Two weeks is the sweet spot for a first trip to Vietnam: long enough to travel the whole length of the country, from the misty north to the tropical south, without spending every day in transit. This plan runs north to south, pairing the big cities with the countryside and using short domestic flights to skip the long hauls. Read the first-timer guide before you go, check whether your passport needs an e-visa or qualifies for the 45-day exemption, sort an eSIM ahead, and book the Ha Long cruise and any peak-season flights early.
Itinerary at a glance
| Days | Base | The highlight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Hanoi | The Old Quarter and its street food |
| 4 to 5 | Ha Long Bay | An overnight cruise among the karsts |
| 6 to 8 | Hoi An | The lantern-lit Ancient Town |
| 9 to 10 | Da Nang | Beaches and the Golden Bridge |
| 11 to 14 | Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong | Southern energy and river life |
Days 1 to 3: Hanoi
Start in the atmospheric capital. Base yourself in or near the Old Quarter and give the first day to walking, getting a little lost, and easing off the flight with a bowl of pho. On the following days, circle Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn, see the Temple of Literature and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, and dive into the street food, from bun cha to egg coffee. The evenings have their own map, and our Hanoi nightlife guide covers Ta Hien beer street and the quieter bars behind it.
The signature experience: an evening food walk through the Old Quarter, stall to stall on tiny plastic stools.
Wow moment: your first proper Hanoi egg coffee, rich and custardy, in a hidden upstairs cafe.
Days 4 to 5: Ha Long Bay
Head east for the trip everyone remembers. Join an overnight cruise into the quieter Lan Ha or Bai Tu Long areas, where the limestone karsts rise straight from the water. Spend the afternoon kayaking, swimming in summer and exploring a cave, then watch the sun set and rise from the deck.
The signature experience: waking to mist over the karsts and a quiet tai chi session on the top deck.
Wow moment: paddling a kayak through a hidden lagoon ringed by sheer green cliffs.
Days 6 to 8: Hoi An
Fly south to Da Nang and transfer to lantern-lit Hoi An, Vietnam’s prettiest town. Wander the Ancient Town after dark when the lanterns glow, cross the Japanese Covered Bridge, and float a paper lantern down the river. Order something tailor-made early in your stay, cycle out to An Bang Beach, and take a cooking class that starts at the market. Hoi An has its own dishes that barely travel beyond the town, and where to eat in Hoi An covers cao lau, white rose dumplings and how to avoid paying tourist prices for them.
The signature experience: the Ancient Town by night, glowing with silk lanterns and their reflections on the water.
Wow moment: picking up a jacket or dress made to measure in a couple of days, for a fraction of the price back home.
Days 9 to 10: Da Nang
Move 45 minutes up the coast to modern, easygoing Da Nang. Beach yourself on the long sands of My Khe, head early to the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills held aloft by two giant stone hands, and give a cool morning to the caves and shrines of the Marble Mountains. Try to catch the Dragon Bridge breathe fire at night, which runs on selected evenings on a schedule that changes, so check locally on the day. Our Da Nang nightlife guide covers the riverfront and the beach bars once the show is over.
The signature experience: the cable car up to Ba Na Hills and the walk across the Golden Bridge in the morning light.
Wow moment: climbing out of a marble cave into a hidden shrine with the coast spread out far below.
Days 11 to 14: Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta
Fly south to buzzing Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s fast-beating commercial heart. Feel the energy of District 1, visit the sobering War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels just outside the city, and eat and drink your way through the rooftop bars and street kitchens, which our Saigon nightlife guide sorts into the ones worth the cover charge and the ones worth walking to. Then slow right down with a trip into the Mekong Delta, gliding by boat through the water coconut palms, floating markets and green channels of Vietnam’s rice bowl.
The signature experience: a boat day in the Mekong Delta, drifting through narrow palm-shaded channels to a riverside lunch.
Wow moment: the neon and motorbike roar of Ho Chi Minh City seen from a rooftop bar on your last night.
What this route deliberately leaves out
Two weeks is generous, but it is not everything, and the biggest omission in the centre is Phong Nha-Ke Bang, the UNESCO karst park north of Hue that holds some of the largest cave passages on earth. It does not slot neatly into this plan: you need to base yourself in Phong Nha town itself, and the caves start early, so it costs a transfer day plus at least a night or two. If caves are part of why you are coming, read the Phong Nha-Ke Bang guide and build the centre of your trip around the park rather than trying to squeeze it in between Hue and the coast.
The other omission is the southern coast. This plan flies over it, so the dunes and the kitesurfing bays around Mui Ne never appear, and that is the right call for a first two weeks: reaching them costs a long road day from Ho Chi Minh City that the north to south run cannot spare. Anyone coming back for a second trip, or arriving in the windy months with a board, should plan around it instead.
Before you go
Check your entry requirement early, because it splits by nationality: British, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Nordic travellers currently get a visa-free stay of up to 45 days, while Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Irish and South African passport holders need an e-visa applied for through the official government portal. Sort that and an eSIM before you land, book the Ha Long cruise and your domestic flights ahead in peak season, and carry cash in dong for street food and markets. Use the Grab app in every city, cross the roads slowly and steadily, and keep a buffer day near the end in case weather delays your cruise. Two weeks done this way gives you the whole country, top to bottom, and leaves you already planning the trip back.