Vietnam · Hanoi · Hội An · Ho Chi Minh
Vietnam Coast to Coast
Street-food crawls in Hanoi, tailor-shop afternoons in Hội An, and Mekong river days — a north-to-south journey by train and boat.
Twelve nights down the length of Vietnam, moving deliberately overland whenever the geography rewards it. You start in the dense Old Quarter of Hanoi, sail out on a quiet junk in Lan Ha bay (Ha Long's less-trafficked southern cousin), take the night train down to Hué, drive the Hai Van pass into Hội An, fly the long leg from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, and finish with two unhurried nights in the Mekong Delta.
The country looks very different from the front of a slow boat than it does from a tour-bus window. So this itinerary uses small craft wherever possible — a sampan into the Tam Cốc karsts, a junk in Lan Ha, a sampan on the Thu Bồn around Hội An, and a row-boat through the Mekong's coconut channels.
Food is half the trip. You'll do two structured food walks (Hanoi Old Quarter, Hội An night market) and have at least four other meals with local hosts: a cooking-class lunch in Hội An, a homestay dinner near Tam Cốc, a riverside seafood dinner in Hué, and a Mekong family lunch in the delta.
The pace is medium-active: you'll average 6,000 steps a day with two longer cycle outings (Hội An countryside, Tam Cốc). Everything is private, including the junk in Lan Ha (no shared boats) and the cooking class.
Your itinerary
13 days
- 01
Arrival in Hanoi
Met at Noi Bai airport and transferred into the Old Quarter. The afternoon is yours — your guide checks in around dinner for an evening orientation.
TransportPrivate airport transfer Hanoi (~50 min)
AccommodationCapella Hanoi — opera-quarter heritage hotel
ActivityOld Quarter evening walk
Ninety minutes through the 36 craft streets with stops for egg coffee and a beer-hall corner.
- 02
Hanoi street-food day
A six-stop morning food walk, an afternoon at the Ethnology Museum, and a water-puppet show after dinner.
ActivityOld Quarter street-food walk
Pho, bun cha, banh cuon, cha ca, banh mi, and the egg-coffee originator. About 3.5 hours, ending around 1pm.
ActivityMuseum of Ethnology
ActivityThăng Long water-puppet show (evening)
AccommodationCapella Hanoi
- 03
Drive to Lan Ha bay
Three-hour transfer to the coast and embarkation on your private junk for the night.
TransportPrivate transfer Hanoi → Got pier (~3h)
AccommodationHeritage Bình Chuẩn — private 6-cabin junk
Boutique replica of a 1930s steam-junk. Two-night option also available if you want to slow down further.
ActivityKayaking around a floating fishing village
- 04
Lan Ha morning and return to Hanoi for the night train
Sunrise tai-chi on deck, a slow breakfast, and a leisurely return to land. Late dinner in Hanoi before boarding the night train.
ActivitySunrise tai-chi and cave kayak
TransportJunk → Hanoi (~3h), then night train SE3 to Hué
Soft-sleeper four-berth cabin, private to your party.
- 05
Hué — the old imperial city
Arrive Hué at dawn, sleep an hour at the hotel, and spend the morning in the Imperial Citadel. Afternoon at the royal tombs.
TransportNight train arrival Hué (06:00)
ActivityImperial Citadel half-day
ActivityTomb of Minh Mạng (Perfume river afternoon)
AccommodationAzerai La Residence — colonial Art Deco hotel
- 06
Drive Hai Van pass to Hội An
Iconic coastal drive over the Hai Van pass with stops at Lang Co bay and Marble Mountain.
TransportHué → Hội An via Hai Van (~4h with stops)
AccommodationAnantara Hội An — riverside resort just outside the old town
- 07
Hội An cooking class and old town
Cycle to the market, learn to make four central-Vietnam dishes, then a long lunch with your teacher's family.
ActivityCooking class with market tour
Cao lầu, banh xeo, fresh spring rolls, and a green papaya salad. The teacher is a third-generation cook.
ActivityOld town walking tour and lantern crossing
AccommodationAnantara Hội An
- 08
Hội An countryside cycle and tailor consultation
Morning cycle through rice paddies and a herb-growing village. Free afternoon for the optional tailor consultation.
ActivityTra Que herb village cycle
20 km easy ride with a stop at a 200-year-old well and an organic herb cooperative.
ActivityTailor consultation (optional, free)
A 30-minute appointment with a vetted tailor — no obligation to order anything.
AccommodationAnantara Hội An
- 09
Hội An rest day or My Son ruins
Choose between a slow day at the resort and a half-day to the Cham ruins of My Son.
ActivityOption A: My Son Cham ruins (half-day)
ActivityOption B: Resort day + sampan sunset cruise
AccommodationAnantara Hội An
- 10
Fly south to Ho Chi Minh City
Short flight from Da Nang to Saigon, with a guided introduction to the city's districts in the afternoon.
TransportDa Nang → Saigon (1h 20 flight, included)
ActivityDistrict 1 and Saigon Central Post Office orientation
AccommodationThe Reverie Saigon — luxury high-rise downtown
- 11
Mekong Delta — Bến Tre and the coconut channels
Drive to Bến Tre, transfer to a row-boat through the narrow coconut-palm channels, and lunch with a family.
TransportSaigon → Bến Tre (~2h)
ActivityRow-boat through coconut channels
Forty minutes in a 4-person sampan rowed by a Mekong woman — through tunnels of palm so dense the daylight goes green.
ActivityMekong family lunch
AccommodationMekong Riverside Boutique Resort — riverside bungalow
- 12
Floating market sunrise and return to Saigon
Pre-dawn departure for Cai Rang floating market, then return to Saigon for a closing dinner.
ActivityCai Rang floating market at sunrise
TransportReturn to Saigon (~3h)
ActivityClosing dinner at Anan Saigon
Chef Peter Cuong Franklin's market-driven tasting menu in a 19th-century shophouse.
AccommodationThe Reverie Saigon
- 13
Departure
Free morning. Private transfer to Tan Son Nhat airport for departure.
TransportPrivate transfer to SGN airport
What's included
- All accommodation (12 nights, mix of design hotels, junk, homestay, river bungalow)
- All internal transfers, trains, and the Da Nang → Saigon flight
- Daily breakfast, 4 lunches, 5 dinners
- Hanoi street-food walk and Hội An night-market walk
- Private overnight junk in Lan Ha bay
- Mekong row-boat day from Bến Tre
- Hội An cooking class with market tour
Not included
- International flights to Hanoi (HAN) and from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
- Travel insurance and Vietnam e-visa fees
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Optional Hội An tailor consultation (free) and made-to-measure pieces
- Tips and personal expenses
Best time to visit
Plan this trip
Tell us a few details and the agency behind Vietnam Coast to Coast will reach out within 48 hours with a tailored proposal. No commitment.