Our Vietnam holiday was a delight and I am keen to describe it all with the aim of helping others who are just starting their research to plan their own visit. We travelled with our young teenagers, but here I am describing our itinerary with the aim of helping adults plan a Vietnam holiday.
When To Go
We travelled in December, and found the climate was good then. It was cool in Hanoi but not cold when we were there. Ho Chi Minh city was HOT, and humid too. We needed our lightest clothes and to drink plenty water.
Vietnam stretches over 1,000 kilometres from north to south, so there is considerable regional variety in climate. Generally speaking, the northern autumn, winter and spring — from September through to April — are the best times to visit. During this period the weather is cooler in the northern areas and there is less rain in the south. We will try either autumn or spring for our next Vietnam holiday.
NB The northern summer months are extremely hot and humid throughout the country, which makes the cooler season strongly preferable.
Planning Your Trip
Vietnam Paradise Travel, a Hanoi-based company, is the local travel company that we used to do for our trip. We described the sort of visit our group of four would like and they handled every logistical detail — booking hotels, internal flights, tour guides, all transfers and visits. Drivers were waiting at the airport on arrival in Hanoi, and after each internal flight.
Vietnam Paradise Travel consultants were very patient throughout the planning process as itinerary details were worked out, and their knowledge of the country is excellent. Itinerary ideas can be found on their website, after which it is simply a matter of emailing the office to discuss your specific needs.
I do love to find a good local company to use in the country I am visiting. I feel this gives a better and more authentic in-country experience, helps boost the local economy and, crucially for we Scottish-Aussies, they tend to be much better value than an Australia-based travel company.
In terms of accommodation, four-star hotels were used throughout this trip and were very comfortable. Some were much grander than we had expected.
A Two-Week Itinerary: From North to South
Our itinerary is described below. We spent two weeks travelling from Hanoi in the north down to Ho Chi Minh City in the south — a classic and deeply rewarding route through the country.
We were pretty busy most days, and we did two internal flights, but we did have the odd empty half day which I especially enjoyed. On this trip we did not do any train travel and that is something that I would definitely do next time.
Days 1–3: Hanoi
We flew into Hanoi and stayed for three nights. The Rex Hotel, right in the centre of the Old Quarter, is a comfortable and supremely well-located base — making it very easy to walk all over this fascinating area, by day and by night. There are little shops, cafes and restaurants, and street sellers around every corner, plus the buzzing motorbikes that are a constant feature of Vietnamese city life. From the roof of the hotel, Hoan Kiem Lake is visible — an easy and rewarding walk away.
Things to do in Hanoi:
Self-guided walking tour of the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake — the Old Quarter is one of the great urban neighbourhoods of Southeast Asia, a warren of ancient streets each historically associated with a particular trade. Hoan Kiem Lake, with its Thap Rua Tower and the Red Bridge, is a beautiful and peaceful counterpoint to the bustle of the surrounding streets. On Sundays, streets around the lake are cordoned off and given over to pedestrians and cyclists.
Cyclo tour of the Old Quarter — a very touristy thing to do, but for very good reason. A cyclo ride is enormous fun and covers a lot of ground efficiently, revealing corners of the Old Quarter that can then be explored on foot at leisure.
City tour — our guided day tour of Hanoi’s main historical sites was terrific, having a knowledgeable guide with his own stories about the places we visited was fascinating.
Sites included:
- The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum — a massive and imposing building where Ho Chi Minh’s embalmed body lies in state, which survived many bombing raids during the war. In sharp contrast, Ho Chi Minh chose to live in a very simple house on stilts, with plain wooden furniture — the contrast between the grand French Colonial Governor’s Palace nearby and Ho Chi Minh’s modest dwelling is striking.
- The One Pillar Pagoda
- The Ethnology Museum
- The Temple of Literature — a historic university of which most visitors know little before arriving, and which impresses enormously. The buildings are beautiful and the stories of thousands of years of learning that took place here are fascinating. A private guide is absolutely invaluable here.
- The Hanoi Hilton — the prison where American POWs were kept during the war, which also contains excellent and sobering exhibitions about the treatment of Vietnamese people during the French colonial period and the long, bloody history of this site.
Water Puppet Show — a uniquely Vietnamese art form performed in a beautiful colonial-era theatre, this is a must-see in Hanoi. Many different stories are acted out by the puppets, with plenty of action and humour, and it is magical for visitors of any age.
Shopping in the Old Quarter — there are dozens of little shops selling handicrafts, clothes, shoes and souvenirs, all at a fraction of the price you would pay elsewhere. Bargaining is part of the experience and well worth practising.
Days 4–5: Halong Bay
We were driven from Hanoi to i to Tuan Chau harbour — approximately three hours by road — and boarded an Alisa Cruise vessel for a two-night cruise. Alisa Cruises vessels are luxurious with spacious cabins featuring large bathrooms with spa baths and separate showers, private balconies and a wonderful upper deck for reading and taking in the extraordinary scenery. We were glad to do a two night cruise, one night would have felt too rushed for us.
Things to do at Halong Bay:
- Kayaking — offered twice during the two-night cruise, this is one of the great pleasures of the bay. Small tenders ferry passengers to floating pontoons among the islands, where everyone is fitted with lifejackets before setting off in kayaks. Paddling quietly through the towering limestone formations, with the chance of spotting wildlife including monkeys on some of the smaller islands, is an experience that stays with you.
- Titop Island — we climbed the steep steps to the lookout at the top for panoramic views over the surrounding islands, among the most striking in the entire bay. There is also a small beach and a netted swimming area at the base.
- Cua Van Floating Village — a fascinating floating community among the islands.
- Sung Sot Cave (Surprise Cave) — the largest cave system in the bay, reached via a steep climb up many steps on Bo Hon Island. The cave operates as a one-way route through vast chambers filled with spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. First entered by outsiders in 1901 and only recently a major tourist attraction, it feels remarkably untouched. Pathways are well-maintained, tourists are kept to specific walkways, and the lighting is thoughtfully done. This was very touristy with lots of visitors but the views were spectacular.
- Smaller, less-visited caves explored with a guide — requiring clambering under low entrances and navigating in near-darkness, a thrilling contrast to the polished main cave.
- Cooking class on board
- Squid fishing from the deck in the evenings
- Sunrise tai chi on deck
The food aboard is genuinely excellent and very generous, with great vegetarian options. The crew are jolly, attentive and helpful, and their English is good. On both evenings at anchor, the bay fills with the lights of dozens of other boats. Floating vendors sometimes paddle out to anchored ships — keep some local cash handy.
Halong Bay is FULL of tourists and tourist boats, there were often dozens moored alongside ours and they all look exactly the same. But still, the beauty of this amazing area with its craggy limestone islands was well worth it, busy as it is.
Days 6–9: Hoi An
We were driven back to to Hanoi airport, flew to Danang, then drove to Hoi An for four nights. The Laluna Hoi An Riverside Hotel and Spa is a particularly spacious and luxurious base, with excellent bathrooms. Hoi An — whose name translates as “Peaceful Meeting Place” — was a major trading port between the 15th and 19th centuries, its architecture showing Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and French colonial influences.
Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, often compared to Venice for its beauty and its popularity with tourists. The best time to walk around the ancient town and visit the old houses is in the morning, before tour groups arrive in the afternoons and evenings and take over the whole place.
Things to do in Hoi An:
Walking tour of the Ancient Town — our guide in Hoi An explained the layers of history in the architecture and the stories of the old merchant houses. The Japanese Bridge is a highlight, as are the colourful boats on the Thu Bon River, which are particularly busy and atmospheric in the evenings.
Hoi An Market — a wonderful, bustling market with extraordinarily fresh produce, noodles and local specialities. Yum!
Red Bridge Cooking School — we loved this half-day class that begins at the Hoi An food market, followed by a boat trip upriver to the cooking school. During the class, we cooked Hoi An pancakes, seafood salad, fresh rice paper rolls (including making the rice paper from scratch), noodles with chicken, and steamed fish on a bed of vegetables — then sat down and ate all of it! Absolutely excellent, and possibly the best meal of the entire trip.
Reaching Out Tea House — My favourite cafe in Hoi An! This lovely cafe in the Ancient Town is run by the deaf community, a perfect spot to sit and watch the world go by with a pot of tea.
Exploring the cafes of the Ancient Town — Hoi An is an excellent place simply to wander, sit, observe and soak up the atmosphere.
Have some clothes made – we got advice from our local guide as to which shops to go to and we had some of our favourite shirts and dresses copied with local fabric. Love it!
Days 10–13: Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon
We flew from Danang to Ho Chi Minh City (also widely known as Saigon, and often abbreviated to HCMC — the two names are largely interchangeable) and stayed for four nights at the Orchid Saigon Hotel. This vast, buzzing city was very hot and very humid, so we made sure not to rush around too much.
Having a dedicated guide for the time spent in and around HCMC was especially valuable here — hearing Vietnam’s history explained through the personal and family stories of our young local guide brought an immediacy and intimacy to the experience.
Things to do in Ho Chi Minh City:
Saigon city tour — highlights include the stunning French colonial Post Office, the 1960s Presidential Palace, and Ben Thanh Market. Lunch at a gorgeous colonial-era restaurant was a pleasure.
War Remnants Museum — a hard-hitting and deeply important museum with many graphic images of war. It is not for the faint-hearted, but for those who want to understand Vietnam’s 20th-century history it is essential. The reconstructed prisons — particularly the horrific “tiger cages” — are deeply disturbing. The sections on war crimes, on the long-lasting effects of Agent Orange, and on the Anti-War movements are all profoundly affecting.
The museum, combined with the Hanoi Hilton and the Chu Chi Tunnels, provided a comprehensive and sobering picture of both the French occupation of Vietnam and the American War that followed. After visiting, the ten-part Netflix documentary series “The Vietnam War” by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick — which examines the war from all angles, including many North Vietnamese perspectives — is highly recommended viewing.
Chu Chi Tunnels — about 70 kilometres from the centre of HCMC (roughly a two-hour drive depending on traffic), the tunnel complex is one of the most remarkable war memorials in the world. Only a small section of the hundreds of kilometres of tunnels is open to the public, but the displays showing the underground facilities that were built and used during the war are fascinating and sobering.
You can crawl through a section of the narrow tunnels, and there are exhibits of booby traps, weapons and underground living quarters. A welcome cup of pandanus tea and taro — a typical tunnel soldier’s meal — is served at the end. The fact that all of these tunnels were operational so close to Saigon, entirely without the knowledge of people living in the city, is astonishing.
Mekong Delta day trip — a labyrinth of rivers, floating markets and rural villages, the delta is best explored by sampan boat along its narrow waterways. There are farms to visit on the islands, a huge temple with impressive Buddha statues, and a glimpse of a way of life far removed from the city. It is excellent cycling country too. Note that this is a busy tourist route and this was probably my least favourite day of the trip. It was terribly hot and I probably needed a day off from being a tourist.
In Ho Chi Minh City, Hum Restaurant was a standout for vegetarians — pretty upmarket and really terrific plant-based food.
We did not do night food tour by Vespa in Ho Chi Minh City and I am still full of regret about that!!
Vietnamese Food
Honestly, I’d go on a Vietnam holiday just for the food. It is so yum, fresh and light and delicious, and plentiful! Dn’t take my word for it, check out some photos!!
What To Do Next Time
Another Vietnam holiday is definitely on the cards for us, and ideally for longer than two weeks. I’m jotting down my ideas for where to visit net here:
- Sapa — in the north, for mountain trekking through stunning highland scenery
- Phu Quoc — a beautiful island in the south
- Hue — the former imperial capital, rich in history and architecture
- Dalat — a cool highland city with a distinctive French colonial character
- Ninh Binh — sometimes called “Halong Bay on land,” with dramatic karst scenery and scenic boat trips through cave systems
- Deeper Mekong Delta — spending several days cruising further into the delta, away from the main tourist routes
Books To Read On Your Vietnam Holiday
Hope that this helps as you plan for your Vietnam holiday!
