15 Days Vietnam In-depth Tour from South to North

Places You’ll Visit

Tour Overview

Itinerary

What’s Included

15-Day Vietnam Highlight Tour

Duration

15 Days | 14 Nights

Destinations

Vietnam

Travel Type

Private | Customizable

Places You’ll Visit

Tour Overview

This half-month insightful tour will take you to discover Vietnam’s impressive mix of history and natural scenery. Start a tour of numerous French landmarks in Ho Chi Minh, then take a boat ride on the Mekong River to catch the floating markets at their busiest. Then head to the ancient capital of the three dynasties, Hue, for an exploration of historical sites, followed by the World Heritage town of Hoi An to admire the Japanese and Chinese-style halls and temples.

Continue your journey north to Hanoi and Sapa, where you will discover the most authentic Vietnamese culture. Finally, feast your eye on the endless emerald sea of Halong Bay with oddly-shaped limestone peaks.

Highlights of This Tour

Visit some landmarks of Ho Chi Minhincluding the Reunification Palace, War Remnants Museum, and Center Post Office.
Catch a glimpse of the busiest moments of the Cai RangFloating Market in the Mekong Delta.
Explore Sapa on foot, a town high in the mountains, where you can experience the most pristine ethnic customs and beautiful terraced fields.
Have a historical exploration of sites in Hue, the ancient capital of the three dynasties.
Watch Vietnam’s most distinctive traditional folk stage show in Hanoi – Water Puppet Show.
Enjoy a leisure cruise to marvel at the stunning view of the world-famous Halong Bay.

Itinerary

Hope you have a great time on our 15-day in-depth tour of Vietnam! When you land at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, a local driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the time is yours.

Known as the “Little Paris of the East”, Ho Chi Minh City has a strong French flavor. Explore the city’s rich nightlife on your own.

Meal: N/A

Accommodation: Ho Chi Minh

Today, drive out of the downtown area to the Cu Chi Tunnels, once a system of underground battle tunnels dug by villagers and soldiers for Vietnam to resist French rule. You will experience crawling through the tunnels and gaining insight into the resilient national character of the Vietnamese through war stories.

Cu Chi Tunnels in Ho Chi Minh — Cu Chi Tunnels

After that, you will be transferred back to the city to visit some landmarks, including the Center Post Office, Reunification Palace, and War Remnants Museum.

Then wander around Ben Thanh Market and Dong Khoi Street to discover some traditional local crafts, fashionable clothes, delicious restaurants…

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Ho Chi Minh

After breakfast, your driver and guide will pick you up in the hotel lobby and transfer you to My Tho, a small town in the Mekong Delta known for its fruitfulness, where you will take a boat trip to visit the local Fish Market and four interesting islands.

Then disembark for a drive through an idyllic village where you will visit a local family and taste homemade honey tea. After the visit, continue your boat trip on the Mekong River to enjoy the scenery on both sides. Return to the pier at My Tho and transfer to Can Tho for an overnight stay.

Can Tho is the largest city in the Mekong Delta, rich in fish and fruits. You can buy local tropical fruits for tasting on your own.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Can Tho

Today, start an interesting trip to the floating market. Take a boat ride along the canal to Cai Rang Floating Market, where you will be surprised at how crowded and lively this market is. Feed your sight on hundreds of boats loaded with the freshest tropical fruits like mango, papaya, jackfruit, and rambutan. Finish the morning tour at Bun Tau Noodle Factory.

Vietnam Cai Rang Floating Market — Floating Market in Cai Be

After lunch, your driver will escort you back to Ho Chi Minh for your flight to Hue. Upon landing, a private driver will meet you and transfer you to your local hotel to check in. The rest of the day is free to explore the ancient capital known for its historic sites.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Hue

The imposing Minh Mang Tomb is your first stop. Situated on the edge of the Perfume River, it is more of a royal garden than a mausoleum. Afterwards, take a boat ride up the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, a famous 400-year-old temple in Vietnam that once housed 32 golden statues of Buddha, all of which were stolen during the French occupation.

Then, come to the highlight of the day – the Imperial City, a scaled-down version of Beijing’s Forbidden City that looks rather grand. After that, wander around the Dong Ba Market – Hue’s shopping paradise, selling everything from souvenirs to bronze wares to desserts.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Hue

After breakfast, pack your luggage and depart for Hoi An. Pass over Hai Van Pass and arrive at Da Nang, enjoying the fine white sand at Non Nuoc Beach and visiting Cham Museum & Marble Mountain. We will arrive in Hoi An in the evening. After checking into the hotel, you are free to explore the town illuminated by lanterns of all colors and shapes.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Hoi An

Hoi An is an ancient town for spiritual relaxation. From the 15th to 19th centuries, it was the most prosperous trading port in Southeast Asia. Today, Hoi An is a quaint riverside town scattered with well-preserved Chinese-style buildings.

Stroll through the yellow-dominated ancient town while traveling in the long river of history. Freeze your beautiful memories by taking pictures of exquisite Japanese Covered Bridge, well-preserved French architecture, Chinese god’s temples, and former houses of Vietnamese traders.

Vietnam Hoi An Japanese Covered Bridge — Japanese Covered Bridge

Continue your tour with a visit to a craftsman’s workshop and learn to make a paper lantern by hand.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hoi An

After breakfast, take a guided tour to My Son Sanctuary, which was built in 500 AD and is the heart of a Hindu kingdom that ruled central and southern Vietnam for 14 centuries.

Vietnam My Son Sanctuary — My Son Sanctuary

After lunch, you will be transported back to Da Nang where you will catch a flight north to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. Upon arrival, your guide will pick you up and take you to your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Hanoi

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is an ancient city rich in historical relics, and today you will be taken on an in-depth discovery of the city’s past glory.

After breakfast, have a simple exploration of some major attractions in the city center, including Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House, One Pillar Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda, and Quan Thanh Temple.

In the afternoon, your guide will lead you to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, which shows visitors the customs of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam through different categories of artifacts such as clothes, musical instruments, jewelry, weapons, etc.

After a leisurely rickshaw ride (1 hour) through Hanoi Old Quarter, take a walk around Hoan Kiem Lake. Finally, visit Ngoc Son Temple and watch the wonderful Water Puppet Show – the most distinctive traditional folk stage show in Vietnam.

Meal: Breakfast

Accommodation: Hanoi

In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to Sapa. The entire trip takes about 5 hours, during which we stop at several places to rest and take pictures of nature. Upon arrival, check in to your hotel with the help of your guide.

After a short rest, you will proceed to Silver Waterfall. The silvery water pours down from a fantastic height, splashing and roaring, stirring up waves of white foams, which is quite refreshing. Then, drive to the highest peak of the Vietnam Highway, Heaven Pass over 2,000 meters above sea level to capture the spectacular natural scenery of Lai Chau Valley & Fanxipan Mountain.

Meal: Breakfast

Accommodation: Sapa

Silver Waterfall Sapa — Silver Waterfall

In the morning, take a walking tour to a lively local market where you will witness many ethnic minorities from the surrounding villages selling a variety of exquisite handicrafts, silverware, and more.

Afterwards, you will embark on a 3-hour trek along the beautiful terraced rice fields with magnificent views of the mountains, culminating in Lao Chai and Ta Van Village, home of the Black H’mong and the Day people. Visit several local families to learn about the unique living habits and cultural customs of these ethnic groups. At the end of the day, drive back to Sapa for the night.

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Sapa

Sapa Ta Van Village — Hike to Ta Van Village

In the morning, visit Ma Tra Village, home to the H’mong people, who survive by forging farming tools, carving silver, and making silk and other crafts.

Then proceed to Ta Phin Village in the valley, Sapa’s most famous ecotourism site, surrounded by spectacular mountains and rice terraces. Take a hike of about 3 hours to enjoy the beautiful idyllic scenery. After lunch in the village, return to Hanoi.

Meal: Breakfast & Lunch

Accommodation: Hanoi

Drive about 3 hours to the pier to board a cruise ship and sail into Bai Tu Long Bay, a part of Halong Bay, a World Heritage Site endowed with breathtaking natural beauty. We are going on a 24-hour Halong Bay cruise.

Our first visit along the way is to Vong Vieng Fishing Village, a wealthy village famous for its pearl farming. Admire the high green limestone islands surrounding the village and encounter endemic birdlife such as bald eagles and seagulls. Continue your voyage on the emerald green water and stop at a secluded cove to dive, swim, or take a caving adventure in a kayak. (Routes and activities vary according to weather and season)

After enjoying dinner, feel the gentle sea breeze on the deck. You will spend a comfortable night on the cruise ship.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: On Board

Get up early to take photos of the amazing sunrise over the sea from the top deck. Your Halong Bay cruise comes to an end after a bumper brunch.

Your driver from the pier will escort you back to Hanoi. The rest of the day is free for you to explore this charming old town.

Meal: Brunch

Accommodation: Hanoi