Vietnam Private Tours

Culinary Vietnam

Every traveler knows the best way to get into the heart of a place is to experience the food (and is also what can make or break a travel experience). And as as you may have already heard, anyone who has traveled to Vietnam will mention three things that stood out most: the people, the scenery... and especially Vietnam's delightful food culture. This trip emphasizes all of these with sightseeing from the vantage point of an insider.

On this ultimate culinary adventure trip, enjoy the cultural and natural highlights of Vietnam, with a focus on cuisine for — as many of our past traveler's have said — the experience of a lifetime.

Vietnam features some of the most delicious and innovative cuisine in the world, and our local culinary guides and guest chefs will reveal the hidden delights of Vietnamese food. There are few culinary adventures on par with Vietnam, and this trip will highlight the distinctive cuisines of each region with a mix of activities, including hands-on cooking, kitchen and market visits while canvasing the best of Vietnam from Hanoi to Saigon, including thousand year-old Old Quarter in Hanoi, the sublime Imperial Capital, Hue, ancient port town, Hoi An, and south along Vietnam's scenic coastline to the country's premier beach town, Nha Trang before climbing into the Central Highlands to enjoy the high-mountain views of Dalat, a former French-colonial hill station. At trip's end, marveling at big-city Saigon, discovering some of Vietnam's finest cuisine. Note: this trip may combine bicycling [Cycling Culinary Tour]

Vietnam Photography

One of the most visually dynamic destinations in the world, from aged French colonial architecture, surreal karst landscapes of Halong Bay, sublime terraced rice fields, to bucolic desolate beaches coves. Even more impressive are the Vietnamese, engaging, fascinating, and always on the move, in busy markets, pedal-powered schools of traffic, and streets filled with all manner of vendors. Enjoy access to the most intriguing sites at optimal shooting times, and important person portraits facilitated by your specialist guide. We've twenty years of hosting professional and amateur photographers, and can address your specific interests as well. At trip's end, spend one to two full days photographing the magnificent ruins in neighboring Cambodia. [Read More]

Art Encounter Vietnam

Artists are the ideal cultural ambassadors, a bridge to traditions, and this is especially true in Vietnam where many prominent artists have exhibited abroad, are fluent in English, and are astute observers of their own culture. We're always happy to make introductions with artists in Hanoi, where many of the country's leading artists are based and most we know personally from our long experience, organizing the very first arts tour of Vietnam in 1994, when artists were only beginning to emerge from a long post-war slumber and stagnant economy.

What a difference a couple of decades makes. Vietnam's artists have since claimed the world-stage and the arts scene is Hanoi is one of the most vigorous in Asia. Meet privately with the country's most renowned artists and learn of new mediums, including lacquer and thread art.[Read More About our Vietnam Arts Trips]

Vietnam World Heritage

Vietnam's renowned UNESCO World Heritage sites are each unique and and worth basing any trip to the country around. From stoic Hanoi, sublime cruising on Halong Bay, Hue's ancient tombs, and Hoi An, a small, old port town that is typically everyone's favorite stop in the country, these four comprise the very best of Vietnam. Enjoy these destinations to the fullest with our special activities, encounters and sights within each place.

Vietnam with Kids

Vietnam is no longer a challenging place to travel with kids, and our Vietnam family tours that were pioneered in the early 90's mean with our long experience, local knowledge, meticulous planning, and in-country offices, your trip will not only be a smooth one, but educational, thrilling, and full of delightful.

We've escorted kids of all ages on our Vietnam family tours, organizing biking, kayaking, light trekking, camping out in hill tribe villages, with unique activities such as performing with the Hanoi traditional opera troupe, learning traditional water puppets theater from a master, and private artist encounters where your children will learn hands-on how to produce lacquer paintings in the ancient style. Experience living history, meeting with a fighter pilot in his Hanoi Old Quarter home, hearing of his dogfights over the capital during the war, or learn to play traditional instruments with instruction by a prodigy. Our staff, and in fact you'll discover almost all Vietnamese are, "kid crazy" and your children will enjoy one of the most remarkable family trips they've ever had.

If your family enjoys active travel, will love kayaking through the stunning karst landscapes of Halong Bay. Just two and a half hours outside of Hanoi is one of the world's most incredible geological settings. Here, you can paddle past towering limestone karst formations and traditional Vietnamese wooden boats. The waters are very calm here, and a pleasant for boating and kayaking with children of all ages and ability.

Consider us for our geographic focus and location in Vietnam along with our unmatched experience in the country. Contact us for detailed information about a private Vietnam family adventure in Vietnam. We are honored to be an in-country partners for premier family travel companies and agents including Visrtuoso, My Little Swans, and Ciao Bambino.

Highlights of Vietnam

Vietnam remains very much a divided nation, not but in geopolitical terms, but in cultural and even geography. In Hanoi, one will discover a stoic people in a rustic French capital, while on the central coast, ancient traditions, such as farming still dominates, and further south, the hyper commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City rushes towards modernization. Further out, in Vietnam's remote, mountainous areas, encounter colorful, traditional hill tribes, seemingly from another century.

Striking too are the difference in geography, from the magnificent karst wonderland of Halong Bay, endless emerald green rice paddies of the Mekong Delta, the largest caves complex in the world, jagged mountain peaks along the border areas, pearl-white sandy coastal lagoons along the rugged central coast, and tropical island paradise in the far south.

Romantic Vietnam

Enjoy special activities designed for two, immersing you into one the world's most vibrant cultures and celebrating each other while exploring the elegance of French Indochine and romantic settings that make Vietnam the perfect place to celebrate a honeymoon or anniversary. Discover the old world charms of French Indochine, cruising by private charter on sublime Halong Bay, dining by candlelight along the Perfume River, while experiencing the finest dining in Vietnam. Enjoy private encounters with premier artists and other unique personalities. At trip's end indulge at one of Vietnam's premier beach resorts, including the stylish Four Season's Nam Hai or remote Amanoi.

Insider's Vietnam

Everyone that has been to Vietnam will mention it was the people who were the highlight of their travel there. The Vietnamese are at all once engaging, fascinating, funny, friendly and curious. Encounter not only locals along the way in villages, farms, schools, and monasteries, but also privately with premier artists, historical figures, and notable personalities, such as former PBS journalist Nguyen Qui Duc.

Along the way, experience also unique places and activities few other travelers even hear about, such as hiking the terraced rice fields into remote Hmong villages and learning to fish with locals in Halong Bay.

Indochina with Thailand

Finish you Indochina trip with a stopover in cosmopolitan bangkok and Thai island paradise.

Mekong River Cruise

We only recommend the Mekong cruises if you a longer trip, one that also explores the North and Central Vietnam which has far more beautiful landscapes and waterways, traditional culture, and where all of Indochina's terrific World Heritage sites are located. Halong Bay, for example, is one of the world's most spectacular cruises and should not be missed. We can also arrange short boat rides on scenic river along the way, including the tranquil Perfume River in Hue, busy Thu Bon in Hoi An, and a picturesque dinner cruise along the Mekong River in Luang Prabang. Smaller luxury cruise ships (typically around 20 cabins), such as the Aqua Mekong, are designed for shallow water providing not only a more intimate cruise but also access to the furthest reaches of lake, rivers, and canals, and feature fine wood interiors and comfortable travel.

Mekong cruises are ideal after visiting North Vietnam, and of course, after or before exploring the magnificent temples of Angkor, embarking from a port not far from the temple complex. Enjoy a tranquil 7-night cruise on vast Tonle Sap Lake and the legendary Mekong River, through the Mekong Delta past fishing villages and endless expanse of rice fields. This popular cruise also tours historic Saigon in Vietnam and the busy capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, with stops in rural towns, farms, remote, river islands, plantations, colorful pagodas while vividly taking in the unique cultures along the Mighty Mekong, marveling at the river life, cruising by hundreds of painted junks and sampans in the floating markets and past villages that dot islands and line the shore. On Tonle Sap Lake, Southeast Asia's largest lake, bird watchers will be delighted to spot rare migratory birds.

Our take: Mekong cruises can be a pleasant experience, but only after exploring the far more beautiful landscapes, waterways, and World Heritage Sites of northern Indochina.

Vietnam Biking

We pioneered bike tours in Vietnam way back in 1994 through our adventure wing, VeloAsia, including our popular culinary cycling trip, Iron Chef Vietnam. Since then we've hosted hundreds of friends, small groups, and families for, as many say afterwards, was the most thrilling trip of their lives. Even if you are not a cyclist, we can recommend where to blend in a few leisurely rides during your trip in places that are wonderful on two wheels.

For longer cycling trips, days are not spent in a hurried ride from point to point (although you are welcome to plan a tour with doing just that—we've hosted many pro cyclists over the years). In the places we travel, we believe the diversions along the route often outshine the destination. Local perspective is provided not only with chance encounters, but with guest lecturers who cover language, history, handicrafts, cooking, culture and arts.

One day it's a lecture about a town we're visiting, the next there's a cooking lesson, others may be chance visits to a cooperative farm or vocational school. We also stay moving off the bike with city walking tours, snorkeling, swimming, and hiking. To help you prepare, an extensive pre-tour packet is mailed to you. Filled with practical, historical, and medical information, it is a valuable resource for enhancing the enjoyment of your tour.

Service and Volunteering in Vietnam

Make your trip one with purpose and one that will have an impact on others in a positive way. For conscientious travelers we can organize a variety of ways to enjoy spending time with and helping Vietnamese and ethnic hill tribe peoples. Blend in a few activities, such as donating books and other supplies to schools and villages, or spend longer periods teaching, working with NGOs, or on projects. If you are a nurse, consider volunteering with the University of San Francisco's Vietnam Nurse Project, whom we have partnered with since 2007. [Read More About USF's Nursing Project]

For teens and young adults, we can arrange for impromptu school visits and teaching during your family trip, or longer periods of volunteering at local schools.

Outdoor Adventure in Vietnam

Trekking in Sapa , caving in Song Doo, kayaking Halong Bay, cycling in Mai Chau and Vietnam's central coast—these are only a few options for a thrilling, active trip in Vietnam. Our cycling and kayaking trips were pioneered in 1994 and since then have hosted hundreds of delighted families.

The Splendors of North Vietnam

While the south rushes to modernize, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) now awash with construction cranes, there remains historic and fascinating places untouched by progress in the north, including the stoic capital, Hanoi, magnificent karst landscapes of Halong Bay, and in the remote valleys of northwest Vietnam, where you will discover life as it has existed for thousands of years.

During exceptional periods ancient civilizations are transformed forever, and for Vietnam, that time is now. Fortunately, despite rapid development in cities such as Saigon, there are still places more ancient than modern and Vietnam remains full of places and sights that will transport you into the past: fields of rice under the tropical sun, elegant rustic French Colonial architecture under a canopy of frangipani trees, straw-roofed sampans drifting down languid rivers, young monks draped in saffron-colored robes swaying down quiet alleyways, and colorful pagodas from another millennium.

Journey into the heart of Vietnam, exploring authentic treasures, places that have firmly retained their pleasant old-world environments and rich traditions very different from our own, making Vietnam not only a fascinating, but an exhilarating place for travel.

Explore Hanoi, the stoic capital which recently celebrated it's one thousand year anniversary; on Halong Bay drift through landscapes that have inspired generations of poets and artists; in Hue, discover sublime Imperial ruins along the majestic Perfume River; in Hoi An, a beautiful 16th-century trading port, explore everyone's favorite town in Vietnam; and at Angkor, marvel at Cambodia's surreal, jungle-shrouded city of massive, carved temples which are the largest concentration of ruins on Earth.

Throughout, experience immersive cultural encounters with a rich mosaic of its peoples, encountering them in their villages, schools, galleries, homes, and temples. And in the emerald green rice paddies surrounding these places, further discover a timeless Indochina, as it has existed for hundreds of years.

Luxury Indochina

Embark in Style through Indochina

Over the last two decades, Indochina remains an exotic region but has also developed into a premier luxury travel destination with the opening of international resorts, including the Aman, a variety of world-class dining venues and more comfortable travel infrastructure. Leverage our over 20 years organizing trips of the highest quality that includes meticulous pre-trip planning, attentive and experienced in-country managers, premier guides, with private-only insider experiences and sightseeing away from the crowds.

Relax and enjoy your travel to the fullest under our experienced high-quality trip management, from meticulous pre-trip planning to attentive 24 x 7 service in-country. Call or have your travel agent contact us for details about planning your own private, custom trip in Vietnam.

The Grand Tour

Embark on the ultimate personalized adventure through Southeast Asia, divided among five of the region’s most unique and captivating destinations.

Design your own Grand Tour itinerary, choosing where to go and how long you'll explore each location. Explore Hanoi, Asia's most fascinating capital, sublime Halong Bay, bucolic Laos, magnificent highlights of Thailand, and tranquil Myanmar. Discover the landscapes, cuisine, and hill tribes of north Vietnam, explore the ancient treasures of Siem Reap's Angkor temple complex, the heart of serene Luang Prabang, float by balloon over the ancient temple's of Bagan, followed by an escape to the sun-kissed beaches of Koh Samui. Wherever you choose to go, lifelong memories are guaranteed.