Rich History of Vietnam in One Week: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Hue

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam.

What to expect on this itinerary

Immerse yourself in the storied past of Vietnam with this historically focused 7-day Vietnam tour. Exclusively tour the country’s beloved destinations of Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, and Hanoi in addition to retracing the country’s past. From hallowed heritage sites to cultural landmarks, experience the cultural splendor of a historically rich country.

Countries Visited

Vietnam

Places Visited

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Hue, Hanoi

Suggested Duration

7 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam’s Spirited Energy

When you arrive in Ho Chi Minh City, your guide will be waiting to greet and transfer you to your accommodation in the heart of the city. You will have the opportunity to settle in and relax before having the remainder of the evening to spend at your leisure. You can bask in the day’s fleeting sun or stroll through the streets for a quick immersion into the culture of the city. Regardless of how you choose to spend your evening, you will experience the unique energy of the city.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Day 2

Ho Chi Minh City – The Life of Ho Chi Minh

Day 3

Ho Chi Minh City – Geological Wonders

Day 4

Hue – Wondrous Scenes on Hai Van Pass

Day 5

Hue – An Ancient Empire

Day 6

Hanoi – The Resting Place of Ho Chi Minh

Day 7

Hanoi – Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Visit acclaimed landmarks, such as the Ho Chi Minh City Museum and the Reunification Palace, to uncover Vietnam’s intriguing wartime past
  • Traverse the sprawling web of tunnels, which are known as the Cu Chi Tunnels
  • Cruise across the Mekong Delta on a traditional riverboat and immerse yourself in the riverside life and landmarks on the Mekong’s banks
  • Wind your way across the Hai Van Pass to capture the dramatic landscapes that surround the charming city of Hue
  • Retrace Vietnam’s imperial roots with a guided tour of the Dai Noi Citadel and its ruins
  • Explore Hanoi’s Old Quarter to catch a glimpse of the colonial architecture that lines the district and tuck into authentic Vietnamese fare
  • Encounter the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to conclude your journey

Detailed Description

With this historically based 7-day Vietnam trip, you will delve deep into Vietnam’s turbulent past and the fascinating story of Ho Chi Minh. The city of Ho Chi Minh is commonly referred to as the southern capital of Vietnam and boasts an array of venerated landmarks. An exclusive tour of the city will lead you to the Ho Chi Minh City Museum and the Reunification Palace, which are eminent locations that will allow you to uncover the finer details of the country’s past.

The following day, you will learn intriguing facts about the Vietnam War and meander the intricate web of tunnels known as the Cu Chi Tunnels. You will then cruise along the Mekong Delta in a traditional wooden sampan boat to a riverside village. Here, you will have endless opportunities to tuck into award-winning Vietnamese cuisine at celebrated restaurants and roadside markets.

Your tour through Vietnam will continue with an airplane transfer to Hue, which is a city that once stood as the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty and where Ho Chi Minh spent his youth studying at a distinguished academy. You will traverse the landscape that surrounds Hue shortly during a guided expedition across the Hai Van Pass to a secluded beach. Here, you can have the day to unwind on sun-kissed shores. Afterward, you will visit Hue’s Ho Chi Minh Museum and the home of the respected hero.

The booming capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, will be the last stop on your expedition. You will transfer to the city for a guided tour at Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Afterward, you can continue to Hoan Kiem Lake to unwind with incredible views before concluding your trip at the stately Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Here, the body of the former president is housed and praised by hundreds of people every day. You can then enjoy one last morning under the warm embrace of the Vietnam sun before transferring to the airport for your flight home.

Starting Price

$2,100 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.

4.8

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 641 reviews

Vietnam, Thailand Tour Review: Mekong Delta, Chiang Mai, Ha Long Bay, Koh Samui, Hoi An, Cooking Class, Elephant Sanctuary, 3-Week Trip

Jon and I want Zicasso’s travel specialist to know how much we enjoyed and benefitted from the wonderful itinerary, great seats on domestic flights, caring and thoughtful tour guides, and more. What a great trip!

We spent three weeks in Vietnam and Thailand. The highlight of the trip was the wonderful guides and the unique itinerary. Great care was taken to arrive at destinations before the crowds and fast-track entrance with a personal guide with knowledge of the culture and history.

With six domestic flights throughout Vietnam and Thailand, we experienced the best of both countries. We loved the cooking classes and elephant sanctuary. Thank you for taking such good care of us.

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Thailand, Vietnam Trip Review: Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Hoi An, Ha Long Bay, Krabi, Elephant Sanctuary, Motorbike Tour, 2 Weeks

It was the best vacation ever!!! Zicasso’s travel specialist and the team made traveling halfway around the world to six locations in two countries seamless and a spectacular experience at every turn! Ten stars for all of your efforts to make this a very special experience for my wife and me.

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Vietnam, Cambodia Tour Review: Danang, Cooking Class, Hot Springs, 20 Days

We want to thank Zicasso’s travel specialist for a fantastic and educational trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. The travel specialist created a well-designed trip based on our request. We requested small boutique hotels and they hit the spot on every one. They were well located, had comfortable rooms, and friendly, helpful staff, as well as great restaurants.

Our guides were experts in their areas and added their personal experiences to give us a more local feeling for what we were going to see and what we saw every day. All our guides were on time and met us at every airport and hotel with clear signs so we could see them. Three of our guides spoke excellent English, could communicate easily, and were easy to understand. One guide did not have strong English and at times needed to repeat himself many times for us to understand. His knowledge was not as strong as the others, but that could have been due to his ability to express himself well in English. He was still good, but just not on the same level as the other three. All of them were flexible, so if we decided to end the day earlier, they would discuss with us what options we had to get to what we missed the next day. One guide even took us to his parents’ house for tea and to a natural hot spring because the weather turned cold quickly and it would have been cold touring that day.

All of the drivers were courteous and helpful, getting our bags in and out of the van and into our hotels. The vans were all clean and gassed up. They also drove safely in the crazy traffic in Vietnam.

All of the restaurants we ate at were wonderful, and the guides explained what we were eating and how it is prepared. We had two fantastic cooking classes that were well laid out and taught us to cook many Vietnamese foods.

We had daily communication from one of the staff members, who checked in to ensure we were happy with how everything was going.

We only had one issue that happened because of our understanding and the travel company’s understanding of our request to have some e-bike opportunities. The guides didn't really know how to explain their meaning the day before we had an e-bike experience. In the US, the meaning is a pedal bike with a battery-assist motor. Their meaning is an electric scooter. Only one of the group had ever ridden a motorcycle, so we had to spend a lot of time getting the other three comfortable riding them in heavy traffic. They ended up having the van follow behind us to slow down the traffic. It ended up being OK, but everyone was a little stressed out because of the heavy traffic. We canceled another e-bike experience and just used the van to get us around.

We also need to thank all the staff we didn't meet or talk to, but who were behind the scenes doing all the work to make this another wonderful trip with Zicasso.

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Vietnam Travel Review: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay, Mekong Delta, Boat Ride, 2-Week Trip

We enjoyed an amazing two-week travel experience in Vietnam (north, central, and south), thanks to the thoughtful planning and suggestions of Zicasso’s tour operator. I can't say enough about all we saw, did, and learned while there, thanks to the tour operator's suggested schedule and attention to detail. We received first-rate service, from pick-up to drop-off, throughout!

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Thailand, Vietnam Vacation Review: Lan Ha Bay, Cruise, 2 Weeks

Our trip planning and experience with Zicasso’s travel specialist was perfect from start to finish. The travel specialist was knowledgeable, professional, listened to our needs and wants, and offered valuable suggestions. The handoff to another team member was seamless—he followed up on all the little details (visas, etc.) so we didn't have to. Our domestic coordinator contacted us periodically to check in and give us reminders, but wasn't obtrusive.

The itinerary was catered to our pace; the hotels were all fabulous and within walking distance to other activities that we might want at the end of the day.

Our guides were all knowledgeable, friendly, and made the experience feel personal. Exactly what we were looking for. They were flexible with our schedules and offered suggestions for other experiences when asked (where to have dinner, massages, etc.).

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Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam Tour Review: Krabi, Temples, Elephant Sanctuary, Rafting, Biking, 1 Month

We really enjoyed our trip! Zicasso’s travel specialist and the team created an interesting itinerary to match our interests. It was also placed in a travel app that allowed us to access our information at any time.

The travel company suggested a variety of excursions that were excellent! We visited many temples, historic sites, an elephant sanctuary, a national park, went rafting and biking, used a large variety of modes of transportation, and explored large and small cities and towns. Our guides were knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. Drivers/guides always showed up on time.

WhatsApp was used regularly to keep us up to date on excursion details and we also received our in-country flight check-in and plane tickets on the app. We would recommend this travel company for other travelers ready to explore this part of the world.

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

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