Vietnam honeymoon in 8 days: Ha Long, Hoi An and 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.

Southeast Asia
8 days
≈ AED 3,850 / person
A cruise suite, a lantern town and an island finish, with the sightseeing cut back

Researched & checked by Nitesh Parasher Last verified 30 October 2026

Before you go

The seven-day Vietnam route runs Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ha Long and Hoi An, which is a lot of ground and a lot of early starts. A honeymoon wants the opposite.

This one keeps the two things Vietnam does better than anywhere — the Ha Long karsts and Hoi An — and finishes on an island. Ninh Binh comes out, which is a genuine loss and the right call: it is a full day of scrambling and boats, and you have a beach to get to.

One night in a cruise suite, three in Hoi An, two on Phu Quoc. Figure VND 27,000,000 (≈ AED 3,872) per person. February to April is the best window for all three, which is the hard part.

Before you go: the admin

Entry

Vietnam offers an e-visa to most nationalities, applied for online, valid for 90 days and available as single or multiple entry.
Some nationalities are visa-exempt for short stays, including several European countries and some ASEAN neighbours.
Apply on the official government portal only. There are many lookalike sites charging several times the fee.
Six months’ passport validity.
Last checked: 30 October 2026.

The weather problem, and how to handle it

Vietnam is long enough to have three climates at once, and this itinerary crosses all of them.
The north (Hanoi, Ha Long) is cool and misty from December to March and hot and wet from May to September.
Central (Hoi An) has its wet season from September to December, with flooding in Hoi An most years — the old town genuinely floods.
The south and Phu Quoc are dry from November to April.
February to April is the only window that suits all three. Outside it, something will be compromised — usually Ha Long visibility or Hoi An rain.

Choosing the Ha Long cruise

This is the decision that makes or breaks the leg. Boats range from crowded day trips to small cruisers with eight cabins.
Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long are quieter than the main Ha Long route and see a fraction of the boats. Ask which bay the itinerary actually uses.
One night is right. Two nights is a lot of boat unless you want the kayaking.
A suite with a private balcony is the honeymoon upgrade and is the one worth paying for.
Cruises can be cancelled for weather and the authorities suspend sailings in storms. Build a spare day before an international flight.

Money

Vietnamese dong, and the zeros catch people out — check the note before you hand it over.
Cards work at hotels and better restaurants; cash everywhere else.
Vietnam is inexpensive outside the resorts, and the food is the best value in Southeast Asia.

Day by day

Day 1 — Hanoi

Arrive and stay in the Old Quarter. One night is enough here on this trip.
16:00 — Hoan Kiem lake and the Ngoc Son temple on its island, at the hour the city comes out to walk.
18:00 — The Old Quarter on foot. Each street was historically a single trade and several still are.
19:30 — Dinner. Bun cha, cha ca, egg coffee. Eat on a plastic stool at least once — it is where the food is.

Day 2 — Into the bay

08:30 — Transfer to the coast, about two and a half hours on the expressway.
12:00 — Board, and lunch as you sail out. The karsts begin within the hour — limestone towers out of flat green water, and there are nearly two thousand of them.
15:00 — Kayaking or a tender into a cave. Most cruises run both; the kayak is the better hour.
17:30 — Sunset from the top deck, which is why you paid for the balcony and then did not use it.
19:30 — Dinner on board, and the bay at night is completely silent.

Day 3 — Out of the bay, and south to Hoi An

06:30 — Tai chi on deck at sunrise, which sounds like a brochure and is actually the best twenty minutes of the cruise — the mist on the karsts does not last.
09:00 — A cave or a floating village, then back to port.
12:00 — Back toward Hanoi and the airport.
16:00 — Fly to Da Nang, about 80 minutes, then 45 minutes to Hoi An.
19:30 — Arrive. The lantern-lit old town in the evening is the first impression you want.

Day 4 — Hoi An, the old town

07:00 — The old town early. It is a UNESCO site and it is busy from about nine — the first two hours are empty and the light is best.
The Japanese Covered Bridge, the assembly halls, the merchant houses. A single ticket covers a set number of entries.
10:00 — A tailor. Hoi An’s tailoring is the real thing if you choose carefully — allow two fittings over two days, which is why this is a day four job and not a day six one. Agree the fabric, the price and the fittings up front.
14:00 — An Bang or Cua Dai beach, fifteen minutes by bike or taxi.
18:30 — The riverside at dusk — lanterns on the water, and the night market across the bridge.

Day 5 — A cooking class, and the countryside

08:00 — A cooking class. The good ones start at the market, then go by boat to a garden kitchen. This is the best half-day in Hoi An.
13:00 — Tra Que herb village or a bicycle through the rice paddies, which is flat, easy and very pretty.
16:00 — The second tailor fitting.
18:00 — My Son is the alternative to all of the above — Cham temple ruins, fourth to thirteenth century, about an hour away. Go at opening or at the end of the day; it is hot and exposed in the middle.
19:30 — A last Hoi An dinner. Cao lau and white rose dumplings are local to this town specifically.

Day 6 — To the island

09:00 — A last morning, and collect the tailoring.
12:00 — Da Nang airport, and fly to Phu Quoc — usually via Ho Chi Minh City, about three to four hours in total.
16:00 — Arrive and check in. The long beaches are on the west coast, which is also the sunset side.
18:00 — Sunset. Phu Quoc faces west into the Gulf of Thailand and that is the whole evening.

Day 7 — Phu Quoc

The deliberately empty day.
Morning — the beach, or a boat south to the An Thoi islands for snorkelling. The cable car to Hon Thom is among the longest over water anywhere and is a sight in itself.
The north of the island is quieter — Ong Lang and Vung Bau — and the national park covers more than half of it.
Afternoon — a pepper farm or a fish sauce distillery if you want something to do. Phu Quoc pepper and nuoc mam are both protected designations.
Sunset — the west coast again, and a last dinner at the water.

Day 8 — Out

Phu Quoc has international flights and connects easily through Ho Chi Minh City.
Morning — a last swim.
Allow a connection margin. Domestic Vietnamese flights are frequently delayed.

Costs and practicalities

Best time to visit

February to April, because of the three-climate problem.

February to April — the only window that works for the north, the centre and the south at once. Ha Long clear of its winter mist, Hoi An dry, Phu Quoc in its dry season. The month to book.
May to August — hot everywhere, Hoi An and the centre at their best for beach weather, the north humid and stormy, and Phu Quoc entering its wet season.
September to November — central Vietnam’s wet season. Hoi An floods most years, sometimes into the old town. Avoid for this route.
December and January — Phu Quoc is excellent, Ha Long is cold and often fogged in, and the karsts you came for may be invisible.
Tet, the lunar new year, moves between late January and February. Much of the country closes and transport is impossible. Check the date before booking.

Travel tips

Go in February to April if you possibly can. No other window suits all three stops.
Ask which bay the cruise actually sails. Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long are far quieter than the main Ha Long route.
Start the tailoring on your first full day in Hoi An, not your last.
The old town before nine. It is a different place.
Check the Tet dates. The country shuts.
Build a spare day before the international flight. Domestic delays and cruise cancellations both happen.
Count the zeros on banknotes. The 20,000 and 500,000 notes are similar colours.
Cross the road at a steady pace without stopping. Traffic flows around you; hesitation is what causes accidents.

What this trip actually costs

Two people, 7 nights, upscale rooms, international flights excluded:

Item	Cost
Ha Long cruise suite, 1 night, two people, full board	VND 14,000,000 (≈ AED 2,007)
Hoi An boutique resort, 3 nights	VND 10,500,000 (≈ AED 1,506)
Phu Quoc beach resort, 2 nights	VND 8,000,000 (≈ AED 1,147)
Hanoi hotel, 1 night	VND 2,000,000 (≈ AED 287)
Domestic flights, two people	VND 8,400,000 (≈ AED 1,204)
Transfers, cooking class, dining and spa	VND 11,100,000 (≈ AED 1,592)
Total for two	VND 54,000,000 (≈ AED 7,743)

Roughly VND 27,000,000 (≈ AED 3,872) per person, against about 21.25 million for the standard seven days — rooms, the cruise suite and the extra flights.
The domestic flights are the line people forget. Three sectors for two people is a real cost on this route.
Food is barely a rounding error. You can eat extremely well here for very little.
Tailoring is not in this budget and is the thing most people spend more on than they planned.
Hotel picks here are chosen on location, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.

What to pack

A light layer for Ha Long, which is cool and damp from December to March.
Rain protection in any month.
Reef-safe sunscreen and a hat for Phu Quoc.
Walking shoes for My Son and the old town’s stone.
Mosquito repellent — Hoi An at dusk, and the island.
Space in the suitcase for whatever the tailor makes.
A Type A/C adapter, 220V.

Part of a bigger trip?

Vietnam in 7 days is the standard route with Ninh Binh in it.
Vietnam in 10 days adds the south and the Mekong.
Vietnam in 14 days runs the whole country.
Vietnam and Cambodia in 12 days adds Angkor.
Hoi An’s nearest city if you want a night in the south on the way out.

FAQ

One night or two on the Ha Long cruise? One, on this itinerary. Two nights is a lot of boat and the second day repeats the first unless you specifically want the kayaking. Put the extra night in Hoi An instead.

Which bay should the cruise sail? Lan Ha or Bai Tu Long if you can choose. They have the same karst scenery as the main Ha Long route and a fraction of the boats. Ask the operator directly, because the marketing often says “Ha Long” for all of them.

When does Hoi An flood? Most years between September and November, sometimes into the old town itself. It is the single strongest argument for the February to April window on this route.

Is Phu Quoc better than the central beaches? For a honeymoon finish, yes — the west coast faces the sunset, the dry season is reliable from November to April, and the resorts are better. Da Nang and An Bang are fine but you will have just come from Hoi An.

How many domestic flights is this? Three sectors: Hanoi to Da Nang, Da Nang to Phu Quoc, usually via Ho Chi Minh City, and the departure. They are the hidden cost of a Vietnam honeymoon and they do get delayed, so leave a margin before any international connection.

Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 30 October 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.