Footprint Vietnam demo_phone
Cyclists riding a rural road between rice fields in Vietnam
TRIP STYLES

Six ways to travel Vietnam

Most people arrive knowing roughly how they like to travel and not which places suit it. This page maps one to the other.

Classic routes

The country end to end, at a pace that leaves time to sit down. These are the trips for a first visit, and the ones we most often rebuild around a specific family.

Trekking

Vietnam's walking is village-to-village rather than wilderness: you cross farmland, forest and terraces, and you sleep in houses. Pu Luong is the best introduction; Sapa and the far north-west go higher and harder.

Cycling

The Mekong Delta and the countryside around Hoi An and Hue are the best riding in the country: flat, quiet and full of reasons to stop. Every riding day carries a support vehicle.

Food and culture

Cooking classes in family kitchens, craft villages that still work, and market mornings that start before the tour groups. This is the strand most travellers wish they had booked more of.

Family travel

Shorter drives, bigger gaps, and activities children actually want to do. We assign the guides who are good with children, which is a different skill from knowing dynastic history.

Caves and expeditions

Quang Binh holds some of the largest cave passages on earth. The Tu Lan system is where you can swim into one, camp in another and come out muddy.

Not sure which fits?

Describe the trip you want in your own words — including what you do not want to do. We will suggest a route rather than sell you the nearest package.

Frequently asked questions

Can we combine two styles?
That is what most of our trips are. A common shape is a week of classic sightseeing followed by four days of trekking or cycling, then a beach.
How hard are the active trips?
Each tour page states the daily distance, the hours on foot or on the bike, and where the shorter alternative is. Nothing we run requires technical skill.
Do you run fixed group departures?
Rarely. Almost everything is private, which usually costs a little more for two people and much less for four or more.
What if the group has different fitness levels?
We plan parallel days: some of the group walks, the rest visit a village or a market and everyone meets for lunch. Say so at the enquiry stage.

See also