13 days 12 nights
Specific Tour
14 people
English
Quick answer
A 13-day private tour of Japan and Vietnam: Tokyo, a Hakone ryokan, Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, then a direct flight to Hanoi for the Old Quarter, a night on Halong Bay and three nights in Hoi An. Private guides in both countries, 4-star hotels.
From US$1,820 per person for the whole tour, as an indicative price for a small private group in 4★ hotels. It changes with group size, hotel level and season, and is confirmed in your tailor-made quote.
| Day | Route and highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive in Tokyo | Tokyo |
| 2 | Tokyo: Asakusa, Meiji Shrine and Shibuya | Tokyo |
| 3 | Hakone and a ryokan night | Hakone |
| 4 | Bullet train to Kyoto, Fushimi Inari and Gion | Kyoto |
| 5 | Kyoto: Golden Pavilion and Arashiyama | Kyoto |
| 6 | Nara and on to Osaka | Osaka |
| 7 | Fly from Osaka to Hanoi | Hanoi |
| 8 | Hanoi: temples, Old Quarter and street food | Hanoi |
| 9 | Cruise on Halong Bay | Halong Bay |
| 10 | Halong Bay and fly to Hoi An | Hoi An |
| 11 | Hoi An Ancient Town | Hoi An |
| 12 | Hoi An countryside and the coast | Hoi An |
| 13 | Depart Da Nang | — |
Private tour with your own English-speaking guide · 13 days / 12 nights · Tokyo – Hakone – Kyoto – Nara – Osaka – Hanoi – Halong Bay – Hoi An
This Japan and Vietnam tour combines two of Asia's most rewarding countries, linked by a direct flight of about five hours from Osaka to Hanoi. The Japanese half follows the classic route: Tokyo's temples and neighborhoods, a night in a hot-spring ryokan at Hakone near Mount Fuji, the bullet train to Kyoto for Fushimi Inari, the Golden Pavilion and Arashiyama, and a day among the deer and temples of Nara before a night in Osaka.
The Vietnamese half slows the pace. In Hanoi you explore the Old Quarter, the Temple of Literature and the city's famous street food with your own guide. A cruise boat then carries you among the limestone islands of Halong Bay for a night on the water, before a short flight south to the old trading port of Hoi An.
Hoi An makes a fitting finale: its famous covered bridge was built by Japanese merchants who lived here four centuries ago. Three nights give you time for the lantern-lit old town, a countryside bike ride and the beach, so you return home rested as well as inspired.
Moderate. Japan involves 10,000 to 15,000 steps a day and travel by train; Vietnam is gentler, with a private car and driver throughout. There is one international flight from Osaka to Hanoi (about five and a half hours) and one domestic flight from Hanoi to Da Nang. Suits couples, families with children over 10 and active older travelers.
Twelve nights: 4-star hotels in Tokyo (two nights), Kyoto (two nights) and Osaka (one night), a ryokan in Hakone (one night), a 4-star boutique hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter (two nights), a cabin on a 4-star cruise boat on Halong Bay (one night) and a 4-star riverside or beach resort in Hoi An (three nights). 5-star upgrades are available throughout.
Spring (late March to May) and autumn (October to November) suit both countries best. Cherry blossoms in Japan come in late March and early April, and maple colors from mid-November. In Vietnam, Hanoi and Halong Bay are pleasant from October to April, while Hoi An is sunniest from February to August and can be rainy from October to December. Japan is hot and humid in summer, when Hoi An's beaches are at their best.
Your guide and driver are yours alone for the whole trip, so the pace, the stops and the start time each morning follow you. The standard version has an English-speaking guide; guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese can be arranged on request.
More ideas: All multi-country private tours · Yunnan to Northern Vietnam Overland: Kunming, Lijiang, Sapa and Halong Bay in 14 Days · Korea and Vietnam: Seoul, Gyeongju, Busan, Hoi An, Hanoi and Halong Bay in 12 Days
Photos: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Kentagon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Netherzone, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Jorge Láscar from Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Steffen Schmitz (more photos), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Japan and Vietnam: Tokyo, Kyoto, Hanoi, Halong Bay and Hoi An in 13 Days is a starting point. Our Hanoi travel designers adjust every day to your pace, interests and hotel style, then run the trip with your own guide and driver.
On arrival at Narita or Haneda airport, you are met and taken by private car to your hotel in central Tokyo. After check-in, take time to rest. In the early evening, walk around your neighborhood, perhaps to the lights of Shinjuku or a small izakaya for grilled skewers and a cold drink. Your guide will contact you to confirm the plan for your days in Japan and give you a transport card for the trains and subway.
Overnight: Tokyo
Meet your guide and travel by subway to Asakusa for Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple, reached through the Kaminarimon gate and the stalls of Nakamise Street. Continue to the Meiji Shrine in its forest, then walk through Harajuku and Omotesando. End the day at the Shibuya crossing and look down on it from one of the viewpoints above. Your guide will show you how to use Tokyo's trains with ease along the way.
Overnight: Tokyo · Meals: B
Send your main luggage ahead to Kyoto and take the train to Hakone. Visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum, then ride the ropeway over Owakudani, a steaming volcanic valley, and cruise across Lake Ashi, where Mount Fuji may appear above the hills on a clear day. Walk to the red torii of Hakone Shrine on the shore. Spend the evening at your ryokan, with hot-spring baths and a traditional kaiseki dinner.
Overnight: Hakone · Meals: B, D
Take the Shinkansen from Odawara to Kyoto, about two hours. Meet your Kyoto guide and visit Fushimi Inari Shrine, where thousands of red torii gates climb the slopes of Mount Inari. In the late afternoon, walk up the old lanes of Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka to Kiyomizu-dera, the hillside temple with a wooden stage over the city. In the evening, stroll through Gion, the old geisha district, along the Shirakawa canal.
Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B
Visit Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, reflected in its mirror pond, and the Zen rock garden of Ryoan-ji. In the afternoon, head west to Arashiyama to walk through the tall bamboo grove and visit Tenryu-ji, whose garden frames the hills behind it. Cross the Togetsukyo bridge and explore the riverside before returning to the city. In the evening, try the small restaurants along Pontocho alley.
Overnight: Kyoto · Meals: B
Take the train to Nara, Japan's first permanent capital. Walk through Nara Park, where deer roam freely, to Todai-ji and its giant bronze Buddha, and on to Kasuga Taisha with its hundreds of lanterns. In the afternoon, travel to Osaka, where your luggage awaits. Spend the evening in Dotonbori, the city's neon-lit food district, trying takoyaki and okonomiyaki, the dishes Osaka is famous for.
Overnight: Osaka · Meals: B
Transfer to Kansai International Airport for your direct flight to Hanoi, about five and a half hours. Your Vietnamese guide and driver meet you at Noi Bai airport and take you to your hotel in the Old Quarter. In the evening, take a first walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and the red Huc Bridge leading to Ngoc Son Temple, and sit down for a bowl of pho or bun cha at a local eatery.
Overnight: Hanoi · Meals: B
Visit Ba Dinh Square and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum from outside, the simple stilt house where he lived and the One Pillar Pagoda. Continue to the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, founded in 1070. After lunch, explore the Old Quarter on foot or by cyclo, its streets once each devoted to a single trade. In the evening, join your guide for a street food walk and, if you like, a water puppet show.
Overnight: Hanoi · Meals: B, L
Drive about two and a half hours to Halong Bay and board your cruise boat around midday. Lunch is served as you sail out among the limestone islands. In the afternoon, visit one of the bay's caves or paddle a kayak through a quiet lagoon, and swim from a small beach when the weather is warm. Watch the sunset from the deck, then enjoy dinner on board as the boat anchors for the night among the islands.
Overnight: Halong Bay · Meals: B, L, D
Start the day with tai chi on deck in the morning light. After breakfast, the boat visits one more cave or bay area before returning to the harbor, with brunch on board. Your driver takes you to the airport for the flight to Da Nang, about 80 minutes. On arrival, you are driven 45 minutes to your hotel in Hoi An, on the riverside or close to the beach, for a quiet evening.
Overnight: Hoi An · Meals: B, L
Explore Hoi An Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with your guide. Cross the Japanese Covered Bridge, built by Japanese merchants in the early 17th century, and visit Chinese assembly halls, old merchant houses and the central market. In the afternoon, rest or visit one of the town's tailors. As darkness falls, the streets fill with silk lanterns, and you can take a small boat on the Thu Bon River to float a candle lantern.
Overnight: Hoi An · Meals: B, L
Cycle on quiet paths through rice fields to Tra Que, a village where farmers grow herbs and vegetables in neat beds, and meet a family who works the land. Then visit the Cam Thanh water coconut forest and ride a round basket boat through its channels with a local boatman. Return to your hotel for a free afternoon at the pool or on An Bang beach, and a farewell dinner of your choice in town.
Overnight: Hoi An · Meals: B, L
Enjoy a final breakfast and a free morning in Hoi An, depending on your flight. Your driver then takes you to Da Nang International Airport, about 45 minutes, for your journey home or onward. If you have more time, we can add the imperial city of Hue, a few days on the beach or a trip to the Mekong Delta in the south.
Meals: B
There are direct flights from Osaka to Hanoi of about five and a half hours, and from Tokyo too. We help you choose a flight that fits the itinerary; the ticket is quoted separately.
Yes. Starting in Vietnam and finishing in Japan works equally well, and can be better in some seasons, for example to catch the cherry blossoms at the end of the trip.
Very. Teens enjoy Tokyo's energy, the bullet train, kayaking on Halong Bay and cycling in Hoi An. The second half is more relaxed, which helps balance the busier days in Japan.
Yes. This is a private tour with your own English-speaking guide. We also arrange private guides who speak French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese or Vietnamese: tell us when you enquire and we confirm your guide in the quote. Book early for the busiest seasons, such as spring and autumn.
Nothing is payable until you approve your written quote. We then ask for a 30% deposit to confirm, and the balance 45 days before arrival, by bank transfer or card. Bank details come with your booking confirmation; always confirm them with us by phone or WhatsApp (+84 812 247 572) before any transfer.
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