Walking Vietnam: Paths of Wonder from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City

After you enroll, we’ll ask you to provide or update your personal information and preferences, which includes your health information, lodging and meal preferences for your program.

Passport and visas are required.

A passport is required for this program. It must be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

This information about travel documents pertains to participants holding U.S. passports. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

Vietnam

• Your passport must have 2 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is required and it must be obtained in advance.

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

• Your visa can be secured electronically. You may use the services of our designated visa service, Passport Visa Express, please see details on the process and the price at Passport Visa Express. If you prefer you may secure your electronic visa on your own, see the notes below for details.

Please note: A single-entry electronic visa valid for 30 days can be purchased online at https://evisa.gov.vn/. The cost is US$25. You will need to have the details of your arrival port, departure port and the address of your first accommodation when filling out your online application. Alternatively, you can get your eVisa submission completed by Passport Visa Express at www.passportvisasexpress.com/roadscholar for a fee of US$122. Please note that it takes a minimum of 7 working days for the visa to be approved. We strongly encourage you to apply for your visa no later than four weeks in advance of your program. Please be extremely careful when applying for your visa and ensure that ALL details entered match exactly with the details in your passport. This includes, for example, entering your middle name in your visa application if a middle name is shown in your passport. Once you have received it, please print a copy of your e-visa letter and carry it with you to Vietnam.

Though all efforts have been made to keep health and hygiene practices at the optimum standard, please note that diarrhea can be common when traveling in Asia. This can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites or contaminated food/water. Infections may cause diarrhea and vomiting (E. coli, Salmonella, cholera, and parasites), fever (typhoid fever and toxoplasmosis), or liver damage (hepatitis). You should be up-to-date with routine vaccines such as for Covid-19, MMR, chickenpox (or varicella), polio, DPT, and your yearly flu shot. The CDC recommends Hepatitis A and Typhoid. Malaria pills are a consideration. A tetanus booster is wise. Please consult your physician or travel clinic about other vaccine/medication recommendations.

If Road Scholar is arranging your air travel to and from the program, and you travel on the scheduled start and end dates, you’ll receive free round-trip transfers from the airport to the hotel.

Arrival day is on October 25, 2025

Meet the group at Mercure Hanoi La Gare Hotel in Hanoi

Start of Trip:  2:00 p.m. hotel check-in; 6:00 p.m. orientation; 7:00 p.m. welcome dinner.

Getting to the site: Only participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare and who are arriving on the day the program commences in Vietnam will be provided with an arrival transfer from Hanoi airport to the first program hotel. Participants who have not purchased Road Scholar airfare, or who are arriving early/departing late, are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements and the costs involved. For those making their own way to the first hotel, a taxi stand is located right outside the arrival terminal. The cost of a taxi from Hanoi International Airport to the program hotel is approximately $20 (455,000 Vietnamese dong (VND) – be prepared to pay in dong). Currency exchange counters are available at all arrival terminal levels and signs are in English. Recommended taxi companies are Taxi Group (red stripe), Viet Thanh Taxi (blue stripe) and Noi Bai Taxi (yellow stripe). Hotel check-in is available from 2:00 p.m. on the program start date (Day 3). If you arrive a few hours early, the hotel can store your luggage at the front desk until check-in time. If you wish to check in upon arrival in the morning, or if you arrive a day before the program starts, we suggest booking the additional pre-program nights in advance with Road Scholar Travel Services, the hotel directly or through a 3rd-party website.

Your trip ends on: Saturday, November 8, 2025 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at Sila Urban Living

End of Trip: 9:00 a.m. after breakfast followed by transfer to the airport; 12:00 noon hotel check-out.

Getting to the airport: Only participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare and who are departing on the day the program concludes in Vietnam will be provided with a departure transfer from the last program hotel to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) airport. Participants who have not purchased Road Scholar airfare, or who are departing on a different day, are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements and for covering the costs involved. A taxi from the hotel to Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) is approximately $10 per car (230,000 Vietnamese dong (VND) – be prepared to pay in dong). Recommended taxi companies are Vinasun (white car) and Mai Linh (green car). Hotel check-out is at 12:00 noon on the last program date of your itinerary (Day 17). If you depart a few hours later, the hotel can store your luggage at the front desk until you head to the airport. If you wish to arrange a late check-out or a post-program night, we suggest booking it in advance with Road Scholar Travel Services, the hotel directly or through a 3rd-party website.

Information if you are purchasing your own airfare: Participants who have not purchased airfare through Road Scholar are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements to the first site at the beginning of the program, as well as from the last site at the end of the program. The Information Packet Road Scholar sends in advance of the program includes details needed to make your transfer arrangements. If you wish to purchase airfare through Road Scholar, please call (800) 241-1404. Please note: In the unlikely event Road Scholar must make changes to the program's arrival or departure details, we will notify all participants as soon as possible. Participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare are protected against airline change fees; however, anyone who has not purchased Road Scholar airfare will be required to make their own adjustments and may incur fees imposed by the airline.