The Itinerary Vietnam itineraries
Day-by-day routes through Vietnam, from 2–14 days — with what every trip actually costs.
- 2–14
- days
- Southeast Asia
- region
Planning a trip to Vietnam
Pulled from the 10 routes below — so it says what these itineraries actually do, not what a brochure would.
When to go
Feb–Apr, Dec — the months these routes agree on. Jan, Oct–Nov are split — some routes here call them prime and others say avoid, because they cover different parts of the country and those do not share a season.
How long you need
2–14 days. The shortest is Hanoi in 2 days: the Old Quarter, the lake and Ninh Binh; the longest is Vietnam in 14 days: Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long, Hue, Hoi An and the Mekong.
What it costs
≈ AED 150 to ≈ AED 500 per person per day, depending on the route. Beds, food, getting around and things to do — costed line by line in each guide, not estimated from a daily rate.
Entry on an Indian passport
e-Visa online before you go, 90 days. Multiple entry allowed. Checked 2026-11 against Wikipedia’s compilation of IATA Timatic entries. Entry rules depend on your passport and where you live, and they change with little notice — confirm with the embassy or your airline before you book. Check another country.
Where these routes go: Hanoi · Ninh Binh · Hue · Hoi An · Ho Chi Minh City · Ha Long · Phu Quoc · Cholon · Sapa · Mekong Delta · Ha Long Bay · Cu Chi.
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Best for: The length of the country on sleeper transport, with the full cost written down
Vietnam on a budget in 10 days: sleeper buses and the whole country
Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Hue → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam is the best-value country in Southeast Asia and this is the arithmetic. Sleeper buses and trains instead of flights, a Ha Long day boat instead of an overnight cruise, street food throughout, and an honest note on which of those three savings you will regret.
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Best for: A cruise suite, a lantern town and an island finish, with the sightseeing cut back
Vietnam honeymoon in 8 days: Ha Long, Hoi An and Phu Quoc
Hanoi → Ha Long → Hoi An → Phu Quoc
Eight days that end on a beach: a night in a Ha Long cruise suite, three in Hoi An with a tailor and a cooking class, and two on Phu Quoc. Ninh Binh and the museums come out — this is the version built around three places and a lot of nothing in between.
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Best for: Four nights in one town, a night on a boat, and the traffic designed around
Vietnam with kids in 8 days: a Ha Long cabin and a Hoi An base
Hanoi → Ha Long → Hoi An
Weighted towards Hoi An rather than spread across the country: two nights in Hanoi, one in a family cabin on Ha Long Bay, and four in Hoi An with bicycles, a beach and a tailor. Ninh Binh and the Mekong come out, and the road-crossing problem gets a straight answer.
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Best for: Thirty-six guild streets, the best free hour in the city, and the day trip worth choosing carefully
Hanoi in 2 days: the Old Quarter, the lake and Ninh Binh
Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem → the mausoleum quarter → Ninh Binh or Ha Long
Two days in the Old Quarter and the lake at six in the morning, plus the day-trip decision that matters: Ninh Binh beats Ha Long on a short trip, and this explains why.
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Best for: Two days built around the hardest hour in Vietnam, and what to do after it
Ho Chi Minh City in 2 days: the war museums and Cu Chi
War Remnants Museum and District 1 → the Cu Chi tunnels → Cholon
The War Remnants Museum is one-sided, says so, and is still the most important hour in the city. Plus the Reunification Palace frozen in 1975, the Cu Chi tunnels done at the quieter entrance, and where Saigon actually eats.
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Best for: The whole country north to south, with the rice terraces and the delta that shorter trips cut
Vietnam in 14 days: Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long, Hue, Hoi An and the Mekong
Hanoi → Sapa → Ha Long → Hue → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City → Mekong Delta
Fourteen days is the length that does Vietnam end to end: the northern mountains at Sapa, the bay, the imperial city at Hue, Hoi An's lanterns, and the Mekong Delta below Saigon. Two internal flights, one night train, and the weather problem that shapes when you go.
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Best for: The north only, with no internal flight and no wasted day
Vietnam in 5 days: Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay
Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Ha Long Bay → Hanoi
Five days means the north and nothing else — Hanoi, the inland karsts at Ninh Binh, and an overnight on the bay. No internal flights, no overnight buses, and the one decision that changes the whole trip: which bay you cruise.
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Best for: The north done properly, plus one flight south for the lanterns
Vietnam in 7 days: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long and Hoi An
Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Ha Long → Hoi An
A week is enough for Hanoi, the inland karsts at Ninh Binh, a night on the water in Ha Long and two days in Hoi An — but only if you skip Ho Chi Minh City. One internal flight, no overnight buses, and the bay that is worth paying more to avoid the crowds.
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Best for: The south on its own, with a beach at the end instead of a flight north
Southern Vietnam in 6 days: Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc
Ho Chi Minh City → Cu Chi → Mekong Delta → Phu Quoc
Six days in southern Vietnam: the war museums and tunnels around Saigon, two days in the Mekong Delta, and two on Phu Quoc. No internal flight north, no overnight bus, and the delta base that is worth the extra hour.
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Best for: First-time visitors
Vietnam in 10 days: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An
Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Hoi An
The north-and-centre masterpiece: Hanoi's thousand-year-old street-food theatre, a night asleep among Ha Long's limestone towers, Ninh Binh's river through the rice paddies, then Hoi An — the lantern town with a golden bridge in the clouds and a tailor who'll suit you in 24 hours. E-visa in five minutes; road-crossing course included.
Going somewhere near Vietnam?
Asia has plenty to choose from, or tell us the dates and we'll shape a plan around them.