Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi – Vietnam by Rail

Today offers a spirited introduction to Ho Chi Minh City, still fondly called Saigon, where grand boulevards and backstreets sit side by side, and history is never far from the surface. This morning after breakfast we’ll set out on a guided city tour through some of the city’s most recognisable landmarks, beginning with the neo-Romanesque façade of Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon (with cathedral works anticipated in 2027, the visit may be best appreciated from the outside) and the airy, Saigon Central Post Office nearby. Continue to the Independence Palace, a place forever linked to the country’s reunification story, before visiting the War Remnants Museum for an unflinching, deeply moving perspective on Vietnam’s recent past.

Between sights, step into the city’s everyday rhythm with a pause for street coffee, where strong, sweet Vietnamese brews are part ritual, part social glue. A brief language lesson adds a practical and playful dimension, opening doors to small authentic exchanges.

Following lunch at a local restaurant, we’ll return to the hotel for time
at leisure. 

This evening, we’ll swap the formal cityscape for the open-air buzz of a jeep tour, weaving through neighbourhood streets for a progressive tasting of Saigon flavours – drinks and snacks, seafood specialities, sizzling savoury pancakes, and classic southern dishes, capped off with live music at a local venue before returning to the hotel late tonight.

Overnight: Caravelle Saigon, Ho Chi Minh (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast and checkout, leave Ho Chi Minh City behind and travel south to My Tho, the gateway to the Mekong Delta, where life is shaped by water, orchards and small river lanes. On arrival, board a motorboat for an easy cruise to Thoi Son Island, drifting past stilted riverfront homes and working boats loaded with produce. Here, step ashore to explore a patchwork of flower gardens, bonsai displays and fruit orchards, with a visit to a local bee farm, where honey is still part pantry staple and part cottage industry. A traditional folk song performance, paired with warm honey tea, offers a gentle glimpse into delta culture at its most intimate and unhurried.

Continue by boat across to Ben Tre, then swap waterways for a countryside ride by traditional Lambro, the three-wheeled scooter-taxi often seen in southern Vietnam, ideal for trundling along narrow lanes lined with palms and gardens. Later, return to the water for a quieter perspective, gliding through smaller channels by rowing sampan, where the delta feels at its most serene.

Following lunch in My Tho, we’ll return to Saigon, where the rest of the afternoon and evening is yours.

Overnight: Caravelle Saigon, Ho Chi Minh (B, L)

It’s an early start this morning! After a pre-dawn checkout, we’ll collect breakfast and lunch boxes from the hotel and transfer to the railway station to board the Reunification Express. Enjoy your breakfast and settle into the steady rhythm of the rails as the city falls away and the landscape gradually opens into the wide skies and patchwork countryside of the south. This is one of Vietnam’s most evocative travel corridors, a line that has long linked the nation’s major centres and, in the post-war years, came to symbolise reconnection and reunification as much as it did simple, everyday transport. 

After having your boxed lunch on board, we’ll arrive in Nha Trang in the early afternoon and transfer to the hotel for check-in and a few hours to relax before regrouping for dinner this evening. 

Overnight: Potique Hotel Nha Trang, Nha Trang (B, L, D)

After breakfast, enjoy a morning of sightseeing in Nha Trang, where mountains, sea and city life meet in easy proximity. Beginning at Long Son Pagoda, a hilltop temple complex known for its tranquil grounds and the striking white Buddha that watches over the city, before continuing to the Po Nagar Cham Towers, a reminder that this coastline once sat within the sphere of the Champa civilisation. Built between the 8th and 11th centuries, these brick towers are still an active place of worship and offer a fascinating glimpse into central Vietnam’s pre-Vietnamese past.

Late morning, slow the pace with a walk along Nha Trang’s sandy beachfront, soaking up the sea air before lunch at the iconic Nha Trang Sailing Club. Afterwards, we’ll return to the hotel for time at leisure, an ideal window for a swim, a spa treatment, or simply some quiet rest before tonight’s rail journey.

Later in the afternoon we’ll check out and transfer to the station to board the overnight Reunification Express service north to Da Nang. Settle into your air-conditioned cabins (booked with a maximum of two guests per cabin) as the train slips into the night, tracing the country’s mainline railway through the heart of Vietnam. Dinner boxes will be provided on board, and the gentle cadence of the rails provides a fitting backdrop to the changing landscapes ahead.

Overnight: SE22 Overnight Train (B, L, D)

Upon our pre-dawn arrival in Hoi An this morning, we’ll transfer directly to our award-winning hotel for an early check in to enjoy some time to freshen up before a hearty breakfast and some downtime to settle into your room or enjoy the wonderful facilities of the hotel. As Hoi An’s heritage streets are deliberately protected from heavy traffic, the final approach is made by electric cart, a gentle, fitting entry into a town best explored at an unhurried pace. 

Our hotel is a story in itself – the design inspiration comes from the love story of Sotaro Araki, a famous 17th-century merchant from Nagasaki who visited coastal Vietnam during its period as a booming trade destination, and fell in love with Princess Ngoc Hoa of Hue, Vietnam’s former imperial capital. Their marriage, regarded as the first between a Vietnamese citizen and a foreigner, forever linked the two cultures.

This afternoon after lunch at leisure, we’ll set off on a scenic boat ride to Thanh Ha Pottery Village, a riverside craft community with a tradition that has supplied households and merchants for generations. Travel by scenic boat along the Thu Bon River, a watery “highway” that once carried ceramics, spices and silks to and from Hoi An’s port. On arrival, you’ll get to meet local artisans and even try your hand at shaping clay, a hands-on encounter that brings the town’s living craft heritage into focus.

We’ll return to the hotel in time to freshen up before tonight’s dinner at a local restaurant. With lantern-lit streets nearby and river views as dusk settles, it is an atmospheric setting to savour the flavours of central Vietnam and to begin enjoying Hoi An at its most enchanting.

Overnight: Hotel Royal Hoi An, Hoi An (B, D)

This morning after breakfast, explore the atmospheric lanes of Hoi An on a guided walking tour through the UNESCO-listed old town, where centuries of maritime trade left an architectural patchwork of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese influences. Step inside an old merchant house to see how trading families once lived and worked, then continue to the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge, a symbol of the town’s cosmopolitan past and the communities that shaped it. The walk also includes the richly decorated Assembly Hall of the Chaozhou Chinese Congregation, a vivid reminder of the Chinese merchant networks that helped make Hoi An one of Southeast Asia’s great port towns.

Following lunch at a local restaurant, the afternoon shifts from heritage streets to countryside rhythms. Travel by electric cart to Tra Que Vegetable Village (with the option to cycle for those who would like to), where fragrant herb gardens have supplied Hoi An’s kitchens for generations. Join a hands-on farming experience, learning traditional techniques and the importance of the village’s famous herbs to central Vietnamese cooking. Afterwards, enjoy a soothing foot massage using traditional medicinal herbs, a small ritual of care that feels perfectly matched to the setting.

Later, share a family-hosted cooking class, preparing local favourites such as banh xeo and ram, with practical tips and stories passed down along with the recipes,before returning to the hotel. 

Overnight: Hotel Royal Hoi An, Hoi An (B, L, D)

Enjoy a slow morning in Hoi An, with breakfast at the hotel and time to savour the town at your own pace, perhaps with a quiet wander through the old quarter before the day warms up.

Later in the morning, we’ll transfer to the private home of one of Hoi An’s best-known culinary figures, Chef Duc Tran for a gourmet lunch hosted by Chef Duc himself. Best known for his innovative take on modern Vietnamese cuisine, and credited with shaping the town’s modern dining scene, he first learned about food as a boy growing up on a small farm near Ho Chi Minh. After fleeing Vietnam as a boat refugee in his teens and spending time in a Malaysian refugee camp, he was eventually resettled in Texas, USA. He built a career cooking in various places around the world, including restaurants in the US, Mexico, Austria, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and beyond – gaining a broad, international perspective on flavors and techniques – before returning to Vietnam in 2004 and opening his first restaurant. 

In a private residence setting, this experience feels closer to being hosted than simply dining out, with a menu that highlights Vietnamese ingredients and flavours through a more contemporary lens.

Return to the hotel in the afternoon, with the remainder of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

Overnight: Hotel Royal Hoi An, Hoi An (B, L)

After breakfast and checking out, we’ll transfer to Da Nang railway station to board a local train north on another of the country’s scenic rail corridors. You’ll enjoy a breakfast box from the hotel on board while tracing the coastline and mountain scenery through your window. 

Upon our mid-afternoon arrival in Hue, we’ll transfer directly to our hotel in the heart of the city’s imperial heritage and settle in for what will be a very special stay. Ancient Hue Garden Houses, set within Kim Long Village, a leafy mandarin quarter beside the Perfume River, isn’t a standard hotel – it’s a collection of restored traditional garden houses (some dating back to or inspired by Nguyen Dynasty mandarin residences) blended with French colonial influences. 

Built or restored with artisans who worked on Hue’s historical sites and designed to echo Hue’s imperial-era garden house tradition, the property blends feudal-era architectural motifs with tranquil landscaped gardens, creating a calm retreat that feels distinctly of place rather than “hotel-like”.

This evening we’ll enjoy dinner at the hotel, with the gentle pace of Huế setting the tone for the days ahead.

Overnight: Ancient Hue Garden House, Hue (B, L, D)

This morning after breakfast, we’ll delve into the imperial heart of Hue on a guided half-day city tour, exploring the city’s legacy as the former seat of the Nguyen dynasty. Begin with visits to the emperors’ tombs, set in tranquil landscapes beyond the city, where pavilions, courtyards and carefully chosen natural settings reflect the Confucian ideals and personal tastes of the rulers they honour. Continue to the Imperial City (Hue), the great walled citadel and ceremonial complex at the centre of the Complex of Hue Monuments, and gain a sense of the pageantry, protocol and power that once shaped daily life here.

A visit to the Royal Antiquities Museum adds texture to the story, with objects that speak to court life, craftsmanship and symbolism. The morning concludes at the striking Tomb of Khai Dinh, famed for its dramatic hillside setting and richly detailed decoration that reflects a later, more outward-looking chapter of royal Hue.

We’ll return to the hotel in time for lunch at leisure and a free afternoon. Early this evening, we’ll enjoy a dinner cruise on the Perfume River. As the city softens into dusk, cruise past riverbanks that have inspired poets and emperors alike, enjoying dinner on board before returning to shore later tonight.

Overnight: Ancient Hue Garden House, Hue (B, D)

Enjoy a relaxed morning and lunch at leisure – an unhurried chance to savour the calm atmosphere of the former imperial capital before checking out and transferring to the airport for an afternoon flight to Hanoi. On arrival in Hanoi, we’ll transfer directly to our hotel and check in. 

Vietnam’s captivating capital seamlessly blends over a thousand years of history with vibrant modern life – tree-lined boulevards and grand civic buildings shaped by French planning sit alongside the tight lanes of the ancient Old Quarter, where small shops and street kitchens keep the city’s everyday rhythms alive. 

This evening we’ll enjoy our first dinner together in this great city. 

Overnight: Silk Path Hanoi Hang Bong, Hanoi (B, D)

This morning after breakfast you’ll experience Hanoi from a wonderfully local perspective on a half-day city tour by cyclo – a gentle pace that suits the capital’s layered streetscapes. We’ll begin with an introduction to modern Vietnam’s most significant national figure at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and nearby sites associated with his life, including Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House, a modest residence that offers an illuminating contrast to the surrounding ceremonial spaces. Continue to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first national university, where tranquil courtyards and stone stelae honour centuries of scholarship and Confucian learning.

Later, circle the green calm of Hoan Kiem Lake and visit Ngọc Sơn Temple, reached by its photogenic red bridge, before drifting through the bustling lanes of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a place of small-scale commerce and street life that still reflects the city’s historic guild traditions.

Lunch today is at KOTO Restaurant, a well-regarded social enterprise that combines hospitality with opportunity. KOTO (an acronym for “Know One, Teach One”) provides disadvantaged and at-risk young people with structured training in professional kitchens and front-of-house service, along with broader life skills, helping graduates build long-term careers in Vietnam’s hospitality industry. Dining here is both an enjoyable culinary experience and a quiet, meaningful way to support a model of education and employment that has changed many lives.

We’ll return to the hotel in the mid afternoon, with the remainder of the day and evening at leisure. For those inclined, the nearby Old Quarter is ideal for an authentic dinner and unhurried browsing, from silk and lacquerware to cafés and galleries tucked into narrow shop-houses.

Overnight: Silk Path Hanoi Hang Bong, Hanoi (B, L)

After a relaxed morning and lunch at leisure, we’ll transfer to Hanoi Railway Station to board the new, beautifully appointed Hanoi 5 Gates cultural tourism train for a journey that includes Hanoi’s famous ‘Train Street’, where vendors and cafes operate literally on the tracks, packing up every time a train comes through!

Alighting at Tu Son, we’ll visit Den Do, where a guided visit introduces the legacy of the Ly dynasty, with time to offer incense and enjoy cultural encounters including Quan Họ folk singing. The experience continues with hands-on local traditions, from trying Dong Ho-style artwork to sampling regional specialties and sweets, with opportunities to browse for local produce.

On our return journey the train will pause to appreciate two of Hanoi’s most evocative landmarks – Long Bien Station and the steel span of Long Bien Bridge, a century-old crossing that remains part of the city’s living infrastructure. After returning to our hotel, there’ll be time to freshen up before dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Silk Path Hanoi Hang Bong, Hanoi (B, D)

This morning after breakfast and check out, we’ll travel south by coach into the extraordinary limestone landscapes of Ninh Binh Province to one of Vietnam’s most breathtaking natural wonders, Tam Coc. This enchanting area features dramatic limestone karst mountains rising sharply from lush green rice paddies and serene waterways, creating a picturesque, almost otherworldly landscape that’s part of the UNESCO-listed Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex.

First, visit Hoa Lu, Vietnam’s 10th-century capital, set within a naturally defended basin of mountains. The temples and courtyards offer a compelling sense of the country’s early dynastic foundations and the landscapes that helped shape them.

Next, we’ll board small boats for a magical journey along the Ngo Dong River, gliding between towering limestone walls and vivid green fields, slipping through cave-like openings and quiet channels where the world narrows to the sound of oars and birdsong. It is an unhurried, cinematic introduction to the area often described as “Ha Long Bay on land”.

After a light lunch we’ll visit Bich Dong Pagoda, a beautifully placed sequence of shrines built into the mountainside. Stone steps lead through gardens and grotto-like chambers, opening to peaceful viewpoints across the karst valley and cultivated plains below. With incense in the air and the landscape spread out beneath you, it is a fitting counterpoint to the river journey earlier in the day.

We’ll return to the hotel for dinner. 

Overnight: Emeralda Resort, Ninh Binh (B, L, D)

Enjoy a relaxing morning, with time at leisure for those who prefer a slower start in Ninh Bình Province. In the late morning, regroup in Van Long Nature Reserve, where an optional 15 km cycle begins along the flat country lanes. It is a gentle ride through quiet hamlets and open limestone scenery, offering a close-up sense of rural life and the distinctive karst landscape. For those who do not wish to cycle, enjoy more time at leisure, transferring directly to lunch.

Enjoy lunch at Lúa Vàng before heading out onto the water for a boat ride through Vân Long Wetland Nature Reserve, the largest wetland nature reserve in northern Vietnam. Here, still water mirrors steep karst formations and reed-fringed channels create a hushed, expansive atmosphere, one of Ninh Bình’s most serene landscapes. With luck, there may be opportunities to spot birdlife as the boat glides through quiet waterways and the cliffs seem to rise straight from the surface.

Return to the hotel mid-afternoon, with free time to relax and enjoy the countryside setting. This evening, regroup for dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight: Emeralda Resort, Ninh Binh (B, L, D)

After a leisurely morning, we’ll return by coach to Hanoi, arriving in time for lunch at leisure and a free afternoon to do one last museum visit or one last shopping trip. 

This evening, we’ll celebrate the end of our time together with a special farewell dinner – to reflect on Vietnam’s shifting landscapes, flavours and stories, from imperial cities to river deltas to limestone country.

Overnight: Overnight: Silk Path Hanoi Hang Bong, Hanoi (B, D)

Our tour ends after breakfast this morning. Transfers to the airport are included and will be scheduled to accommodate your flight booking 

(B)