Vietnam Holidays: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An and Saigon, Month by Month

The short answer

What is a Vietnam holiday with us?

Vietnam is a long, thin country and the things people fly for are spread along its whole length: Hanoi and Halong Bay in the north, Hoi An in the middle, Saigon in the south. The question is never which city — it is how many stops you can fit between the two ends, and how much of the holiday you are willing to spend moving. We sell it in two shapes.

Vietnam Discovery, nine nights. Fly into Hanoi and home from Saigon, so there is no backtracking. Four nights in the north, including a night on a Halong Bay cruise; two in Da Nang for Hoi An and the Marble Mountains; three in Saigon. Two domestic flights do the long distances — Hanoi to Da Nang, and Da Nang to Saigon — and both are included. It is the route almost everyone should do on a first visit.

Vietnam and Cambodia, ten, twelve or fourteen nights. A guided tour across both countries, taking in Hanoi and Siem Reap, with 4★ accommodation. Siem Reap and the temples at Angkor are a short hop from Vietnam rather than a separate holiday, and they give the trip a genuine second act instead of a fourth Vietnamese city. Two countries, two sets of entry rules and several internal moves is exactly the kind of trip where having it arranged is worth more than the flexibility you give up.

If you would rather stay in one country, Vietnam Discovery is the simpler holiday — and it comes with no Cambodian visa to arrange.

How much does a holiday to Vietnam cost?

These are our lead-in prices per person, based on two sharing, with return flights from London. On Vietnam Discovery they also cover both domestic flights, 4★ hotels with breakfast, the overnight Halong Bay cruise with meals on board, and transfers.

Vietnam and Cambodia tour prices are released to February 2027; for later dates, tell us when you want to go and we will price it.

The spread on Vietnam Discovery is narrow: £200 between the cheapest and dearest months, or 19%. May, June and September 2027 share the lowest price, and December 2026 is the single dearest month. March and April sit just £50 above the cheapest, which matters, because they are two of the best-balanced months for weather across the whole route.

What sits outside the package price. Lunches and dinners on land (the cruise includes meals on board), the Cu Chi Tunnels and other excursions, and travel insurance. On the Cambodia tour, the Cambodian visa is yours to arrange — explained below.

When is the best time to visit Vietnam?

This is the question that matters most, because Vietnam does not have one climate. The north, the centre and the south have their rain at different times of year, and a month that is perfect in Saigon can be the wettest of the year in Hoi An. GOV.UK puts it simply: the rainy season runs from June to September in the north and south, and from October to December in central Vietnam.

The figures below are the official 1991–2020 averages from the Viet Nam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration, as published by the World Meteorological Organization, for Hanoi, Da Nang (the airport for Hoi An) and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Each cell gives the average daily high, the number of rain days and the rainfall.

February to April: the whole route at its best

February is the one month with the least rainfall of the year in all three places — 19mm in Hanoi, 22mm in Da Nang and 8mm in Saigon — and it is also the joint-fewest month for rain days in Da Nang and Saigon. Hanoi still logs 12 rain days in February, but they bring very little rain — 19mm across the whole month. March and April warm the north up, to highs of 23.5°C and 27.7°C, while the centre stays at 7 rain days a month and Saigon at one to four. On Vietnam Discovery, February 2027 costs £1,149 per person, and March and April £1,099.

May to September: cheapest, and the rains in the north and south

May, June and September 2027 are the cheapest months, at £1,049. They fall in the rainy season in the north and south: rainfall in Hanoi rises from 188mm in May to 335mm in August, its wettest month by rainfall, and Saigon’s wettest month by rainfall is September, at 273mm. The centre is the exception. Da Nang is at its hottest in June, at 34.9°C, with 9 rain days and 68mm — so in June the route is wet at both ends and comparatively dry in the middle. Summer is a fair choice if price matters more than a clear sky.

October to December: dry north, wet centre

This is when Vietnam’s regions disagree most. Hanoi is at its driest by rain days in November and December, with 7 each, and cools to a high of 22.1°C by December. Saigon dries out through the same months. But the centre is at its wettest: Da Nang averages 21 rain days in each of October, November and December, and October is its wettest month by rainfall, at 658mm. GOV.UK notes that seasonal flooding occurs in central Vietnam in October and November. December 2026 is also the dearest month on Vietnam Discovery, at £1,249. If you travel in these months, the north and south are the reason to go — and Hoi An is the stop to keep flexible.

Tropical cyclones

GOV.UK says tropical cyclones affect Vietnam’s eastern coastal regions, with a risk of strong winds, heavy rainfall, flooding and disruption to transport, and that the season normally runs from May to November, although cyclones can happen at other times. Travel insurance is not included in the package; arrange it when you book, particularly for travel in those months.

The route: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An and Saigon

Hanoi and Halong Bay, four nights

Hanoi is the arrival city and the capital. The first full day covers the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and the Temple of Literature. Then the trip heads to the coast for an overnight cruise on Halong Bay, among the limestone islands that rise straight out of the water, of 4★ standard and with meals on board, followed by a morning on the bay before the cruise ends. Hotels are 4★, such as La Siesta or similar, with breakfast.

GOV.UK advises considering safety standards carefully before taking an overnight boat trip on Halong Bay. The cruise on Vietnam Discovery is arranged by us as part of the package, and the vessel and cabin are confirmed with you in writing before you pay.

Da Nang and Hoi An, two nights

A domestic flight takes you from Hanoi to Da Nang, the base for the centre. The day here is Hoi An’s Ancient Town — the old trading port of lantern-lit shophouses and the covered Japanese Bridge — and the Marble Mountains, a cluster of marble and limestone hills with caves and pagodas on the edge of Da Nang. Hotels are 4★, such as the Danang Golden Lotus or similar.

Saigon, three nights

A second domestic flight takes you to Ho Chi Minh City, still widely called Saigon. The route covers the War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market, and the last full day is free or an optional trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, paid locally. Hotels are 4★, such as Liberty Central Saigon or similar. The flight home leaves from Saigon, so you never retrace the route.

Adding Cambodia and Angkor

The Vietnam and Cambodia tour runs ten, twelve or fourteen nights, taking in Hanoi and Siem Reap, the town beside the temples of Angkor. Ten nights is the shortest sensible version for two countries; twelve or fourteen is the better trip, because the extra days are what stop a two-country itinerary from becoming a sequence of transfers. Tour prices run from £1,399 per person in February 2027 to £1,649 in December 2026. The full route, the night split between the two countries and the hotels are confirmed with you in writing before you pay.

The one real planning job is Cambodia’s entry rules, which work completely differently from Vietnam’s:

A visa is required. GOV.UK says you must have a visa to enter Cambodia as a visitor. You can apply for an e-visa at least four days in advance, or get a visa on arrival at airports and land border crossings, where you need a photo and payment in US dollars. Tourist visas are valid for 30 days from the date of entry.

An e-Arrival Card, if you fly in. Entering by air at Phnom Penh, Siem Reap or Sihanoukville, you must complete and submit an electronic e-Arrival Card within the seven days before you arrive.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you arrive, and undamaged and complete — entry is normally refused with a damaged passport or pages missing. GOV.UK also warns that you can be fined, detained and deported for overstaying a Cambodian visa, and that there is no limit to the fine.

How many nights do you need in Vietnam?

Nine nights is the right length for Vietnam alone, north to south, with the domestic flights doing the long distances. It gives Hanoi and Halong Bay four nights, the centre two and Saigon three — enough to see each region properly without spending a day of every three in transit.

Ten to fourteen nights is for adding Cambodia. Given that the flight from the UK is the longest part of the holiday, more nights cost relatively little against what you have already spent getting there.

Who is a Vietnam holiday for, and who should look elsewhere?

First-time visitors are who Vietnam Discovery is built for: the whole country in a little over a week, with the long distances flown rather than driven.

Couples who want culture, food and scenery in one trip — Halong Bay at dawn, Hoi An by lantern light and Saigon’s street food are three very different evenings.

Families. The published prices are per person based on two adults sharing, and prices for children are confirmed when you enquire.

People looking for all-inclusive Vietnam should know we do not sell it that way. Breakfast is included every day and the cruise includes meals on board; lunches and dinners on land are your own, and eating out is one of the best reasons to go. For an all-inclusive week at the end of an Asian trip, look at our multi-centre holidays that finish on a beach.

Luxury. The package is priced on 4★ hotels and a 4★ cruise. If a particular property matters to you, tell us and we will price it directly, so you can see the difference before deciding.

Who should look elsewhere: anyone who wants a week by a pool without early starts. Vietnam is a moving holiday. For a city then a beach, Thailand is the simpler trip; for trains, temples and four seasons, Japan.

Practical things worth knowing

Vietnam entry — no visa needed. GOV.UK says British passport holders can visit Vietnam without a visa for up to 45 days for tourism. Your passport needs an expiry date at least six months after the date you arrive and at least two blank pages. There is an e-visa alternative allowing a 90-day stay and multiple entries, but it restricts you to the entry and exit points you select when you apply, so it is not automatically the better option.

Check the date at the border. GOV.UK advises checking that the date stamped in your passport is 45 days from your arrival date, because immigration will not change it after you have left the airport or land border.

Passport damage is a genuine refusal risk. GOV.UK records British nationals being denied entry to and exit from Vietnam because of passport damage. If yours is water-marked, torn or has a loose page, replace it before you book rather than after.

All entry rules were checked against GOV.UK travel advice on 28 September 2026. Rules change, so check again before you travel.

Time difference. Vietnam and Cambodia are seven hours ahead of the UK in winter and six hours ahead during British Summer Time; neither changes its clocks.

The route runs one way. You fly into Hanoi and home from Saigon, so plan the first day in Hanoi as a light one after the long-haul flight.

Booking and protection

Every Vietnam holiday we sell is protected under ATOL 10713, and you receive an ATOL Certificate setting out what is covered. A deposit of £99 per person secures the booking. ATOL protects the money you pay if a travel company fails; it is not travel insurance, which is not included and which you should arrange when you book.

Frequently asked questions