Vietnam
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A night on Halong Bay, a stilt house in the hills and breakfast inside a royal palace: this is Vietnam beyond the bus-tour version. You’ll go from Hanoi’s motorbike chaos to the quiet rice paddies of Mai Chau, then down to imperial Hue and lantern-lit Hoi An, with free afternoons along the way to wander on your own. Eat a five-course dinner in a former MasterChef contestant’s home, paddle through a floating fishing village and get something custom-made by a women-run tailor that trains single mothers. Your nights are spent in boutique hotels, on a junk boat and in a traditional stilt house, and by the end you’ll know exactly which pho stall is worth the plastic stool.
Inclusions
Handpicked stays
Boutique hotels in Hanoi, Hue and Hoi An, a night on a boutique junk boat in Bai Tu Long Bay and two nights in a stilt house in the Mai Chau hills.
17 meals
9 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 5 dinners, including a five-course dinner in a former MasterChef contestant’s kitchen, every meal on the boat and breakfast inside the Imperial Citadel.
All activities, included
- ✓Dinner in Chef Ai’s home
- ✓A night on a junk boat in Bai Tu Long Bay
- ✓A paddle through a floating village
- ✓Two nights in a stilt house in Mai Chau, with a village walk
- ✓Breakfast inside the Imperial Citadel
- ✓A Trúc Chỉ art workshop
- ✓Lantern making with a Hoi An family
- ✓A fitting at a women-run tailor that trains single mothers
- ✓The Temple of Literature
- ✓A cyclo ride through Hanoi’s Old Quarter
- ✓The Marble Mountains
A local female guide
A local woman leads you from the welcome dinner to the farewell. She knows the best street food, how to cross a Hanoi street without flinching and which banh mi cart is worth the detour.
All transport
Private airport pickup when you land, a private air-conditioned vehicle the whole way and the flight from Hanoi to Hue.
A matched roommate
Our compatibility quiz pairs you with someone you’ll actually click with. Hello, pho buddy. Want your own space? Private rooms are available.
Most tips
Driver, porter, hotel and restaurant tips are all covered, so you’re not fumbling for dong at every stop. Tipping your guide is up to you.
Highlights
Kayak through a floating village
Paddle past fishing families on Bai Tu Long Bay, then fall asleep on the water between the karsts
Dinner in Chef Ai’s kitchen
A former MasterChef Vietnam contestant cooks you five courses in her own home
Inside the Imperial Citadel before it opens
Breakfast with live music in the garden palace built for Vietnam’s queen mothers
Wake up in a stilt house
Two nights with a family in the Mai Chau hills, rice paddies right outside the door
Make your own lantern with a Hoi An family
A local family teaches you the craft, then the whole old town lights up after dark
Kayak through a floating village
Paddle past fishing families on Bai Tu Long Bay, then fall asleep on the water between the karsts
Dinner in Chef Ai’s kitchen
A former MasterChef Vietnam contestant cooks you five courses in her own home
Inside the Imperial Citadel before it opens
Breakfast with live music where the Queen Mother of Vietnam’s last dynasty lived, before the gates open to anyone else
Wake up in a stilt house
Two nights with a family in the Mai Chau hills, rice paddies right outside the door
Make your own lantern with a Hoi An family
A local family teaches you the craft, then the whole old town lights up after dark
Your Itinerary
Pick a day to see where you are and what you’ll do.
AFTERNOONTouch down in Hanoi and walk out to a friendly face: your driver and guide are waiting for you at Noi Bai. Check in from 2pm, shower off the flight and listen to the motorbikes hum outside your window.
EVENINGMeet the women you’ll spend the next 10 days with at 6pm, then head to Chef Ai’s home. The former MasterChef Vietnam contestant cooks you five courses and tells you the story behind every one.
Dinner
MORNINGStart where Vietnam’s scholars did, at the Temple of Literature, built in 1076 and home to the country’s first university. Look for the stone turtles carrying the names of its graduates on their backs. Then cross to Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake and settle into a cyclo for a slow roll through the Old Quarter while the city zips around you.
AFTERNOONSpend the afternoon your way. Our tip: find an egg coffee (it tastes like tiramisu, trust us), then follow the smoke to a bun cha stall, the grilled pork and noodle dish Obama and Anthony Bourdain famously shared in Hanoi.
Breakfast
MORNINGDrive to the coast and step aboard your boutique junk boat around noon. Sip welcome drinks and eat lunch on deck as the karsts start rising out of the water, thousands of them, and you cruise into Bai Tu Long Bay, the quieter side of Halong.
AFTERNOONGrab a kayak, or let a local fisherman row you by bamboo boat, through Vung Vieng floating village, where families have lived on the water for generations.
EVENINGToast happy hour on the sundeck as the sun drops behind the limestone. After dinner, try your luck squid fishing off the side.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
MORNINGWake up early for tai chi on the sundeck as the bay wakes up. It’s optional, but the light is worth it. Climb to Thien Canh Son Cave for a view over the water, then tuck into a Vietnamese brunch as you sail back to port.
AFTERNOONHead inland and watch the scenery shift from sea to mountains as you drive into the Mai Chau valley.
EVENINGMove into your private stilt house at Minh Tho Homestay, your home for two nights. Kick off your shoes, climb the stairs and sit down to dinner cooked by the family.
Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner
MORNINGWalk with a local guide through rice paddies and bamboo forests, past water buffalo and the stilt-house villages of Ban Denh, Ngoa, Son and Muoi.
MIDDAYSit down to lunch back in Mai Hich village, made with fresh local ingredients.
AFTERNOONTake some solo time. You can read on the veranda, wander the village or just watch the valley change color as the sun goes down.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
MORNINGSay goodbye to the valley and drive back toward Hanoi for your flight south.
AFTERNOONLand in Hue, Vietnam’s imperial capital for more than a century, just before 6pm.
EVENINGWander down to the Perfume River and watch the lights come on. The rest of the night is yours.
Breakfast
MORNINGSip tea over Hue snacks in the garden at Trúc Chỉ, where artists turn handmade paper into art you’ll only find here. Watch how it’s done, then make your own piece. It’s delivered to your hotel certified, so yes, you’re officially an artist now.
AFTERNOONExperience Hue your own way with some solo time. Find a café on the Perfume River or wander the streets around the Citadel walls.
Breakfast
MORNINGEnjoy a very special breakfast somewhere almost nobody gets to eat it: Truong Sanh Palace, the Queen Mother’s old residence inside Hue’s Imperial Citadel, before the gates open to the public. A traditional musician plays while you eat, and afterward you get the Citadel while it’s still quiet.
AFTERNOONHit the road south over the Hai Van Pass, all hairpin bends and ocean views, or along the coast past the turquoise lagoon at Lang Co, depending on the weather. Stop in Da Nang for the Museum of Cham Sculpture and the caves and temples hidden inside the Marble Mountains.
EVENINGRoll into Hoi An and check in to The Saga, your poolside reward for the last two nights.
Breakfast
MORNINGBeat the crowds to Hoi An Central Market while the vendors are still setting up, then slip down alleys most visitors walk right past. Stop for a drink on a veranda over the river, cross the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and learn to make your own lantern with a local family. Finish with a taste of cao lau, the noodle dish you can only properly get in Hoi An.
AFTERNOONGet fitted at a women-run tailor shop that trains single mothers in the craft. Pick your fabric, pick your style, and it’s ready before you leave.
EVENINGToast the trip at a farewell dinner in a local restaurant, then wander the old town while the lanterns glow. Don’t make it an early night.
Breakfast, Dinner
MORNINGShare one last breakfast, a lot of hugs and probably a promise to come back. Checkout is at noon, and Da Nang airport is about 45 minutes away.
Breakfast
From $2,950 · 10 days · Max 14 women · $550 holds your spot
Where you’ll stay
HALONG BAY · 1 NIGHT
Garden Bay Peak
A boutique junk boat on Bai Tu Long Bay, the quieter side of Halong, where the karsts are just as dramatic and the boat traffic isn’t. Proper cabins, real beds and a sundeck to soak in the view.
MAI CHAU · 2 NIGHTS
Minh Tho Homestay
A private stilt house on the edge of a Thai village, run by Minh and Tho, who have been hosting travelers since 2012. The food comes from their garden. It’s simple, warm and one of the best nights of the trip.
HOI AN · 2 NIGHTS
The Saga Hotel
Your end-of-trip reward: white villas wrapped around a palm-lined pool with its own waterfall, a poolside bar and a spa. It’s the calm side of Hoi An, close enough to bike into the lantern-lit old town and lovely enough that you might not want to leave.
Roommates, matched
Our compatibility quiz, built with a matchmaker and psychologist, pairs you with someone you’ll actually click with. Or upgrade to a private room.
Who you’ll travel with
Up to 13 other women, most of whom booked on their own. They range from 28 to 88, and it’s the pho runs, sundeck sunsets and late-night lantern walks that bond you. 92% of our travelers say they keep in touch after the trip ends.
✓Meet your group on WhatsApp before you fly
✓A welcome dinner on night one, with your guide making the introductions
✓Solo time built in, so you’re never forced to be “on”
“I made the best friends, it was like a girls trip but they started out as strangers.”
Grace K. · Japan
The people behind your trip
Your guide
Chi
Chi is warm and gentle and has been a guide for longer than you would believe she’s been alive. She loves showing travelers the Vietnam beyond the surface, from its history to everyday local life. Off the clock, you’ll find her mountain biking through the northwest, reading or playing the flute.
Founder
Amanda Black
After getting robbed as a backpacker, Amanda vowed no woman traveling alone should ever feel that stranded. Since 2018 and hundreds of group trips, she’s still keeping that promise.
Behind the scenes
Our operations team
You’ll see Chi and our local guides. Behind them, our team follows every day of your trip to keep you safe and on track.
What women say about SoFe
★★★★★ 4.7 on Trustpilot · Read all reviews
★★★★★
“The feeling of community was so strong that everyone just belonged.”
Anna D.
Japan
★★★★★
“Don’t wait. Book it.”
Karen P.
India
★★★★★
“Money can’t buy happiness, but this was pretty dang close.”
Barbara L.
Japan
Your Safety on tour
Never on your own, unless you want to be
“She ensured we were comfortable, informed and most importantly, safe!”
Merica · Japan
A local female guide, every day
We meet you at the airport
Private transport, vetted routes
Pre-trip guides, so you land prepared
Guides who handle the hassle so you don’t have to
One guide in front, a whole team behind her
“She ensured we were comfortable, informed and most importantly, safe!”
Merica · Japan
Choose your departure
$550 holds your spot
It comes off your total.
Pay at your pace
As much and as often as you like. Balance due 90 days out.
Plans change? Transfer for free
Move your spot to another date or trip with 90+ days’ notice.
Per person, USD · Other currencies at checkout · 🔒 Secure checkout with Stripe
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Vietnam April 2 - 11, 2027
Vietnam Nov 19 - 28, 2027
Questions women ask before booking
Is this trip right for me?
A homestay, not a hotel. Two nights are in a family-run stilt house in a Thai village. Expect simple rooms, shared bathrooms and roosters at dawn.
A night on the boat without your guide. Your guide sees you off at the harbor and the boat’s own crew takes it from there. She’s waiting for you when you’re back on land the next morning.
Warm weather. April is hot and mostly dry. Pack light layers, sunscreen and a rain jacket just in case.
How active is this trip?
Easy. You’ll be on your feet a few hours most days through temples, markets and old town streets, with plenty of breaks. The cave on Halong Bay and the Marble Mountains both involve stairs, and the Mai Chau village walk is flat and easy.
You travel by private air-conditioned vehicle and one short flight, so there’s no hauling bags around.
Where do I arrive and leave from?
Arrive: Hanoi Noi Bai (HAN), any time on day one. Your driver and guide meet you at arrivals. Check-in is from 2pm, and we recommend landing by 3pm so you’re settled for the welcome meeting at 6pm.
Leave: Da Nang (DAD), about 45 minutes from Hoi An, any time on the last day. Checkout is at noon. Your arrival and departure airports are different, so book your flights into Hanoi and out of Da Nang.
Do I have to share a room?
Only if you want to. Twin-share rooms are included in the price, or you can upgrade to a private room. If you share, you’ll take our roommate compatibility quiz, built with a professional matchmaker and psychologist, and we pair you with someone who fits how you travel: early riser or night owl, social butterfly or quiet recharger.
Will we stay in the places shown on this page?
Usually, yes. These are the places we book. Now and then one is unavailable, and we swap it for a stay of the same standard or better.
Do I need a visa?
For most travelers, yes. Most nationalities, including the US, Canada and Australia, need a visa to visit Vietnam, and most can apply online for an e-visa.
Requirements depend on your passport, so once you book, we’ll walk you through exactly what you need, step by step, until you land in Hanoi.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes, travel insurance is required for every traveler. When you book your spot, you can add a plan from our preferred insurance partner in a couple of clicks, or choose your own provider and add your policy details any time before departure.
What’s not included?
International flights.
Travel insurance, which is required.
Your Vietnam visa.
Tips for your guide.
Your airport drop-off on the last day.
Drinks, other than the ones mentioned in the itinerary.
Your custom piece at the tailor, which you pay for directly.
Optional extras.
What if I need to cancel?
90 or more days before departure: we’ll transfer your deposit to another SoFe trip, any date or any destination. Or we’ll hold it for up to a year until you’re ready to choose.
Fewer than 90 days before departure: payments are non-refundable, so you’d claim through your travel insurance. That’s exactly what it’s there for.
How much luggage can I bring?
One checked bag and a carry-on. The flight from Hanoi to Hue allows 23 kg (50 lbs) of checked luggage and 10 kg (22 lbs) of carry-on, and anything over that is charged at the airport.
A full-size suitcase is fine for the rest of the trip, since you travel by private vehicle.
Everything you need before you go
Visas, money and tipping, what to wear at temples, and what to expect at the homestay.
Your spot is waiting.
From $2,950 · 10 days · Max 14 women · $550 holds your spot
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