Vietnam private tours with a guide and driver
Your own car and driver in each region, a local guide for the touring days, and a route paced for the people travelling with you. Planned and coordinated by Pai Dai from Ho Chi Minh City.
Pai Dai DMC plans private tours of Vietnam for couples, friends, families and older travellers, and for the travel advisors who look after them. The trip is yours alone: your own car or van with a driver in each region, a private guide for the touring days, and hotels and a route chosen for your party. While you travel, a Pai Dai coordinator is on call and you have a 24/7 emergency contact. Our Vietnamese company, PAIDAI VIETNAM COMPANY LIMITED, holds international tour operator licence 79-2057/2025/CDLQGVN-GP LHQT and works from Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnam is about 1,650 km from north to south, so most routes fly between the regions and then stay put, with two or three nights in each place. The driver and guide change with the region, so the guiding stays local. If you would rather keep one guide for the whole trip, we can quote that too, with the guide's flights and rooms added to the cost.
The difference from a group tour shows in the day itself. A private guide can shorten a visit, swap the order of the day or stop when energy runs low, which no group tour can do. Your guide joins you on the days you want one, and free days stay free. Nothing is booked until you approve it, and each hotel, boat and flight is confirmed in writing.
Four days that go better with your own guide and car
Each fits into a day or less, and each is easier when you set the start time.
Hue · Imperial City
The Citadel, then the tombs
Hue was the seat of the Nguyen dynasty from 1802 to 1945. Go in through the Ngo Mon gate soon after opening, then drive out to the royal tombs, which lie 5 to 16 km south of the city and are too far apart to walk between.
Hue to Hoi An · 2.5 to 3 hours
Over the Hai Van Pass
The mountain road between Hue and Hoi An climbs above the coast, with the sea on one side and the Da Nang basin on the other. Your own car takes it as the transfer between the two towns.
Ninh Binh · From Hanoi
A rowing boat between the karsts
Trang An and Tam Coc are about two hours from Hanoi by road. The rowing-boat routes take one and a half to three hours, through caves and rice fields between limestone peaks.
Mekong Delta · From Ho Chi Minh City
The water-palm channels
The boats leave about two hours by road from the city. A boat takes you out to the islands, then a hand-rowed sampan goes on through narrow channels where no engine goes. December to April is the most settled season for the boats.
Thirteen days from north to south: one way to do it
An example, not a package. We change the order, the length and the hotels for your party and the time of year.
Days 1 to 3 · Hanoi
The Old Quarter, then Ninh Binh
A walk round Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter in the cool of the morning, the Temple of Literature and a street-food supper. On the third day, a day out to Ninh Binh: about two hours each way by road and a rowing-boat ride through the caves.
Days 4 and 5 · Lan Ha Bay
One night on the water
About three hours by road to the pier, then a night in a cabin on a small cruise ship, or on a boat chartered for your party. Lan Ha Bay, east of Cat Ba Island, is quieter than the main Ha Long routes.
Days 5 to 7 · Hue
The imperial capital
From the pier back to Hanoi's airport for the flight to Hue. One day for the walled Imperial City and the food, and one for the royal tombs and Thien Mu Pagoda, with your car linking the tombs.
Days 8 to 10 · Hoi An
Over the pass to the old town
By car over the Hai Van Pass, about two and a half to three hours. Mornings in the old town, which is at its best early, before the heat; afternoons on the beach at An Bang or by the pool.
Days 11 to 13 · Ho Chi Minh City
The city and the delta
Fly from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, about 1 hour 25 minutes. A day for the Reunification Palace and the old Central Post Office, and a day in the Mekong Delta, about two hours by road to the boats, before your flight home.
Flight and drive times are approximate, and airline schedules change. We confirm every hotel, ship and activity for your dates before you book.
What we arrange for a private trip
Your own car and driver
A private car or van sized for your party and the luggage, in each region. Your driver handles every transfer and drive.
A private guide in each region
A private guide for the touring days in each region, free to change the pace. Tell us the language you need and we confirm the guide before booking.
One guide throughout, if you prefer
If you want the same guide from start to finish, we quote it with the guide's flights and rooms added to the cost.
Hotels confirmed in writing
Rooms requested by category and confirmed in writing. Allergies and diets go to hotels and restaurants in writing too.
A cabin or a boat of your own
A cabin on a small cruise ship, where the decks and meals are shared, or a chartered boat with its own crew and a route of your choosing.
Flights between regions
Domestic flights between the north, the centre and the south, timed so that you are not up before dawn, with the luggage allowance in the quote.
Who travels
Your party only
Car and driver
Private, in each region
Guide
Private, on touring days
Regions
North, centre and south
Length
One week to two
During the trip
Coordinator on call
emergency contact on every active trip, with local contacts for each stop
Planning notes for a private trip
Checked on 25 October 2026. Rules, dates and timetables change, so we check them again for your trip.
- Weather by region
- The north, centre and south have their best weather at different times. From December to April the south is dry and the north cool and often grey. From May to August the central coast is dry, hot and sunny. September to November suits the north, while the central coast has its wettest months.Source: Vietnam National Authority of Tourism
- Tet 2027
- Vietnam's Lunar New Year falls on 6 February 2027. The public-sector break runs from 4 to 10 February; private businesses set their own closure dates. Many shops and restaurants close for several days, and flights and beach hotels fill early.Source: Government of Vietnam news (in Vietnamese)
- Lan Ha or Ha Long
- Both lie within one UNESCO World Heritage site, Ha Long Bay and the Cat Ba Archipelago, with 1,133 islands and islets. Lan Ha Bay, east of Cat Ba Island, is the quieter side.Source: UNESCO
- Ninh Binh by boat
- Ninh Binh is about 100 km from Hanoi, roughly two hours by road. The rowing-boat routes at Trang An take about three hours, or one and a half to two on the shortest route.Source: Ninh Binh tourism
- Water and mosquitoes
- Drink bottled or filtered water, not tap water. Dengue, spread by mosquitoes that mostly bite by day, is a risk in Vietnam, so pack repellent and see a travel health professional four to six weeks before you go.Source: TravelHealthPro
- Passports and entry
- Check passport validity and the visa exemption or e-visa for everyone travelling before you book flights.
On a private trip the plan can change on the day: a shorter visit, a different order, a longer rest.
What travellers ask us
What does a private tour of Vietnam with Pai Dai include?+
As standard, your own car or van with a driver in each region, a private guide for the touring days, the hotels and the domestic flights between regions. Cruises, boat days and activities are added to suit the route. Tell us your dates, who is travelling and what you would like to see, and we come back with a route and hotel options for each stop. Nothing is booked until you approve it, and each hotel, boat and flight is confirmed in writing.
Who looks after us during the trip?+
Your driver handles every transfer and drive, and your guide is with you on the touring days in each region. A Pai Dai coordinator is on call for the whole trip. Your travel documents list the local contacts for each stop and our 24/7 emergency line on WhatsApp, +84 869 624 553. In an emergency, call the local emergency services first, then that line. While you plan, you can write to sales@paidaidmc.com or send a WhatsApp message to the same number.
Do we keep the same guide for the whole trip?+
Usually the guide changes with the region, so the guiding stays local. If you would like one guide to travel with you throughout, we can quote that, with the guide's flights and rooms added to the cost. The quotation for your dates shows the guiding region by region.
Can we have a guide who speaks our language?+
Tell us the language when you first write. A private trip does not make every language available, so we confirm a guide for each region and date before you book.
How long should a trip to Vietnam be?+
Ten to fourteen days covers two or three regions without rushing, with two or three nights in each place. A week works well for one region: Hanoi and the bay, or Hoi An and the beach. If you want a beach at the end, allow nine to twelve nights for two regions and the coast.
When is the best time to visit Vietnam?+
March to May is the best time for the whole country. Otherwise, match the route to your month. From December to April, a route from the north down to Phu Quoc works well. From May to August, base the trip on the central coast. September to November is the best time for the north and the mountains.
Does a private trip work for older travellers?+
Yes, with some planning. Tell us how everyone manages walking, stairs and heat before we choose the hotels and boats. We look for hotels with lifts, keep walks short and level where we can, and plan early starts that finish before the heat. Some piers, temples and old houses still have steps, and we tell you where they are before you go.
Do you work with travel advisors?+
Yes. Travel advisors can brief us through the trade route of our enquiry form, with dates, rooming and the services needed.
Planning a private trip to Vietnam?
Tell us your dates, who is coming and what you would like to see. We will reply with ideas for a route and the questions that shape it.