Most travellers treat Vietnam as a checklist: five cities, top to toe, in order. We’ve spent over a decade veering off that route, making time for everyday moments and letting you in on her secrets.
Experience it with people who take you through doors most never knock on. Like Mrs Thao, whose food tour in Hanoi’s Old Quarter weaves through street stalls into a family’s tube house; peanuts sizzling over a wok in a cloud of herbal smoke. And Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thọ, Vice Chairman of the Huế Calligraphy Club, who sits with you and illustrates the art of Thư Pháp. Or Ms Gong, nicknamed Z-Gong in the art world, who takes you through the evolution of Saigon’s art scene from Indochine to contemporary pieces, gallery by gallery.
Expect to visit one of Hue’s last surviving garden houses, in Kim Long, where wooden nhà rường still stand after decades most others didn’t survive. Ask us about Ha Long Bay and we’ll point you towards Bai Tu Long instead, where the same karsts rise without the same queue of boats. Skip Sapa for Mai Chau; similar mountainous valley scenery, blissfully free from overcommercialisation.
Made possible by our years spent travelling here building relationships and our local team who are the definition of insiders since 2006.
We design trips you wouldn’t have known to ask us for.
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In Our Travellers’ Words
Cultural Discovery from Vietnam to Cambodia
Unforgettable Vietnam Memories
An Epic Adventure Across Southeast Asia
Our Unique Holidays in Vietnam
Relaxing, immersive, life-affirming adventures that show you the best of the destination. Packed with experiences that connect you to the country and are kind to its people and environment.
Here are some ideas to spark your curiosity…
How We Plan Vietnam
Vietnam is long, layered and too often rushed along the same familiar route. The country rewards a more considered approach:
Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) and the Mekong Delta make a natural pairing, but most do the Delta as a day trip. We spend two nights in Cai Be, getting you deeper into life here.
Central Vietnam for Hoi An‘s lantern-lit streets and cooking classes, slowly exploring Hue‘s imperial history and garden houses, and the coastal journey riding pillion on a Vespa.
Hanoi deserves proper exploration. Rise early for the flower markets, then stroll the lake as locals practise t’ai chi and badminton in the street. Discover the Old Quarter’s labyrinthine alleyways, sip Vietnamese coffee and dive into the city’s extraordinary street food with a great guide.
We also favour lesser-seen rural areas. We weave in the Central Highlands to differ from the standard itinerary to unhurried spots like Lak Lake. We choose Phong Nha over Halong Bay for its cave systems, jungle and river landscapes. And rather than Sapa, we head to Mai Chau or Phu Luong: still breathtakingly beautiful but quieter and less touristy.
For Vietnam without the formula, explore our Classic Holidays.
Explore Experiences in Vietnam
Immersive experiences sit at the heart of ETG. Each one is specially designed to confound preconceptions and share magical, memorable, and truly exceptional moments.
Meet Our Experts
After living in Hanoi while teaching English and making the most of her free time exploring the countryside, Chione knows the country inside out. From the capital’s hidden street food gems to the best boutique stays in Hoi An, she helps travellers experience Vietnam beyond the obvious.
“You’ve got to try bánh mì when in Vietnam – they’re so good I pretty much had one every day when I lived in Hanoi! And the bánh xèo in the Mekong Delta? Crispy, delicious, and wrapped in fresh herbs.”
Chione Armstrong
Vietnam Specialist
Vietnam's Hotels, Chosen In-House
Plenty of polished, highly rated hotels in Vietnam don’t make the cut for our collection. The ones that do have something special: a proper sense of place, a distinct atmosphere, and hosts who are genuinely glad you came. Some are grand, some are simple, but they all have enough character to stick in your memory. Here are the hotels we keep coming back to, alongside a few off-the-beaten-path finds you’d be hard-pressed to find by yourself.
The Curious Traveller’s Expert Guide to Vietnam
Intrigued? The Curious Traveller’s Guide to Vietnam is our experts’ edit of hotels, experiences and holiday tips. Get your complimentary copy today.
You’ll receive five emails from us as well as the guide you requested. They will be inspiring, helpful content about holidays in this country with ETG. You’ll then be added to our weekly newsletter list, but you can always unsubscribe using the link in any of our emails.
Important FAQs about Vietnam
Vietnam’s weather varies by region, so the best time depends on your route. It’s pretty confusing, so the easiest thing to do is speak to one of our Vietnam specialists who’ve cracked the code.
Generally speaking:
North (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa): October to April offers clear skies and mild temperatures. Central (Hoi An, Hue, Da Nang): February to August is warm and dry. South (Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta): November to April is the dry season, with steady warmth year-round. For a full north-to-south itinerary, March to April or October to November gives you the best all-round conditions.
Two to three weeks works well, depending on how many regions you want to cover. The temptation is to do the full north-to-south route in a fortnight: that’s possible, but it produces a very different trip from one that takes its time. We’ll be direct with you about what the itinerary you have in mind can realistically achieve, and honest about where it would benefit from slowing down.
No. Plenty of the best trips we design don’t follow it. Skip Ha Long Bay for Bai Tu Long: the same karsts without the same queue of boats. Swap Sapa for Mai Chau. Spend enough time in Hue to reach Kim Long and its surviving garden houses. The full route can work, but only if there’s time to do it properly. We’ll design around where the trip should go, not where the obvious itinerary points you.
Not in the usual sense. Every Experience Travel Group trip to Vietnam is private and designed for the person taking it, but we don’t do “tailor-made”, and that’s deliberate. Because “tailor-made” assembles a trip around what you asked for, from hotels and tours anyone can book. We design around why you’re travelling, using experiences we’ve built ourselves, boutique hotels we’ve scouted out and matched to you, and trusted guides we’ve worked with for years. That lets us reach parts of the country you wouldn’t have known to ask for.
It is one of the best food destinations in the world, and we’ve spent years mapping it properly: not just the best restaurants in each city, but the specific street food stalls for specific dishes, and family kitchens. You’ll try local specialities and meet the people who make them.
Yes. Vietnam works well for families with children old enough to engage with a new culture, typically from around eight upwards. The food is varied enough to work for most children, the country is welcoming, and there’s enough variety across a two or three week trip to hold the attention of different ages. We’ve designed Vietnam trips for three-generation families and families with teenagers. Tell us who’s travelling and we’ll design around everyone.
- All your accommodation in hand-picked, characterful hotels
- Private drivers throughout
- Carefully chosen local guides
- All activities and experiences (some secret!)
- Entrance fees to national parks and cultural sites
- Many meals and snacks throughout
- All regional transport
- International flights on request
- 24/7 in-country support
Vietnam is layered, lively and full of contrasts, and our guides are your way in. They open doors into homes, markets and workshops most travellers walk straight past. Whether you’re wandering Hanoi’s backstreets, drifting through the Mekong Delta or exploring Hue’s imperial past, you’ll see the country with fresh eyes, and with a team behind you who know it well.