Vietnam North to South in 3 Weeks

Stops on this route

Day by Day

1. 1

   Hanoi

   • Day 1

     Arrive in Hanoi — Old Quarter & Hoan Kiem Lake

     Transit

     Fly into Noi Bai International Airport and take the 86 express bus (9,000 VND, 45 minutes) or a metered taxi to the Old Quarter — avoid airport taxi touts. Check into a budget guesthouse on Ma May or Hang Bac Street for around €10-15 a night. Walk to Hoan Kiem Lake at sunset to see locals practicing tai chi and teenagers playing badminton around the red Huc Bridge. Round off the evening at Bia Hoi Corner (corner of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen), where a plastic-stool beer costs less than €0.30.

   • Day 2

     Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature & Street Food

     Start early at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex in Ba Dinh Square — the mausoleum itself opens at 7:30 AM and queues move quickly. Walk south to the One Pillar Pagoda and the serene Ho Chi Minh Museum. Afternoon: explore the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu), Vietnam's first university founded in 1070, where stone steles record centuries of doctoral graduates. For dinner, join the queue at Pho Gia Truyen on Bat Dan Street — a bowl of Pho Bo (beef noodle soup) costs around 50,000 VND and is considered one of Hanoi's best.

   • Day 3

     Train Street, Dong Xuan Market & Hoa Lo Prison

     Visit the famous Hanoi Train Street in the Hoan Kiem district — a narrow alley flanked by houses centimetres from the tracks where trains pass twice daily (around 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM); check current schedules as access rules change. Browse Dong Xuan Market, Hanoi's largest covered market, for fabrics, spices, and cheap souvenirs. Afternoon: tour Hoa Lo Prison (the 'Hanoi Hilton'), a fascinating if sobering colonial-era jail used for both Vietnamese political prisoners and American POWs. Evening: catch a water puppet show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre (80,000 VND, book same day).

2. 2

   Ha Long Bay

   • Day 4

     Board Overnight Cruise — Karst Islands & Kayaking

     Transit

     A shuttle bus from your Hanoi hotel departs around 8 AM and takes 3.5 hours to reach Ha Long Bay pier. Board a traditional junk boat — choose a mid-range cruise (€60-100/night all-inclusive) on operators like Bhaya or Heritage Binh Chuan for clean cabins and good food. Afternoon activities include kayaking into Luon Cave's hidden lagoon and a guided tour of Sung Sot (Surprising) Cave, one of the bay's largest, lit with colourful stalactites. Watch the sunset from the sundeck with a Saigon beer.

   • Day 5

     Sunrise on the Bay — Morning Activities & Return to Shore

     Wake before 6 AM for sunrise over the limestone pinnacles — the mist-shrouded silhouettes are among the most photographed scenes in Southeast Asia. Morning activities typically include tai chi on deck, squid fishing off the stern, or a cooking demonstration. Cruise back to the pier by noon for a fresh seafood lunch onboard. The shuttle returns to Hanoi by 5 PM, giving you time for a final bia hoi evening or early rest before departing south.

3. 3

   Ninh Binh

   • Day 6

     Transit to Ninh Binh — Tam Coc Boat Ride

     Transit

     Take a 2-hour bus or train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh (around 80,000-120,000 VND); the 9:00 AM train deposits you by midday. Check into a guesthouse in Tam Coc village — rooms with balconies overlooking rice paddies cost €8-15. Immediately book a rowing boat on the Tam Coc river: local women row with their feet through three mountain tunnels carved by the Ngo Dong River, passing emerald paddies carpeted with golden rice in harvest season. Rent a bicycle (€1/day) for the afternoon to loop back via Bich Dong Pagoda.

   • Day 7

     Trang An Grottoes, Mua Cave & Hoa Lu Ancient Capital

     Spend the morning at Trang An, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of interconnected waterways threaded through limestone massifs — the UNESCO boat circuit takes about 3 hours and costs 250,000 VND including a guide. Hike the 500 stone steps up Mua Cave (Hang Mua) for a panoramic view over rice paddies that rivals anything in Southeast Asia. Afternoon: visit Hoa Lu, the 10th-century capital of Vietnam with two ancient temple complexes dedicated to the Dinh and Le dynasties. Leave for Hue on the evening Reunification Express train (book sleeper berths, around €12, departure around 9 PM).

4. 4

   Hue

   • Day 8

     Arrive Hue — Imperial Citadel & Perfume River

     Transit

     The overnight train arrives in Hue around 6-7 AM, giving you a full day. Check bags at the station and walk immediately to the Imperial Citadel (Kinh Thanh), the 19th-century walled city built by Emperor Gia Long modelled on Beijing's Forbidden City — entry 200,000 VND. Within the citadel, explore the Forbidden Purple City ruins and the beautifully restored Hien Lam Pavilion. At dusk, take a dragon boat along the Perfume River (Song Huong) to Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue's seven-storey landmark visible from the opposite bank.

   • Day 9

     Royal Tombs, Bun Bo Hue & Dong Ba Market

     Rent a motorbike (€5-8/day) and ride south along the Perfume River to the royal tomb complex — the Tomb of Tu Duc is the most atmospheric, set in a pine-shaded lake garden where the emperor composed poetry; the Tomb of Khai Dinh features a stunning mosaic-encrusted interior blending Baroque and Vietnamese aesthetics. Return to the city for lunch: Bun Bo Hue is a Hue speciality — a spicier, more complex beef noodle soup than Hanoi's pho, served with lemongrass broth for around 35,000 VND at Ba Do restaurant on Nguyen Cong Tru Street. Browse Dong Ba Market for conical hats, silk, and sesame rice crackers. Board the 4-hour open-tour bus to Hoi An in the evening.

5. 5

   Hoi An

   • Day 10

     Arrive Hoi An — Ancient Town Lanterns & Japanese Bridge

     Transit

     Arrive mid-morning via the coastal Hai Van Pass road — the bus passes dramatic cliffs above Da Nang Bay, worth the window seat. Check into a guesthouse in the An Bang or Cam Nam neighbourhood, a 10-minute bicycle ride from the ancient town. Spend the afternoon strolling the UNESCO-listed old town: the 16th-century Japanese Covered Bridge (Lai Vien Kieu) is the town's icon, and the surrounding Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Tran Phu streets are lined with yellow-painted merchant houses. Return after dark when hundreds of silk lanterns light the streets and paper lanterns float on the Thu Bon River (5,000 VND each).

   • Day 11

     Cooking Class, Tra Que Herb Village & Tailor Street

     Book a morning cooking class at Red Bridge Cooking School or Bale Well Restaurant — classes start with a guided market tour at 7:30 AM and cost €20-30 per person including a full lunch feast. Cycle to Tra Que Herb Village (4 km north of town) in the afternoon to see organic farming plots between two rivers where herbs for Hoi An's famous White Rose dumplings and Cao Lau noodles are grown. Drop into Hoi An's tailoring shops on Le Loi Street — suits and dresses made in 24-48 hours for €20-80 — but bring a reference photo and allow time for fittings.

   • Day 12

     An Bang Beach & My Son Sanctuary

     Rent bicycles and ride 3 km east to An Bang Beach — one of Vietnam's most relaxed stretches of sand, with beach bars serving fresh coconut for 20,000 VND and sunbeds free if you order food. Alternatively, join a half-day tour to My Son Sanctuary (€10-15 including transport), a cluster of 4th-to-14th-century Cham Hindu temple towers in a jungle valley 45 km from Hoi An — arrive early to beat the heat. Return for a final evening in the ancient town: try the set-menu feast at Bale Well (White Rose dumplings, fried wontons, Cao Lau for €5) before picking up your tailored clothes.

6. 6

   Da Nang

   • Day 13

     Da Nang — Marble Mountains & Transit South

     Transit

     A 30-minute local bus (20,000 VND) or Grab car covers the 30 km from Hoi An to Da Nang. Spend the morning at the Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son) — five limestone and marble hills containing Buddhist shrines, pagodas, and a tunnel leading to a cave with a natural oculus; entry 40,000 VND plus 15,000 VND for the elevator. Have lunch at My Khe Beach's seafood strip before heading to Da Nang railway station for the 4-6 hour evening Reunification Express to Nha Trang (sleeper cabin recommended, €12-18).

7. 7

   Nha Trang

   • Day 14

     Arrive Nha Trang — Long Beach & Po Nagar Towers

     Transit

     The train arrives in Nha Trang around 6-9 AM depending on your chosen service. Nha Trang's main beach is a 6 km arc of sand lined with hotels and beach clubs — hire a sunbed for €1-2 and swim in the warm, clear South China Sea. Afternoon: visit the Po Nagar Cham Towers on a rocky promontory north of the city — four intact sandstone towers built between the 7th and 12th centuries still function as an active Hindu place of worship; free entry, respectful dress required. Evening: stroll the Tran Phu promenade for fresh seafood at open-air restaurants.

   • Day 15

     Island Hopping, Snorkeling & Vinpearl Cable Car

     Join a full-day island-hopping boat tour (€10-15) visiting Hon Mun Marine Protected Area — the coral reefs are the most biodiverse in Vietnam with visibility reaching 10-15 metres on calm days. Snorkeling equipment is included; scuba diving add-ons available from €25. Stop for a floating lunch on the boat and a swim at Hon Tam Island's white beach. Late afternoon: take the 3.2 km Vinpearl Cable Car across the bay to Vinpearl Island for the water park and amusement facilities, or opt for a mud bath session at I-Resort spa (250,000 VND) on the mainland.

8. 8

   Ho Chi Minh City

   • Day 16

     Fly to Saigon — Ben Thanh Market & Bui Vien Street

     Transit

     Take a 1-hour domestic flight from Cam Ranh Airport to Tan Son Nhat — VietJet and Bamboo Airways both serve this route for €15-35 booked in advance; the alternative 10-hour train is scenic but slow. From Tan Son Nhat, a metered Vinasun taxi to District 1 costs around €5-7. Drop bags and head to Ben Thanh Market for a street food lunch: banh mi, fresh spring rolls, broken rice (com tam). Evening: Bui Vien Walking Street in District 1 is Saigon's famous backpacker strip — neon signs, rooftop bars, and street food stalls open past 2 AM.

   • Day 17

     War Remnants Museum, Reunification Palace & Pho 2000

     The War Remnants Museum in District 3 is Vietnam's most visited museum — allow 2 hours for the sobering photographic documentation of the American War and its aftermath; entry 40,000 VND. Walk to the Reunification Palace (Dinh Doc Lap), the former South Vietnamese presidential palace whose gates were famously stormed by a North Vietnamese tank on 30 April 1975; the 1960s interiors including the war command bunker are frozen in time. Lunch at Pho 2000 on Phan Chu Trinh Street — Bill Clinton ate here in 2000 and the sign still says so. Afternoon: rooftop bar at EON51 atop the Bitexco Financial Tower for panoramic city views.

   • Day 18

     Cu Chi Tunnels Half-Day Tour

     Book a morning minibus tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels, 70 km northwest of Saigon (depart 8 AM, return by 1 PM, €10-15 including entry). The tunnel network stretches 250 km underground and was used by Viet Cong fighters during the war — you can crawl through a widened tourist section about 100 metres long. The guide will demonstrate tunnel traps, show the ventilation shafts disguised as termite mounds, and fire decommissioned M-16s at a shooting range if you wish. Return to Saigon for the afternoon: explore the French colonial Notre-Dame Cathedral and the ornate yellow General Post Office designed by Gustave Eiffel's firm.

9. 9

   Mekong Delta

   • Day 19

     Transit to Can Tho — Floating Market Evening

     Transit

     Take the express bus from Mien Tay bus station to Can Tho (3.5 hours, 150,000 VND) — departures run from 6 AM, so aim for the 9 AM coach to arrive by lunchtime. Can Tho is the Mekong Delta's largest city, 169 km south of Saigon; check into a guesthouse near the Ninh Kieu riverside promenade (€10-20/night). Afternoon: rent a bicycle and explore the waterfront and nearby rice paper production villages. At dusk, take a local boat across to Cai Rang floating market's barge clusters to see traders preparing for the predawn market rush — lanterns reflect on the brown river water.

   • Day 20

     Cai Rang Floating Market & Canal Sampan Tour

     Rise at 5:30 AM and take a motorboat to Cai Rang Floating Market — the biggest floating market in the Mekong Delta is busiest between 6-8 AM, when wholesale boats piled high with watermelons, pineapples, and durian jostle for position. Each boat advertises its cargo by hanging a sample from a tall pole. Return to shore for a traditional breakfast of banh mi or hu tieu noodle soup. Afternoon: hire a narrow sampan for a 2-3 hour tour through the shaded narrow canals threading through orchards of longan, rambutan, and coconut palms — families live and work at the water's edge in stilted wooden houses.

10. 10

    Ho Chi Minh City

    • Day 21

      Return to Saigon & Departure

      Transit

      Take the morning express bus back to Ho Chi Minh City (3.5 hours) and head directly to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your international departure. If your flight is in the evening, leave bags at a Ben Thanh area hotel storage (€2-3) and make a final stop at the Saigon Central Post Office or stroll along Dong Khoi Street for last-minute lacquerware or coffee gifts — Trung Nguyen Legend Cafe on the corner sells Vietnamese drip coffee kits to take home. The duty-free at Tan Son Nhat has a good selection of Pho Bo instant noodles and Bahn Mi-flavoured snacks.

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Further reading

• Asia on Wikipedia
• Asia travel guide on Wikivoyage