Six days, two regions, one flight in the middle. Hanoi and Ha Long Bay in the north, then Da Nang and Ba Na Hills in the centre. It is a popular combination and a good one, but the two halves have opposite weather, and that fact should shape when you book more than anything else on this page.

The season problem, stated honestly

Vietnam is three climates, not one, and this tour crosses two of them.

The north, meaning Hanoi and Ha Long, is best October to April, with July to September its typhoon season. The centre, meaning Da Nang and Ba Na Hills, is the reverse: best February to August, with a rainy season September to December that peaks in October and November, which is also when typhoons and flooding hit the central coast. Hoi An, just down the road, flooded three times in twenty days in November 2025, with water reaching the Japanese bridge.

So the overlap is narrow. January to April works for both, and February to April is the best of it. Expect the north to be a little misty in February; that is the price of the centre being dry. If you see this itinerary sold for October or November, that is the central flood season, and no amount of planning fixes it.

One collision to watch: Tet, Vietnamese New Year, is on 6 February 2027, holiday running roughly the 3rd to the 11th, which sits right inside the recommended window. Shops and restaurants close for the core days and domestic flights sell out for a week either side. Tell us your dates and we will flag it.

The Ha Long cruise, including the part nobody wants to write

If you search Ha Long Bay you will find it, so here it is. The Wonder Sea capsized on 19 July 2025 in a sudden thunderstorm, killing thirty nine people. Investigators focused on how fast the squall arrived and on weather warnings not reaching vessels in time. Since then the authorities have tightened weather triggered suspensions, vessel monitoring and safety equipment rules.

What this means for your booking: the Quang Ninh maritime authority suspends departures when winds are high, and the call is made on the morning. Not by the operator, not by us. If your sailing is suspended we run a land itinerary instead and confirm in writing how the cruise is handled. Treat anyone who guarantees the cruise will sail as either careless or dishonest.

Also worth asking: cruise licences are zone specific, and the core Ha Long zone, Bai Tu Long and Lan Ha Bay are three different areas. The latter two are quieter. We will tell you which one your boat sails.

Ba Na Hills: go early, and lower your expectations about the view

The Golden Bridge is the picture everyone comes for, two enormous stone hands holding a curved walkway above the forest. It is worth it. Two things about the reality.

First, it queues badly from mid morning. The site opens around half past seven and the difference between arriving then and arriving at ten is the difference between a photograph and a crowd.

Second, the summit is often in cloud. Ba Na Hills sits high enough that fog is normal rather than exceptional, and on a bad day you cannot see the valley at all. Some people love it; it is genuinely atmospheric. But nobody can promise you the view, and we are not going to.

The cable car is a fine piece of engineering and holds several Guinness records. It was, at its opening in 2013, the world''s longest non stop single track cable car. We say it that way rather than claiming a flat world record, because that is contestable now.

The visa, and the only website that is real

Vietnam opened its e-visa to every nationality in August 2023, so Nepali travellers apply online. Valid up to ninety days, single or multiple entry, USD 25 or USD 50, officially about three working days but allow five to seven. Passport valid six months with two blank pages.

Apply only on the Vietnam Immigration Department portal on the .gov.vn domain. Copycat sites charge two to four times the real price for the same visa and collect your passport and card details on the way through. A useful tell: the official portal takes bank transfer and does not ask for card numbers. We handle the whole application if you prefer.

There is no direct flight from Kathmandu to Vietnam. Everything connects, usually via Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Some of the cheapest fares route through mainland China; whether that needs a Chinese transit visa for a Nepali passport depends on the exact airport, so ask us before booking a cheap ticket.

Money and getting about

The dong runs at roughly twenty four to twenty five thousand to the US dollar, and everyone misreads a note at least once. Count the zeros.

Cards work at hotels and larger restaurants, usually with a three to four percent surcharge. Street food, markets and small shops are cash. ATMs charge twenty two to fifty five thousand dong per withdrawal and cap out at around two to five million, so take the maximum each time instead of paying the fee four times. US dollars are not a fallback.

For taxis use Grab, Xanh SM or Be, where the fare is agreed in the app. Rigged meters in street taxis are a real problem in both cities. And do not rent a motorbike: Vietnam recognises only the 1968 Vienna Convention permit and Nepal is not a party to it, so a Nepali licence and IDP are not valid. Riding anyway voids your insurance in a crash whoever caused it.

Water, mosquitoes and drones

Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in Vietnam, and street stall ice is sometimes made from it. Dengue is endemic year round and the mosquito bites in daylight, so use repellent during the day rather than only at dusk.

Leave the drone at home. Legal flying needs Ministry of Defence approval applied for at least fourteen days in advance, and unauthorised aerial filming carries fines in the millions of dong. Ha Long and Ba Na are exactly where people expect to fly one.

One more Hanoi note: do not count on train street. Group tours to Phung Hung street were banned in March 2025, guards and barriers are in place, and access is only as an individual through the licensed cafés, where you may still be refused.

Who this trip suits

Travellers with about a week who want both the famous bay and the famous bridge, and who accept one internal flight to get both. It moves at a decent clip: two of the six days are travel days. If you would rather stay in the north and skip the flight, our five day Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long trip does that. If you have ten days, the Grand Discovery adds Phu Quoc.