Destinations & ItinerariesBy Clever Tourists · Published
Two weeks covers Vietnam from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City if you pick six stops: Hanoi (2 days), Ninh Binh (2), Hue (2), Hoi An (3), Da Lat (2) and Ho Chi Minh City (3). This is our suggested cut of the 29-day route we actually took in April and May 2023, keeping the stops we would not skip and dropping Nha Trang and the Can Tho overnight. It uses one overnight train and one short domestic flight, and it works in either direction.
• Days 1-2, Hanoi: the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake on day one, the Temple of Literature and the Ba Dinh monuments on day two. Our 3 days in Hanoi guide has the detail; drop its West Lake day.
• Days 3-4, Ninh Binh: take a train or van south in the morning (the train takes about 2 hours 15 minutes). Trang An's boat route and Hoa Lu on day three, Bich Dong and the Tam Coc countryside on day four, following our 2 days in Ninh Binh.
• Night of day 4 to day 6, Hue: the overnight train from Ninh Binh reaches Hue in about 10.5 hours, so you wake up there. Imperial City on day five, Thien Mu and the royal tombs on day six, as in our Hue guide.
• Days 7-9, Hoi An: cross to Hoi An on the morning of day seven, by bus through the tunnel or over the Hai Van Pass (see the Hue to Hoi An guide). Three nights covers the Ancient Town, My Son or the beach, and tailoring if you start on arrival.
• Days 10-11, Da Lat: fly Da Nang to Da Lat (about an hour in the air). Lake, cathedral, Crazy House and night market one day; the old railway to Linh Phuoc Pagoda and the Tuyen Lam cable car the next, per our Da Lat guide.
• Days 12-14, Ho Chi Minh City: fly or take a bus down to Saigon (roughly 300 km by road). Colonial District 1 and the war museums one day, the Cu Chi Tunnels and Cholon the next, and a buffer day before your flight. Our Ho Chi Minh City guide has the plan.
On the real trip we spent 4 days in Ninh Binh, 6 in Hoi An, 5 in Da Lat and 3 in Nha Trang. For two weeks, those are the places to compress: Ninh Binh's core fits in two days, Hoi An in three, and Da Lat in two.
We cut Nha Trang because it is primarily a beach stop and Hoi An's An Bang Beach covers that. We cut the Can Tho overnight because the floating market needs a pre-dawn start and two nights do not fit. If the Mekong Delta matters more to you than Da Lat, swap them: Can Tho is about 3 to 3.5 hours from Saigon by bus, and our Can Tho guide explains the dawn boat.
If you have 16 or 17 days, add a third day in Hanoi for West Lake or a Halong Bay overnight, and a fourth in Hoi An. Our full route is in our 4-week Vietnam itinerary.
• One overnight train: Ninh Binh to Hue on the Reunification Express saves a hotel night and a day. A 4-berth soft sleeper is the comfortable choice; book on dsvn.vn or through an aggregator. Our Vietnam train guide covers classes.
• One short flight: Da Nang to Da Lat, because there is no railway into Da Lat and the overland route goes via the coast.
• One flight or long bus: Da Lat to Ho Chi Minh City is a short flight from Lien Khuong airport or roughly 300 km by sleeper bus.
• Open-jaw international flights: arrive in Hanoi and leave from Ho Chi Minh City (or the reverse). Hanoi to Saigon is about 33 hours on the fastest train against about 2 hours 10 minutes by air, so backtracking at the end wastes a day.
No month is perfect for the whole country. February to April is the best compromise: the central coast around Hue and Hoi An is dry, Da Lat and the south are in their dry season, and Hanoi is mild, though often grey. We did this route in late April and May, when the north was turning hot and humid and the first afternoon rains reached Da Lat and Saigon, but the central coast was dry.
Avoid September to December if Hue and Hoi An are priorities, since the central coast's heaviest rain and floods come then. Check the Vietnam e-visa rules before booking flights.
Yes for the main north-to-south route: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hue, Hoi An, Da Lat and Ho Chi Minh City, using one overnight train and one or two short flights.
Our suggested split is Hanoi 2, Ninh Binh 2, Hue 2, Hoi An 3, Da Lat 2 and Ho Chi Minh City 3.
We would skip Nha Trang. It is mainly a beach stop, and Hoi An's An Bang Beach covers that, while Da Lat's highland climate and old railway are unlike anywhere else on the route.
Not all of it. The Reunification Express covers Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hue and Da Nang, but there is no train to Da Lat and no station in Hoi An, so expect at least one flight or bus.
February to April is the best compromise for a north-to-south trip. Avoid September to December if the central coast around Hue and Hoi An is a priority.
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