Highlight
You know the kind of New Year's Eve you actually want. Not the one where you stand in a crowd you don't belong to, counting down to a year that starts feeling exactly like the last one by 12:03 AM. This one is different. On December 31st, you're on a cruise in Ha Long Bay — 1,600 limestone karsts rising out of the water around you, drinks in hand, music on deck, and a group of people you spent the last week eating street food with, getting lost in Hoi An's lantern streets with, crawling through Cu Chi Tunnels with, and taking the cable car up Ba Na Hills with. By the time midnight hits, they won't feel like strangers anymore. That's not a coincidence. That's what eight days of travelling together actually does. This trip starts on Christmas Day — Ho Chi Minh City at night, Bui Vien Walking Street already alive — and ends on January 1st, the morning after Ha Long Bay, with a flight home and a phone full of photos you'll actually look at for years. Eight days. Five cities. One cruise. Hundreds of kilometres between Christmas and the New Year — and people on the other side of it that you'll still be talking to in March. 25th December to 1st January. One departure. Book before it fills.Itinerary
Land in Ho Chi Minh City and let Vietnam hit you all at once. After check-in, the evening walking tour begins at 5 PM — Saigon Cathedral, the colonial-era Central Post Office, HCMC Town Hall, and a food stop near the War Museum where Vietnamese pho costs almost nothing and tastes like it took all day. This is also Christmas night. By 11 PM, the group heads to Bui Vien Walking Street — Vietnam's most famous party strip, full of neon lights, street food, and the kind of energy that immediately tells you this trip isn't going to be quiet.
Stay: Sky Gem Hotel / Similar, Ho Chi Minh City
Morning at the Cu Chi Tunnels — an underground network built during the Vietnam War, with kitchens, weapons factories, and sleeping quarters all buried beneath the jungle. You crawl through narrow passages that were once someone's entire world, eat wartime food as part of the tour, and have the option to fire real AK-47 and M4 guns at the shooting range (at your own expense — and yes, people actually do it). By evening, board your internal flight to Da Nang. Check in and decompress — tomorrow Hoi An is waiting.
Stay: Sunny Ocean Hotel / Similar, Da Nang | Meals: Breakfast
Slow morning at My Khe Beach. Late afternoon, head to Hoi An — a UNESCO-listed ancient town where the buildings are 16th century and the lanterns light up the Thu Bon River every evening without fail. The basket boat ride through the coconut palm waterways is chaotic, slightly wet, and completely worth it. After that, the ancient town on foot — Phung Hung houses, the old market, the port, and eventually Lantern Street when the sun goes down and the whole town turns gold. Wander as long as you like.
Stay: Sunny Ocean Hotel / Similar, Da Nang | Meals: Breakfast
Early start for Ba Na Hills. Board the cable car up to Marseille Station — one of the longest cable car rides in the world — and walk out onto the Golden Bridge, held up by two giant stone hands and surrounded by clouds. This is the photo everyone comes for. The rest of the day covers the Lunar Castle, the French Village, and Fantasy Park with rides included. It's part theme park, part surreal mountain dreamland, and entirely unlike anything else on this trip. Return to Da Nang by evening.
Stay: Sunny Ocean Hotel / Similar, Da Nang | Meals: Breakfast
Morning flight to Hanoi. After check-in, the afternoon is free before the evening city tour begins. The Old Quarter walking tour covers Mural Street, the famous Train Street cafes — where tables are set up inches from an active railway track and egg coffee is served while trains pass close enough to feel — and Hoan Kiem Lake as the light fades. Hanoi has a completely different energy from Ho Chi Minh City. Slower, older, more deliberate. Take it in.
Stay: Larosa Hotel / Similar, Hanoi | Meals: Breakfast
Day trip to Ninh Binh, roughly two hours from Hanoi. The 500 steps up Mua Cave reward you with a panoramic view of Hoa Lu — green rice paddies, limestone peaks, river bends, and the kind of view that justifies the climb. Then Trang An, a UNESCO site where you board a traditional rowing boat through limestone gorges, past caves like Sang Cave, Tol Cave, Ba Giot Cave, and Nau Ruou. The boat is rowed by your feet — no engine, no noise. One of the quietest hours of the entire trip, right before tomorrow.
Stay: Larosa Hotel / Similar, Hanoi | Meals: Breakfast
This is the day the whole trip has been building toward.
Morning transfer to Tuan Chau Harbor. Board the cruise and spend the day on Ha Long Bay — 5 to 6 hours on the water with Surprising Cave's cathedral-sized stalactite formations, a beach stop and climb at Ti Top Island for the panoramic view, and kayaking or bamboo boating through Luon Cave where the rock walls close in on both sides and the water is still enough to reflect everything. Sunset tea and drinks on deck as the karsts turn dark against the sky.
Back in Hanoi by evening. Get ready. Tonight you're ringing in the New Year in Vietnam — drinks flowing, music on, a group of people around you who started as strangers seven days ago and now feel like the people you were supposed to celebrate this with all along.
Stay: Larosa Hotel / Similar, Hanoi | Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
New year. Breakfast. Checkout. Transfer to Noi Bai International Airport. Book your return flights after 12 noon to allow for the morning departure. You're going home with a full camera roll, a WhatsApp group that's already active, and a New Year's Eve story that doesn't start with "we went to this place in the city."
Other Info
Kindly arrive Ho Chi Minh by 6-7 AM
- 7 nights accommodation in 4-star hotels — 1 night Ho Chi Minh, 3 nights Da Nang, 3 nights Hanoi
- 2 internal flights — Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang and Da Nang to Hanoi (if opted)
- 7 breakfasts and 1 lunch on the Ha Long Bay cruise
- Qualified local English-speaking guides throughout the trip
- Cu Chi Tunnels full day tour
- Hoi An Ancient Town guided tour
- Basket Boat Ride in the Hoi An coconut forest
- Hoi An Lantern Street evening walk
- Full day Ba Na Hills tour — cable car, toy train, Golden Bridge, French Village, Fantasy Park with rides
- Hanoi Old Quarter city tour including Mural Street and Train Street
- Ninh Binh day trip — Mua Caves (500 steps) and Trang An boat ride
- Ha Long Bay day cruise with lunch, kayaking or bamboo boating, and Ti Top Island visit
- Bui Vien Walking Street Christmas night experience
- New Year's Eve Ha Long Bay cruise party with drinks
- All airport transfers — pickups and drops as per group timing
- All day tour and inter-city transfers on sharing basis
- International travel insurance included
- All activities, entrance fees, and sightseeing as per the itinerary
- International flights to Ho Chi Minh City and from Hanoi — to be booked separately
- 5% GST and TCS as applicable
- Vietnam e-visa (to be arranged independently — team assists with the process)
- Single room supplement and any early check-in or late check-out charges
- Personal expenses — shopping, laundry, tips, phone bills, and anything outside the itinerary
- AK-47 and M4 gun shooting at Cu Chi Tunnels — available at own expense
- Wax Museum, cotton animal game, and carnival skills at Fantasy Park at Ba Na Hills
- Alcohol beyond what is included in the New Year's Eve cruise package
- Any costs arising from flight delays, cancellations, weather disruptions, or force majeure
No Refund shall be made with respect to the initial booking amount for any cancellations. However,
- If cancellations are made 30 days before the start date of the trip, 50% of the trip cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
- If cancellations are made 15-30 days before the start date of the trip, 75% of the trip cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
- If cancellations are made within 0-15 days before the start date of the trip, 100% of the trip cost will be charged as cancellation fees.
- In the case of unforeseen weather conditions or government restrictions, certain activities may be cancelled and in such cases, the operator will try his best to provide an alternate feasible activity. However, no refund will be provided for the same.
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Testimonials
Anup Sonwane
The trip to Vietnam was fabulous, and I enjoyed it a lot. The captain Mr.Shaurya was very cool, supportive, and friendly. He gelled well with everyone, actively participated in all the fun activities, and guided us very well throughout the tour, including suggestions about Indian food.
Vibrant Vietnam (Xmas & NY Special)
13 June, 2026
Sejal Singhania
VIETNAM!!! The travel story literally made the Vietnam trip the most memorable one. Made sure everyone around enjoys, no one's left behind. Also our captain Shaurya made everyone so comfortable and familiar with eo. He was like a local friend showing us around and was very knowledgeable. He basically brought stories to life. A very exiting and mazedaar experience!
Vibrant Vietnam (Xmas & NY Special)
14 February, 2026
Tanaya Chaudhari
I recently traveled to Vietnam with The Travel Story, and the experience was truly amazing. I went on a solo trip, but within just a day I felt completely connected with everyone in the group. By the end of the trip, those strangers had become an important part of my life, which says a lot about how well the trip was organized and the kind of people it attracted. I enjoyed every moment of this journey and made memories I’ll cherish forever.
Vibrant Vietnam (Xmas & NY Special)
21 February, 2026
Vikram Singh
I recently completed a Vietnam trip with The Travel Story, and it was an absolutely amazing experience! Everything was well-organized, from accommodations and transport to the itinerary—making the journey smooth and stress-free.
Vibrant Vietnam (Xmas & NY Special)
2 May, 2026
