Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package: Routes, Itinerary, Inclusions and How to Book

What Is the Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package?

Start with the name, because it is doing real work. An odyssey is a long journey with a shape to it: a beginning, a few surprises, and a place you did not expect to end up. The Vietnam Odyssey tour package follows that idea. It is not one itinerary photocopied for every group. It is a set of routes, all built on the same rules, which our planners then bend around your dates, your group and how early you are willing to wake up.

VietOdyssey Tours plans every trip from an office in Hanoi, and that matters more than it sounds. When a cruise is pulled because of weather, or a kitchen cannot manage a Jain meal on the night, the fix comes from people who are already in the country, not from an agent forwarding emails from another time zone.

Four design rules sit under every route:

• Fewer bases, longer stays. Unpacking every night is what wears families out, so we avoid one-night hotels unless a cruise or a flight forces our hand.
• A private vehicle. Your own car and driver-guide instead of a coach shared with strangers, so you can stop for the photo, the coconut coffee or the toilet break.
• One big thing a day. A cruise, a boat ride, a citadel. The rest of the day is left loose on purpose.
• Everything in rupees. One quote with every line written out, so nobody is converting dong at a hotel desk.

If you want the wider picture first, our guide to Vietnam tour packages for Indian travellers covers the main package types, seasons and visa basics. This page goes deep on one of them.

Why Travel Vietnam the Odyssey Way

Indian travellers have noticed Vietnam. The country welcomed more than 746,000 visitors from India in 2025, up 48% on 2024, according to figures reported by VOV in March 2026. More direct flights have followed, and the popular stops now fill up earlier than they used to.

The trap on a first Vietnam trip is trying to see the whole country. It runs about 1,650 km from top to bottom, and the map flatters you. This is how long the hops between Odyssey stops really take:

Typical times in normal traffic. Flight times exclude airport check-in and transfers.

Every flight quietly eats half a day once you count check-in and transfers. That arithmetic is why a Vietnam Odyssey tour package rarely crosses more than three regions, and why we would rather give Hoi An three nights than squeeze in a fourth city.

Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package Routes: Choose Your Chapters

Think of each route as a chapter you can read alone or stack with another. All five are starting templates. Swap a night, drop a city or add Phu Quoc, and the day plan and the quote change together.

8 days · 7 nights

Odyssey Highlights

Hanoi · Ha Long or Lan Ha cruise · Ninh Binh · Hoi An & Da Nang

The balanced one: a capital city, a bay, a countryside day and a finish among Hoi An's lanterns. It fits a school break, or a long weekend stretched with leave.

Best for

First-timers, families, couples

Best months

Late February to April

Ask about this route

7 days · 6 nights

Odyssey North Loop

Hanoi · Sapa · Ha Long or Lan Ha cruise · Ninh Binh

Mountains, bay and karsts without a single domestic flight. Sapa needs two full days to justify the road, so this suits people who would rather pack boots than beach towels.

Best for

Trekkers, photographers, older kids

Best months

October to November, March to April

Ask about this route

6 days · 5 nights

Odyssey Heritage Coast

Da Nang · Hoi An · Hue

The slowest route on the list: Hue's citadel, the Hai Van Pass, Hoi An's old town and a proper beach day. Short drives and an easy pace suit grandparents and younger children.

Best for

Grandparents, culture lovers, slow travellers

Best months

February to May

Ask about this route

12 days · 11 nights

Odyssey Grand

Hanoi · Ha Long · Ninh Binh · Da Nang · Hoi An · Ho Chi Minh City · Mekong Delta

Vietnam end to end across three regions, with two domestic flights and no sprinting. It is the one for milestone birthdays, extended families, or a first and possibly only big Asia trip.

Best for

Milestone trips, extended families

Best months

February to April

Ask about this route

7 days · 6 nights

Odyssey South & Islands

Ho Chi Minh City · Mekong Delta · Phu Quoc

City noise, a day among the Mekong's canals, then an island with sunset dinners. This is the winter-sun route for the months when Hanoi is cold and grey.

Best for

Beach-and-city couples and families

Best months

November to April

Ask about this route

Not sure where to start? For most first-timers we would point you to Odyssey Highlights, which is the route we lay out day by day in the next section.

Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package Itinerary: 8 Days, Day by Day

Here is Odyssey Highlights the way we would run it for a family in March. Treat it as a first draft: every stop can move, shrink or disappear.

1. Day1

   Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi and walk the Old Quarter

   Your driver-guide meets you after immigration and takes you into the Old Quarter, roughly 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. Check in, rest, then walk the lanes around Hoan Kiem Lake at dusk, when the streets fill with families and ice-cream sellers. Dinner is easy on the first night: vegetarian phở or a proper Indian thali, whichever your tired stomach prefers.

   Stay: HanoiTransfer: about 1 hour
2. Day2

   Day 2: A slow Hanoi city day

   Start around the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the One Pillar Pagoda, then walk through the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070. After lunch and a rest, catch a water-puppet show and finish with egg coffee. It was invented in Hanoi in the 1940s when fresh milk was scarce, and it tastes closer to liquid tiramisu than to coffee. The mausoleum closes on some days and for annual maintenance, so we plan this day around its calendar.

   Stay: HanoiPace: easy
3. Day3

   Day 3: Drive to Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay and board the cruise

   Drive east, about 2.5 to 3 hours with a comfort stop, and board your overnight cruise around noon. Lunch is served while the boat threads between limestone islands. The afternoon is for kayaking or a bamboo boat into a lagoon, plus a cave stop where the cruise route allows. Sunset happens on the top deck. Pack a small bag for the next two nights; your main suitcase can wait at the Hanoi hotel.

   Stay: cruise cabinDrive: 2.5 to 3 hours
4. Day4

   Day 4: Sunrise on deck, then south to Ninh Binh

   If you can face it, sunrise tai chi on deck is worth one alarm. A light brunch follows as the boat heads back, with check-out by late morning. Then comes the longest drive of the trip, about 3.5 to 4 hours to Ninh Binh with a lunch stop. The evening is empty on purpose: a slow walk, or a bicycle ride through the paddies around your hotel.

   Stay: Ninh BinhDrive: 3.5 to 4 hours
5. Day5

   Day 5: Trang An by rowing boat, then back to Hanoi

   Spend the morning at Trang An, a UNESCO-listed landscape of caves and karst cliffs, in a rowing boat that takes about two hours. Then choose. Bai Dinh Pagoda is a vast temple complex; the climb to the Mua Cave viewpoint is roughly 500 steps for the best photograph of the trip. The climb is optional, and nobody should feel bad about skipping it. Drive back to Hanoi in the afternoon, about 2 hours.

   

   Stay: HanoiDrive: about 2 hours
6. Day6

   Day 6: Fly to Da Nang and settle into Hoi An

   Fly to Da Nang in the morning (about 1 hour 20 minutes), then drive 40 minutes to Hoi An. Check in, eat lunch, take the afternoon slowly. In the evening the ancient town lights up: yellow-washed houses, silk lanterns, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the river. If your dates land on the 14th night of the lunar month, Hoi An dims its street lights for the monthly full-moon lantern night.

   Stay: Hoi AnFlight: about 1 hour 20 minutes
7. Day7

   Day 7: Ba Na Hills, the Golden Bridge and a Hoi An evening

   Head up to Ba Na Hills early, before the crowds thicken. The cable car climbs into cooler air, and the Golden Bridge, held up by two giant stone hands, is the photograph everyone wants. Come back to Hoi An for the afternoon: a cooking or lantern-making class, a tailor fitting if you want one, then a small boat on the Thu Bon river at night with a candle to float.

   

   Stay: Hoi AnDrive: about 1 hour each way
8. Day8

   Day 8: A last beach morning and departure

   Have a slow breakfast, a last walk or some beach time at My Khe, then transfer to Da Nang airport. We match your departure to the best onward flight, and most travellers connect through Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City on the way home. If your flight is late, the Marble Mountains fit neatly into the gap.

   Transfer: about 40 minutes to the airport

What's Included in the Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package

Inclusions shift a little from route to route, so your quote lists them line by line. This is the standard pattern:

Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package Price: What Moves the Quote

You will not find a rupee figure on this page, and that is deliberate. The same route can cost noticeably different amounts in a quiet April week and in Christmas week, or with a standard cruise cabin versus a balcony suite. What we can do is show you what moves the number:

• Travel dates. Diwali week, Christmas to New Year and Tet push hotel and cruise rates up.
• Hotel grade. Four-star is the baseline; a five-star or boutique stay in Hanoi or Hoi An changes the total quickly.
• Cruise cabin. Standard, balcony or suite is usually the biggest single swing on routes that include Ha Long or Lan Ha.
• Group size. The private car and driver-guide are shared by everyone in the vehicle, so the per-person cost tends to fall as the group grows.
• Flights. Domestic hops between regions, and whether you want international flights bundled or booked yourself.

Keeping the quote sensible

• Move your dates by a week to dodge a peak-season fortnight.
• Spend on one thing, either a good cruise cabin or a riverside stay in Hoi An, rather than upgrading everything.
• On north-to-south routes, ask about an open-jaw flight so you do not pay to backtrack.
• Book early. The best cabins and hotels go first, and last-minute rates rarely improve.

To get the number, send your dates, travellers and departure city. Our Hanoi team replies within 24 hours with an itemised quote in rupees, and you can lay it beside any other Vietnam tour package quote and compare line by line.

Best Time to Book a Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package

Vietnam is long and thin, so the weather is rarely the same at both ends. For a trip that joins the north and the central coast, late February to April is the reliable window. The grid below shows how each region behaves month by month.

• Best: dry, clear, comfortable
• Good: very workable
• Mixed: heat, showers or cold snaps
• Avoid: storms or heavy rain likely

General seasonal patterns, not a forecast. Phu Quoc's calm-sea season runs roughly November to March.

Three timing traps to avoid

• Diwali meets the wet central coast. Diwali holidays fall in the weeks when Da Nang and Hoi An are at their wettest. A Diwali trip works far better built around Hanoi, Ha Long and Sapa, or the south from November, than around the central beaches.
• Tet, the Lunar New Year. It falls in early February in 2027. Many shops and restaurants close, families travel and prices jump. It is the one week we suggest leaving off the calendar.
• Late-summer typhoons in the north. When a storm approaches, the authorities close Ha Long and Lan Ha to boats. Ask any operator how it rebooks or refunds a cancelled cruise.

Peak periods for Indian travellers, meaning Diwali and the Christmas to New Year fortnight, are also when cruise cabins and Hoi An hotels sell out first. Book six to eight weeks ahead for those dates.

Who the Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package Suits

It suits most groups of two or more travelling from India, but the right route and pace depend on who is in the car.

Travelling solo? It works, but the private car is not split with anyone, so ask us to quote it both ways.

Seven Questions to Ask Before Booking Any Vietnam Tour Package

These are the questions our own planners would ask before paying anyone for a Vietnam trip. They work on every operator's quote, ours included.

1. Is the vehicle private or shared?A private car lets you stop when you like. A shared coach runs on the group's clock, not yours.
2. How many hotel changes are there?Every change costs you a morning. Count how many times you would be packing.
3. Which cruise, and which cabin?Ha Long cruises vary enormously. Ask for the boat's name and the cabin category in writing.
4. Are shopping or "factory" stops scheduled?Some low-cost tours include them to offset a cheap headline price. Ask to see the full stop list.
5. What happens if a storm cancels the cruise?The authorities, not the operator, close the bay in bad weather. Ask how you would be rebooked or refunded.
6. Who answers at 11 p.m., and in which language?A helpline that only works office hours is no help on a cancelled flight.
7. Is everything quoted in INR, line by line?That includes flights, the e-visa fee and anything you would pay extra for on the ground.

Send these to us as well. We would rather you compare honestly than book on a hunch.

How to Book the Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package

Booking is a conversation, not a form. Six steps, most of them quick:

1. Share your trip basicsSend your dates, the number of adults and children with ages, your departure city and any food or mobility needs on WhatsApp or through the quote form.
2. Review the plan and quoteWithin 24 hours our Hanoi team sends a day-by-day plan and an itemised quote in rupees for the route you picked.
3. Tune the detailsSwap hotels, add nights, change the cruise cabin or move to a different route until the plan feels right.
4. Confirm and secure your datesConfirm the plan and pay the booking amount stated in your quote so cruise cabins and hotels are held for you.
5. Sort your visa and flightsApply for the e-visa about three weeks before departure with our guidance, and book flights yourself or ask us to quote them once your dates are fixed.
6. Fly and enjoyYou receive your final vouchers, driver details and the helpline number, and our Hanoi team stays on call for the whole trip.

To make step one fast, have these ready: your dates (even rough ones), the number of adults and children with ages, your departure city, any vegetarian, Jain or mobility needs, and the one or two things you would hate to miss.

Visa, Flights and Money for Your Vietnam Odyssey Trip

The e-visa in plain words

Indian passport holders cannot enter Vietnam visa-free for a normal holiday, so you need a visa before you fly. The simplest route is the e-visa, valid for up to 90 days with single or multiple entry. The government fee is USD 25 for single entry and USD 50 for multiple entry, paid online. Apply only on the official portal, evisa.gov.vn, because look-alike sites charge extra for the same form.

Processing usually takes three to five working days, so we suggest applying about three weeks before you fly. Your passport needs at least six months of validity, and you should carry a printed copy of the approval. Phu Quoc has its own rule: fly straight to the island and stay on it, and Indian visitors can skip the visa for up to 30 days. The moment your trip includes the mainland, get the e-visa. Rules change, so check the portal before you apply.

Flights from India

There are more nonstop options than there used to be. Delhi has the widest choice to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City: Air India began Delhi to Hanoi flights on 1 May 2026, alongside Vietnam Airlines, IndiGo and VietJet. Mumbai has nonstops to both cities, and Kolkata has IndiGo flights that take roughly three hours to Hanoi. Other cities either have a seasonal nonstop or a single stop in Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

Nonstops from Delhi and Mumbai take about 4.5 to 5.5 hours. Schedules change with the season, so treat this as a map and not a timetable. Book flights six to ten weeks ahead and fly midweek when you can. On north-to-south routes, an open-jaw ticket, into Hanoi and home from Ho Chi Minh City, saves a domestic flight back.

Money, SIM and small things

• Currency. Vietnam uses the dong (VND). Rupees are rarely accepted or exchanged, so carry US dollars in clean notes to convert, or use a forex card. Cards work in cities; markets and street food are cash.
• UPI. Acceptance is still patchy, so do not rely on it for the trip.
• Time. Vietnam is 1 hour 30 minutes ahead of India, so there is no jet lag to speak of.
• Data. Buy a tourist SIM or an eSIM on arrival. Hotel Wi-Fi is everywhere.
• Rides. The Grab app works for taxis and bikes in big cities. On package days your driver covers the distance.
• Power. Sockets are 220 V and take two-pin plugs, so most phone chargers work. Carry a universal adapter for anything with a three-pin plug.
• Temples. Cover shoulders and knees at pagodas, and keep a light scarf in your day bag.

Eating Vegetarian or Jain on a Vietnam Odyssey

This is the question we hear most from Indian families, so here is the straight version. Vegetarian eating in Vietnam is easier than its fish-sauce reputation suggests, but it takes a little planning. Jain eating takes a lot more.

Your best friend is the word chay. Buddhist vegetarian restaurants (quán chay or cơm chay) are strictly meat-free, cheap and found in every city on the routes above. The food leans on tofu, mushrooms, rice and herbs, and it is often better than the tourist-strip alternatives. Order phở chay for breakfast and bánh mì chay for a picnic. When the family wants dal, paneer and hot rotis, there are Indian restaurants in Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City, and we place them on package nights.

Two watch-outs. First, nước mắm (fish sauce) and shrimp paste sneak into dipping sauces and "vegetable" stir-fries, so a dish that looks vegetarian may not be. Second, cruises: a kitchen on a boat cannot improvise. Tell us about vegetarian, Jain or no-onion-no-garlic needs at booking so the cruise can be briefed before you step aboard. Jain travellers should also carry dry snacks for long drives, because roadside stops rarely have a suitable option.

Vietnam Odyssey Tour Package FAQs