Vietnam Tours & Holiday Packages from Australia

Vietnam is one of the easiest long-haul destinations to fall for and one of the easiest to rush. The country runs more than 1,600 kilometres from the mountains of the north to the Mekong Delta, and the temptation is to try to see all of it in a week. The travellers who come home happiest are usually the ones who chose two regions and gave them room to breathe.

We design private Vietnam tours for Australian travellers — tailored itineraries rather than fixed departures, with your own guide and driver, accommodation chosen for where it sits as much as for its rating, and someone to call if a flight moves. Below is what we'd want you to know before you start planning.

There is no single best time to visit Vietnam, because the country spans three distinct climates and they are rarely in agreement.

The north — Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa — is at its best from October to April. Autumn brings clear, mild days; winter can be genuinely cool and misty, which suits Halong Bay's scenery and thins the crowds considerably.

The centre — Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang — runs on a different cycle. February to August is dry and warm. October and November bring the heaviest rain of anywhere in the country, and Hoi An's old town floods most years.

The south — Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc — is warm year-round, with a dry season from December to April and afternoon downpours the rest of the year that rarely last long.

For a journey covering the whole country, February to April gives you the best odds across all three. If you are travelling in the Australian winter, build the itinerary around the north and the south and treat the centre as a short stop rather than a long stay.

Six to seven days is enough for one region done properly — Hanoi and Halong Bay, or Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong. It is not enough for the full country, though it is often sold that way.

Eight to ten days lets you travel Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City with a genuine stop in the centre, using internal flights to protect your time rather than spending it on buses.

Two weeks opens up the parts most visitors miss: Sapa's rice terraces, Ninh Binh's inland karsts, the Mekong beyond the day-trip circuit, or a few quiet days on Phu Quoc at the end.

If you only have a week, we would rather plan you a superb half of Vietnam than a thin version of all of it.

The north is the Vietnam most people picture: Hanoi's old quarter, the limestone islands of Halong Bay, mountain villages within reach of the capital. It is the strongest choice for a first visit and for travellers who want landscape and history over beaches.

The centre is the country's cultural heart. Hue's imperial citadel, Hoi An's tailors and lantern-lit evenings, My Son's Cham ruins, and some of the best food in Vietnam. It suits travellers who like to settle in one place and explore outward.

The south is faster, hotter and more energetic. Ho Chi Minh City's war history and street food, the Mekong Delta's floating markets, and islands within an hour's flight when you want to stop.

Most of our travellers combine two. The classic Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City route covers the length of the country; a longer north-to-south journey adds the time the centre deserves.

A private, guided Vietnam holiday generally runs from around AUD $1,800 to $3,500 per person for seven to ten days, excluding international flights. The range is wide because the choices inside it are wide: a four-star city hotel and a shared Halong Bay cruise sit at one end, a heritage property and a private junk at the other.

What we include as standard: private air-conditioned transport with an English-speaking driver, local guides at each stop, accommodation, daily breakfast, internal flights where they save you a long road day, and all transfers. What sits outside: international flights, visas, travel insurance and meals not listed in your itinerary.

We will always tell you where spending more makes a real difference to the trip, and where it does not.

Australians need a visa for Vietnam. The e-visa system covers most leisure travel, is applied for online before departure, and is usually straightforward — though entry decisions always rest with Vietnamese immigration, not with us.

We talk our travellers through what is required and when to apply, and our guide to Vietnam visas for Australians covers the current process in detail.