A Vietnam tour price almost never covers the international flight, entry tickets, lunches and dinners, tips or a SIM card. The main sights cost from $3 to $38 per adult at the gate, and a five-day trip through central Vietnam adds about $135-175 on top of the package.
Extras are one of the things worth checking when you compare Vietnam tour operators .
I have run tours in Vietnam since 2023. The prices below are 2026 gate prices rounded to dollars, with the local price in dong in brackets for the moments you pay cash.
What Do You Pay on Top of a Vietnam Tour Price?
Start with the itinerary’s meal line and its list of inclusions: if an item is not listed, you pay for it yourself. Hotel breakfast is normally included, and insurance is included only when the programme says so. The table shows what each line costs per adult.
| Item | In the package? | Cost per adult |
|---|---|---|
| International flight | No | Depends on date and airline |
| Entry tickets | Only if the itinerary lists them | $3-38 per site |
| Hotel breakfast | Yes | Included |
| Lunches and dinners | Usually no | $8-12 a day (200,000-300,000 dong) |
| Tip for a group guide | No | $4-8 a day (100,000-200,000 dong) |
| Tip for a driver | No | $2-8 a day (50,000-200,000 dong) |
| SIM card | No | About $6 (150,000 dong) for 30 days |
| Visa | Depends on your passport | e‑visa $25 single entry, $50 multiple entry |
| Insurance | Depends on the programme | Check the contract |
Do Flights, Visas and SIM Cards Come With the Tour?
The international flight is bought separately and priced by airline and date. Entry rules depend on your passport. Russians enter visa-free for 45 days under Vietnamese government resolution 44/NQ-CP, valid until 14 March 2028. Travellers who need a visa apply for an e‑visa on evisa.gov.vn , open to citizens of all countries since 15 August 2023: $25 for a single entry and $50 for multiple entries, valid up to 90 days.
Insurance is bought separately unless the programme lists it, so look for the line in the contract. A Viettel SIM for 30 days costs about $6 (150,000 dong) in a city shop and 20-30% more at the airport. International eSIM providers charge $12-18.
What Do Tickets in Central Vietnam Cost?
Central Vietnam holds the widest ticket range on a typical itinerary, and the price is identical for tour guests and independent travellers. A tour pays for a ticket only when the itinerary lists it. Ba Na Hills, Hoi An, My Son and Hue each price their tickets differently.
The Ba Na Hills tour versus going on your own comparison covers the same ticket and lets you weigh it against a tour price.
Ba Na Hills
The adult ticket costs about $38 (950,000-1,000,000 dong) and includes the round-trip cable car and most rides. Buffet lunch is not in the ticket. It is sold separately or in a combo that costs $4-8 (100,000-200,000 dong) less than buying both apart.
Hoi An Old Town
One ticket costs about $5 (120,000 dong), stays valid for 24 hours and holds five coupons for sites from a list of 22.
My Son Sanctuary
The ticket costs about $6 (150,000 dong) and includes the electric car from the entrance to the temples. The site opens at 6:30 and closes at 17:30.
Hue Imperial City and Tombs
The Imperial City costs about $8 (200,000 dong), the same for foreigners and Vietnamese. One tomb, Minh Mang, Tu Duc or Khai Dinh, costs about $6 (150,000 dong). The combo of the citadel and three tombs costs about $21 (530,000 dong) and is valid for 2 days. The citadel with two tombs costs about $16 (420,000 dong). The three-tomb combo pays off only if you really have the second day for it, and on a single day the two-tomb combo is the sensible pick.
What Do Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Cu Chi Cost?
Hanoi has the cheapest tickets on most itineraries, while Ha Long Bay carries the fees that surprise travellers. Thang Long Imperial Citadel costs about $4 (100,000 dong), the Temple of Literature about $3 (70,000 dong), and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is free. Ha Long and Cu Chi are quoted differently by different sources, so I give ranges.
Hanoi
Thang Long Imperial Citadel charges the same price to foreigners and Vietnamese. The Temple of Literature is open from 8:00 to 17:00. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum opens in the morning, from 7:30 to 11:00, stays closed on Mondays and Fridays, and shuts for several months during maintenance, so check its schedule before you go. Because of those closures I treat it as a bonus stop and never build a day around it.
Ha Long Bay
The official 2017 table from the bay management lists about $10 (250,000 dong) for routes 1, 2 and 5 and about $8 (200,000 dong) for routes 3 and 4. An overnight stay on route 3 or 4 adds about $20 (500,000 dong) for one night and about $25 (650,000 dong) for two. Tuan Chau port charges about $2 (40,000 dong) on top, so day tickets are quoted at about $11-12 (290,000-310,000 dong) in 2026. Many cruise prices already include the bay ticket, but budget operators often charge it separately. The trap is comparing a cruise that includes the ticket with a budget one that does not, because the cheaper quote then stops being cheaper at the pier.
Cu Chi Tunnels
The foreigner ticket costs $4-6 (110,000-150,000 dong), depending on the source and the date of the price list.
This is where a quote usually falls apart: the tour price is printed, while the bay ticket, the port fee and the Ba Na buffet sit in small print or nowhere at all. You can build this list yourself from the tables above. If you would rather receive a programme that marks every day as paid or pay-on-the-spot, message me on Telegram with your dates, and I will write out each line and the total before you pay. You can also browse the tour programmes first.
Who Pays for Lunches and Dinners?
You do, unless the itinerary’s meal line says otherwise. Hotel breakfast is normally included, while lunches and dinners usually are not. The meal line shows which meals are already paid for. A local eating budget is $8-12 a day (200,000-300,000 dong). Prices depend on the type of place:
- street food such as pho, bun cha, banh mi or com tam: $1-2 (25,000-60,000 dong) per dish;
- local cafe: $2-6 (60,000-150,000 dong);
- tourist restaurant: $6-10 (150,000-250,000 dong) per person.
How Much Should You Tip a Guide and a Driver?
Tips are optional in Vietnam and handed over in cash, usually at the end of the tour. A group guide receives about $4-8 a day per person (100,000-200,000 dong) and a driver $2-8 a day (50,000-200,000 dong). A private guide receives about $6-12 a day (150,000-300,000 dong). The upper end is for excellent service. For taxis and Grab, rounding the fare up is enough.
Do Kids Pay Full Price at Attractions?
Children’s discounts depend on height at Ba Na Hills and Hoi An, and on age at Hue, My Son and the Temple of Literature. A child under 1 m enters both Ba Na Hills and Hoi An free. Between 1 m and 1.4 m Ba Na charges $29-31 (750,000-800,000 dong) and Hoi An about $2 (50,000 dong).
In Hue, children aged 7-12 pay about $2 (40,000 dong) for the citadel, and those under 7 enter free. My Son charges ages 5-15 about $1 (30,000 dong). The Temple of Literature is free under 16. Discounts at Thang Long, Ha Long and Cu Chi are unconfirmed, so ask at the gate. The family-of-four price breakdown shows how a tour bill changes when children are young.
How Do You Check a Vietnam Tour Quote Before Paying?
Ask for the inclusion list in writing and tick each line of the table against it. For a five-day central route the extras total about $135-175 per adult without flights, visa and insurance. That total is my own estimate from the prices above, and no operator publishes it.
- entry to Ba Na Hills, Hoi An, My Son and the Hue combo: $70;
- food for 5 days: $40-60;
- a guide’s tip for 5 days: $20-40;
- a SIM card for 30 days: $6.
Then ask four questions: which meals are included, which tickets are included and at what child rate, who pays the tips, and whether a single-room supplement applies. The comparison of a private guide, a group tour and going alone shows what changes in each case.
Every line above can be checked without me: ask the operator for the inclusion list and compare it with the tables. But if you would rather not chase quotes, convert dong and count cash for a week, send me your travel dates and I will show which of my programmes fits and what each day already covers.
Methodology: Where These Numbers Come From
Ticket prices were collected on 29 September 2026 from several independent sources per site. Hoi An, Hue and My Son are confirmed by three sources each, and the Thang Long price comes from the citadel’s official page. Dollar amounts were converted from dong at about 25,500 dong per dollar and rounded, so the figures move a little with the rate and you should check it on your travel date.
Ba Na Hills, Cu Chi and Ha Long are given as ranges because sources disagree, and the official Ha Long table dates from 2017. Food and tip figures come from 2026 market guides, which have no legal force. I do not quote flight, insurance or airport transfer prices because two sources could not confirm them.
