Traveling in Vietnam with Intrepid Travel
When I first began planning my trip to Southeast Asia, I was going to do it all on my own; make all my own arrangements for transportation, book all my own hotels, and figure out all the best stuff to see using my good friend Google. I was going to start in Vietnam, and then spend some time in Thailand.
But, the more I tried to plan, the more stressed out I got about tackling Vietnam on my own – especially considering it would be my first time traveling solo in Southeast Asia.
It wasn't that I was afraid of Vietnam (or worried about traveling there as an American) – I was nervous about all the little details; getting on the right buses, not getting ripped off by cab drivers, finding decent hotels in all the places I wanted to visit…
Vietnam is not quite as developed as Thailand; there IS tourism infrastructure there, but it isn't quite as easy to navigate as Thailand.
In the end, I decided that the stress of going solo in Vietnam might make it hard for me to truly enjoy the experience. And so I decided to look at other options.
I've worked with Intrepid Travel in the past (in Eastern Europe, in Central America, and in the Greek Islands), and so I began browsing their offerings in Southeast Asia. This is actually where the company began operating tours 25 years ago, and so I knew whatever I found would be top-notch. Twenty-five years, after all, is a lot of time to practice and make improvements.
Originally, I was only going to visit Vietnam and Thailand. But then I stumbled upon a tour encompassing both Vietnam and Cambodia that ended in Bangkok, Thailand – “The Best of Vietnam and Cambodia.” It sounded perfect, and I told myself that NOT visiting Cambodia (and the Angkor Temples) while I was already in the area would be silly.
So I got in touch with Intrepid, and within a few weeks was booked on a tour for the first couple of weeks of my Southeast Asia trip. My stress levels instantly lowered.
The tour, it turned out, was actually TWO tours connected in the middle – one in Vietnam and one in Cambodia. And so I've decided to review them separately, since I had two different guides and two somewhat different experiences.
Vietnam Express Southbound tour
The Vietnam portion of this tour was the “Vietnam Express Southbound” trip, beginning in Hanoi and ending in Ho Chi Minh City (where I then met up with the connected Cambodia trip). Here's a look at this tour:
Before you go
If you're wondering what to pack for a trip like this, check out my Southeast Asia packing list. Must-have items (in my opinion) include light layers, comfortable sandals, and a sleep sheet.
Intrepid requires you to have travel insurance for the entirety of your trip. You may be covered under your regular insurance plan, but if you're not, I recommend buying coverage through World Nomads. They offer the most affordable basic travel insurance out there.
When visiting Vietnam, you likely will also need a visa. And a Vietnam visa is something you have to prepare for, by either getting it before you leave or applying to get a visa on arrival. Check out this info on getting a Vietnam visa for US citizens. It walks you through the different options for obtaining your Vietnam visa.
Where will you go?
Over the span of 10 days, we visited quite a few destinations on this Vietnam tour:
- Hanoi
- Ha Long Bay
- Hue
- Hoi An
- Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
- Mekong Delta
We also had opportunities to get out of the cities on half-day trips, usually visiting markets or cycling through the countryside.
Who will you travel with?
The travelers in my group hailed from Australia, the U.S., the UK, and Chile, with ages ranging from 20 to 60+. There was a family traveling together from England, young couples from Australia, and a handful of solo travelers, too.
This is a pretty typical mix for an Intrepid group, in my experience. And, as always when traveling with Intrepid, our group was small – only 13 people.
I've never had a “bad” group on an Intrepid tour; they have all been good for the most part. But this group? This one was especially fantastic. Despite the age differences and the fact that we all came from different parts of the world, we all got along ridiculously well.
Everyone always seemed to be up for just about anything, whether it was singing karaoke on a boat in Ha Long Bay, dressing up in Hue, or going on death-defying bike tours in Hanoi. We had SO much fun, and the group definitely helped me enjoy the trip more.
Who is the guide?
Our tour leader, a tiny, high-energy local by the name of Hai, was equally as fantastic. He was a great leader in the sense that he took care of all the little details of our trip flawlessly. We were never delayed, and we were always well-informed about where we were going and what we needed to bring (like breakfast on our overnight train ride, or something to cover up with for visiting temples in Hue).
He was also incredibly knowledgable about Vietnam in general, and was almost always able to answer any questions we had.
I also never felt like he was pressuring us to book optional extras or buy things at the various tourist stops we made. He was just a happy guy that you genuinely enjoyed being around, whether you were stuck on a train for 12 hours or laughing at his antics at a local club.
It's so true that a guide can make or break a tour like this. In this instance, Hai absolutely made the trip, and I think everyone in the group would agree. We were spoiled by the fact that Hai knew so much and that he had such a fun personality.
He also was very conscious about what Intrepid stands for as a tour company, which I always take note of.
How will you travel?
The majority of travel on this tour was done via private mini bus. This made the hours in-transit quite comfortable, and made it easy for all of us to chat and get to know one another.
We also took one overnight train (from Hanoi to Hue) and one short flight (from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City).
I will make a note for anyone planning to book this tour in the future that the local trains in Vietnam are definitely NOT fancy. We were booked into “first class” cabins, which meant 4 beds in each room.
The train cars (and the sheets) were not particularly clean, and we may or may not have had some rodent residents in our train car… My advice is to just accept this as part of the adventure, and perhaps make sure you have a sleep sheet with you.
Where will you stay?
This trip is an Intrepid “Original” style of trip, which means 2/3-star tourist class accommodation. If you are traveling solo, you’ll be sharing a room with at least one other person unless you pay the single supplement fee (which I did for this trip, since it was extremely affordable).
I'm used to traveling this way – usually mid-range hotels that are not disgusting, but also not super fancy.
On this tour, however, I think we were all quite impressed with the class of hotels we stayed in. None of them were huge chain hotels, but all were clean, comfortable, and usually came with free wifi. And some of them were downright beautiful, like the Phu Thinh Boutique Resort and Spa in Hoi An.
Note that accommodations on this trip also include that overnight train mentioned above, as well as one night on a boat in Ha Long Bay. The “junk boat” we slept on in the Bay was far from junky, though – it was full of character with decent-sized rooms with ensuite toilets and showers.
What will you eat in Vietnam?
Traveling through Vietnam, you of course will eat lots of yummy Vietnamese food! Our tour leader was really good about offering to plan group dinners for us, or giving out personal recommendations on good places to eat if we wanted to do our own thing.
He also would stop at roadside stands for us to have a quick lunch of pho (noodle soup) right alongside the locals.
My favorite Vietnamese dishes included beef pho, spring rolls (especially the fresh ones), and Cao lầu (a regional specialty in Hoi An, pictured below).
What will you do on this Vietnam tour?
Activities that are included in the price of this trip include:
- An overnight cruise at Ha Long Bay
- Guided tours around Hue (including to royal tombs, the Imperial Citadel, and the Thien Mu Pagoda)
- Cruise down the Perfume River in Hue
- Visit to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City
- A day trip to the Mekong Delta from HCMC
This trip also included tons of optional activities. Some of these included:
- Kayaking at Ha Long Bay
- Bike tours in Hanoi, Hue, and Hoi An (mostly in the countryside)
- A “royal banquet” dinner in Hue
- A cooking class in Hoi An
- A trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels from Ho Chi Minh City
- A water puppet show in HCMC
The optional activities were always just that: optional. However, our group generally signed up for anything and everything.
Despite a fairly full schedule, we still found ourselves with a decent amount of free time. Usually we would either relax, or divide up into smaller groups to do things.
I went to a local market with an Aussie couple in Hue, wandered around to see the sights with a small group of people in Ho Chi Minh City (like the Reunification Palace and all the Tet decorations), and even took a night off from the group to meet up with some friends in Hoi An.
Any downsides?
Overall, this was a really great tour. The only downsides I can think of are that it could be longer (another night in Hanoi and perhaps an extra one in Hoi An for people who want to get some things custom-tailored would be great) and the price could perhaps be raised in order to just include a lot of those “optional” activities.
Those activities add up – it would probably feel like less of a strain on the wallet if more of them were just automatically included in the price of the trip, even if that meant raising the price $100 or so.
Would I recommend this Vietnam tour?
DEFINITELY. I loved this tour, my group, and Vietnam in general. Thanks to the mix of cities and countryside, I feel like I really got a good taste of the country. Having a local guide allowed me to understand Vietnam a lot better, and also have a lot of great local interactions that I know I probably wouldn't have had if I had been traveling solo.
Overall, it's a trip that I have very fond memories from, and one that I would recommend to anyone wanting to visit Vietnam without having to worry about any of the details.
In the end, this turned out to be the perfect introduction to Southeast Asia for me.
Book this Vietnam tour for yourself!
If you want to read more about this tour, here are some posts to check out:
- Ha Long Bay: Just as Incredible as You've Heard
- Of Kumquat Trees and Death Wishes: Cycling in Hanoi
- Exploring the Imperial City of Hue, Vietnam
- There's Something About Hoi An
- Central Vietnam By Bike: Rice Paddies and Smiles
- In Photos: Markets in Vietnam
- An American in Vietnam
- A Day in the Mekong Delta
- Celebrating Tet in Vietnam
If you'd like to book this same tour, check it out here.
*Note: I did receive a complimentary tour of Vietnam and Cambodia from Intrepid Travel. As always, though, opinions are completely my own.
Would you ever consider a tour like this in Vietnam?
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Amanda Williams is the award-winning blogger behind A Dangerous Business Travel Blog. She has traveled to more than 60 countries on 6 continents from her home base in Ohio, specializing in experiential and thoughtful travel through the US, Europe, and rest of the world. Amanda only shares tips based on her personal experiences and places she's actually traveled!
Hey Amanda, I’ve recently discovered your blog and think its amazing! Funnily enough, I’ve been contemplating a trip to Vietnam over the past few weeks and only yesterday looked at this very tour with Intrepid. I was pretty sold on the tour just from their website, but your play-by-play here has confirmed that this is the tour I want to travel on- it looks amazing. Thanks for the entertaining and inspiring post! 🙂 -Kat
Awesome to hear, Kat! It’s a great tour, and I’m glad to hear you’re considering it!
I’ll have to take a look at this tour. I’ve been on 5 trips with Intrepid so far and I think this one is going on my wish list, perhaps for next year.
Do it! I really enjoyed it, and the price tag is great, too.
Sorry, I meant to write “again.”
Hi there! I just found your blog and yes, I would consider a tour to Vietnam. In fact, I went with Intrepid about 7 years ago and took their Vietnam Original Tour. I had a great time and we were a group of about 11 people I think, with myself as the only British person. I’ve been a solo traveller for years and it was just nice to have someone else do the work. I arrived in Hanoi via Moscow and spent a few days solo before flying to Saigon to meet the others. I then flew to Thailand solo aain after the trip, and spent a few days in Bangkok before flying back to Berlin.
I had picked up a bug in the Aeroflot plane which I couldn’t get rid of and was ill the complete time that I was in Vietnam, so I was pretty glad that I didn’t have to sort all that out by myself LOL!
‘Loving your post. 🙂
Bummer that you were sick! I hate when that happens, but I have definitely been there, too.
So glad to hear you enjoyed your Intrepid experience in Vietnam too, though!
oh my gosh the food. I’m a total sucker for pho and even though I’m sure it’s ridiculously inauthentic at most US places, I can’t help but dream (salivate?) about Vietnamese food…
I dunno, I’ve actually had some decent pho in the U.S. But yeah… all the Vietnamese food was better in Vietnam!
I’ve been to Vietnam twice – in 1990 we couldn’t get permit to leave Saigon – so I went back in 2004. I’d say it’s quite a lot easier to travel solo in compared to Thailand, thought the travel is slower because the infrastructure still hasn’t recovered from the war – we did do some internal flights because of that. We found that hotels handed us on – once we found one – when they knew we were heading south (there’s only 2 options 🙂 ) – they would recommend their “friends” in the next town who would collect us from the bus drop off. Painless – and always ended up with a decent hotel for a fair price (negotiable of course).
That’s good to hear, Lis! Sounds like it was definitely worth going back a second time. Having been once, I think I would probably feel confident to plan things on my own next time. But this worked best for me the first time around!
I can totally understand the tour got your stress levels down and I’m happy that it turned out to be great.
A friend of mine actually visited Vietnam for three weeks with her Boyfriend in January. They’d only booked their plane tickets beforehand and booked their lodging ‘sur place’ through booking sites. It worked out great for them, but I couldn’t manage that. I’m an overorganizer and would never leave without any accommodation booked:)
Haha, yes, I’m a bit of an overorganizer, too, Sofie! Though, I have definitely chilled out a lot – I still like to have my accommodation booked in advance, but “in advance” can be a day or two ahead of time now. 😉
It really sounds like a great tour Amanda and I love your video, makes me want to go now! I’ve used Intrepid before in Cambodia and thought they were great. I especially love that we had a local guide who could give really good recommendations on places to eat and see.
Having a local guide can really make the experience different! So glad to hear you liked the video – I had fun making that one.
Liked this info. My boyfriend and I did Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia on our own last year and had a ball. Many of your photos look like copies of mine! We travel on our own, ie no packaged tours with the exception of day trips once in a while, which we believe saves us a good bit. Of course, our accommodations are pretty basic usually, but who cares. I would recommend Vietnam to anyone with an ounce of adventurous spirit. Yeah, it can get a little dodgy at times (you’re spot on with the trains – whew!) but with the right attitude, it’s fantastic. Cambodia… what can I say? We loved it. Boyfriend had been before and told me I’d fall for it and he was right. We’ll definitely go back one day.
Great to hear, Becky! In the end, I was glad to have been with a group in Vietnam and Cambodia – it definitely helped me enjoy both countries more, I think. I’m not sure I would have had as much fun completely on my own!
I haven’t been to SE Asia yet but I think you were right; a tour is a good way to visit for the first time in an area like this. I would probably consider a trip to Vietnam due to the tour; sounds like you had a great time and didn’t have to worry about being overwhelmed while planning all yourself. Great post!
I think if I had gone to Thailand first, I would have been a little more confident in figuring things out on my own. But I’m definitely glad that I went with this option!
This is so helpful for me – thank you! I’m busy stressing/researching/planning for mt trip to Vietnam this summer…can’t wait!
So glad you found it helpful, Lisa!
Would like to give SE Asia a second chance, as Thailand disapponted. Too touristy or too hippy dippy druggies who despised us being ‘tourists’. Our guide was fantastic, but the one rogue member of our party (it only takes one) had a negative impact on all of us. There were other issues with the tour too, none of us thought that the company (G Adventures) we travelled with took seriously.
Sorry to hear that, Coral! I would definitely recommend giving SE Asia another try. Get out of the touristy parts of Thailand, and I’m sure you would have a very different experience!
I have actually looked at this tour, a few times for next year, not really sure when yet. Or how I’m going to do what I want to. My sister lives in Cambodia so I want to visit her and then travel around. I’ll work it out when I’ve saved more.
Ohmygosh kayaking in Ha Long Bay- I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Top Gear but they visited Vietnam and did a race across the country on mopeds & ever since then I’ve wanted to go to Vietnam.
Eww rodents. I think my shoes would be staying on.
YES I’ve seen that Top Gear episode! My boyfriend and I actually re-watched it before I left to get me pumped up. 🙂 I can tell you that Vietnam is just as great in real life as it looked on TV!
This is definitely a good way to see Vietnam (and at quite an affordable rate, too, I think), especially if you were already going to that part of the world to see your sister in Cambodia.
It sounds like you squeezed a lot into this visit, which is exactly how I like to travel too!
At the end of the trip, we were all amazed by how much we had seen/done!
Hey Amanda,
I’m a bit of a newbie to your site and wanted to say how much I enjoyed this post. I looked into going to Vietnam not so long ago and like you felt a little overwhelmed by it all so this tour seems like the perfect option…with seemingly no real compromise (I followed the links and the prices seem pretty reasonable too!).
I know you have mentioned in the post that the optional excursions added up, I was just wondering if you could recall the pricing of the things you did as I can’t seem to find the specifics on the Intrepid Travel website?
Looking forward to hearing about your experience in Cambodia.
Hey Caity! I’m really glad that you found this post helpful. I really enjoyed the tour, and it helped me enjoy Vietnam a lot.
As for the extras, food was usually cheap (most meals, even at “touristy” restaurants would usually only fun $4-$8 for dinner), with the exception of the banquet dinner, which I think was around $18. The cooking class in Hoi An (which included eating the food you made) was around $35. The bike tours ranged from $15-$25. The water puppet show was cheap, at just $7. And the kayaking at Ha Long Bay was $11. Compared to prices in other parts of the world, these aren’t really all that expensive. But it’s useful to know about so you can bring some extra money!