How to choose an affordable Vietnam tour

The number of tourists to Vietnam have increased very quickly in recent years. As an attractive destination in Asia Vietnam is becoming more and more favourite to travellers, especially from budget and middle class.

Compare to neighbouring countries like Singapore or Thailand, travelling in Vietnam is cheaper, and that's why backpackers from Europe and Australia find Vietnam a paradise for their holidays. You can keep the tour cost in a very tight budget while still have a decent service for your trip, and this requires careful planning of your trip.

To help you plan the best budget tours to Vietnam, please take our tips when you are setting up your trip:
- Choose the destinations
Hanoi and Sai Gon are the two biggest cities in Vietnam, they are where you start and finish the trip, if you start in Sai Gon you will finish in Hanoi and vice versa. In the north there are some attractive sites like Ninh Binh, Sapa and especially Halong Bay, once you travel Vietnam you cannot miss Halong Bay, top in the list of Vietnam travel destinations.
Halong Bay is 150 km from Hanoi, there are hundreds of cruisers of "Junks" as they are called by the travel companies ranging from cheap to luxury. Most travellers go on 2 day tours which can be arranged easily by the travel shops in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, no matter where you book the trip you will go on the same tour with other people, as the tours are join group it cost around 40 usd/person in a twin cabin, food is included and you have to pay for your drinks. Avoid the boats with dirt cheap prices 20-25 usd as you will be packed in smelly buses and boats with rats or cockcroaches. Drinks on boats are a bit more expensive than average
The rural countryside spot of Tam Coc is 120 km south of Hanoi, travellers usually go to Ninh Binh for a day trip, a trip to Ninh Binh cost 15-20 usd/person for join group tour with lunch and entrance fees included, nicknamed "Halong Bay on land", Ninh Binh boasts typical rural sceneries of Vietnam with river, mountain, rice field, travellers can take public bus to Ninh Binh which departs from Luong Yen bus station for 5 usd, spend the day visiting Tam Coc and catch the night train from Ninh Binh to Hue
Up north to the Chinese border is Sapa, famous as the former French hillside resort, Sapa offers spectacular landscapes with rice terraces, winding mountain passes, ethnic minority groups and colourful weekend markets. Although Sapa has become touristy in the past years it still preserves original attractions, To visit Sapa travellers need to arrange train tickets from Hanoi, it cost aprox 30 usd for a ticket from Hanoi to Lao Cai (10 hours on train), most people take the night trains which depart from Le Duan Railway station, actually this is the most convenient way to go to Sapa if you don't want to torture yourself with 16 hours by public bus. There are many companies offering overnight train service and they are pretty much the same, generally there are 4 berths to a cabin, toilets are positioned at each end of the car, there is water, blankets and pillows as well as lighting system and a television set which shows white screen most of the time, backpackers can choose 6 berth cabin to save money, however it is really uncomfortable in this cabin as you have to hunch when sitting on the berth, actually this cabin types are only for local people who have small sizes.
From Lao Cai station you can catch a public bus to Sapa in 1 hour, there are plenty of bus just outside the train station and it cost 2-3 usd for a seat, they are not very convenient and the bus will not leave until the vehicle is filled.