9 daysVietnamAges 18–40
9 days · Hanoi, Lan Ha Bay & Hoi An
Vietnam Express is a 9-day group trip for solo travellers aged 18 to 40 who want the north of Vietnam and Hoi An in one go. You get two nights in Hanoi, two among the limestone peaks of Ninh Binh and a night on a boat in quiet Lan Ha Bay, then a short flight south to three nights in Hoi An. Your Trip Host is with the group from the first dinner to the last breakfast.
Updated
From, per person
$1,190 / £890 / €1,045 / A$1,690 / CA$1,680 / NZ$2,100 / ₹1,14,000
Free to reserve
Sarthak's best travel memories come from going solo: hostel dorms, a new activity most days, new cultures and new food. SoloNomads grew out of that.
Sarthak travels with every group, from the first day to the last, so there's always someone on hand to sort things out when plans change and to make sure nobody gets left out.
In every country, a licensed local agency and licensed local guides look after the ground services, so you get local know-how too.
Hanoi to Hoi An, 4 stops in 9 days.
4 stops
9 days
Day 1
Arrive whenever your flight lands. The Trip Host meets everyone at the hotel in the late afternoon for introductions and a run-through of the trip. Then we head into the Old Quarter with a local guide for a street food walk: noodle soups, grilled skewers, fresh spring rolls and a stop for a cold beer on a plastic stool. That's your welcome dinner.
Day 2
A morning walk with a licensed local guide: round Hoan Kiem Lake, into the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, and through the Hoa Lo prison museum. We stop for egg coffee on the way. The afternoon and evening are yours: a water puppet show, a nap, or bia hoi at the beer corner. From Friday evening to Sunday night the streets around the lake close to traffic and fill with families.
Day 3
A private van takes about two hours to Tam Coc, a village among the rice fields and limestone peaks of Ninh Binh. After lunch we ride bikes along the flat back roads between the karsts. Late in the afternoon we climb the stone steps at Hang Mua, about 500 of them, for the view over the river and fields at sunset.
Day 4
We're at the Trang An wharf at 7am, before the tour buses. A local rower takes each boat of four along the river for about three hours, through low caves and past small temples. Lunch is Ninh Binh's specialities, goat and crispy rice. The afternoon is free for the pool, a nap or another bike ride, and dinner is wherever you like in the village.
Day 5
A morning drive of about three and a half hours takes us to the pier for Lan Ha Bay, south of Ha Long, where far fewer boats sail. We board at about midday and have lunch as we cruise out among the karst islands. The afternoon is for kayaking, swimming when the weather allows and a floating fishing village. Watch the sunset from the top deck, then have dinner on board.
Day 6
Tai chi at sunrise for anyone who wants it, a last paddle or cave visit, and brunch as the boat heads back. We're off the boat by late morning and at Hai Phong airport about 45 minutes later for the flight to Da Nang, about an hour and a quarter. The flight is included. A van gets us to Hoi An in time for an evening walk through the lantern-lit old town.
Day 7
An early start at the market to buy ingredients with the cooking school's chef. Then we paddle in round basket boats through the water coconut palms at Cam Thanh, early, before the crowds and loudspeakers arrive. Back at the school you cook three or four dishes and eat them for lunch. The afternoon is free for the old town, a tailor or a nap. At dusk we take a small boat along the river among the lanterns.
Day 8
In the morning we cycle about 5 km through the rice fields to An Bang beach for a swim and a coffee. Late in the afternoon you make your own silk lantern at a small workshop, and it folds flat for your bag. In the evening the group gets together for a farewell dinner.
Day 9
The trip ends after breakfast. Da Nang airport is 40 to 50 minutes away by car, so book flights from about midday onwards. Staying on? The Trip Host can suggest where to go next, from Hue to the south.
Prices are per person, and reserving is free. A date goes ahead once about 10 travellers have joined. You pay nothing until then. Once it's confirmed, we send you an invoice for the full price, and you have 7 days to pay it (or until the trip starts, if that's sooner).
15 Jan – 23 Jan 2027
AvailableLantern night, full moon 21 Jan; cool in the northMax 16 people
Price
$1,190 / £890 / €1,045 / A$1,690 / CA$1,680 / NZ$2,100 / ₹1,14,000
1 Mar – 9 Mar 2027
AvailableGood weather everywhereMax 16 people
Price
$1,190 / £890 / €1,045 / A$1,690 / CA$1,680 / NZ$2,100 / ₹1,14,000
14 Apr – 22 Apr 2027
AvailableLantern night, full moon 20 AprMax 16 people
Price
$1,190 / £890 / €1,045 / A$1,690 / CA$1,680 / NZ$2,100 / ₹1,14,000
You reserve your spot for free and pay nothing to join. Once enough travellers have signed on, usually around 10, we confirm the departure and email you a confirmation with an invoice for the full trip price, paid by bank transfer in your own currency within 7 days.
US dollars, pounds, euros, Australian dollars, Canadian dollars, New Zealand dollars or Indian rupees. Once your departure is confirmed, we send the invoice by bank transfer in whichever currency you choose, and the price shown for each date is what you pay.
Departures marked "Lantern night" are timed so the full moon falls while we're in Hoi An. On those evenings the old town turns off its electric lights and runs on lanterns and candles. Hoi An sets the dates each year, and if one moves we tell you straight away.
Solo travellers aged 18 to 40. Most people come on their own, and some come with a friend.
The maximum for each departure is shown with its dates, and it's never more than 16.
The Trip Host travels with the group for all nine days, sorts out every transfer, ticket and check-in, and is the person you go to if anything goes wrong. A licensed local guide leads the visits that need one.
It starts at our hotel in Hanoi on the afternoon of Day 1, and we send the address when you book. It ends in Hoi An after breakfast on Day 9. Fly into Hanoi (HAN) and home from Da Nang (DAD).
February to May is the best time: mild in the north, dry in Hoi An and calm in the bay. We don't run this trip from mid-October to mid-December, when Hoi An floods, or at the height of the typhoon season, when boats in the bay are often kept in port.
The port authorities keep boats in when a storm is forecast, and nobody sails against that. If it happens, we spend the night on Cat Ba island or in Hai Phong instead and still take the flight south.
Some passports get 45 days visa-free in Vietnam and others need an e-visa. Rules change, so check our Vietnam visa guide for your passport before you book flights. Only apply on the official site, evisa.gov.vn, and fill in the free pre-arrival form before you land.
Small hotels and guesthouses with air-con, picked for location and cleanliness: the Old Quarter in Hanoi, Tam Coc village in Ninh Binh and a short walk from the old town in Hoi An. On Day 5 you sleep in a twin cabin with its own bathroom on the boat.
Eight meals are included. Street food costs about 30,000 to 80,000 dong a dish, and a local beer about 20,000 to 40,000 dong. Budget roughly 400,000 to 600,000 dong a day for food and drinks, a bit more in Hoi An.
Yes. Tell us when you book. The boat and the cooking school can cook vegetarian, and we can give you a Vietnamese-language card to show at street stalls.
Light clothes, plus a warm layer for the boat deck and for Hanoi from December to February. Bring clothes that cover shoulders and knees for temples, sandals and shoes with grip for Hang Mua, swimwear, a refillable water bottle, sunscreen and a waterproof phone pouch. If you forget something, Hoi An is full of tailors.
Yes, it's a condition of joining. It must cover medical treatment and evacuation.
Averagely fit. There are the steps up Hang Mua, a few gentle bike rides, a kayak session and a lot of walking. You need to be comfortable in and around water, and life jackets are provided on the boats.
After a day boat capsized in a storm in Ha Long Bay in July 2025, the authorities tightened the rules: tourist boats must carry tracking and radio equipment, and passenger lists are checked before departure. We book a licensed, inspected boat, and the crew and Trip Host decide on swimming and kayaking according to the weather.
Ask here and someone on the team will email you back within 1 to 2 business days.
From
$1,190 / £890 / €1,045 / A$1,690 / CA$1,680 / NZ$2,100 / ₹1,14,000