Vietnam Like You've Never Seen It!
15-Day Off-the-Trails Food & Culture
5 Good Reasons To Do This Trip!
You’ll chow down on Vietnam’s regional flavours – whip up dishes, mix cocktails, wander a farm, and taste your way through the country.
Visit top attractions across the country, plus places yet to hit most travellers’ radars.
Delve deep into the Vietnamese psyche as you get to know everyone from traditional basket weavers to a bona fide princess.
Take advantage of free moments to relax amid the South China Sea’s crashing waves on a palm-fringed beach, to people-watching over a glass of Bia Hoi draft beer from a local café.
Learn about Vietnam’s long and illustrious history through its food, without leaving your head swimming with endless historical dates and complicated dynastic detail.
Trip Details
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Trip Breakdown
Length
15 days / 14 nights
Details
- 2 weeks cooling off period applies.
- Lifetime Deposit. If you need to cancel, your deposit is transferable to other trips.
- Private Room for every guest every night.
Please refer to our payment terms in the FAQs.
Arrival
Alagon D Antique, Ho Chi Minh City
Departure
The Oriental Jade Hotel, Hanoi
Group Size
12
Included
- Meals: 14 breakfasts, 11 brunches/lunches and 5 dinners, including a family-cooked banquet and cooking demonstration.
- 13 nights boutique and premium private room accommodation.
- 1 overnight on a Lan Ha Bay Heritage Cruise Ship, in your private room.
- 2 domestic flights: Ho Chi Minh City to Hue & Danang to Hanoi.
- Private and air-conditioned vehicle transportation throughout. Except when you’re:
- Travelling by vintage war jeep on a countryside drive.
- Exploring by speed boat, a Sampan and other local boats.
- Four foodie walks that reveal each region’s unique flavours and stories.
- An evening learning local Mixologists’ signature cocktails.
- Hear first-hand perspectives from a war veteran, a Buddhist monk, a farmer and a princess of the House of Nguyen.
- A top-rated and English-speaking Tour Leader throughout.
- Local guides as needed.
- All listed activities and more!
Not Included
- International flights
- Travel insurance (compulsory)
- Any visas required
- Late check-out at hotels
- Meals and drinks not mentioned in the itinerary
- Drinks with included lunches and dinners
- Tip kitty (See FAQs for more information)
Accommodation
Your Fencox accommodation means having a private room, all to yourself – every single time.
Accommodation Preview
Mango Home Riverside, Ben Tre
La Siesta Hoi An Resort, Hoi An
The Oriental Jade, Hanoi
Day 1: Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Welcome to Vietnam! One of our friendly crew will be on hand to guide you through the melee of Ho Chi Minh City airport’s arrivals hall and to your hotel. You’ll have a little time to relax in your room before meeting your guide and fellow Fencoxers for a cocktail tour of the city tonight.
What a superb way to break the ice with your group and come to grips with Vietnam’s biggest city, rubbing shoulders with just some of the 14 million people who call it home as you explore popular drinking spots and sample some of the city’s best cocktails. Anyone for a Saigon Sour?
Accommodation: Alagon D Antique (or similar), Ho Chi Minh City
Included: Dinner and Drinks
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kick off your first full day in Vietnam just like the locals, with a traditional Vietnamese breakfast of iced egg coffee – an honest-to-goodness revelation!
Follow this up with a slurp of noodle soup before making your way through the honking horns and neon signs to Saigon’s Chinatown. Spanning four city districts, its mix of temples, market stalls and Chinese-inspired architecture dates back centuries.
The day ends with a prime seat at an À Ố Show at the French-built Opera House, whose artistes incorporate bamboo in all manner of circus skills, acrobatics and performance art.
Accommodation: Alagon D Antique (or similar), Ho Chi Minh City
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 3: Cu Chi Tunnels
See Ho Chi Minh City from a different perspective this morning – by speedboat – zipping along the Saigon River to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Used extensively during the Second Indochina War (known in Vietnam as the American War by communist forces), you’ll have the chance to experience life in the tunnels for yourself, before meeting a veteran for his first-hand account and cultural insight of the conflict.
After a riverside lunch and a little wellness surprise, you’ll head back to the city for an R&R evening of your choosing. Have you dipped your toe in that plush rooftop pool yet?
Accommodation: Alagon D Antique (or similar), Ho Chi Minh City
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 4: The Mekong Delta Backwaters
Today you’ll hit Vietnam’s highways for the first time, replacing the big city beats with the laidback Ben Tre vibes as you say a fond tạm biệt (goodbye) to Ho Chi Minh City.
Then, it’s all aboard your day cruiser and before you know it you’ll be gliding into the Mekong’s small tributaries. Hop on and off for snapshots of local life with your local guide. A slurp of coconutty-freshness here, an all-amble-no-puff bike ride through Huu Dinh village there, and a moment to sip honey tea in Mrs Huong’s garden too.
As you tuck into your taste-bud-busting five-course lunch at Mango Home Riverside, you might think the day can’t get any better – but think again! An afternoon walk with your guide comes with a little local-life magic of its own…
Accommodation: Mango Home Riverside (or similar), Ben Tre
Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Can Tho
After a packed couple of days, use this morning to rest up. Relax in the gardens amidst the chirruping of the local birdlife or take a dip in the pool before coming together with your other Fencoxers for lunch at the hotel.
It’s around a 2-hour drive to Can Tho this afternoon. Centred on the River Hau, it makes sense to start your guided stroll at the busy Ninh Kieu waterfront. Before too long, you’ll hear the sounds of sizzle and catch the street food aromas that tempt you into sampling bites with new-to-you tastes. You’ll also spend a quiet moment with a monk at a Khmer temple. These flavours and spiritual traditions introduce you to the Delta’s unique blend of cultures.
Accommodation: Victoria Can Tho Resort (or similar), Can Tho
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 6: Cai Rang Floating Market and Hue
Take full advantage of Can Tho’s riverside location with breakfast on the go as you hop on a boat to Cai Rang Floating Market, buzzing since the early hours of the morning. You’ll slip alongside one of the dozens of ghe bầu (flat-bottomed boats), weighed low with fruits and veggies. From pineapples to cucumbers, you name it – if it’s in season, they’ll be selling it. Greet the boat owners. Even barter with them if you think your skills are up to scratch!
You’ll then retrace your steps back to Ho Chi Minh City by road to board a short flight to the central city of Hue. Welcome to the royal city where you’ll stroll through regal history and taste dishes that were once served to emperors.
Accommodation: Eldora Hue (or similar), Hue
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 7: Authentic Hue
End your first week in Vietnam in royal splendour. But first, learn about Hue through the eyes of a local. Hear their childhood stories, what it was like living through the war, and explore side streets that are often overlooked. Leaving Hue’s bustling streets behind, you’ll journey down the Perfume River – so named for the flowers that drop into its waters upstream each autumn – to the riverside village of Phuong Duc. Here you’ll meet the bronze casters of this renowned artisan village, creating intricate sculptures shaped by skill and ancestral alchemy since the time of Vietnam’s Nguyễn Dynasty in the 1800s.
Following lunch, you’ll cross the deep moats and thick defensive walls into Hue’s Imperial City, reserved for the emperor and his family. You’ll lift the lid off this complex of palaces, temples, shrines and gardens with the help of a real-life princess from the same dynasty.
Round off your day in Kim Long ancient village, where you’ll join your host in creating a Hue-style banquet, a-la-yourself! Complete with the likes of shrimp and pork dumplings – bánh bột lọc trần and bánh khoai – better known as Hue pancakes.
Accommodation: Eldora Hue (or similar), Hue
Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: Welcome to Hoi An
Drift down the wild, jungly coastline of central Vietnam from Hue to Hoi An over the course of the morning. You’ll break the journey at Lang Co Lagoon, where a long stretch of pale-yellow sand gives way to forested slopes.
At the lagoon you’ll be introduced to a local fishing family, giving you the chance to discover what life is like for the people of Lang Co. If you’re up for it, there’s still time for you to swim or snorkel in the lagoon before tucking into a lunch of local seafood, caught earlier that day.
On arrival in Hoi An, the afternoon is free for you to do as you please. Head out and relax beachside with views across to the eight Cu Lao Cham islands, or catch a first glimpse of this ancient port town, a UNESCO site that looks about the same today as it did in the 15th century.
Accommodation: La Siesta Hoi An Resort (or similar), Hoi An
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: Hoi An’s Less Travelled Paths
By now you will have learned that much of life in Vietnam revolves around its markets, and you’ll begin today by plunging headfirst into Hoi An Central Market – where stalls sell everything from household essentials to traditional handicrafts. Here, you can meet locals and experience the ritual of everyday life.
Continue your explorations in the Old Town, consisting of almost 1,400 historic structures dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries, when Hoi An port was at its peak. Not to be missed is the Japanese Bridge, topped with a temple dating to the sixteenth century.
Now is also the perfect time to feel crafty, as you visit a family making handmade lanterns before sampling a Hoi An noodle speciality, tru cao lau, over lunch. But – however tasty this may be, save some space, as the afternoon sees you peel back the layers of the city’s cuisine with stops at several food producers.
Accommodation: La Siesta Hoi An Resort (or similar), Hoi An
Included: Breakfast
Day 10: Go Noi Organic Farm
Having tasted some of Hoi An’s dishes yesterday, today you have the chance to see where many of their ingredients are grown, with a visit to Mr Phap’s organic farm in Go Noi. Stretch your legs with a little pedal-power as you cycle through the village, past rice paddies and neatly planted rows of edible deliciousness. Wait! Are they Chrysanthemums you spy? Yep! Those flowers you’ve admired decorating your plates are edible too!
You’ll also get to try your hand at wood carving before pulling on a pinny to help make your lunch of banh xeo (crispy pancakes) alongside the Phap family. The afternoon is at your leisure, providing plenty of time to seek out more culinary treats, if that’s your mood.
Accommodation: La Siesta Hoi An Resort (or similar), Hoi An
Included: Breakfast and lunch
Day 11: Hanoi
Transfer to Danang airport for your flight north to Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital since the 1976 reunification of North and South. Get your first glimpse of the city as you check in to your hotel.
This afternoon, you’ll wander Hanoi’s historic Old Quarter, tasting street food and soaking up the city’s atmosphere where history and daily life intertwine. You’ve nibbled your way through Vietnam’s regional flavours from South to North, so consider tonight your final flavour upgrade! Dried beef and crispy green papaya are both salad specialities here. Not to mention phở – Hanoi is its birthplace!
Accommodation: The Oriental Jade (or similar), Hanoi
Included: Breakfast
Day 12: Countryside Adventures
Have you ever wanted to ride in an M151 US Army Jeep? Today is the day! Head out to the countryside in your group’s convoy of metal steeds left over from the conflict with America. Enroute, stop at Mia Pagoda in Duong Lam village. Constructed in 1632, it’s known for its 287 religious statues, depicting Buddha alongside dharma spiritual protectors.
Complete the adventure with a lunch at Moon Garden Homestay, before heading back to Hanoi and a free afternoon to do as much or as little as you wish.
Accommodation: The Oriental Jade (or similar), Hanoi
Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 13: La Han Bay
Thirteen may be unlucky for some, but day-13 of your Vietnam adventure is sure to bring you good times, and plenty of them. The morning sees you travel by road to your boarding point for a cruise on La Han Bay, a quieter alternative to Ha Long.
Set sail across the smooth, tropical waters of the bay amid scenery worthy of a James Bond baddie’s secret lair. There’s time to slip on your cossies for a swim or take a kayak out before afternoon tea is laid out on your behalf. There’s an onboard cooking class if you’d like to join, and after, sundowners from the top deck bar are a given!
You’ll overnight onboard your boat – your plush balcony room all to yourself.
Accommodation: Heritage Binh Chuan Cruise (or similar)
Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 14: Hanoi
Anyone rising with the sun can join a Vovinam martial arts taster session onboard, learning some of the basic steps needed for offence and defence. You’ll then transfer onto a boat made of bamboo for the short crossing to the Dark and Bright Cave, considered one of the most attractive in the region.
Back on board your cruise boat, it’ll head back towards the mainland, but you’ll hardly notice while you’re enjoying brunch.
Back in Hanoi, you’ll have a little free time. Pack your case or go in search of a few extra gifts and deal with how they’ll fit into your case later! Dinner is a special one tonight. After 14 days, your Fencox crew are now your close buddies. Spend the evening with cheers, celebrating friendships found, and adventures enjoyed!
Accommodation: The Oriental Jade (or similar), Hanoi
Included: Breakfast, Brunch and Dinner
Day 15: Farewell
Passport? Boarding pass? Make sure you haven’t forgotten anything as you say goodbye to your guide and head to the airport for your flight home. Your airport transfer is included. Don’t worry – your pick-up time is well timed for some unhurried, heartfelt goodbyes and vows to stay in touch – until next time!
Included: Breakfast
Trip Map
Frequently Asked Questions
Prior to the payment of your full balance, the final price may change if there is a significant variation in the AUD:USD exchange rate. Our trip pricing is determined by what the exchange rates are at the time of publishing the trip.
The pricing on this trip is based on an exchange rate of TBA.
A deposit of 25% of the total trip price is required to secure your spot. Payment can be made by credit card (fees apply) or bank deposit.
There is a cooling-off period of 2 weeks. (Applicable to all bookings made at least 120 days before trip departure.)
We have implemented a ‘lifetime deposit’ guarantee. Deposits are not refundable, but they are transferable at any time, right up until the first day of the trip.
The final balance of the trip is required 120 days in advance of the departure date. Our suppliers require upfront payment well in advance to guarantee availability.
Please refer to the full terms and conditions for further information.
Australians and New Zealanders require a tourist e-Visa to enter Vietnam, which will cost $25 to $50 USD. When the time comes to apply, we’ll assist with all the info you need.
Level 1
So long as you have a general level of health and fitness, you’ll be fine. However, to enjoy this trip, you’ll need to be able to spend time on your feet and regularly walk for 3-4 hours. Daily activities might include walking on uneven and hilly ground, getting on and off various forms of transportation and occasionally climbing some stairs. You may also encounter over-the-bath showers in some of the accommodations.
It will be impossible to enjoy your trip if you’re not able to do a walking tour for a full afternoon. Unfortunately, this tour cannot accommodate people requiring walking aids.
Most of our trips have a tip kitty because many cultures have interesting and diverse rules when it comes to tips. We’ve found it to be the easiest way to combat over-tipping, under-tipping or having the tip fall into the wrong hands. Our goal is for guests to relax and know that the complexities of tipping are taken care of, on their behalf.
We’ll be updating this section with the tipping amount and how it’s distributed, soon.
Domestic Luggage Allowance
10kg hand luggage and 23kg checked luggage.
November
November is a pleasant shoulder month in Vietnam. The south is mostly dry with warm, sunny days, while central Vietnam can still see some rain and occasional storms, especially early in the month. In the north, the weather turns cooler and drier, with mild days and crisp evenings.
February
February is one of the best months to visit Vietnam. The weather is generally dry across the country, with cooler temperatures in the north, warm and comfortable conditions in the centre, and hot, sunny days in the south.
Your accommodation will be private; in other words, no room-sharing with anyone, throughout the entire trip.
Most Fencox travellers tend to be in their mid-50s to mid-70s.
Generally, we have no upper age limit for our trips. But, it’s important for you to know that our trips can be physically demanding and we will chat to you about your suitability. We’ll provide you with details of the health and fitness must-haves for our trips; however, we clearly are not medical experts. We will need you to obtain proper and detailed medical advice at least two months before you travel for the latest health requirements, vaccination advice and recommendations for your destination.
Age 75+
Guests over 75 years old at the time of travel, or those with pre-existing health conditions may need to have medical clearance to ensure safe travel, and must have a doctor complete a ‘Certificate of Medical Fitness to Travel’ within 30 days of booking confirmation.
Minimum age
While it doesn’t happen often, we do get younger guests joining our trips! As a general rule, the minimum age is 15 at the time of travel. All travellers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legal guardian, or be accompanied by someone over the age of 18 appointed by their legal guardian.
International airfares are not included.
Being tour operators (not travel agents), we are not licensed to sell flights. We recommend contacting your trusted local travel agent to book flights if you’re in need of assistance.
There are several direct flights departing Australia for Ho Chi Minh and several 1-stop flights departing New Zealand for Ho Chi Minh mostly flying via Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.
Yes! A friendly Fencox representative will meet you upon arrival and take you to either the Start Hotel (for Pre-Tour or Day 1 check-in), or to another hotel within a reasonable distance that you’ve independently booked as Alternative Pre-Tour Accommodation. At the end of your trip, we’ll see you off with a departure transfer from the Tour-End Hotel.
The official currency in Vietnam is the Vietnam đồng, symbolised by ₫ or VND. Vietnamese notes are a mix of small paper bills (no coins are used), and larger polymer bills, in values from 10,000 VND to 500,000 VND.
In the unlikely event of a health or security-related incident during a trip, we’ve engaged a local partner to assist. From our experience, there is not one framework that fits all, and every incident is unique and requires a different approach. With all trips, your guides are your day-to-day support. While behind the scenes, there is an active line of communication – between your guide, the on-ground support team, and Australian Ops.
Fencox was created because we had so many enquiries from men and women who had heard about our amazing Patch Adventures trips for women-only and wanted the opportunity to travel solo in the same way, only in a mixed group.
Fencox caters to both men and women who are solo travellers, have a genuine sense of adventure, are aged 55+, and are physically active and young at heart. Your fellow travel mates on a Fencox trip are inquisitive about the world and love exploring new travel destinations. Fencox travel mates love meeting new people, enjoy a good chat, and are happy to share a table with fellow travel mates for dinner.
If you’re travelling solo but don’t want to feel alone, this is your opportunity to share your travel experiences with other like-minded people. And best of all …. you’ll never pay a single supplement because everyone is guaranteed their own room!
