanoi, Vietnam (HAN) for both the standard and extended tour, and ends in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (SGN) for the standard tour, or Siem Reap, Cambodia (REP) for the extended tour.

Flights to and from Vietnam are not included in your package and must be purchased separately. Please do NOT book your flights until your tour is confirmed.

Private roundtrip airport transfers are included in your tour on the first and last day only. Please arrive in Hanoi before 4pm on Day 1 and depart anytime after 10am on Day 12 or Day 17.

Need flights? Australian customers can now purchase flights with or without accommodation packages. We are working hard to launch this functionality in other markets. For now, our dedicated flights concierge can assist with all your flight requirements. Contact sales@luxuryescapes.com.

Important Destination Information:

Time zone: GMT+7

Telephone: +284

Currency: Vietnamese dong (VND)

Accessing money: ATMs are widely available with credit cards widely accepted within the city. Cash is advised when visiting rural areas.

Language: Vietnamese

Climate: Vietnam has a tropical climate that is dominated by the monsoon season. The temperature in Vietnam typically ranges between 21° and 35° throughout the year.

Day 1: Arrive Hanoi

Today, you arrive in Hanoi, where you will be met on arrival at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) and transferred to your accommodation, Hotel de l’Opera Hanoi — MGallery, located just a short stroll from the city’s grand opera house. Depending on your arrival time, the afternoon is at your leisure — why not take the opportunity to swim in the indoor pool or relax at the spa?

This evening, meet your tour leader and the rest of your group for a welcome dinner at a local favourite restaurant.

Accommodation: Hotel de l’Opera Hanoi — MGallery (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Hanoi

On a private excursion, discover the colourful history of Vietnam’s capital, rich with culture thanks to an eclectic mix of influences, including French — evident in the old colonial buildings and tree-lined boulevards. You’ll also learn about the life and times of former Prime Minister Ho Chi Minh, who played a key role in the nation’s journey towards independence.

Meet your local guide in the morning and embark on sights including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House, the Presidential Palace, Hoa Lo Prison and the One Pillar Pagoda. You’ll also visit the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology before enjoying traditional local fare for lunch.

In the afternoon, explore a Ly Dynasty temple dedicated to the God of the North, and enjoy an in-depth experience of the Temple of Literature (Vietnam’s first university, built in the 11th century) with an expert in Vietnamese culture, history and education. Finish the day with a ride on a three-wheeled cyclo through the network of narrow, 15th-century streets of the Old Quarter.

Accommodation: Hotel de l’Opera Hanoi – MGallery (Deluxe Room)

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 3: Hanoi — Ha Long Bay

Today, leave the city behind to discover one of the wonders of Vietnam on an overnight cruise in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed waters of Ha Long Bay. Be sure to have an overnight bag packed in anticipation (your remaining luggage will be kept at the Hotel de l’Opera Hanoi – MGallery). Upon arrival to Ha Long City (a two-and-a-half-hour drive with a break en route), meet the crew before boarding the beautifully crafted sailing vessel, styled after a traditional Vietnamese junk boat. After a quick safety briefing and refreshing welcome drink, enjoy lunch as the dramatic beauty of the bay unfolds around you, with hundreds of limestone karsts majestically rising out of the emerald waters.

In the afternoon, visit a floating pearl farming village and learn how pearls are harvested and processed here. Afterwards, choose to venture out on a kayak (at own expense) or stay onboard the boat for afternoon tea. Continue onwards to Sung Sot Cave to see this impressive cavern, before being invited to join a cooking demonstration with the onboard chef. This evening, enjoy dinner followed by an evening at leisure, where you can try your hand at squid fishing, watch a movie, stargaze or tuck in early.

Accommodation: Paradise Elegance (Deluxe Balcony), Ha Long Bay

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4: Ha Long Bay — Hanoi — Hue

Wake to the peaceful sounds of the gentle breeze and water lapping against the boat before enjoying an optional tai chi session on the sundeck. Later, visit Ti Top Island, where you will be able to climb to the top of the hill for a spectacular view over the bay. Breakfast is served while cruising back to the pier.

After disembarkation, be transferred to Hanoi Airport for your flight to Hue. On arrival, take a private transfer to the hotel with your local guide and check in to Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa.

Accommodation: Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa (Superior Room), Hue

Meals: Breakfast

Day 5: Hue

After breakfast, visit The Imperial City, a walled palace and well-preserved remnant of the vast citadel and royal quarters that once existed on the site. In the early 19th century, Emperor Gia Long consulted geomancers to source the best location to build a new palace and citadel, and this site was chosen. Tens of thousands of labourers were recruited to dig the 10km moat and earthen walls that form the outer perimeter of the citadel. Then, visit the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities, a museum dedicated to Vietnam’s imperial past and arts of the era. Next, take a short drive to visit the tomb of Tu Duc — designed by the Emperor himself — as well as an incense-making village and the French-influenced tomb of the 12th Emperor Khai Dinh.

After lunch at a local restaurant, enjoy a relaxing cruise along the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, before stopping at Dong Ba to discover a traditional Vietnamese market.

Accommodation: Pilgrimage Village Boutique Resort & Spa (Superior Room), Hue

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 6: Hue — Da Nang — Hoi An

Leave the charms of Hue behind as you embark on a scenic overland journey to Hoi An. On the way, pass Lang Co Beach, drive to the top of Hai Van Pass and see My Khe Beach in Da Nang. After checking in, the rest of the day is at your leisure.

Accommodation: Le Pavillon Hoi An (Deluxe Balcony Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Day 7: Hoi An

Early this morning, head to a small farming village to meet a local vegetable farmer and learn about organic and traditional methods. After a refreshing welcome drink, experience a typical day on the farm and learn about various equipment and its uses. Then, join the farmers in the field, fertilising the soil for sewing or crop cultivation. Next, pick some vegetables and herbs and head to the kitchen to begin preparing a local specialty, before enjoying your self-made light snack.

Afterwards, explore the charms of Hoi An by foot. Stroll through winding streets and past rows of traditional houses — including the Old House of Tan Ky and the traditional Fujian Assembly Hall. Cross the impressive 400-year-old Japanese covered bridge and continue to a local studio that makes traditional lanterns to learn the centuries-old craft and make your very own.

Accommodation: Le Pavillon Hoi An (Deluxe Balcony Room)

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 8: Hoi An

After breakfast, visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed My Son Sanctuary, one of the most significant examples of Hindu influence in Southeast Asia. Consisting of dozens of red brick towers and temples, this elaborate complex is the former capital and religious centre of the Champa kingdom, dating between the seventh and 13th centuries.

The rest of the day is enjoyed at leisure.

Accommodation: Le Pavillon Hoi An (Deluxe Balcony Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Day 9: Hoi An — Da Nang — Ho Chi Minh City

This morning, transfer to Da Nang International Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel for check-in and time at leisure.

Accommodation: New World Saigon Hotel (Premier Room), Ho Chi Minh City

Meals: Breakfast

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City

Today, gain insight into Ho Chi Minh City’s dynamic past on an excursion. Uncover stories at the Reunification Palace, the former palace of President Thieu and his predecessors. Today a museum and venue for official receptions, it features the private rooms of the president, the ‘War Room’ where the strategies of the South Vietnamese forces were organised, and the room where the North Vietnamese army finally took control in 1975. Then, visit your choice of the History Museum or the War Remnants Museum. Later, learn of Vietnam’s spiritual side at the Cao Dai Temple

After lunch at a local restaurant, drop by Vietnam’s exciting Chinatown, known locally as Cho Lon, before continuing to a nearby district to meet artisans who create small Buddhist amulets and statues used for worship, and making your way through a nearby street that houses over 180 Chinese medicine stores.

Accommodation: New World Saigon Hotel (Premier Room), Ho Chi Minh City

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City — Cu Chi

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before heading one-and-a-half hours northwest to explore one of the region’s most well-known wartime landmarks – the Cu Chi tunnels. Located in an area known during the American War in Vietnam as the ‘Iron Triangle’, the intriguing network of underground tunnels — which are several storeys deep in some areas — provided shelter and an effective source of infiltration for the Viet Cong.

On a private tour, hear fascinating personal stories before descending into one of the tunnels. Afterwards, visit a local terracotta factory before returning to Ho Chi Minh City.

Accommodation: New World Saigon Hotel (Premier Room), Ho Chi Minh City

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 12: Depart Ho Chi Minh City

Wave goodbye to Ho Chi Minh City this morning as your 12-day tour comes to an end with a transfer to Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN).

Meals: Breakfast

Optional Mekong Delta and Cambodia Extension:

Day 12: Ho Chi Minh City — Bến Tre — Cần Thơ

Experience village life along the picturesque Mekong Delta, just two hours’ drive from Ho Chi Minh City. Witness the wonders of the Mekong Delta, the “Rice Bowl of Vietnam,” where much of the nation’s fruits, vegetables and rice is produced. The small farming communities here rely on the mighty Mekong’s maze of rivers, swamps and canals to sustain their family-run fruit farms and plantations. Travel to Cai Be, a bustling market town about three hours’ drive from Ho Chi Minh City.

Then observe the life of the river with a leisurely cruise on the Cai Be Princess, a comfortable river sampan. Visit the island of Tan Phong where you can cycle past small villages and fruit gardens. Look out for sweet, red rambutans which are a specialty of the island. Along the way, discover local families who spend their days making rice paper, preparing local cakes or transforming water hyacinths into household items.

Travel by local boat back to the Cai Be Princess and continue your journey towards the village of Phu An. Have lunch at Le Longanier, a riverside restaurant set in a colonial-style villa surrounded by lush gardens. In the afternoon, walk to Ba Bon Bridge and transferring to your accommodation in Can Tho.

Accommodation: Azerai Cần Thơ (Garden Room)

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 13: Cần Thơ

This morning, take a boat from Ninh Kieu Wharf to the Cai Rang Floating Market — a hive of activity set on a waterway, where vendors sell their goods from boats laden with fresh tropical fruits, vegetables and other local produce. Delight in a local fruit orchard before returning to the hotel for breakfast.

Later, visit one of the biggest Khmer temples in Cần Thơ, then take a drive through the picturesque countryside to visit the historical house of Binh Thuy — a French colonial style mansion built in 1870, which has featured in several films including ‘The Lover’, based on Marguerite Duras’ autobiographical novel.

At twilight, board a traditional boat and set off on a leisurely dinner cruise along the Mekong River.

Accommodation: Azerai Cần Thơ (Garden Room)

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 14: Cần Thơ — Ho Chi Minch City — Siem Reap

Enjoy a day at leisure before making your way back to Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport (approximately three and a half hours) for your flight to Siem Reap.

On arrival, be met by a local representative and transferred by private vehicle to your luxury hotel, nestled in the heart of the city’s shopping and entertainment precinct.

Accommodation: Park Hyatt Siem Reap (Park Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Day 15: Siem Reap

Wake early and drive through Cambodia’s rustic villages, rice paddies and old reservoirs on the way to Banteay Srei, built in the 10th century and known for its intricate Angkorian carvings. Soak up the serene atmosphere at this remarkably intact pink sandstone temple before lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, visit Ta Prohm, a beautiful temple that appears to have been reclaimed by nature. After, explore Ta Nei Temple — built under King Jayavarman VII in the late 12th century — before seeing Preah Khan Temple, a cross-shaped temple built in 1191 to honour Jayavarman VII’s father, Dharanindravarman.

This evening, enjoy a mesmerising one-hour performance of theatre, dance, art and acrobatics at ‘Phare, the Cambodian Circus’. An active supporter of Khmer culture, ‘Phare, the Cambodian Circus’ also provides opportunities for local youths and those developing careers in the arts.

Accommodation: Park Hyatt Siem Reap (Park Room)

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 16: Siem Reap

This morning, visit the magnificent Angkor Wat — a legendary 12th-century temple built during the reign of King Suryavarman II. Here, admire the intriguing bas-reliefs which include depictions of the king in battle and images of Apsara dancers around the structure’s five towers. You will then be led to a viewpoint where you can experience the dramatic moment of sunrise behind the temple.

You will transfer to APOPO, a non-profit organisation that trains African giant pouched rats (fondly nicknamed ‘HeroRATs’) to save lives by detecting landmines and tuberculosis. Visit their small museum and learn about the challenges of mine clearance in Cambodia and around the world.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before visiting Angkor Thom, a massive four-faced edifice guarded by a line of gods and demons carved from stone, and the former capital of the Khmer empire. Here, come face-to-face with the imposing 12th-century Bayon structure, before continuing to the Baphuon sanctuary and Phimeanakas Temple, a place of worship for kings. Then, visit the Terrace of the Elephants, an impressive two-and-a-half-metre tall wall used as a ceremonial stage, and the Terrace of the Leper King.

At sunset, drift along Angkor’s ancient moat in a traditional Khmer gondola with a glass of wine and selection of canapés.

Accommodation: Park Hyatt Siem Reap (Park Room), Siem Reap

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 17: Depart Siem Reap

Wave goodbye to Siem Reap this morning as your 17-day tour comes to an end with a transfer to Siem Reap International Airport (REP).

Meals: Breakfast