Vietnam, from the operations desk

For a land programme, Vietnam is three regions joined by flights. The north around Hanoi covers Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh and the mountains. The centre covers Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An. The south covers Saigon and the Mekong Delta. Clients who want all three in under two weeks take at least two internal flights; the alternative is long days on the road or an overnight train, which some clients enjoy and most do not.

Some of it is very busy. Ha Long Bay at midday, the Hoi An old town in the evening and the main sights of Hanoi all carry heavy day-trip traffic. Much of the planning in our programmes is about timing: boarding the boat when day boats are leaving, walking Hoi An early, rowing through Ninh Binh in the late afternoon.

The north has a cool, often overcast winter from about December to February and a hot, wet summer. The centre is the reverse of the rest of the country: its rainy and storm season runs roughly from September to December, when Hue and Hoi An can flood. The south is warm all year with a wet season from about May to October, mostly in short afternoon storms.

Ha Long Bay sailings are suspended by the authorities when storms are forecast. Programmes that run in the summer and autumn need a land fallback for the boat night. Lunar New Year (Tet) is the other date that shapes the calendar; in 2027 it falls in early February.

We do not publish supplier rates. These are the items that move a Vietnam land quote most, so you can predict the direction of a change before you ask for a re-quote.

• The Ha Long Bay boat. Overnight boats vary more in price than hotels; the boat, cabin category and route are named in our quotes.
• Internal flights. Two flights per traveller on a north–south route, outside the land total.
• Hoi An and Hanoi hotels in peak weeks. Small old-town hotels fill first, and the alternatives are often out of walking distance.
• Tet. Hotel minimum stays, closed sights and scarce guides make Tet departures a separate price.
• Guide language. English is standard; other languages cost more and are limited in peak weeks.

The pricing page covers the full structure of a land quote.

• Clients with fewer than six nights who insist on north, centre and south.
• Beach-focused clients travelling to the central coast between September and December.
• Travellers who want everything open during Tet week.
• Clients who will not fly internally and will not accept long road days either.