Vietnam Express: Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi (Self-Launched)
8 days · Vietnam
Legend Travel Group charges £912
No-markup version: ~£655 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent 8-day south-to-north Vietnam run covering Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, the Cu Chi Tunnels, Hoi An, Hanoi and an overnight Halong Bay cruise — the exact same highlights as Legend Travel Group's "Vietnam Express" but booked yourself. You'll use sleeper trains, cheap domestic flights and local buses instead of private coaches, join day tours through GetYourGuide/Klook instead of a tour guide escort, and stay in hostels and budget boutique hotels. A fast-paced route for solo travellers who want the full Vietnam sampler without the group markup.
Day-by-day
Arrive Ho Chi Minh City — District 1 orientation
Ho Chi Minh City
Land at Tan Son Nhat (SGN) and get to District 1 on the cheap: public bus 109 or 152 runs from the terminal to the backpacker quarter for about 20,000 VND (£0.60), or a Grab car is roughly £4-5. Check into a hostel or budget hotel around Bui Vien / Pham Ngu Lao or District 1. Spend the afternoon walking: Ben Thanh Market, the Central Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral exterior (currently under long-term restoration, so views are from the street), the Opera House and Nguyen Hue walking street. Evening: street-food crawl around Ben Thanh — banh mi (£1), com tam (£2), a bia hoi (£0.50). Sort your onward tickets tonight: book your Mekong day tour and Cu Chi tour on GetYourGuide or Klook, and book the Da Nang flight/train for Day 3.
🚌Airport bus 109/152 ~£0.60 or Grab ~£4-5; walking in the centre
🛏Hostel dorm or budget boutique hotel in District 1 (£12-18/night)
- →Ben Thanh Market
- →Central Post Office & Notre Dame Cathedral exterior
- →Nguyen Hue walking street
- →Bui Vien street-food crawl
Mekong Delta day trip — My Tho & Ben Tre
My Tho / Ben Tre, Mekong Delta
Do the Mekong as a small-group day tour booked via GetYourGuide or Klook (£20-28 including pick-up from District 1, a boat ride, lunch and entrance fees) — this replicates the operator's cruise to My Tho, coconut-candy and bee-farm stops and Vinh Trang Pagoda. Boats leave around 8am and return to Saigon by 5-6pm. Alternative if you want it slower and cheaper: local bus from Mien Tay station to My Tho (~£1.50, 1.5hrs) then hire a xe om or bicycle and take the ferry to Ben Tre yourself. Back in the city, grab dinner in District 4 for excellent cheap seafood and grilled fare.
🚌Included minibus pick-up on day tour, or local bus to My Tho ~£1.50 each way
🛏Hostel dorm or budget boutique hotel in District 1 (£12-18/night)
- →Mekong boat trip to My Tho / Ben Tre
- →Coconut candy & bee farm stops
- →Vinh Trang Pagoda
- →Ferry across the Mekong
Cu Chi Tunnels, city highlights, then fly north to Hoi An
Ho Chi Minh City → Da Nang → Hoi An
Book the Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tour (GetYourGuide/Klook, £15-20, roughly 8am-2pm) — you'll crawl through a section of the tunnels and see the trap displays and firing range. Or DIY it: bus 13 from Ben Thanh to Cu Chi town (~£0.60) plus a short motorbike hop to the site (£1) and the £1.50 entry. Lunch back in the city, then add the War Remnants Museum (70,000 VND, ~£2.20) in the afternoon. Fly SGN-Da Nang in the evening on VietJet or Bamboo (£30-45 booked a few weeks ahead); the airport is 45 mins from Hoi An, with a shared shuttle (~£4) or Grab (~£8). Base yourself in Hoi An Old Town.
🚌Cu Chi tour minibus ~£16; VietJet/Bamboo SGN-DAD flight ~£35; airport shuttle ~£4
🛏Budget boutique hotel or hostel in Hoi An (£10-16/night)
- →Cu Chi Tunnels
- →War Remnants Museum
- →Cho Lon (Chinatown) wander
- →Hoi An Old Town evening lanterns
Hoi An Old Town, Cam Kim Island & Thanh Ha pottery village
Hoi An
Give the escorted Old Town walk a miss and buy the Old Town ticket (120,000 VND, ~£4) which covers five heritage houses and assembly halls — including the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Chinese Assembly Halls and Phuoc Kien Pagoda the operator visits. In the afternoon, rent a bicycle (£1.50/day) and ride to Cam Kim Island over the bridge, looping past woodworkers and boat-building families, then continue to Thanh Ha pottery village where you can throw a pot for about £1.50. Or take a local wooden boat across the Thu Bon River for about £1. Evening: Hoi An's night market, cao lau noodles (£1.50) and a river-lantern release (£1).
🚌Bicycle hire ~£1.50; local boat ~£1; everything else on foot
🛏Budget boutique hotel or hostel in Hoi An (£10-16/night)
- →Old Town heritage ticket (Japanese Bridge, assembly halls)
- →Bicycle loop to Cam Kim Island
- →Thanh Ha pottery village
- →Hoi An night market
Fly to Hanoi — full day of Hanoi's classics
Hanoi
Take a morning flight Da Nang to Hanoi on VietJet/Bamboo (£30-45), or the Reunification Express sleeper for the slow-travel option (~£25-35 in a soft sleeper, 16-17hrs — only worth it if you'd rather not fly). From Noi Bai, catch the VietJet Express bus 86 or 17 to the Old Quarter for £1.20. Walk the Ho Chi Minh complex (Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Museum) — free to enter the Mausoleum, though it's closed Mondays and Fridays and mornings only. Then the Temple of Literature (30,000 VND), the Museum of Ethnology (~£2), Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple (~£1), Dong Xuan Market and an Old Quarter wander. Finish with the Thang Long water puppet show (100,000 VND, ~£3.30) — book at the theatre on the day or via Klook.
🚌DAD-HAN flight ~£35 (or sleeper train ~£30); airport bus 86 ~£1.20; city walking
🛏Hostel or budget boutique hotel in the Old Quarter (£10-16/night)
- →Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum & One Pillar Pagoda
- →Temple of Literature
- →Museum of Ethnology
- →Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple
- →Thang Long water puppet show
- →Old Quarter & Dong Xuan Market
Halong Bay overnight cruise
Halong Bay
Book a budget 1-night cruise on a junk through Klook or GetYourGuide rather than through an agent in the Old Quarter — expect £75-110 per person for a shared twin cabin, including transfers from Hanoi, all meals, kayaking and cave entry. Cheaper still: local bus or shuttle from Hanoi's Luong Yen station to Ha Long (~£4-6, 3hrs) and book a day boat locally, though you'll lose the overnight anchor-out experience. Boats usually leave the jetty around midday, with kayaking or a swim stop in the afternoon and dinner on deck. Note that solo travellers usually pay a single-supplement on cabins — ask about shared-cabin options or a dorm-style junk.
🚌Shared shuttle from Hanoi included in cruise price, or public bus ~£5
🛏Overnight on a budget Halong Bay junk, shared cabin (£75-110 including meals)
- →Halong Bay overnight cruise
- →Kayaking among the limestone karsts
- →Sunset on deck
Sung Sot Cave, back to Hanoi
Halong Bay → Hanoi
Early-morning swim or tai chi on deck, then explore Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave before brunch as the boat cruises back to the jetty. Shuttle back to Hanoi arrives mid-afternoon. Use the rest of the day for anything you missed: the Train Street strip (increasingly restricted — check locally for access), a bia hoi corner on Ta Hien with £0.30 beers, egg coffee at Cafe Giang, and bun cha for dinner (£2-3). Buy a Vietnamese SIM if you haven't already (Viettel/Vietnamobile, ~£4-6 for a month of data).
🚌Shuttle back to Hanoi included in cruise; walking
🛏Hostel or budget boutique hotel in the Old Quarter (£10-16/night)
- →Sung Sot Cave
- →Morning swim/kayak
- →Train Street & Old Quarter
- →Egg coffee & bia hoi
Depart Hanoi
Hanoi
Breakfast at the hotel, then head to Noi Bai International Airport. Bus 86 from Hanoi station area to the airport is about £1.20 and takes 50-60 mins; a Grab car is £8-10. If your flight is late, squeeze in one last pho breakfast and a wander around Truc Bach Lake before you go. Pre-book an e-visa (£20-30 via the official vietnamvisa.govt.vn portal — apply at least a week ahead) if your nationality needs one.
🚌Airport bus 86 ~£1.20 or Grab ~£9
🛏N/A — departure day
- →Last pho breakfast
- →Truc Bach Lake walk (if time allows)
Self-launched vs. Legend Travel Group
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Legend Travel Group | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£655 | £912 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £257 per person (28%) | |
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.~£655
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 Vietnam Express: Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £655 per person for 8 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 £912 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £655 — a saving of roughly £257 (28%) per person.
How long is the Vietnam trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 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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