Quick Answer
The Vietnam Itinerary That Taught Us to Stop Fighting the Length of the Country
Vietnam is deceptively long - Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is over 1,600 km, roughly the distance from London to Athens - and our first mistake was trying to loop back on ourselves to “save” a flight. We took an overnight bus from Hoi An back toward Hanoi to catch a cheaper return flight, and lost an entire day of Hoi An’s lantern-lit old town sitting on a coach, for a saving that barely covered two bowls of phở. Fly into one end, out the other. It’s the single biggest fix on this itinerary.
The country splits cleanly into three bands - north (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay), centre (Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An) and south (Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta) - and each has its own climate and its own pace. Below are three itineraries, 7/10/14 days, that move north to south without doubling back, plus exactly what to fly, ride or cut when your calendar doesn’t cooperate.
How to Structure Any Vietnam Itinerary
Three rules that would have saved us that overnight bus:
- Go north to south, never loop back. Hanoi and Ha Long Bay sit in the north, Hue/Da Nang/Hoi An in the centre, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta in the south. An open-jaw flight into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City (or vice versa) means every leg moves the trip forward.
- Match the connector to your time budget. The Reunification Express and open-tour buses are cheap and scenic but slow over long distances; a domestic flight on VietJet or Vietnam Airlines trades the scenery for an afternoon back on the ground. Use the train for the shorter, prettiest legs (Hue-Da Nang over the Hai Van Pass) and fly the long ones.
- Cap it at three or four bases. Every hotel change costs half a day of transit and settling in. Three bases in a week, four in two weeks, is about the ceiling before you’re spending more time in transit than in a place.
The 7-Day Vietnam Itinerary (Hanoi + Ha Long Bay + Hoi An)
A week is enough for the north and Hoi An if you fly the middle leg instead of training or busing it. This is the version to book when Hue has to wait for next time.
| Day | Base | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | Land at Noi Bai (HAN), Bus 86 or Grab into the Old Quarter, evening around Hoan Kiem Lake |
| 2 | Hanoi | Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, Old Quarter street food |
| 3 | Ha Long Bay | Day cruise or overnight boat from Hanoi, limestone karsts and caves |
| 4 | Hanoi → Hoi An | Morning back in Hanoi if needed; afternoon flight (via Da Nang) into Hoi An |
| 5 | Hoi An | Lantern-lit Old Town by day, tailor shop, Cua Dai or An Bang beach |
| 6 | Hoi An | Basket-boat ride through the coconut village, Hoi An night market |
| 7 | Hoi An → home | Last morning in the Old Town, then Grab to Da Nang airport (DAD) |
The one cut if you’re tight on time: compress Ha Long Bay to a single long day tour instead of an overnight cruise, and add that night back to Hoi An - it’s the base most people wish they’d had one more evening in.
See the full Hanoi travel guide , Ha Long Bay guide and Hoi An guide for where to base yourself in each stop.
The 10-Day Vietnam Itinerary (the sweet spot)
This is the one worth booking. It keeps Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An, adds real time in Hue and Da Nang, and still holds to three bases plus the bay.
| Day | Base | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | Arrive, Bus 86 or Grab into the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake at dusk |
| 2 | Hanoi | Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison, Old Quarter street food crawl |
| 3 | Ha Long Bay | Overnight cruise from Hanoi - karsts, caves, kayaking |
| 4 | Hanoi → Hue | Morning back in Hanoi; overnight train or short flight south to Hue |
| 5 | Hue | Imperial Citadel, royal tombs along the Perfume River |
| 6 | Hue → Da Nang → Hoi An | Reunification Express over the Hai Van Pass to Da Nang, then Grab on to Hoi An |
| 7 | Hoi An | Lantern-lit Old Town, tailor shop, An Bang beach |
| 8 | Hoi An | Basket-boat village, Marble Mountains day trip |
| 9 | Hoi An | Cooking class or a slower beach day, final night market |
| 10 | Hoi An → home | Morning in the Old Town, Grab to Da Nang airport (DAD) |
Where to cut to 8-9 days: drop one Hoi An day and treat Hue as a single overnight stop rather than a full day. Where to add: an extra Hoi An day for the Marble Mountains and a slower cooking class is never wasted - it’s consistently the base travelers wish they’d budgeted more time for.
The 14-Day Vietnam Itinerary (add Ho Chi Minh City + the Mekong Delta)
Two weeks lets Vietnam’s full length breathe. Take the 10-day route and continue south from Hoi An into Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta before flying home.
| Days | Base | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Hanoi | As above: Old Quarter, Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ha Long Bay overnight |
| 4 | Hanoi → Hue | Overnight train or short flight south |
| 5 | Hue | Imperial Citadel, royal tombs |
| 6 | Hue → Hoi An | Reunification Express over the Hai Van Pass via Da Nang |
| 7–9 | Hoi An | Old Town, An Bang beach, Marble Mountains, cooking class |
| 10 | Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City | Domestic flight south (VietJet or Vietnam Airlines) |
| 11 | Ho Chi Minh City | War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Market, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica |
| 12 | Ho Chi Minh City | Cu Chi Tunnels day trip, District 1 by evening |
| 13 | Mekong Delta | Full-day or overnight trip - floating markets, canal boat rides, rural villages |
| 14 | Ho Chi Minh City → home | Last morning in District 1, then to Tan Son Nhat airport (SGN) |
The alternative fortnight: swap the Mekong Delta day for an extra Hoi An or Da Nang beach day if canal life interests you less than the coast - both work as a self-contained add-on rather than a must-do. See our Ho Chi Minh City guide and Da Nang guide to weigh the two.
Getting Around Your Vietnam Itinerary
The transport question first-timers overthink most: train, bus, or flight, and how to actually get out of the airport.
Budget for This Route
Expect a 10-day trip in the roughly $600-1,300 per-person range outside international flights, using a mix of mid-range hotels, the Reunification Express or open-tour buses for the middle leg, and street food - more if you extend into the 14-day route with Ho Chi Minh City and add a couple of domestic flights. Budget/backpacker travelers run closer to $35-50/day (dorms around $8-15, street food around $10-18, local transport around $3-8); mid-range travelers land around $45-95/day, or $80-150/day for more comfort (boutique stays, mixed street food and restaurants, occasional domestic flights). Costs run 1.5-2.5x higher in the Old Quarter or District 1 than in smaller towns like Hue.
A bowl of phở in Hanoi runs around ₫40,000-50,000 (about $1.50-1.90); bánh mì runs around ₫20,000-50,000 (about $0.80-2) depending on the filling. Watch the zero count on Vietnamese dong - the spot rate runs around ₫26,000 per $1, so a ₫1,000,000 note is only around $38.
Shorter or Longer?
Cutting to 5-6 days: stay in the north only - Hanoi and Ha Long Bay - and go deeper rather than adding the flight south to Hoi An at all. Stretching past 14 days: Sapa and Ha Giang in the far north, or a longer Mekong Delta loop with an overnight homestay, both work as self-contained add-ons since they’re reached by a separate bus or flight rather than sitting on the north-to-south spine; treat either as its own few-day detour bolted onto one end rather than squeezing it into the same route.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 7 days enough for Vietnam?
Seven days works for Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An if you fly the Hanoi-Da Nang leg instead of taking the train: around 3 nights Hanoi (with a Ha Long Bay day or overnight cruise), then 3-4 nights around Hoi An. It’s not enough to add Hue, Da Nang city time or Ho Chi Minh City properly - that’s where 10-14 days comes in.
Do I need a visa for Vietnam in 2026?
It depends on your passport. UK, French, German, Italian and Spanish citizens get 45 days visa-free under Vietnam’s exemption policy (valid through March 2028). US, Canadian and Australian citizens are not on that list and need an e-visa, applied for only at the official evisa.gov.vn portal, which runs around $25 for single entry or $50 for multiple entry, valid 90 days, processing in around 3 business days.
Should I fly or take the train between Hanoi and central Vietnam?
Fly if you’re short on time - a domestic hop from Hanoi to Da Nang saves the better part of a day. Take the Reunification Express if you have the time and want the scenery: the Hanoi-Da Nang soft-sleeper leg runs around $61, and the Hue-Da Nang section crosses the Hai Van Pass, one of the most scenic rail stretches in the country.
What order should I visit Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City?
North to south avoids backtracking: Hanoi and Ha Long Bay first, then Hue/Da Nang/Hoi An in the centre, then Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta last. Flying into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City (an open-jaw ticket) means you never retrace a leg of the country.
How much does a Vietnam eSIM cost?
Airalo’s Vietnam eSIM plans run from around $4.00 for 1 GB over 3 days to around $4.50 for 1 GB over 7 days, with a 10 GB fixed plan around $20. They run on Viettel and Vinaphone, Vietnam’s two largest networks, with Viettel generally stronger in rural stretches like Ha Giang, Sapa and the Mekong Delta.
Should I add the Mekong Delta on a 14-day Vietnam itinerary?
Yes, if Ho Chi Minh City is already on the route - the Mekong Delta is a short bus or organized day-trip away and gives you a completely different side of Vietnam (floating markets, canals, rural life) that the cities and the coast don’t show. Budget at least one full day, two if you can spare an overnight.
Start Planning Your Vietnam Trip
Pick your length, book the e-visa at the official portal if your passport needs one, fly the long legs and train or bus the scenic ones, and let the north-to-south route carry you from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay to Hoi An - or on to Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta if you have the full two weeks. We learned the slow way that Vietnam rewards moving in one direction over looping back to save a few dollars on a flight.
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Keep planning with our Vietnam pillar guide , Hanoi , Ha Long Bay , Hoi An , Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City guides, our Vietnam getting around and Hanoi where to stay kit pages, plus our eSIM , hotels and insurance hubs for the rest of the trip.