Vietnam Grand Triangle: Hanoi, Halong Bay & Hoi An
Lantern old towns, an overnight luxury cruise and the best street food per rupee in Asia.
Starting From
₹46,500
per person · land package
Duration
7 Nights / 8 Days
International
Hotel Category
4★ boutique + 1 night cruise cabin
Ideal For
Family · Couple · Honeymoon · Friends
Why this itinerary is designed this way
Vietnam is the single best value long-haul-style trip Indians can buy right now: visa on arrival (e-visa), 4-star hotels at 3-star prices and food that costs less than a Mumbai dinner. This route flies into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City so you never backtrack — north for the karsts and cool weather, centre for Hoi An's lantern lanes, south for the Mekong and nightlife.
✔ 1 night on a Halong Bay overnight cruise with kayaking in Sung Sot cave area
✔ Hoi An Ancient Town lantern walk + tailored clothes fitting in 24 hours
✔ Ba Na Hills Golden Bridge cable car (skip-the-line tickets included)
✔ Mekong Delta day trip with sampan rowing boat through coconut canals
✔ Old Quarter street food crawl: bun cha, banh mi, egg coffee
Best route & how to travel it
✅ Direct flight from Delhi/Mumbai when available, else 1-stop via Bangkok
Entering the north first keeps the itinerary linear: Hanoi → Halong → Da Nang → HCMC.
Alternative: Enter Ho Chi Minh City and reverse the route — cheaper in Dec–Jan.
✅ Private van on the Hanoi–Hai Phong expressway
Cheaper than a seaplane and far more comfortable than a shared minibus with 11 stops.
Alternative: Seaplane from Hanoi (USD 180 pp) — spectacular but only worth it as a splurge.
✅ Fly (Vietnam Airlines / Vietjet)
The 16-hour Reunification Express train is romantic but burns a full day each way.
Alternative: Overnight sleeper train for a bucket-list experience if you have a spare day.
✅ Flight (1 hr 25 min)
Trains take 16+ hrs; the flight costs less than two nice dinners.
Alternative: Sleeper bus for backpacker budgets, not recommended with family.
🚕 Transport Playbook
Use Grab everywhere
Vietnam's ride-hailing app is the safest way to avoid taxi-meter scams. A 15-min Old Quarter ride is about INR 150.
Private car > group tour for families
A private 7-seater with driver costs INR 4,000–5,500 per day including fuel. Split four ways it beats a bus tour.
Avoid unlicensed motorbike taxis
If you must ride a bike, only use Grab Bike with a helmet and fixed app fare.
Domestic flights: carry-on matters
Vietjet charges for everything. Pre-purchase 20 kg checked baggage online — it is 3x dearer at the counter.
Day-wise itinerary
-
D1 Hanoi Arrive Hanoi — Old Quarter on foot
Land at Noi Bai (HAN), transfer 45 min to the Old Quarter, then an easy walking orientation so jet lag does not eat a day.
- Airport pickup in a private sedan (fixed price, no meter)
- Hoan Kiem Lake loop + Ngoc Son Temple
- Evening egg coffee at Cafe Giang and Train Street viewing (from the permitted viewpoint)
Agent tip · Book a hotel inside the Old Quarter — taxis are cheap but Hanoi traffic eats 30 min per ride.
-
D2 Hanoi → Halong Bay Hanoi city + overnight cruise boarding
Morning temple-of-literature and Ho Chi Minh complex, then the 2.5 hour highway drive to Halong for your overnight junk boat.
- Temple of Literature + Hoan Kiem walking tour (morning)
- Drive to Halong Bay with a rest stop (expressway, 2.5 hrs)
- Board 4★ cruise: sunset happy hour on the top deck, squid fishing after dinner
Agent tip · Do not book a day cruise — Halong deserves the night. Kayaking at 6am is the whole point.
-
D3 Halong Bay → Da Nang Halong Bay caves, kayaking + fly to Da Nang
Early tai-chi, Sung Sot cave and kayaking, brunch on board while cruising back, then an evening flight to Da Nang.
- Sung Sot (Surprise) Cave + Ti Top island viewpoint
- Kayak or bamboo boat through the lagoon
- Evening flight Hanoi/Halong gateway → Da Nang (1 hr 20 min)
Agent tip · Keep 2 hours buffer between cruise drop and take-off — Halong traffic can be slow on weekends.
-
D4 Da Nang / Hoi An Ba Na Hills Golden Bridge + Hoi An lantern night
Cable car up Ba Na Hills early (crowds arrive 10am), then Hoi An for the famous lantern-lit old town evening.
- Ba Na Hills cable car, Golden Bridge, French Village + alpine coaster
- Transfer to Hoi An (45 min)
- Hoi An Ancient Town: Japanese Covered Bridge, tailor fitting, lantern boat ride (USD 5)
Agent tip · Ba Na Hills is cold even in summer — carry a light jacket for the kids.
-
D5 Hoi An Hoi An free day — coconut village or My Son
A deliberately light day. Pick basket-boat riding in Cam Thanh, My Son Cham ruins, or simply pool + spa + tailoring.
- Morning basket boat ride in Cam Thanh coconut forest
- Cooking class with market tour (great with kids)
- Sunset at An Bang Beach
Agent tip · Get clothes stitched on day 5, not the last day — you need one fitting in between.
-
D6 Ho Chi Minh City Fly to Ho Chi Minh City + night food tour
Short morning flight to Saigon, Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum, then a scooter street-food tour.
- Flight Da Nang → Ho Chi Minh City (1 hr 25 min)
- Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office, Ben Thanh market
- Evening Vespa/scooter street food tour (best USD 40 you will spend)
Agent tip · Ask for District 1 or Ben Thanh side hotels. District 7 is cheaper but 40 min from everything.
-
D7 Ho Chi Minh City Mekong Delta day trip
Full-day Mekong with My Tho and Ben Tre: sampan canals, coconut candy workshop, honey tea and a river lunch.
- Drive to My Tho (1 hr 45 min)
- Sampan rowing boat through Thoi Son canals
- Lion-plastic-free local lunch + Vinh Trang Pagoda on the way back
Agent tip · Skip Cu Chi Tunnels with elderly travellers or small kids — it is 2 hrs each way on rough roads.
-
D8 Ho Chi Minh City → India Souvenir run + fly home
Late checkout, last-minute coffee and dried-fruit shopping, airport drop 3 hours before departure.
- Cau Ong Lanh / Ben Thanh souvenir shopping
- Airport drop from hotel (30 min)
Agent tip · Vietnamese coffee beans and cashew nuts are the cheapest good gifts — declare nothing questionable.
Food guide · what to eat
🍲 Pho Bo
Beef noodle broth — breakfast of the country, INR 150 a bowl.
🍲 Bun Cha
Hanoi grilled pork with noodles (Obama's pick).
🍲 Banh Mi
Baguette sandwich, INR 90 — the best cheap lunch.
🍲 Banh Xeo
Crispy turmeric crepe, wraps and dips.
🍲 Egg Coffee
Hanoi specialty — sweet, custard-topped.
Indian food availability
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City both have solid Indian restaurants (Dalat Barbeque, Baba's Kitchen, Namaste Hanoi). Da Nang/Hoi An has fewer — plan 2 Indian dinners there.
Vegetarian / Jain note
Vegetarian food is easy if you say 'an chay' (vegetarian). Ask for 'khong nuoc mam' — no fish sauce.
Daily food budget
INR 1,200 – 2,000 per person per day (street food + one sit-down meal).
What to avoid
- Do not exchange INR at the airport counter — rates are 6–8% worse. Withdraw VND from a bank ATM or carry USD.
- Never agree to a taxi without a meter or app fare; 'fixed price' tours sold on the street inflate 3x.
- Avoid drinking tap water or ice in rural homestays; bottled water is INR 20 a bottle.
- Tet (Vietnamese New Year, usually late Jan–mid Feb) shuts family-run restaurants and doubles train ticket prices.
- Motorbike self-rental without an IDP voids insurance and police fines are common in Da Nang.
What is included
- 7 nights accommodation (4★ hotels + 1 cruise night)
- Daily breakfast + 4 listed meals
- All airport and inter-city private transfers
- Halong Bay overnight cruise with kayaking
- Ba Na Hills cable car + Golden Bridge tickets
- Mekong Delta full-day tour with lunch
- English-speaking guide on sightseeing days
- All applicable hotel taxes and service charges
Not included
- International airfare (add-on shown in the calculator)
- Vietnam e-visa fee (approx USD 25 per person)
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended, from INR 900)
- Personal expenses, tips, laundry, mini-bar
- Anything not mentioned in inclusions