Self-Launched Vietnam Highlights: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
10 days · Vietnam
LVP Travel charges £700
No-markup version: ~£485 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of LVP Travel's 10-day Vietnam highlights tour, covering Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City using hostels and budget guesthouses, public buses and trains, and self-bookable day tours. Same route, same headline sights, roughly half the price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Hanoi & Old Quarter orientation
Hanoi
Fly into Noi Bai and take the Vietjet/Airport Express bus 86 (about 45,000 VND, ~£1.50) or a Grab car (~£10) to a hostel in the Old Quarter. Spend the afternoon walking to the Temple of Literature (~30,000 VND / £1) and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex and One Pillar Pagoda (free, but closed Mondays and Fridays and midday hours). In the evening, buy a ticket for the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre directly (~100,000-150,000 VND / £3-5) and eat bun cha or pho at a street stall for ~60,000 VND.
🚌Airport Express bus 86 from Noi Bai, ~£1.50
🛏Old Quarter hostel dorm (e.g. Hanoi Buffalo Hostel area), ~£9/night
- →Temple of Literature
- →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & Stilt House
- →One Pillar Pagoda
- →Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
- →Old Quarter street food walk
Ha Long Bay overnight boat
Ha Long Bay
Book a budget overnight junk boat through your hostel or GetYourGuide/Klook the day before (typically £55-75 including transfers, meals and kayaking). Morning pickup from the Old Quarter, drive to Bai Chay or Tuan Chau harbour, then cruise among the limestone karsts with stops at Sung Sot (Surprising) Cave and Thien Cung Cave, plus kayaking or swimming if weather allows. Seafood dinner on deck and a night anchored in the bay.
🚌Shared shuttle from Hanoi included in boat package
🛏Budget junk boat cabin (included in tour price), £0 extra
- →Ha Long Bay junk boat cruise
- →Sung Sot Cave
- →Thien Cung Cave
- →Kayaking / swimming
- →Sunset on deck
Ha Long Bay to Hanoi, sleeper train to Hue
Hanoi to Hue
Early breakfast on the boat, then sail back to port and shuttle to Hanoi (arrive early afternoon). Store your bag at the hostel, wander Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple (~30,000 VND), then take the Reunification Express sleeper train from Hanoi to Hue — book a soft-sleeper berth via the Vietnam Railways website or 12Go Asia, roughly £22-28 for the 12-13 hour overnight trip. The group tour's reviewer noted the sleeper train isn't restful — bring earplugs.
🚌Shuttle from Ha Long (~included) + Reunification Express sleeper, ~£24
🛏Soft-sleeper berth on Vietnam Railways train
- →Hoan Kiem Lake
- →Ngoc Son Temple
- →Hanoi Old Quarter free time
Hue Imperial City & Perfume River
Hue
Arrive in Hue in the morning and check into a guesthouse on the south bank. Walk or cycle to the Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City (150,000 VND entry), then take a local boat across the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda. In the afternoon rent a motorbike with driver or a bicycle to reach Khai Dinh and Tu Duc Royal Tombs. Sample Hue specialties — banh khoai, banh bot loc and Hue beer — at a local spot near Phu Xuan bridge.
🚌Bicycle or Grab motorbike around town, ~£4
🛏Hue guesthouse double/private or dorm, ~£12/night
- →Imperial Citadel & Forbidden Purple City
- →Thien Mu Pagoda
- →Khai Dinh Royal Tomb
- →Hue street food tasting
- →Perfume River boat
Hue to Hoi An over the Hai Van Pass
Hoi An
Take the public bus or a shared minibus from Hue to Hoi An (about 3-4 hours, ~£6-8 via 12Go Asia). Sit on the right side for Hai Van Pass and Lang Co Bay views, or if you ride, the Hai Van Pass is one of the best motorbike stretches in Vietnam (easy-rider from ~£25/day). Arrive in Hoi An, check into an Old Town guesthouse, and spend the evening under the lanterns with cao lau for dinner.
🚌Shared minibus Hue-Hoi An, ~£7
🛏Hoi An Old Town guesthouse/budget hotel, ~£13/night
- →Hai Van Pass scenic drive
- →Lang Co Bay
- →Hoi An Old Town evening stroll
- →Cao lau dinner
Hoi An cooking class & lantern making
Hoi An
Take a half-day Vietnamese cooking class booked directly or via GetYourGuide/Klook (~£20-25), usually including a market tour, boat ride and several dishes. Later, do a lantern-making workshop at the Lifestart Foundation (~£4 donation-based) or browse the tailor shops for custom clothing. Cycle to An Bang Beach (bike rental ~30,000 VND) for sunset.
🚌Bicycle rental, ~£1
🛏Hoi An Old Town guesthouse, ~£13/night
- →Hoi An cooking class with market tour
- →Lifestart Foundation lantern making
- →An Bang Beach
- →Tailor shopping
My Son Sanctuary day trip
Hoi An
Take a shared tour or local bus to My Son Sanctuary, the Cham Hindu temple complex (entry ~150,000 VND plus transport; organised half-day tours run £15-20). Go early to beat the heat and the crowds. Afternoon free for Old Town coffee, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the night market. Optional riverboat trip on the Thu Bon River (~£3).
🚌Shared tour van to My Son, ~£5
🛏Hoi An Old Town guesthouse, ~£13/night
- →My Son Sanctuary
- →Japanese Covered Bridge
- →Hoi An night market
- →Optional Thu Bon riverboat
Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Transfer to Da Nang Airport via Grab or shared shuttle (~£5-8) and fly VietJet/Bamboo Airways to Ho Chi Minh City — book direct early for fares around £28-45 one way. Check into a District 1 hostel and head out into the alleys for street food: banh mi, com tam and a bia hoi. Wander the lacquerware shops and Bui Vien walking street in the evening.
🚌Grab to Da Nang airport (~£6) + flight Da Nang-HCMC (~£35)
🛏District 1 hostel dorm, ~£10/night
- →Da Nang Airport transfer
- →District 1 alley food crawl
- →Bui Vien evening
Cu Chi Tunnels & Ho Chi Minh City sights
Ho Chi Minh City
Book a half-day Cu Chi Tunnels tour (~£15-20 via GetYourGuide/Klook, including transport and entry) — go early. Back in the city, visit the War Remnants Museum (40,000 VND), the Reunification Palace and Ben Thanh Market. Optional side trips to Thien Hau Pagoda and Giac Vien Pagoda in Cholon. Evening free time in District 1.
🚌Shared tour bus to Cu Chi included in tour price; Grab around town ~£3
🛏District 1 hostel dorm, ~£10/night
- →Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour
- →War Remnants Museum
- →Reunification Palace
- →Ben Thanh Market
- →Cholon pagodas (optional)
Depart Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Hotel checkout and Grab or bus 109/152 to Tan Son Nhat International Airport (~£3-5) for your departure flight. If your flight is later, leave your bag at the hostel and squeeze in a final bowl of pho.
🚌Grab or city bus to Tan Son Nhat, ~£4
🛏—
- →Airport transfer
- →Final pho breakfast
Self-launched vs. LVP Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | LVP Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£485 | £700 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £215 per person (31%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more LVP Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£485
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 Self-Launched Vietnam Highlights: Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £485 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 LVP Travel?+
Yes — LVP Travel charges around £700 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £485 — a saving of roughly £215 (31%) 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, adventure, foodie 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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