Classic Vietnam Self-Launched: Hanoi to the Mekong
12 days · Vietnam
G Adventures charges £1,280
No-markup version: ~£452 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 12-day self-launched version of G Adventures' Classic Vietnam, running north to south from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. Do it independently: overnight junk boat in Halong Bay, the sleeper train down to Hue, the Imperial Citadel, Hoi An's lantern-lit old town and a noodle cooking class at a social enterprise, then Saigon and two nights in a Mekong Delta community guesthouse in Ben Tre/Cai Thia. Everything is bookable yourself via 12Go, GetYourGuide, Klook, or direct with guesthouses — same highlights, roughly a third of the tour price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Hanoi — Old Quarter orientation
Hanoi
Land at Noi Bai Airport and take the local bus 86 (~£1.20, 45-60 min) or a Grab (~£8-10) into the Old Quarter. Check into a budget hotel or hostel dorm (£8-14/night). Spend the afternoon wandering Hoan Kiem Lake and the 36 streets, then do a self-guided street-food crawl (bun cha, banh cuon, egg coffee). Optional: a Tran Quoc Pagoda visit on Tay Ho's eastern shore (£1 entry) or a paid Hanoi foodie walking tour (~£18 on GetYourGuide) if you want a guide on night one.
🚌Airport bus 86 ~£1.20 or Grab ~£9
🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel, dorm/private £8-14
- →Hoan Kiem Lake stroll
- →Old Quarter street-food crawl
- →Optional Tran Quoc Pagoda
Hanoi highlights — history, culture and food
Hanoi
Self-guided morning on foot: Temple of Literature (£1.20), the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex (free, mornings only, closed Mon/Fri), and the Museum of Ethnology (£2). In the evening book a Water Puppet Theatre show (~£4 direct) or eat your way through a banh mi and bun bo nam bo dinner for under £3. Book your Halong Bay trip today through a Hanoi travel agent or directly with the boat operator — shop around, prices vary wildly.
🚌Walking and short Grab rides ~£4
🛏Old Quarter hostel or budget hotel £8-14
- →Temple of Literature
- →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
- →Museum of Ethnology
- →Water puppet show
Halong Bay — overnight junk boat
Halong Bay
Join a 1-night/2-day Halong or Lan Ha Bay cruise booked direct or via Klook (£75-110 depending on boat quality, includes kayaking, meals and transfers). Watch the limestone karsts rise out of the water, swim off the boat, and eat a seafood dinner on deck. Even a mid-range junk is far cheaper than the tour operator's inclusion — just check the boat's reviews before you pay.
🚌Shared shuttle bus from Hanoi included with cruise, 3.5-4 hrs each way
🛏Overnight on a traditional junk boat cabin (included in cruise price)
- →Kayaking in the karsts
- →Swimming and cave visit
- →Sunset on deck
Back to Hanoi, night train south to Hue
Hanoi to Hue
Return to Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Store your bags, grab dinner, then take the Reunification Express sleeper train south to Hue (SE1/SE3, departs evening). Book a soft-sleeper berth on 12Go or Vietnam Railways (~£25-32). Four-berth soft sleeper is comfortable and you save a night's accommodation. Timetable: roughly 13-14 hours overnight, arriving Hue the following morning.
🚌Reunification Express sleeper train Hanoi-Hue ~£28
🛏Sleeper train berth (included in train fare)
- →Dong Xuan market browse
- →Overnight rail journey
Hue — Imperial Citadel and Perfume River
Hue
Arrive in Hue, drop bags at a guesthouse (£10-16/night), then explore the UNESCO Imperial Citadel (£5.50) — walled fortress, Forbidden Purple City, gateways and gardens. Optional: join a motorbike tour with a local guide (~£22 via GetYourGuide) to outlying tombs and countryside. Rent a bicycle (~£2) for the Perfume River banks in the afternoon.
🚌Bicycle rental ~£2, walking
🛏Hue guesthouse or budget hotel £10-16
- →Imperial Citadel UNESCO tour
- →Optional guided motorbike tour
- →Perfume River cycle
Hue to Hoi An — coast road and lantern town
Hoi An
Take a shared minibus or local bus over the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An (~£5-7, 3-4 hrs) — sit on the left for the sea views. Check into a homestay or hostel (£9-15/night). Explore Hoi An Old Town on a self-guided walk (top-up ticket £5 covering Chinese assembly halls, ancestral homes, the Japanese Covered Bridge and pagodas). Evening: the lantern-drenched riverside and a cao lau dinner for ~£2.
🚌Shared minibus over Hai Van Pass ~£6
🛏Hoi An homestay or hostel £9-15
- →Old Town self-guided walk
- →Japanese Covered Bridge
- →Riverside lanterns
Hoi An cooking class — Oodles of Noodles
Hoi An
The signature experience: book a noodle cooking class at a Hoi An social enterprise (e.g. Streets International or similar) via GetYourGuide or direct (~£18-25, half-day). Learn to make cao lau and fresh rice noodles with a local host, including a market tour. Afternoon free for tailoring shops or An Bang Beach by bicycle (~£2 rental).
🚌Bicycle rental ~£2
🛏Hoi An homestay or hostel £9-15
- →Social enterprise noodle cooking class
- →Market tour
- →An Bang Beach
Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Fly from Da Nang to Saigon on VietJet/Bamboo/Vietnam Airlines (~£28-45, 1 hr 20 min) — book a month ahead for the cheapest fares. Grab from the airport (~£3). Check into a District 1 hostel or budget hotel (£10-18/night). Evening: Ben Thanh market and a pho or com tam dinner (~£2.50). Optional: War Remnants Museum and Reunification Palace tomorrow.
🚌Flight Da Nang-Saigon ~£35, airport Grab ~£3
🛏Saigon District 1 hostel or budget hotel £10-18
- →Ben Thanh market
- →District 1 evening walk
Saigon — history and city energy
Ho Chi Minh City
Self-guided city day: War Remnants Museum (£2), Reunification Palace (£2.50), Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office (free). Optional Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour via Klook (~£15-20, includes transport) if you want to go further afield. Book tomorrow's Mekong Delta bus or arrange your community guesthouse stay in Ben Tre.
🚌Walking and Grab rides ~£5
🛏Saigon District 1 hostel or budget hotel £10-18
- →War Remnants Museum
- →Reunification Palace
- →Optional Cu Chi Tunnels
Into the Mekong Delta — Ben Tre by boat and bike
Ben Tre, Mekong Delta
Take a bus or shared minibus from Saigon to Ben Tre (~£5, 2.5 hrs), then a local boat into the delta. Book a community guesthouse in Ben Tre or Cai Thia directly (~£12-18/night including meals). Afternoon: visit a coconut plantation, row a sampan down the palm-lined canals, and cycle along the waterways through rice fields. Your local hosts will cook dinner — the delta's signature dishes are banh xeo and elephant-ear fish.
🚌Bus Saigon-Ben Tre ~£5, local boat transfers
🛏Mekong Delta community guesthouse £12-18 (meals incl.)
- →Coconut plantation visit
- →Sampan rowing
- →Delta cycling
Cai Thia village and the Red Kingdom brick village
Mekong Delta
Boat to the Cai Thia community and a local home to watch traditional rice-paper making. Then take a boat to Mang Thit's pottery brick village — the 'Red Kingdom' — and cycle through the riverside town, rice fields, plantations and family-run factories. Back to your guesthouse for a final delta dinner with your hosts. This is the most authentic part of the whole trip and costs a fraction of a group itinerary.
🚌Local boats and bicycle
🛏Mekong Delta community guesthouse £12-18 (meals incl.)
- →Cai Thia rice-paper demonstration
- →Mang Thit brick village cycle
- →Riverside villages
Mekong to Saigon — depart
Ho Chi Minh City
Morning bus back to Ho Chi Minh City (~£5, 2.5-3 hrs), arriving in time for onward flights or buses. If your flight is in the evening, spend a few hours at a rooftop cafe or pick up last-minute souvenirs at Ben Thanh. Airport is ~30-40 min away by Grab (~£4) — allow three hours before departure.
🚌Bus Ben Tre-Saigon ~£5, Grab to airport ~£4
🛏None (departure day)
- →Return bus to Saigon
- →Last-minute souvenir shopping
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£452 | £1,280 |
| Duration | 12 days | 12 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £828 per person (65%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-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 Classic Vietnam Self-Launched: Hanoi to the Mekong cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £452 per person for 12 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 G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,280 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 £828 (65%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam trip?+
This itinerary runs 12 days, covering 12 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, 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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