Planning from New Zealand
Private 4–5★ journeys with your own guide and driver, run by our team in Hanoi since 2019 · Tripadvisor 4.9/5 · licensed international tour operator.
Quick answer
How to get there: there is no nonstop flight from New Zealand to Vietnam. The easiest routes are one stop via Singapore (from Auckland and Christchurch), Sydney or Melbourne, or Vietjet’s twice-weekly Auckland–Brisbane–Ho Chi Minh City service – about 15–20 hours in total, as of 26 October 2026.
Price: our 14-day North to South private tour starts from US$2,014 (approx. NZ$3,540) per person, based on 2 travellers sharing in 4★ hotels; the final price is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
Pay and talk locally: pay in NZ dollars to our account with ANZ Bank New Zealand, and call our Australia & New Zealand line +61 2 8766 0926 or WhatsApp +84 812 247 572.
Kiwis are some of the most relaxed travellers we host: they come for two or three weeks, like to walk, eat well and get off the main road, and rarely want a rigid schedule. This page puts everything you need in one place – flights from Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, the time difference, the e-visa, how to pay in New Zealand dollars and the private itineraries that work best from home.
Metta Voyage is a licensed local tour operator in Hanoi. Every trip is private – your own guide, your own car and driver, hotels chosen with you – and built around your dates rather than a group departure.
| From | How you fly (as of 26 October 2026) | Typical total time |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland (AKL) | One stop via Singapore (Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand), Sydney or Melbourne (onto Vietnam Airlines or Vietjet nonstops), or Hong Kong. Vietjet also flies Auckland–Brisbane–Ho Chi Minh City twice a week. | about 15–20 h |
| Christchurch (CHC) | Singapore Airlines daily to Singapore, Air New Zealand to Singapore three times a week from 28 October 2026, then on to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City; or via Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane | about 17–21 h |
| Wellington (WLG), Queenstown (ZQN), Dunedin | Fly to Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane first, then one of the routes above | about 18–24 h |
Sources: Vietjet (Brisbane–Auckland, from 13 September 2025) · Christchurch Airport flight schedules · Vietnam Airlines. Schedules change – confirm with the airline before you book.
Auckland has the most choice. The classic option is a full-service one-stop ticket via Singapore, which lands you in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City the same day. Another is to fly the Tasman to Sydney or Melbourne and connect onto Vietnam Airlines, which flies nonstop from both cities to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, or onto Vietjet to Ho Chi Minh City. Vietjet also links Auckland with Ho Chi Minh City via Brisbane twice a week; it is a low-cost carrier, so check what your fare includes.
Our tip: book an open-jaw ticket – into Hanoi, home from Ho Chi Minh City, or the reverse – so you never backtrack inside Vietnam. If the Singapore connection is long, a stopover night there breaks up the journey nicely.
Christchurch is unusually well connected to Asia for its size: Singapore Airlines flies to Singapore every day, and Air New Zealand adds Christchurch–Singapore three times a week from 28 October 2026. From Singapore it is about two hours to Ho Chi Minh City and three to Hanoi. Alternatively, connect through Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
Our tip: South Islanders often tell us they want mountains and walking. Northern Vietnam – Sapa’s rice terraces, the karst valleys of Ninh Binh and the villages around Mai Chau – is at its best from October to April.
There is no long-haul service from Wellington to Asia, so you start with a short flight to Auckland or across the Tasman to Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, then take one of the routes above. Allow roughly 18–24 hours door to door. We time your first day in Vietnam gently, with a late start and an easy afternoon.
Our consultants work from Hanoi, 08:30–18:00 Vietnam time (UTC+7), Monday to Saturday. Messages that arrive outside those hours are answered the next Vietnam morning. Once you are travelling, our on-tour line +84 812 247 572 is answered 24/7.
| Where you are | Vietnam is… | Our Hanoi office hours in your time |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch (NZDT) | 6 h behind you | 14:30 – midnight |
| From 4 April 2027 (NZST) | 5 h behind you | 13:30 – 23:00 |
New Zealand daylight time runs until 4 April 2027; Vietnam does not change its clocks. In practice: we are online from your early afternoon until late evening.
Call our Australia & New Zealand line +61 2 8766 0926 (our representative in Sydney), or WhatsApp our team in Vietnam on +84 812 247 572 – WhatsApp is usually the quickest from New Zealand.
Term dates vary by school, so check your own school’s calendar. Our month-by-month guide has the weather detail.
Visa. New Zealand passport holders need a visa for Vietnam. Apply for the official e-visa only at evisa.gov.vn: up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, government fee US$25 or US$50, usually processed in about three working days. Lookalike websites charge extra for the same thing. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from arrival. Read SafeTravel’s advice for Viet Nam before you go. Checked 26 October 2026.
Money. Vietnam uses the dong (VND). Cards are widely accepted in 4–5★ hotels and better restaurants; carry some dong for markets, small towns and tips. ATMs are easy to find in the cities.
Power. Vietnamese sockets mostly take two-pin Type A and C plugs. Your New Zealand Type I plug will not fit, so pack an adapter; at 220 V the voltage is close to New Zealand’s 230 V, so no converter is needed.
Insurance and roads. Take comprehensive travel insurance. We do not recommend riding a motorbike yourself; with a private driver you see the countryside without the risk.
You can pay your deposit and balance in New Zealand dollars by a normal bank transfer within New Zealand – no international wire and no overseas transfer fees from your bank.
| Account name | METTA VOYAGES COMPANY LIMITED |
|---|---|
| Bank | ANZ Bank New Zealand |
| Account number | 04-2024-0753575-00 |
Payment reference: your name and booking number. Payment terms: 30% deposit to confirm, balance 45 days before arrival. A small currency-handling fee may apply – your consultant confirms the exact amount before you pay.
Before you transfer: call or WhatsApp your consultant to confirm these details. Fraudsters sometimes send fake emails with changed bank details; we never change our bank details by email alone. The account holder is always our company, METTA VOYAGES COMPANY LIMITED.
Prices are the “from” prices on each tour page on 26 October 2026, per person, based on 2 travellers sharing in 4★ hotels (5★ on request), excluding international flights; your final price is confirmed in your tailor-made quote. Itineraries open in a new tab. Local-currency amounts are approximate, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 October 2026.
Prices are the “from” prices on each tour page on 26 October 2026, per person, based on 2 travellers sharing in 4★ hotels (5★ on request), excluding international flights. NZ$ amounts are approximate, converted at the ECB reference rate of 23 October 2026 (1 USD = 1.7584 NZD). Your final price is confirmed in your tailor-made quote. Every itinerary is private and can be changed.
| Included in our private tours | Not included |
|---|---|
| Private car and driver, and a private English-speaking guide as listed (guides in other languages on request) | International flights |
| Hotels with daily breakfast, twin or double room | Travel insurance (strongly recommended) |
| Meals, boat trips and entrance fees as listed in the itinerary | Vietnam e-visa fee |
| Airport pick-ups and transfers | Tips, drinks and personal expenses |
| 24/7 support from our team while you travel | Peak-season, Tet or gala-dinner surcharges where hotels apply them |
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy-aware meals are arranged on request; we brief your hotels, cruise and restaurants before you arrive, and your guide carries a note in Vietnamese for any allergy. Vietnamese food is fresh and herb-led, and a street-food walk in Hanoi or a cooking class in Hoi An is often the highlight for our Kiwi guests.
“It was amazing unforgettable organized full of activities special thanks to Emma who organized my tour.”
5★ review on Tripadvisor, September 2026 (read it on Tripadvisor) – the most recent review we could verify when we wrote this page. Metta Voyage is rated 4.9/5 on Tripadvisor, with 2,000+ international bookings for 10,100+ travellers. We only quote reviews you can check at the source.
Not a nonstop one. As of 26 October 2026, Vietjet flies Auckland to Ho Chi Minh City twice a week with a connection in Brisbane; most travellers fly one stop via Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne or Hong Kong, in about 15–20 hours in total.
Yes. New Zealand is not on Vietnam’s visa-exemption list, so apply for the official e-visa at evisa.gov.vn: up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, government fee US$25 or US$50.
Yes. You can pay by local bank transfer in NZD to our company account with ANZ Bank New Zealand. Confirm the details with your consultant by phone or WhatsApp before you transfer.
Vietnam is 6 hours behind New Zealand during NZ daylight time (until 4 April 2027) and 5 hours behind for the rest of the year. Our Hanoi office hours, 08:30–18:00 Vietnam time, are 14:30–midnight in New Zealand in summer.
Two to three weeks works best: 14 days covers the north, centre and south, and 18–21 days lets you add Cambodia or Laos. Our 14-day North to South private tour starts from US$2,014 per person, about NZ$3,540.
Tell us your dates, your home airport and who is travelling, and a travel consultant in Hanoi will send a free day-by-day itinerary with a full price within 24 hours. Call +61 2 8766 0926 or WhatsApp +84 812 247 572.
Metta Voyage is a Hanoi-based, licensed international tour operator (licence 01-1167/2023/CDLQGVN-GP LHQT, verify on the national register), working with 869 partners across Vietnam and Indochina.
Plan further: Vietnam tours from Australia · Best time to visit Vietnam · All private Vietnam tours · Why book with a licensed local operator · Other countries
Updated 26 October 2026 by the Metta Voyage team in Hanoi.
