Plan a trip to Vietnam and book service yourself

Do you plan to travel to Vietnam and want to book all the services yourself? Even if you are not booking the service yourself, it is good to read this article to prepare for your trip.

I owned and managed a travel agent in Vietnam for nearly 10 years. I customised and organised tours and booked services for my customers in Vietnam. I will share with you some tips that will help you get the best travel deals and have a fantastic holiday in Vietnam.

Here are just some tips to help you book services yourself when you plan to visit Vietnam.

We all have a budget, don’t we? Planning is always a good thing to do so you can stick to your budget.

These are advice and questions that I would ask my customers:

1. Timeframe in Vietnam

Firstly, you need to work out how many days you want to stay in Vietnam. Normally, if this is the first time you travel then I would suggest 10 days to 14 days.

For a better idea about duration, please read How Many Days Required To Visit Vietnam. There are 3 parts of Vietnam – North, South and Centre, so the article might help you to decide which part of Vietnam you would like to visit.

When you decide on the length of travelling, you, then, will need to work out the service standard you want to have.

2. Service Standard

I often ask my customers, “would you like to stay in a 3-star hotel (Vietnam standard) or a 5-star hotel? or do you have a budget for your holiday?“.

Thanks to the convenience of technology. You can check the price of accommodations on a big website like Booking.com and select the standard you want to use.

The cost for a 3-star hotel standard in Vietnam is around US$ 35 (about A$50)/per night for a double or twin room. The luxury option (5-star standard one) has a price of US$50 and above per night.

Here is an estimated cost per day that I wrote in one of the articles:

Depending on your budget, you can decide on the service standards or the other way around.

3. Transportation inside Vietnam

Let’s say you will have 14 days in Vietnam. You can choose to fly, travel by train, or bus.

Note: Flights will be the quickest way, it also saves time on travelling. Generally, it is safer to travel by train rather than by bus. When you want to travel to the far north of Vietnam, e.g., Sapa, you only have two choices by train or bus. I recommend getting a sleeping bed on a train because it is safer. Plus, the train service (especially to tourist places such as Sapa) is very high quality.

Train to Sapa:

There are 4 berths in a cabin, and you can book a two-bed cabin (if you want, it is a bit more expensive).

Victoria Express Train was the one that I often offered to my clients when they booked a tour to Sapa. This is an old luxury train with a French style. A private carriage has its own restaurant. The price is around US$ 40/shared ticket (4-bed cabin), and US $130 for a 2-bed cabin. There are many other new companies with new carriages, such as Oriental Express, Sapaly, Fansipan express etc.

4. Join a group tour in the popular destinations

Many popular destinations have group tours to join, such as Hanoi city, Ha Long Bay, Ba Na hills, Cham Island, Ho Chi Minh city, and Mekong rivers

To save money, it is a good idea to join a group tour for a day trip or an overnight trip to Ha Long Bay.

5. Book flight tickets early

When you plan to travel, you’d better book your flight tickets early. The money I saved the most when I booked services for my clients was the flight tickets. I only charged 10% for my service, yet when customers confirmed and deposited their services. I would book flight tickets first. Early bookings with good deals were when I made money the most.

Nowadays, you can hunt for cheap flight tickets directly from the airline companies such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjetair, Bamboo airlines etc., or you can search for the cheapest option on Booking.com

6. Try to avoid travelling in peak seasons

Just like your country, we have peak seasons too. In Vietnam, the school only has one long holiday – the 3-month summer holiday (From 19/5 – 2/9). The busiest months are May, June, and July.

There are other holidays:

– Liberation Day (30/4) and Labour Day (01/5). Companies in Vietnam will try to organise holiday trips for their employees on these two days.

– Independence Day (2/9) – this day is not so busy in tourist destinations, but on the roads could be very busy. Because people in the big cities often go home to visit their parents.

– Before and After ‘Tết’ (Vietnamese New Year or Lunar New Year). ‘Tết’ is like Christmas time, this time is often very busy on the roads.

If you travel this time, try not to book a flight ticket, train ticket or bus ticket before and after Tết.

During Tết’s days (New year’s Eve, the first day and second day of the new year), roads are quiet in the big cities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city). Because everyone is at home to celebrate the New Year. Please check out the dates. Every year will be different. It is often around the end of January or the middle of February).

7. Check the price with a trusted local travel agent

I worked in a travel agency, and we often had good deals with services, e.g., hotels, cruises, and car companies offered us a partnered contract and special deals.

Once you have your itinerary and an approximate cost for your trip, check with a travel agent. Give them your itinerary and ask them for a quote.

Trust me! you might be surprised by the quote.

If their price is higher than yours, then ask them which hotels they would book because sometimes the same standard, but we often use excellent and high-reputation hotels recommended by our customers.

My friend – Ms Xuan, offers an excellent service and package tour in Vietnam. I recommend her to my colleagues and close friends.

The other day I came across to TourRadar website, and I can see that this website connects local travel agents to customers. I can see the names of trusted travel agents in Vietnam. Surprisingly, some tours offer good deals, for instance, a 10-day tour or 14-day trip

8. A recommended itinerary with costs

10 Days tour in Vietnam:

Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City and Depart from Hanoi (or vice versa)

Day 1: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh city

Transport from the airport to a Hotel in the central districts (District 1, 2, 3 etc.) – US$ 18 – $25/car (a four-seater car).

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City (Accommodation for a 3-star stand hotel) – around US$ 38 – US$ 75

Meal: a sit-down meal – US$ 10-15

An estimated cost for the day: Around US$ 75

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi tunnel

Join a group tour for half a day in Cu Chi Tunnel (around US$ 18) and back to Ho Chi Minh city. You might want to join a motorbike food tour (US$39).

Accommodation: Around US$ 38 – US$ 75 (a 3-star stand hotel)

An estimated cost for the day is around $95

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh – Mekong River 01 day tour

Join a group tour to the Mekong delta for a 1-day tour (US$ 32). Finish and go back to Ho Chi Minh city around 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM.

Accommodation: Around US$ 38 – US$ 75 (a 3-star stand hotel)

An estimated cost for the day: is around US$80

Day 4: Flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang overnight in Da Nang

Leave Ho Chi Minh city for an early flight, then fly to Da Nang international airport. Transfer from Da Nang airport. Transfer from Da Nang airport

Accommodation in Hoi An: US$ 38 (a 3-star stand hotel)

Flight ticket is around US $50

Transport to Tan San Nhat airport (Ho Chi Minh city): US $18

Transport from Da Nang airport to Hoi An: US $10

Meals: US$ 10/meal

An estimated cost for the day: is around US$144

Day 5: Da Nang city and Hoi An ancient town overnight in Hoi An

Visit for half a day in Da Nang, then stay in Hoi An overnight

Join a group tour to visit Da Nang city, then go to Hoi An.

Accommodation in Hoi An: US$ 38 (a 3-star stand hotel)

An estimated cost for the day: is around US$70

Recommended activities in Da Nang city and Hoi An Ancient Town:

Day 6: Hoi An city tour and then Da Nang international airport to Hanoi

Hoi An is a small ancient town. You can visit Hoi An by yourself.

Sightseeing ticket: 150,000vnd = US$ 6.5 (insert Look for the ticket), it will take around half of a day. Then, in the late afternoon, you can go to Da Nang airport to take a flight to Hanoi.

Overnight in Hanoi – US$ 38 (a 3-star stand hotel)

Meals: US$ 10/meal

Transport to Da Nang airport: US$ 16

Transport from Hanoi airport to the hotel: US$ 15

Flight ticket from Da Nang to Hanoi: US$ 50

An estimated cost for the day: is around US$ 130

Day 7: Hanoi city

Hanoi city tour: US$ 20

Meal: US$ 10

Overnight in Hanoi – US$ 38 (a 3-star stand hotel)

Day 8: Hanoi – Ha Long bay (overnight on a cruise in Ha Long bay)

For two days in Ha Long bay, all meals are included: $105

Day 9: Ha Long Bay – Hanoi (overnight in Hanoi city)

Dinner: $10

Overnight in Hanoi – US$ 38 (a 3-star stand hotel)

An estimated cost for the day: is around US$ 48

Recommended activities in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay:

Day 10: Leave Ha Noi

Transfer to the airport: US$15

Suggested airport transport in Hanoi:

The total cost for 10 days in Vietnam is around: US$ 750 + your personal expenses

You can book all the services by yourself for 10 days in Vietnam. Check all the costs carefully one more time and see if I missed out anything.

Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any other concerns. Enjoy your holiday!