Home South East Asia Vietnam Ready-made Itineraries Vietnam In a Nutshell
Vietnam In a Nutshell
2-Week Multi-Centre Vietnam Holiday Itinerary - Bai Tu Long Bay to Hanoi
- Your accommodationYour accommodationYour accommodationYour accommodationYour accommodationYour accommodationUpgrade this ItineraryUpgrade this ItineraryUpgrade this ItineraryUpgrade this ItineraryUpgrade this ItineraryUpgrade this Itinerary
Prices from £1,438 pp
All prices exclude international flights at the start/end of your trip. Let us book flights for you.
13 days / 12 nights (flexible)
Every Monday, Friday and Sunday
Hanoi - Bai Tu Long Bay - Hanoi - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh City
Suitable for families
Overview
This trip packs a real punch in under a fortnight, bringing you the highlights of Vietnam. Sleep aboard a traditional junk boat, amble through crumbling alleyways and explore lantern-spangled streets. Take a laid-back trip through the Mekong Delta and spend a night with a local family. Mixing chaotic cities with jungle-topped islands and atmospheric towns, you’ll get an authentic glimpse of Vietnam. If you’re pushed for time, you really can’t do better than this. It really is Vietnam in a nutshell.
What's included
- Accommodation – price based on 2 people sharing
- Breakfast
- Transport
- Excursions as described
- Entrance fee for Bai Tu Long Bay
- 2 domestic flights
Our ready-made itineraries 1. Add your favourite itinerary to your travel plan 2. Send it our way 3.Our travel specialists will get planning and send you a quote
Location map
Your day-by-day itinerary
Xin Chao Hanoi!
Hanoi is a capital city crammed with character. Motorbikes zip through tangled streets, food hawkers serve up steaming bowls of pho and fruit stalls spill onto shady boulevards. You’ll stay near the heart of the atmospheric Old Quarter and we’ll arrange a unique introduction to Hanoi and the Vietnamese language with a local guide who’ll double as your tutor. It’s a great way to get to know the city like a local.
Onward transfers
You’ll be collected from your hotel by minibus bright and early and taken to the coastal town of Halong, approximately 4 hours away. This is where the junk boat awaits you.
Drift Between Limestone Peaks
A turquoise bay peppered with tropical outcrops, Bai Tu Long Bay is every bit as beautiful as neighbouring Halong, but with fewer crowds. Rich in stunning views, you’ll drift between emerald karst islets and laze on tiny beaches. You’ll stay aboard a traditional Chinese junk boat, rocked to sleep by the rhythm of the water.
Onward transfers
After your cruise, a minibus transfer will be waiting to take you back to Hanoi where you can relax before the next leg of your holiday in Vietnam.
Back to Hanoi
You’ll have one more night in Hanoi, head out to the night market to pick up some souvenirs or take a leisurely stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you have a Bun Cha – a tasty dish of grilled pork and noodles originating in Hanoi.
Onward transfers
Today, you’ll make your own way to the airport to fly from Hanoi to Danang. Flights usually take about 90 minutes. On arrival you’ll find a private transfer waiting to take you the 45 minutes further south to Hoi An.
Classic Hoi An
Watch lanterns twinkle along the river and meet the local tailors in Hoi An, Vietnam’s most atmospheric town. A jumble of crumbling Chinese shop houses, artist studios and riverside restaurants, it’s crammed with charm. The pace is slow and the food is scrumptious. In recent years, Hoi An has become something of a national treasure with its day dreamy, timeless atmosphere.
During your stay you will be getting crafty making your own souvenirs from bamboo! You’ll be collected from your hotel in Hoi An and transferred the 20 minutes to the Bay Mau Coconut village where you’ll meet your teacher. This local family have been creating household items from bamboo for three generations and once they’ve shown you the ropes, it’s your turn to get creative. You’ll be supported along the way but what you create is up to you!
Onward transfers
We’ll arrange your transfer by private car from your Hoi An hotel back to Danang airport. Here you’ll board a quick 90 minute domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon.
Scooting through Saigon
Scoot through Saigon on a vintage Vespa, searching for hidden street food hotspots. Zip through the backstreets after dark, sample the best traditional snacks in the city and listen to live music as you sip on Vietnamese coffee. It’s a night tour and foodie adventure rolled into one. After all, Ho Chi Minh is a city that comes alive as night falls. You’ll stay in a comfy hotel near the central market.
Onward transfers
You’ll be picked up bright and early from your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and transferred to the Mekong Delta. It’s about 2.5 hours to the pier from where you’ll head out on the water.
A Taste of Life on the Mekong
Get a real glimpse of delta life as you leave the big city behind you and twist through the tiny waterways of the Mekong. Spend a night in the home of a local Vietnamese family and cycle along waterside paths. It’s the perfect way to learn how to cook those delicious delta specialities! Spend the night in Can Tho and the next morning rise early to discover the frenetic floating market at Cai Rang.
Onward transfers
You’ll return to Ho Chi Minh City by minibus where you’ll spend another night in the same hotel as before. The next day your time in Vietnam comes to an end and you’ll make your own way to Ho Chi Minh City Airport to begin your journey home.
More Vietnam itineraries
Pho the Love of Food
From 10 days / 9 nights (flexible)
Vietnam, Hanoi - Hue - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam with the Family: Culture, Crafts & Castaway Shores
From 13 days / 12 nights (flexible)
Vietnam, Hanoi - Bai Tu Long Bay - Hue - Hoi An - Nha Trang
Sapphire Seas and Towering Temples – Vietnam and Cambodia
From 15 days / 14 nights (flexible)
Vietnam, Hanoi - Bai Tu Long Bay - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap & Angkor Wat (also available in reverse!)
Tumbling Rice Paddies and Winding Waterways
From 18 days / 17 nights (flexible)
Vietnam, Hanoi - Bai Tu Long Bay - Mai Hich - Hue - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh City
A Taste of Vietnam
From 13 days / 12 nights (flexible)
Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta - Hoi An - Hanoi - Bai Tu Long Bay - Hanoi
From Magical Bays to the Emerald Island
From 15 days / 14 nights (flexible)
Vietnam, Hanoi - Bai Tu Long Bay - Hoi An - Lak Lake - Ho Chi Minh City - Phu Quoc
Recently Viewed
Please give us your consent to use cookies
We use cookies to ensure our website works, to give you an enhanced experience while browsing, and to enable us to use 3rd party tools that are connected to us. Read our Cookie Policy for more information.