If you are planning a long private trip — ten days to three weeks or more — these are the guides I would read first, in this order. They come from how our team at Metta Voyage designs real itineraries, not from a single trip.
1. Decide the pace
The number of nights in each place matters more than the list of sights. Start with the pacing rules, then the slow three-week version.
Itineraries
2 Weeks in Vietnam Itinerary: How I’d Pace a Private 14-Day Trip
How to pace two weeks in Vietnam from north to south: six bases, one long transfer every two or three days, Sapa…
Itineraries
3 Weeks in Vietnam Itinerary: A Slow Private Route With Rest Days
Slow travel in Vietnam over three weeks: why I place rest days first, give every base two nights, and put a beach…
Itineraries
Vietnam Itinerary for 10 Days: What I’d Keep, What I’d Cut
What to skip in Vietnam in ten days: Sapa, Hue, Ninh Binh and the Ha Long day trip. What I keep: a…
2. Understand the budget
Private trips start from 140 USD per person per day for 2 travellers at 4★ in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, confirmed in your quote. Domestic flights are always quoted separately.
Budget
Private Vietnam Tour Cost: What 10, 14 and 21 Days Really Cost
A long private trip in Vietnam starts from 140 USD per person per day. How I price 10, 14 and 21 days,…
Hotels
Luxury Hotels in Vietnam: The 4–5★ Stays I Book for Private Tours
How to choose luxury hotels in Vietnam: what a DMC founder checks before booking 4–5★ stays, the mistakes he sees, and the…
Travel tips
Halong Bay Cruise: How I Choose the Ship and Cabin for a Private Tour
How to choose a Ha Long Bay cruise ship for a long private trip: which bay, ship size, cabin checks, one night…
3. Plan for comfort
For parents in their seventies, families with teenagers and anyone who dislikes early starts, choose the month and the pace first.
Travel tips
Vietnam Tour for Seniors: How I Plan a Long Private Trip for Parents in Their Seventies
Planning a trip for elderly parents in Vietnam: my checklist for pace, trains or flights, CDC and WHO health advice, heat, cruise…
Travel tips
Best Time for a Vietnam Tour: Choosing the Month for North to South
The best month for a north to south Vietnam trip: how I balance three climates, typhoon season in the centre, Tet, route…
4. Add a second or third country
Itineraries
Vietnam and Cambodia Itinerary: Is Two Weeks Enough to Add Angkor?
Should you add Cambodia to a Vietnam trip? A DMC founder's first questions: days, pace, who travels, when he says no, and…
Itineraries
Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Itinerary: When Three Weeks Is Enough
Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos in three weeks: when a DMC founder says yes, when he says no, the 21-day route he builds…
