10 Best Vietnam Shore Excursions: How to Spend Your Port of Call

Looking for the best Vietnam shore excursions? You’re in the right place!

Vietnam is such an exciting cruise destination because every port gives you something completely different. One day you could be cruising between the limestone islands of Ha Long Bay, and the next you could be exploring ancient imperial sites or lounging on a tropical island.

The only tricky part is deciding what to prioritize when you’ve only got a few hours in port. That’s exactly why we’ve put this guide together. After traveling all through the country with my partner and enjoying shore excursions ourselves, we’ve narrowed down the best shore excursions across North, Central, and South Vietnam. Whether you’re looking for history, beaches, or great food, you can see as much as possible before getting back on the ship.

Why We Book Shore Excursions Independently

We almost always book our shore excursions independently, and Viator is our go-to! Organizing a tour in a foreign country can feel a little daunting when you have a firm deadline to get back to the ship, but booking through Viator makes the process much easier.

For starters, we always read the reviews from other travelers before committing, which we find especially reassuring when booking somewhere we’ve never been before! Many experiences also offer free cancellation and flexible payment options, so you don’t necessarily have to pay for everything months before your cruise. In fact, we often choose the option to pay just 48 hours before the excursion.

Independent shore excursions are often cheaper than booking through the cruise line, and they tend to have smaller groups too. That can mean a much more personal experience and less time waiting around for a huge busload of people!

The key is to choose excursions that work with your ship’s schedule. Many of the tours we’ve included below are specifically designed for cruise passengers, with convenient port pickups and timings. Just provide your cruise details when requested and always double-check the return time before booking.

For us, it’s the best of both worlds. We get the convenience and reassurance we want on a port day, while usually saving money and enjoying a smaller-group experience.

Best Vietnam Shore Excursions

North Vietnam – Ha Long Bay & Hanoi

For this section, we’re focusing on Ha Long Bay and Hanoi. Most cruise ships dock at Halong International Port, which puts you right beside one of Vietnam’s most famous sights, so a day out on Ha Long Bay is the obvious choice if you want to keep things easy. It’s also hands-down one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen! 

Hanoi takes a little more effort. It’s more than an hour away by road, so any shore excursion to the capital will involve a decent amount of driving. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing, as it’s such a fun and interesting city to explore, but do be aware that if you choose Hanoi, you’ll be spending a lot of your port day in transit.

1. Cruise along Ha Long Bay on a luxury all-inclusive day trip

If you only book one shore excursion in northern Vietnam, make it this luxury Ha Long Bay cruise! My partner, Jesse, and I did this one with some friends and absolutely loved how much it packed into a single day. It’s an amazing way to experience Ha Long Bay when you’ve only got a limited amount of time in port!

Once we were on board, we cruised between Ha Long Bay’s famous limestone islands while enjoying lunch and the incredible views. But you definitely don’t spend the entire day sitting on the boat! We explored Sung Sot Cave, which is absolutely enormous and filled with stalactites and stalagmites, then headed to Luon Cave where we could choose between kayaking and taking a bamboo boat through the lagoon. 

We also stopped at Ti Top Island, where you can swim or climb to the viewpoint. Fair warning, there are over 400 steps to the top, but the panoramic views across Ha Long Bay were SO worth the effort!

Then, on the way back to the harbor, there was a really fun sunset party with complimentary refreshments and a cash bar! We were so impressed by how well-organized the entire day was, but don’t just take our word for it, because you can read thousands of 5-star reviews here.

One important thing for cruise passengers is that the standard meeting point is at Tuan Chau Marina, rather than Halong International Port. However, cruise-port pickup can be arranged for an additional fee, so just be sure to organize this in advance.

2. Explore Vietnam’s capital – Hanoi City 

If you want to see as much of Vietnam as possible during your cruise, this private Hanoi tour is a fantastic way to spend your day in port. Just bear in mind that Hanoi is quite a drive from Ha Long Bay, so this is a long day. If the capital is high on your wishlist, though, it’s a really good way to make it work!

You’ll be picked up directly from Ha Long International Cruise Port in a private, air-conditioned vehicle, which takes a lot of the stress out of the logistics. Once you reach Hanoi, the tour packs in a surprising amount, including the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and Hoa Lo Prison.

You’ll also explore the Old Quarter, which is one of the most atmospheric parts of the city. It’s busy and chaotic, but in a very charming way! There’s also time for Hoan Kiem Lake and the bright red Huc Bridge.

And, of course, there’s Hanoi’s famous Train Street, where you can enjoy delicious Vietnamese coffee as you watch trains squeeze past just a few feet away. It’s one of Hanoi’s most iconic experiences and one that you can’t miss while you’re in the city! 

Lunch is included, with a choice of Vietnamese classics such as pho or bun cha. The fact that this is a private tour is another big advantage, as there’s more flexibility to adjust the itinerary around your interests and cruise schedule. And most importantly for cruise passengers, they’ll pick you up from the port and bring you back again afterward.

Central Vietnam – Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Nha Trang

Central Vietnam feels very different from the North, and there are some really exciting places to explore! There are a couple of different possibilities, depending on where your ship docks. If you’re docking in the Chan May or Tien Sa ports, it’s easy to visit Da Nang, Hoi An, and Hue. 

We’re also including Nha Trang in this section, where ships generally dock at Nha Trang Port or Cam Ranh Port. This resort city is famed for its beautiful coastline, so it’s the perfect place to hit the beach. In short, there’s a lot you can pack into a port day in Central Vietnam! 

3. Spend a day in Vietnam’s most beautiful city – Hoi An

Hoi An is often described as one of Vietnam’s most beautiful cities, and this private shore excursion is a fantastic way to experience it during your day in port. Better still, you’ll see some of Central Vietnam’s other highlights along the way!

Your first stop is the Hai Van Pass, which is one of the country’s most scenic and iconic roads. You’ll have time to admire the views before heading over to the Marble Mountains and climbing up to Heaven Gate for panoramic views over the surrounding area.

Then it’s onto Hoi An, and this is definitely the star of the show! The UNESCO-listed Ancient Town was once an important trading port, and today it’s known for its colorful lanterns and historic yellow buildings. There’s so much to explore here, and your guide will show you highlights like the Japanese Covered Bridge and Tan Ky Old House. Best of all, you get a five-dish lunch at a local restaurant, so you’ll get to know Central Vietnamese cuisine and how it differs from other parts of the country (spoiler alert: it’s often spicier!)

We think this tour packs a fantastic amount into a single port day, and since it’s private, you won’t be stuck waiting around for a huge group. One thing to know before booking is that standard pickup is at the Chan May Port gate, roughly 400 meters from the ship. If you’d prefer pickup from inside the port, this can be arranged for an additional $25 USD per person, so organize this in advance.

4. Explore the Imperial Citadel and Forbidden City of Hue

If you’re interested in Vietnamese history, we think this shore excursion to Hue is one of the best ways to spend your day at Chan May Port. Hoi An gets a lot of attention, but Hue offers something completely different. It was Vietnam’s imperial capital from 1802 until 1945, so this is the place to dive into the country’s royal history!

This tour has a few different package options, but we recommend choosing Package 2: Hue Imperial Capital. That way, you’ll focus on Hue’s most important historic sights rather than repeating Hoi An or Da Nang, which are covered elsewhere in this guide.

Standard pickup is at the border checkpoint, around 500 meters from the port exit. Pickup from inside Chan May Port costs an additional $25 USD per person and must be arranged at least four days in advance, but honestly, it’s pretty easy to get to the regular pickup point anyway.

The highlight is the enormous Imperial Citadel, which was the political and cultural center of the Nguyen Dynasty. Inside, you’ll explore the Forbidden City while learning about the emperors who ruled here, as well as the fascinating lives of their concubines and eunuchs.

You’ll also visit Thien Mu Pagoda, which dates back to 1601 and is the oldest and most famous pagoda in Hue. Your guide will explain more about Buddhism and its importance in Vietnamese culture before you finish your sightseeing with a 30-minute dragon boat cruise along the Perfume River. For a port day, we can’t think of a better way to get a real sense of Vietnam’s imperial past!

5. See stunning scenery at Ba Na Hills, Golden Hands Bridge & Marble Mountains

If you want spectacular scenery and some seriously good photo opportunities, this private Ba Na Hills and Marble Mountains tour is hard to beat! It combines two of the most famous attractions around Da Nang into one full-day trip.

You’ll start at Ba Na Hills, a mountain resort sitting 1,487 meters (4,879 feet) above sea level. Even getting there is part of the experience, as you’ll ride a cable car high into the mountains with incredible views along the way.

Of course, the star attraction is the Golden Hands Bridge. You’ve probably seen photos of this before, with two enormous stone hands appearing to hold the bridge above the mountains, but this is your chance to actually walk across it! You’ll have around five hours at Ba Na Hills in total, with time to see the gardens, Linh Ung Pagoda, French Village, and other attractions too.

Then you’ll head to the Marble Mountains, a collection of five limestone and marble hills representing the five elements. Here, you can explore the natural caves and head up to the viewpoints for sweeping views towards Da Nang and the coast.

We especially like that this is a private tour, so you get a more personal experience and flexible timing. However, it isn’t specifically advertised as a shore excursion, so cruise passengers should contact the operator before booking to confirm port pickup and make sure the timings work with their ship. It’s a long day, but if you want to see some of Central Vietnam’s most spectacular sights in one go, this one certainly delivers!

6. Explore the seaside city of Nha Trang

We had such a great day on this private Nha Trang city tour! Nha Trang is best known as a beach destination, but there’s actually a lot more to see here, and this tour gave us a fantastic overview without trying to navigate everything ourselves.

One of our favorite stops was the Po Nagar Cham Towers, an ancient temple complex overlooking the city. It was fascinating to learn about the Cham culture and see a completely different side of Vietnam’s history.

We also visited Long Son Pagoda, which is home to an enormous white Buddha sitting high above Nha Trang. There are quite a few steps involved if you want to go all the way up, but since this is a private tour, we loved that the day could be adapted to suit our energy levels. Our guide was really attentive and never made us feel rushed!

There’s a nice mix of stops throughout the day. We explored Dam Market, learned about Vietnam’s marine life at the National Oceanographic Museum, and visited Hon Chong Promontory. We especially loved the latter, because we got to see huge rock formations and beautiful views across the water.

Lunch, entrance fees, bottled water, and private air-conditioned transportation are all included, so once the tour starts, everything is taken care of. This is especially nice in Nha Trang because it can get seriously hot! Overall, we think this is a fantastic way to see how much more there is to Nha Trang than its beaches!

7. Visit island paradise at Hon Mieu and Hon Tam Island 

If you want to swap sightseeing for a fun and relaxed tropical day trip, we highly recommend this island tour! You’ll spend the day hopping between Hon Mieu and Hon Tam, with plenty of time to swim in the warm waters around Nha Trang.

Cruise passengers should know that pickup and drop-off around the CaraWorld area can be arranged for an additional $30 USD per booking, so it’s worth sorting that in advance if your ship is using Cam Ranh Port.

Either way, the first stop is Bai Tranh Beach on Hon Mieu Island, where you’ll have around two hours to swim and relax on the sand. There are optional water sports available too if you feel like something a little more energetic!

Lunch is served at a floating restaurant on Hon Mieu, with plenty of seafood and Vietnamese dishes included – how awesome is that? Then, it’s onto Hon Tam for something completely different: a hot mineral mud bath! You’ll also have access to the swimming pools and waterfalls here, which makes the afternoon feel like a mini spa day.

We really like the variety of this tour. You’re not just sitting on a beach all day, but you’re also not rushing between loads of sights. There’s swimming, island scenery, a leisurely lunch, and then time to unwind at Hon Tam. Sounds pretty blissful to us, and the glowing reviews certainly agree! 

South Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City

South Vietnam gives you a couple of very different options, from the chaos and energy of Ho Chi Minh City to the much slower pace of the Mekong Delta. Most cruise ships dock at Phu My Port, which is around 70 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, so this is one area where you do need to be realistic about travel time. You’ll spend a decent chunk of the day in the car, especially if you’re heading all the way out to the Cu Chi Tunnels.

That said, if Ho Chi Minh City or the tunnels are high on your Vietnam wishlist, it can still be well worth it. We’d just make sure you book a shore excursion that’s specifically designed around cruise timings, so you can relax and enjoy the day without constantly checking the clock. We’ve listed our top picks below! 

8. Spend a day in the bustling Ho Chi Minh City

We did this private Ho Chi Minh City tour from Phu My Port, and having a local guide made all the difference. In case you haven’t heard, Ho Chi Minh City can be pretty overwhelming at first! In fact, it’s probably the most chaotic place we’ve ever visited, and its charms aren’t always immediately apparent – but that’s not to say it’s not worth visiting, because it definitely is! 

While Ho Chi Minh City is crazy, it’s also fascinating, and having a guide helped us make sense of it all. Instead of just driving past buildings and battling our way through busy streets, we learned about the history behind what we were seeing and got a much better understanding of the city. Plus, since this is a private tour, we were able to adapt the itinerary to our interests and cruise schedule.

We visited the Independence Palace and the War Remnants Museum, which gave us a much deeper insight into Vietnam’s recent history, and we also saw some of the city’s beautiful French colonial architecture, including Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. We also went shopping at Ben Thanh Market and got to explore Chinatown, which a lot of tourists here actually miss out on.

Ho Chi Minh City definitely grew on us as the day went on, and we’re so glad that we did this tour. It really helped us to get past that initial sensory overload and start to understand why so many people love this city!

9. See the historic Cu Chi Tunnels

If the Cu Chi Tunnels are on your Vietnam bucket list, this private shore excursion is one of the easiest ways to visit them from Phu My Port! They’re a long way from the cruise terminal, and getting there independently can mean navigating Vietnam’s public buses, which can be super stressful – take it from me! With this tour, you’ll have private transportation both ways, so you can sit back and enjoy the journey without worrying about connections or getting back to your ship on time.

And the Cu Chi Tunnels are absolutely fascinating. This enormous underground network was used by Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War, and visiting gives you a much better understanding of how people actually lived and fought here. You’ll learn about the hidden trapdoors, kitchens, storage areas, and weapons factories that allowed soldiers to operate underground for long periods of time. It’s honestly crazy to think about! 

You can even climb inside sections of the tunnels yourself, which really drives home just how cramped the conditions were. There’s also the chance to fire off an AK-47 or MK16 machine gun at the adjacent shooting range if you want to imagine another side of the warfare! 

You’ll spend around three hours at the site, so you’ll have plenty of time to learn about the tunnels and the huge role they played in the Vietnam War. It really hammers home just how ingenious and brutal life underground must have been, especially once you see how people cooked and moved between different sections without being detected.

10. Cruise and explore along the Mekong Delta

If you want to experience a completely different side of Vietnam during your port day, we think that this private Mekong Delta tour is a fantastic choice. Rather than heading into the chaos of Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll travel out into the countryside to explore the waterways and farms that the Mekong Delta is famous for.

It is a long journey from Phu My Port, taking around three hours to reach My Tho, but this tour takes care of all the logistics. Your guide will meet you at the port gate with a sign, and from there you’ll have private, air-conditioned transportation. Trust us, that makes a big difference when you’re trying to fit the Mekong into a single port day!

Once you arrive, you’ll swap the car for the water and cruise out to Tortoise Island. From there, you’ll explore orchards and fruit gardens before continuing to Ben Tre for a traditional and scenic rowboat ride through the narrow canals. 

We especially love the focus on local life with this tour. You’ll learn about beekeeping and try honey, listen to traditional music, and even visit a coconut candy workshop. It’s so wholesome!

Now, this tour definitely requires some travel time, but we think the Mekong Delta offers something totally different from the other excursions on this list. If you want to see rural Vietnam and get a glimpse of life along one of the world’s most famous rivers, we think it’s well worth the journey.

Where to Stay Before or After your Cruise

Most cruises that stop in Vietnam will start and end in Singapore, hitting the best sights of Southeast Asia along the way. Singapore is a convenient embarkation point, as it’s a major hub for international flights, which makes it easy to fly in and board your cruise.

Spending a night or two before or after your cruise is always a good idea. It gives you a buffer in case of delays and lets you explore a bit without feeling rushed. The most convenient area to stay is Marina Bay, which is where many cruises depart from, and it’s an excellent location for sightseeing. Here are our top recommendations on accommodations in Marina Bay!

Marina Bay Sands – $$$

Marina Bay Sands is more than a hotel—it’s a destination in itself! This massive complex is instantly recognizable with its three towers and the boat-shaped SkyPark perched on top. Staying here gives you access to the world’s largest rooftop infinity pool, with unmatched views of the Singapore skyline. It’s honestly worth staying here just to be able to swim above the city! 

Inside, the rooms are sleek and modern, many with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Marina Bay. There are also over 80 restaurants, a luxury mall, a casino, and direct access to the ArtScience Museum and Gardens by the Bay.

We think this is the ultimate splurge stay in Singapore. Expect to pay between $700 and $900 USD per night, with suites costing between $1,000 and $3,000 USD per night. Check availability and book your stay here.

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore – $$

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore is a grand, historic property set in a beautifully restored neoclassical building that once housed Singapore’s General Post Office. We love that staying here gives you both heritage charm and modern comfort. The hotel has a gorgeous outdoor infinity pool, fine dining restaurants, and easy access to the Merlion, Boat Quay, and the Civic District.

It’s a fantastic option for travelers who want something luxurious but with more character than Marina Bay’s ultra-modern hotels. Rooms usually range from $350 to $650 USD per night, with suites ranging up to $1,400 USD. Book your stay here on Booking.com!

Dao by Dorsett AMTD Singapore – $$

Dao by Dorsett AMTD Singapore is a super slick aparthotel. It really encapsulates the Marina Bay area’s high-end, ultramodern vibe perfectly, without charging sky-high prices.

You can also opt to include breakfast, so you really do get a great balance between hotel service and home-like comfort here! Located just outside Marina Bay, it’s within walking distance of the Lau Pa Sat hawker center and the Downtown MRT station, giving you quick access to the rest of Singapore.

There’s also a rooftop pool with skyline views and a fitness center with views over the water. Studios start at $250 USD per night, while two-bedroom apartments reach up to $700 USD per night. Check availability and book your stay here!

Related Read: For more options of areas and hotels, check out our complete Where to Stay in Singapore guide!

Thanks for reading!

Stopping in Vietnam for a shore excursion will be a memorable adventure, no matter which one you choose! We prefer to book our shore excursions through Viator, as they allow more flexibility and you can usually get a better price. So it’s a win all around!

Before you go, check out all of our Southeast Asia blogs. Hopefully, you have more time to travel through this region, as it’s one of our favorite places in the world. Here are a few related blogs to inspire your next destination. Cheers!

How to Spend THREE DAYS in Singapore: 3 Day Itinerary

How to Spend THREE DAYS in Hanoi, Vietnam: 3-Day Itinerary

15 Best Things to do in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia