9 Day Vietnam Tour: South to North with Authentic Adventures

Included, Not Included and Paid on the Day

The price buys a tour guide, private room accommodation, all entrance fees for the included sights, breakfasts, lunches on five days and the cruise dinner, plus the activities in the itinerary and domestic flights as stated. What is not included is tips, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, personal expenses and the Cu Chi shooting range fee. Hotels are not named, so you book without knowing the property. No single supplement amount is stated, and no hotel upgrade option is offered on this listing.

One contradiction to settle before you pay: the inclusions list "domestic flight" in the singular, while the itinerary flies Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang on day 4 and Da Nang to Hanoi on day 6. Ask the operator to confirm in writing that both flights are in the $999. If either flight were your own cost, a fare would add a meaningful sum to the trip, so this is the single most important check on this listing.

Days 1 to 3: Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi and the Delta

Day 1 is arrival only. A guide and driver meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel, with the room available from 2:00 PM and the rest of the day free. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 2 is the city and the tunnels. The listing gives 60 minutes each at Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and Saigon Central Post Office, then the War Remnants Museum, with breakfast and lunch included. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City again.

Day 3 goes to Ben Tre in the Mekong Delta. The itinerary states lunch at 12:00 followed by a long block of boat rides along narrow canals, a coconut candy and rice paper workshop visit, traditional music at Tan Phong island, a cooking demonstration and a cycling tour of about 30 minutes around the village. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City, your third night there.

Days 4 to 6: Flights and Ba Na Hills

Day 4 you are transferred to the airport for the short flight to Da Nang, a two-hour airport block in the itinerary. On arrival a guide picks you up and takes you to the hotel. Meals are on your own. Overnight in Da Nang.

Day 5 starts with a 9:00 AM hotel pickup and a 35 km transfer to Ba Na Hills. You ride the cable car to the station, stop at the Golden Bridge and the old French villas, continue to the top of the Nui Chua range, ride the funicular to the Debay Wine Cellar and the Le Jardin D'amour flower garden, then have a buffet lunch. The afternoon is free for Fantasy Park's indoor games or exploring alone, and the listing schedules the return to the hotel for 3:00 PM. Overnight in Da Nang.

Day 6 is free until the airport transfer and the flight to Hanoi, another two-hour airport block. A guide and driver meet you and take you to the hotel. Meals are on your own. Overnight in Hanoi.

Days 7 to 9: Cruise and Home

Day 7 you are picked up from Hanoi's Old Quarter between 8:00 and 8:30, reaching Tuan Chau port at 11:30. A transfer boat takes you to the cruise, with a welcome drink and check-in, lunch at 12:30, then cruising through the Gia Luan area, Thoi Quyt island, Ke Ga and Finger islands. At 4:00 PM you kayak and swim at Tra Bau. Dinner, a sunset party and the night are on the boat.

Day 8 starts early: Tai Chi on the sundeck at 6:15, breakfast 7:00 to 7:45, more kayaking or swimming at Tra Bau, cabin check-out at 9:30, brunch on board at 10:30, then disembark at Tuan Chau between 11:30 and 12:00. A private car drives you back to Hanoi, arriving at the hotel around 5:00 PM after a long road leg. The evening is free.

Day 9 you are transferred to the airport without a tour guide for your departure flight, and the tour ends there. Breakfast is the last included meal.

Check These Points Before You Commit

If you want Sapa or the northern mountains, this tour skips them entirely. The 10-day north to south tour from the same operator runs the reverse direction and adds Sapa and Hoi An for $1,099 per person. If nine days feels tight for the whole country, the 14-day Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City tour adds Ninh Binh, Sapa, Hoi An and Hue for $1,544 per person, though it is non-refundable once booked.

If budget rules, the 7-day Vietnam package tour starts at $450 per person and covers Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Ba Na Hills and Hoi An, though it excludes the Hanoi to Da Nang flight ticket. If you only want the south, the 6-day South Vietnam and island tour ends on Phu Quoc.

The practical limits here: dinner is included only on day 7, so you fund the other dinners yourself. Day 8 means a 6:15 AM start and a road leg back to Hanoi lasting into the late afternoon. Day 9's airport transfer has no guide, so leave plenty of margin for the flight. Hotels are not named before booking, and the tour can be cancelled for bad weather, so travel insurance on the cruise days is sensible. Groups run up to 10, not private, and wheelchair access is listed including the transportation.

Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City

You fly into Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN), which handles nearly half of Vietnam's international arrivals. Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam, with about 14 million people. The listing's own pickup has a guide and driver meeting you at the airport, so you do not need a transfer booking on day 1, but the pickup time is not stated and your room is only ready from 2:00 PM. Physical SIM cards require passport registration, and kiosks in the arrivals hall at Tan Son Nhat open for every flight, with a 30-day tourist SIM costing about 150,000 to 200,000 VND in a city store and 250,000 to 300,000 VND at the airport.

Many nationalities need a visa. The Vietnam e-visa allows single or multiple entry with a stay of up to 90 days and costs US$25 for single entry or US$50 for multiple entry, and it is available to citizens of all countries. Sort it before you fly.

What the Tour Skips and How to Fill It

The itinerary gives you free evenings in Ho Chi Minh City on days 1 to 3 and in Hanoi on day 6 and day 8, all without dinner included. In Hanoi, the Temple of Literature lists 70,000 VND for adults on Vietnam Tourism's 2026 page while older sites show 30,000 VND, opens 8:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:30, and children under 15 enter free. Street food is cheap, with a banh mi at 12,000 to 25,000 VND and noodle soup at 20,000 to 35,000 VND for meat versions.

Two places this route never reaches are Ninh Binh and Hoi An. If either matters to you, look at the comparison on Vietnam travel packages before choosing, since other routes include them. The Hoi An Ancient Town was listed by UNESCO in 1999 and sits about 28 km south of Da Nang, a possible add-on if you extend your stay in Da Nang. For planning the shape of a longer trip, see the Vietnam itinerary guide, and for picking your month see the best time to visit Vietnam.