10 Days in Vietnam: Self-Launched Journey Through History and Culture
10 days · Vietnam
Legend Travel Group charges £985
No-markup version: ~£775 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched south-to-north Vietnam route covering Ho Chi Minh City, the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta, Hoi An, My Son, Hue, Hanoi and an overnight Halong Bay cruise — the same highlights as Legend Travel Group's guided group tour, but booked independently. You'll use budget guesthouses and hostels instead of 4-star hotels, local buses, trains and the odd cheap domestic flight instead of a private coach, and self-bookable day tours via GetYourGuide or Klook instead of an escorted group. Costs are rough backpacker estimates in GBP and exclude international flights.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Land at Tan Son Nhat Airport and take a Grab (Vietnam's ride-hailing app) or a metered Vinasun/Mai Linh taxi to District 1 — roughly 150,000-200,000 VND (£5-7) for the 30-40 minute ride. Alternatively, bus 109 or 152 runs from the airport to the city centre for around 20,000 VND. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in District 1, then ease into the city on foot: wander down Dong Khoi, loop around the Saigon River waterfront at Bach Dang, and grab your first bowl of pho or a banh mi from a street stall for dinner. Book your Cu Chi Tunnels tour online tonight via GetYourGuide or Klook (around £15-20 including transport).
🚌Grab or taxi from Tan Son Nhat Airport, then walking
🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room in District 1 (£8-15/night)
- →Independent wander of District 1 and the Saigon River waterfront
- →Street food dinner (pho, banh mi)
Ho Chi Minh City highlights and Cu Chi Tunnels
Ho Chi Minh City
Start early with a self-guided walk through the city's classic sights, all clustered around District 1: Notre Dame Cathedral (currently under restoration but viewable from outside), the Central Post Office next door, and the Reunification Palace (entry around 65,000 VND / £2). Then join a half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour booked through GetYourGuide or Klook — most include a minibus from District 1, an English-speaking guide and tunnel entry for around £15-20. Tours typically return mid-to-late afternoon. Evening free for the Ben Thanh night market or a rooftop drink.
🚌Walking plus tour minibus to Cu Chi (~1.5 hrs each way)
🛏Hostel dorm or private budget room, District 1 (£8-15/night)
- →Notre Dame Cathedral (exterior)
- →Central Post Office
- →Reunification Palace
- →Half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour with entry
Mekong Delta day trip, then overnight train or bus toward Hoi An
My Tho / Mekong Delta → Hoi An
Book a Mekong Delta day tour to My Tho via GetYourGuide or Klook (around £20-25 including transport, boat ride, Vinh Trang Pagoda stop, island handicraft villages and lunch). Tours usually return to Saigon around 5-6pm. From there, head to the station for the northbound journey. The cheapest option is an open-bus sleeper (Saigon to Hoi An, ~£15-20, about 20 hours — split it by stopping in Nha Trang if you prefer). Faster and far more comfortable is a cheap domestic flight Saigon to Da Nang (VietJet/Bamboo, often £30-50 one way if booked ahead), then a 45-minute Grab to Hoi An (~£8). Note the group tour flew this leg — self-launching gives you the choice.
🚌Mekong tour minibus; sleeper bus (~£17) or domestic flight + Grab
🛏Overnight bus, or guesthouse in Hoi An old town (£8-15/night)
- →My Tho boat trip along the Mekong River
- →Vinh Trang Pagoda
- →Island handicraft villages
Hoi An old town and My Son Sanctuary
Hoi An
Settle into Hoi An's Old Town — a UNESCO-listed maze of yellow-shuttered merchant houses, lantern-strung lanes and riverside cafes. Buy the Old Town ticket (around 120,000 VND / £4) which covers five heritage buildings including the Japanese Covered Bridge and old assembly halls. In the afternoon or next morning, take a My Son Sanctuary tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, ~£15-20 for transport plus entry, or hire a scooter for ~£6/day and ride the 40km yourself). The Cham temple ruins are best at sunrise or late afternoon when the tour crowds thin. Evening: night market, cao lau noodles, and a boat lantern float on the Thu Bon River.
🚌Walking in town; shared tour minibus or rented scooter to My Son
🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel in Hoi An Old Town (£10-18/night)
- →Hoi An Old Town heritage ticket
- →Japanese Covered Bridge
- →My Son Sanctuary Cham temples
- →Hoi An night market and lantern boats
Kim Bong Village by boat, then over the Hai Van Pass to Hue
Hoi An → Hue
Morning boat trip on the Thu Bon River to Kim Bong carpentry village — you can arrange this cheaply at the riverside (around 100,000-150,000 VND / £4-5 return) rather than through a tour. Watch traditional woodworkers and shipbuilders, and stop at the Japanese-influenced assembly halls and pagodas in town. Then travel to Hue. The scenic option is the local train from Da Nang to Hue (roughly £4-6, 2.5 hrs) — take a Grab or bus from Hoi An to Da Nang first (~£5). If you want the Hai Van Pass and Lang Co Beach views, book a shared open-bus or minibus Hoi An to Hue (~£6-8) which runs the coastal road; motorbike riders can do it as a one-way 'Easy Rider' transfer (~£25-30).
🚌Boat to Kim Bong; Grab to Da Nang; train or coastal bus to Hue
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Hue (£8-15/night)
- →Thu Bon River boat to Kim Bong Village
- →Traditional woodworking and shipbuilding village
- →Optional Cham Museum or Marble Mountains in Da Nang
Hue: Perfume River, tombs and the Imperial Citadel
Hue
Hue is easy to do independently. Join a small-group Perfume River boat trip to Thien Mu Pagoda (about 50,000-80,000 VND one way), then hire a Grab or scooter driver for the day to hit the royal tombs — Khai Dinh's mosaic-heavy mausoleum and Tu Duc's pine-forest retreat (each around 150,000 VND / £5 entry). In the afternoon explore the Imperial Citadel and Purple Forbidden City (200,000 VND / £6.50). Add Thuy Xuan incense-making village on the road out of town and finish at Dong Ba Market for bun bo Hue. An all-day private driver via Grab or a local tour desk costs roughly £20-25; a DIY scooter hire is around £6.
🚌Perfume River boat, Grab or scooter hire for the tombs
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Hue (£8-15/night)
- →Perfume River boat trip
- →Thien Mu Pagoda
- →Khai Dinh and Tu Duc mausoleums
- →Imperial Citadel and Purple Forbidden City
- →Thuy Xuan incense village
- →Dong Ba Market
Reunification Express to Hanoi
Hue → Hanoi
Take the Reunification Express train from Hue to Hanoi. A soft-seat or soft-sleeper ticket runs roughly £15-25 depending on class and booking window (book on the official Vietnam Railways site or via 12Go Asia a few days ahead). It's about 12-13 hours — the overnight sleeper is the smart play, leaving late afternoon and arriving early morning. Budget flights (VietJet/Bamboo, £30-45) are the fast alternative. On arrival, check in near the Old Quarter and walk the classic loop: Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter's 36 streets, and a bowl of pho at a pavement stall. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, his stilt house and the Temple of Literature are all within a doable walking/Grab loop tomorrow or this afternoon if time allows.
🚌Reunification Express train, ~£15-25 (or budget flight)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter (£8-18/night)
- →Hoan Kiem Lake
- →Old Quarter wander
- →Street food dinner
Hanoi sights and Halong Bay overnight cruise
Hanoi → Halong Bay
If you take the daytime train, use the morning for the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free, closed Mondays and Fridays), the One Pillar Pagoda and the Temple of Literature (70,000 VND / £2.30) — traditional music performances happen on site. Most overnight Halong cruises, however, pick up in Hanoi around 8am, so the practical plan is to book the cruise for a day when you land in Hanoi the evening before. Overnight cruise packages on budget-to-mid boats are widely sold on Klook and GetYourGuide from around £100-140 per person all-in (shared cabin, transfers, meals, kayaking, cave visit). Compare with the operator's own Phoenix/Athena-class boats direct — booking direct often saves 15-20%.
🚌Cruise shuttle bus from Hanoi Old Quarter (~3.5 hrs each way, included)
🛏Overnight on a budget/mid-range Halong Bay cruise boat (included in cruise price)
- →Halong Bay cruise
- →Amazing Cave (Sung Sot)
- →Kayaking and swimming in the bay
- →Sunset on deck
Sunrise on the bay, floating village, back to Hanoi
Halong Bay → Hanoi
Wake early for tai chi on deck or sunrise over the limestone karsts. Most cruises include a morning visit to a floating fishing village or a kayak paddle, then brunch on board before docking around 11am and shuttling back to Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Use the evening for the Old Quarter: browse Dong Xuan market, pick up souvenirs, try bun cha or egg coffee, and optionally catch a Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre show (£2-4 a ticket — the group tour listed it as a $6 optional extra).
🚌Cruise shuttle bus back to Hanoi (included)
🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter (£8-18/night)
- →Sunrise on Halong Bay
- →Floating fishing village visit
- →Old Quarter shopping and street food
- →Optional water puppet show
Last morning in Hanoi and departure
Hanoi
Breakfast, then a final stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake or the Temple of Literature if you haven't ticked them off. Noi Bai Airport is 45-60 minutes from the Old Quarter: bus 86 runs express for around 45,000 VND (£1.50), or a Grab/taxi is around 350,000-400,000 VND (£11-13). Leave at least three hours before an international flight.
🚌Airport bus 86 (~£1.50) or Grab/taxi (~£12)
🛏None (departure day)
- →Final walk around Hoan Kiem Lake
- →Souvenir shopping
Self-launched vs. Legend Travel Group
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Legend Travel Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£775 | £985 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £210 per person (21%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Legend Travel Group-style trips? Check them out here.~£775
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 10 Days in Vietnam: Self-Launched Journey Through History and Culture cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £775 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 Legend Travel Group?+
Yes — Legend Travel Group charges around £985 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £775 — a saving of roughly £210 (21%) 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, budget, 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?
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