What this trip is really like
The road does the work on this one: south to the dunes and fishing boats of Mui Ne, up into Da Lat's pine forest and coffee farms, then down the pass to Nha Trang's islands and harbour, with lunch stops chosen by the driver rather than a tour desk.
Nothing here is flown, which is the whole point. Longer days in the vehicle buy you the landscape shifting as you go — city traffic gives way to the near-desert behind Mui Ne, the road climbs into pine forest around Da Lat, then drops back to the sea. Four or five hours in a car on transfer days has to suit you, but so does the feeling of having actually crossed the ground.
Three nights at the start go on the Cu Chi Tunnels, the Mekong Delta and the colonial centre. After that the stops get shorter and the scenery does the work: jeeps out to the white and red dunes, one cooler night among the waterfalls and flower gardens of Da Lat, and two closing nights at Nha Trang for the beach and Vinpearl Land. Roads are at their most dependable in the dry months, roughly February to August.
Trip highlights
- The Cu Chi Tunnels, plus a whole day by boat through delta villages
- Open-air jeeps out to the white and red dunes, arriving for sunset
- Da Lat's Langbiang, Datanla Waterfall and Flower Park
- Overland transfers throughout — no domestic flights on this routing
- Ponagar Champa Temple, the Nha Trang Aquarium and Vinpearl Land
- Two closing nights on the sand at Nha Trang
The trip, day by day
Day 1 — Land in Ho Chi Minh City
Saigon, as it is still widely called, is the country's biggest city and its commercial engine — colonial-era landmarks packed in among new towers, and pavements that stay busy well after dark. Arrival days are deliberately light, with an optional walk through the central districts to take the measure of the place.
Day 2 — Cu Chi tunnels and Saigon's centre
Mornings go to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the vast underground system dug by resistance fighters through the long fight for independence. The afternoon is spent on foot downtown: the former Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office, Dong Khoi Street, the Continental Hotel, the Opera House and City Hall.
Day 3 — Mekong Delta day
Two hours of driving southwest and you are in the delta, where a boat along the Vam Xep canal reaches a small islet and a walk leads past orchards and homes. Honey tea and fruit at a bee farm, a workshop turning out coconut candy and a row-boat trip down a narrow channel fill the day, and a motorised boat brings you back via My Tho.
Day 4 — Coast road to Mui Ne
A coach carries you up the coast to Mui Ne, a fishing town on the south-central shore known for its dunes and its long run of beachfront. After check-in the day is free — walk the sand, or simply settle in before tomorrow's excursion.
Day 5 — Dunes at dawn, fishing harbour, Fairy Stream
The morning is yours. At 2pm a jeep leaves for Suoi Tien, better known as the Fairy Stream, then a fishing village and the White and Red Sand Dunes, arranged so the dunes come last, in the evening light.
Day 6 — Up to Da Lat
The road leaves the coastal desert behind and climbs into cooler highland air; at the bus station you are met and driven to your hotel. Once checked in, the afternoon takes in Langbiang mountain, Datanla Waterfall and the flower gardens.
Day 7 — Down the pass to Nha Trang
Another coach brings you back down to sea level at Nha Trang, the best-known beach city on the central coast. Pine forest gives way to coastal plain along the way, and you arrive with time to settle in for two nights.
Day 8 — Islands and Cham towers
Ponagar Champa Temple fills the morning — Hindu-influenced towers put up between the 7th and 12th centuries — followed by the Nha Trang Aquarium and Vinpearl Land, the amusement complex on its island offshore, reached by cable car.
Day 9 — Cam Ranh airport, departure
One last transfer takes you to Cam Ranh International Airport, ending a trip that never once left the road until the flight home.
What's included
- Your rooms, twin or double with breakfast, in the hotel grade you pick with us — family-run guesthouses where they exist, small hotels elsewhere
- Every meal the day-by-day marks as included; we lean towards places locals eat rather than hotel restaurants
- A guide from the region who speaks English and grew up with the places on the route
- Your own air-conditioned car or minivan with driver for every transfer and touring day
- Entrance fees to every site named in the itinerary
- The boats, cruises and activities written into the plan
- Government taxes and service charges — the quote we send is the amount you pay
Not included
- Flights and trains, international or domestic — we quote these separately so you can see the real cost
- Visa fees and visa arrangements
- Travel insurance, which we ask every guest to carry
- Drinks, laundry, phone calls and anything else personal
- Early check-in, late check-out and room upgrades
- Tips for your guide and driver — customary here, at your discretion
- Extra sightseeing or vehicle use beyond the written plan
- Costs caused by weather, road closures or other events outside anyone's control, settled on the spot
- Bank transfer charges
Book this trip
- Days
- 9 days / 8 nights
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Send us your dates and who is travelling. We check the hotels and guide we would use, suggest changes if the season calls for them, and come back with a firm price. Nothing is charged until you say yes.