January to March is good across the whole country, and April everywhere except the far north. The north is best from October to April, the centre from January to August, and the south from December to April.
TRAVIGMA · Vietnam
Private Vietnam Holidays from India
Vietnam has a coffee for every landscape. Which one is yours?
Egg coffee in Hanoi, salt coffee in Hue, coconut coffee in Hoi An, and slow drip coffee in the south. Limestone bays at dawn, lanterns over Hoi An’s river, rice terraces in the far north, a bowl of pho on a plastic stool in Hanoi, and white-sand islands in the south, a direct flight from India.
Plan my Vietnam experience ↗WHY TRAVIGMA
Why choose Travigma for Vietnam holidays?
Vietnam is a country you taste before you see. Start the day with egg coffee in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, sleep on a boat among the limestone islands of Lan Ha Bay, cycle past rice fields to Hoi An’s lantern-lit lanes, and end on a white-sand beach in Phu Quoc. It runs more than 1,600 km from the mountains of the north to the Mekong Delta, and several Indian cities now fly direct to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Travigma designs private, personalised Vietnam trips around the uncrowded version of the country: Lan Ha Bay instead of the busiest corner of Ha Long, Ninh Binh’s river valleys by rowing boat, Hoi An’s old town before the day-trippers arrive. Every experience includes airport-to-airport transfers in a private vehicle, hotels chosen for quality, a guide whenever your plan calls for one and 24/7 on-the-ground support, so all you have to do is slow down. Whether you are a couple, a family travelling with children or senior parents, or a group, Travigma starts by listening to your priorities, then designs the trip around you.
8 to 10 days for a first visit. 12 to 14 days to travel north to south.
Direct flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kochi.
Indian passport holders need a visa: the e-visa (US$25, roughly ₹2,100, single entry, up to 90 days), applied for on the official portal. Phu Quoc alone is visa-free for 30 days if you fly there direct. Travigma guides its every customer booked through it.
THE ISLAND, REGION BY REGION
Vietnam, region by region
Explore the regions that make this country worth returning to.
North Vietnam
Hanoi (hah-NOY), Ninh Binh (ning BIN), Ha Long (hah LONG) Bay and Lan Ha (lahn HAH) Bay, and in the far north, Sa Pa (SAH-pah) and Ha Giang (hah ZANG): the Old Quarter’s street food, rowing boats through limestone valleys, nights on a boat among thousands of islands, terraced rice fields, the villages of the Hmong and Dao peoples, and some of Asia’s most dramatic mountain roads. Best: October to April. Sa Pa and Ha Giang: November to March. September is the golden rice season in the far north, but one of the wettest months.
Central Vietnam
Hue (HWAY), Hoi An (hoy AHN), Da Nang (dah NANG), Phong Nha (fong NYAH) and Nha Trang (nyah TRANG): the old imperial city, a lantern-lit trading town, the Hai Van (hai VAHN) Pass and long sandy beaches, river caves and jungle in a UNESCO-listed national park with some of the largest caves on earth, and a beach city on a wide bay further south. Best: January to August. Phong Nha: December to July. Nha Trang: January to September.
South Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the Mekong (MAY-kong) Delta, Phu Quoc (foo KWOK) and Con Dao (kon ZOW): a buzzing city, floating markets, orchards and life on the water, then white-sand beaches, coral reefs and quiet island nights. Best: December to April.
Lan Ha Bay, Ninh Binh, Ha Giang and Con Dao are where the Uncrowded Principle lives in Vietnam. Travigma combines regions by season, so your route follows the good weather instead of fighting it.
CHOOSE YOUR DEPTH
Three ways to experience Vietnam
Classic
Handpicked 4-star stays
Your first impression of Vietnam.
8 days · from ₹75K per person
Signature
Characterful stays and a Signature Experience
Depth over breadth.
8 days · from ₹1.1L per person
Bespoke
Vietnam’s finest stays, with private access
A private junk charter in Lan Ha Bay, and private access built around a life event: a honeymoon, an anniversary, your parents’ big trip.
8 days · from ₹1.45L per person
A HIGHLIGHTED JOURNEY
The Cham temples of My Son, privately
You’ll find a little of India in central Vietnam, if you know where to look.
For more than a thousand years, the Champa (CHAHM-pah) kingdoms ruled the central coast of what is now Vietnam, and their kings worshipped Shiva. Their great sanctuary, My Son (mee SUN), sits in a jungle valley an hour from Hoi An: red-brick temple towers built between the 4th and 13th centuries, carved with dancers and gods, and inscribed in Sanskrit. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The story is still alive. Further south, at Po Nagar (poh nah-GAR) in Nha Trang, Cham towers honour a mother goddess the Cham link to Bhagavati, and Cham communities in the south still keep their own Hindu traditions, with the Kate (kah-TAY) festival each autumn. Travigma plans My Son early in the morning, before the heat and the crowds, at a pace that works for senior parents and young children, with a guide who knows the stories as well as the roads.
Designed around you
Plan my Cham heritage experienceDESIGNED AROUND YOU
Plan a personalised Vietnam trip
Vietnam looks narrow on a map. It’s more than 1,600 km long. Making its coastline longer than the entire width of many European countries
Most Vietnam holidays don’t go wrong because of the weather. They go wrong because of a handful of planning traps that almost every first-timer falls into: Ha Long Bay as a day trip. It’s two and a half to three hours each way by road from Hanoi, so the bay gets a few hours and the car gets the rest. North to south in a week. Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City are each a flight apart, and every hop eats half a day door to door. Sa Pa there and back in a hurry. It’s five to six hours each way from Hanoi, too far for a short visit and too tiring to rush. The central coast from September to November. Heavy rain and occasional floods arrive just as the north is at its best. Landing in Tet week. Around the Lunar New Year, many shops and restaurants close for several days, and trains and flights fill up. Day trips from one base. Hue from Hoi An, or the Mekong from Ho Chi Minh City, each look close on the map and each add hours in a car. Here’s what those traps cost on a typical do-it-yourself ten days, north to south: A day trip from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay and back: approx 6 hours Hanoi to Sa Pa and back by road: approx 11 hours Hanoi to Hoi An, door to door with the flight: approx 4.5 hours A day trip from Hoi An to Hue and back: approx 6 hours Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City, door to door with the flight: approx 4.5 hours A day trip from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta and back: approx 5 hours That’s 37 hours in a car, at an airport or on a plane: more than two and a half days of your holiday, gone before you count a single queue. Over two and a half days of a ten-day holiday is more than 25% of your budget, and more than 25% of the leave you saved up all year, spent watching Vietnam go by from a window. That’s where Travigma comes in. We plan a night on the water instead of a rushed day trip to the bay, give Sa Pa the nights it deserves, and match each region to your month, so the north and the centre are at their best when you arrive. We suggest flights between regions at sensible hours, or plan the road and rail if you’d rather not fly, keep you clear of Tet week, and tell you honestly whether the far north, the centre or the islands suit your group best, so the hours you’d lose go back into the holiday. You make the few decisions that matter. We handle the rest. And when your family talks about this trip for years, you’ll be the one who planned it. You’ll hear back within 24 hours.
With an idea / Tell us who’s travelling, when, and what a good day looks like. We design the pace, the stays and the moments.
With a budget / Tell us what you’d like to spend, and we’ll show you how far it goes: which regions, which season, which experiences.
With my own plan / Already mapped it out? Bring it, and we’ll run it on the ground.
WHO IS IT FOR
Vietnam for couples, families and groups
Couples and honeymoons
A night on the water in Lan Ha Bay, Hoi An by lantern light, and a quiet island at the end, with a guide who steps back when you want to be alone.
Plan this way ↗Families
A pace that works for every age, from young children to senior parents: kayaks in calm bays, a cooking class, the beach, and journeys broken up so no one runs out of patience.
Plan this way ↗
Groups
A boat of your own in the bay, long street-food dinners, a private vehicle that moves as one, and a local team close by, so you arrive as friends, not as the organiser.
Plan this way ↗QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Frequently asked questions
How many days are enough for Vietnam?
For a first visit, 8 to 10 days covers the north and the centre well: Hanoi, Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay, Ninh Binh and Hoi An. To travel from north to south, including Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong, allow 12 to 14 days. With a week, choose one or two regions rather than the whole country. The pace is set by who is travelling.
Can you plan Vietnam by region?
Yes. We choose regions around the season, your interests and the pace you prefer.
Can you plan around dietary needs?
Yes. Tell Travigma about vegetarian, Jain or other needs at the start, and meals, restaurants and guides are planned around them. Vietnam has a strong Buddhist vegetarian tradition, and vegetarian restaurants, called chay, are easy to find in every city, though many everyday dishes use fish sauce, so it helps to ask. Indian restaurants are easy to find in Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. Stricter diets such as Jain need advance planning. Travigma will tell you honestly what is possible.
How much does a Vietnam trip cost from India?
A private Travigma Vietnam trip comes in three tiers, Classic, Signature and Bespoke, priced per person for 8 days in Hanoi, Lan Ha Bay and Hoi An, including hotels, private transfers, flights within Vietnam, a guide whenever your plan calls for one, and experiences. The tier sets how you stay and what's added: handpicked 4-star hotels in Classic; characterful stays such as a boutique boat in Lan Ha Bay, plus a Signature Experience such as a private street-food walk in Hanoi, in Signature; and Vietnam's finest stays, plus private access built around a life event such as a honeymoon or an anniversary, in Bespoke. Every tier is private and personalised. International flights are not included. The final cost depends on your dates, route, hotels and experiences. Interim answer: prices aren't set, so this version names the three tiers without figures. Once prices are locked, replace it with the draft's version: A private Travigma Vietnam trip starts from ₹75K per person in Classic, ₹1.1L per person in Signature and ₹1.45L per person in Bespoke, for 8 days in Hanoi, Lan Ha Bay and Hoi An, including hotels, private transfers, flights within Vietnam, a guide whenever your plan calls for one, and experiences. The tier sets how you stay and what's added: handpicked 4-star hotels in Classic; characterful stays such as a boutique boat in Lan Ha Bay, plus a Signature Experience such as a private street-food walk in Hanoi, in Signature; and Vietnam's finest stays, plus private access built around a life event such as a honeymoon or an anniversary, in Bespoke. Every tier is private and personalised. International flights are [included / not included]. The final cost depends on your dates, route, hotels and experiences.
Do Indians need a visa for Vietnam?
Yes. Indian passport holders need a visa for Vietnam. Most use the e-visa, which costs US$25 (roughly ₹2,100) for a single entry, allows a stay of up to 90 days and is usually issued in about three working days through the official portal. Phu Quoc island is the one exception: Indians who fly there directly from abroad can stay on the island visa-free for up to 30 days, but any trip to the mainland needs the full visa. Travigma guides every booked traveller through the visa and confirms the current rules with you before you travel.
What is the best time to visit Vietnam?
The best time to visit Vietnam as a whole is January to March, when the weather is good in the north, the centre and the south at once; April is good everywhere except the far north. North Vietnam (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh): October to April. Winters from December to February are cool and can be misty. In the far north, Sa Pa and Ha Giang are best from November to March; September, when the rice is golden, is one of the wettest months. Central Vietnam (Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang, Phong Nha, Nha Trang): January to August, with Phong Nha best from December to July and Nha Trang dry until September. September to November bring heavy rain and occasional floods. South Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong, Phu Quoc, Con Dao): December to April, the dry season. Tet: the Lunar New Year, around late January or February, when many shops and restaurants close for several days and trains and flights fill up. Travigma shapes the route around your dates.
How many days are enough for Vietnam?
For a first visit, 8 to 10 days covers the north and the centre well: Hanoi, Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay, Ninh Binh and Hoi An. To travel from north to south, including Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong, allow 12 to 14 days. With a week, choose one or two regions rather than the whole country. The pace is set by who is travelling.
Is a Travigma trip a Vietnam tour package?
A Travigma Vietnam trip covers everything people look for in a Vietnam tour package from India: hotels, transfers, flights within Vietnam, sightseeing and visa guidance. The difference is that every trip is private and designed around you: your dates, your pace, the places you want to see and the ones you would rather skip. It comes with a private vehicle, a guide whenever your plan calls for one and 24/7 support on the ground, so nothing runs on a fixed group schedule.
Is a Ha Long Bay cruise worth it, and for how long?
Yes, if you stay overnight. Ha Long Bay is about two and a half to three hours by road from Hanoi each way, so a day trip spends most of the day in a car. An overnight cruise lets you see the islands at sunset and sunrise, when the day boats have gone. Travigma usually suggests Lan Ha Bay, next to Ha Long, where the scenery is just as dramatic and the water is quieter, with kayaking and swimming from the boat.
Can you plan a visit to the Cham temples at My Son?
Yes. Travigma plans My Son Sanctuary privately from Hoi An, about an hour away, early in the morning before the heat and the crowds. My Son is a UNESCO-listed complex of Hindu temples built by the Champa kingdoms between the 4th and 13th centuries, mostly for Shiva, with inscriptions in Sanskrit. The pace is planned for families, including senior parents, and it pairs well with Po Nagar in Nha Trang for a longer trip.
Can you plan surfing, diving, treks and wellness in Vietnam?
Yes. Beginners surf on Da Nang's long beaches from October to March, and divers and snorkellers head to Nha Trang and the quieter reefs of Con Dao. Walks between the rice terraces around Sa Pa suit most fit travellers, while the Ha Giang loop is a multi-day road journey best done with an experienced local driver. For wellness, Travigma builds in the red herbal bath of the Red Dao people near Sa Pa, a Vietnamese foot or body massage at your hotel or a trusted spa, and a drop-in yoga class in Hoi An. Lessons, dives and treks are arranged with certified instructors, dive centres and licensed guides, at a level that suits everyone in your group.
Want to plan Vietnam your way?
Bays or mountains, lanterns or beaches, a bowl of pho in Hanoi or a quiet island in the south. Tell us what you have in mind, and we’ll design the trip around you. You’ll hear back within 24 hours.
Plan my Vietnam trip ↗