Vietnam itinerary: 3 weeks in Vietnam
- thescattytravellers
- Jan 3
- 18 min read
Updated: Jan 27
Vietnam was our very first stop on our first BIG travel trip and it remains one of our favourite destinations in Asia. The food is out of this world, the culture is very unique and the people were extremely kind. We think we have formulated the perfect itinerary below, with food and hotel recommendations also included!
Best time to visit Vietnam
Generally, November to April is the best time to visit. This is when most of Vietnam is outside rainy season meaning you can enjoy cooler temperatures and generally less rainfall. We visited Vietnam in April and the weather was great - we had virtually no rain in the 4 weeks we spent there. That said, it was VERY hot. In Ho Chi Minh City, Hue and Hanoi it hit up to 40 degrees Celsius (about 100 degrees farenheit) regularly when we visited. With the humidity it was quite hard going, but we still found ourselves able to roam the cities, go for long walks and explore - just with lots of water!
How long should I spend in Vietnam?
We spent about 4 weeks in Vietnam and honestly, we could have spent longer. There is SO much to do, and Vietnam is a pretty big country so if you're travelling via bus or train, it can take quite a while to get between destinations. We would recommend spending at least 3 weeks in Vietnam. You can do the highlights in 2 weeks, but it would be a pretty rushed visit
Itinerary summary
Day 1-3 Ho Chi Minh City
Day 4-7 Hoi An
Day 8-9 Hue
Day 10-12 Hanoi
Day 13-14 Lan Ha Bay
Day 15-18 Ha Giang Loop
Day 19-20 Ninh Binh
Day 21-Hanoi and home
3 week itinerary
We recommend travelling from the South of Vietnam to North. In short, the North is way cooler in our opinion and you'll be disappointed if you do it the other way around! Best 'til last.
Day 1-3 - Ho Chi Minh
Whilst there were some valuable history lessons in Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City, we didn't exactly love it here; we found it a bit dirty and it feels much less culturally unique versus other places in Vietnam. That said, some of the Vietnam War-related trips departing from HCM were amongst the most insightful in all of Vietnam! It's worth a visit, but don't spend too long here.
Day 1: Hopefully your jet lag isn't too bad on day 1. We recommend visiting the War Museum on this day - some of the tanks and helicopters from the Vietnam War were fascinating and it's well worth a visit. Tickets are extremely cheap at VND40,000 (£1.3/$1.60), but make sure you take some cash to pay for entry. Afterwards, we recommend eating some lunch at Ben Thanh market - there are tonnes of food options here such as freshly made dumplings, pho and fried rice dishes.
After lunch, take a walk to see Ho Chi Minh's statue (next to the City Hall), and if you have time, stop for a coffee at The Old Compass; Vietnam is renowned for its coffee, and this is a great place to try some great coffee! We then recommend getting the Water Taxi to see HCM from a different perspective - it stops off at 5 different stations and you can explore some quirky neighbourhoods; you can stop near District 1 and visit Tao Dan Park or get off and walk into District 4 to try some more street food (such as snails). The ride also provides views into the private yards of Thao Dien’s opulent villas, as well as views of some of Binh Thanh’s more authentic districts - it's a wortwhile experience!
In the evening, we recommend grabbing dinner at Ben Nghe Street Food Market. Again, there are so many options for food here from fried rice to sweet dishes and freshly made smoothies. All delicious with plenty of seating available.
Day 2: On day 2, Cu Chi tunnels are a must do! These tunnels were used by Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnamese War to set traps, cook and even sleep in. They're still intact in some places, so the insights into the Vietnam war are phenomenal and will undoubtedly help you understand Vietnam's history. We used this trip, and loved it (our guide was awesome!). You can do this as a half day tour, so in the afternoon we would highly recommend a food tour to start your Vietnamese culinary journey! We felt this tour was great (affiliate).
Day 3: Mekong Delta is Southern Vietnam's river network and is often seen on the "postcard shots" of Vietnam. It is definitely worth visiting, with tonnes of culture and traditions still very much alive today. We used this trip to get there (affiliate), which provides a return journey on a nice air-conditioned bus and a local guide. Upon returning to HCM, we then got a flight late that night up to Danang, followed by a taxi to Hoi An. But if you want to use a train to get to Hoi An, consider dropping this day or get an overnight train.
Day 4-9 - Hoi An & Hue
We LOVED Hoi An! With beautiful rice fields, amazing coffee and tonnes of lanterns, it is a must do in Vietnam. If you're a bit of a shopaholic, this is the place to get any suits or leather goods you want to buy and take home - just be careful to make sure the materials are what they're advertised as!
Day 4: We think it's worth spending an hour or two exploring the local shops and cafes, just to get your bearings. We loved Lanterns Cafe or FeFe Roastery for a coffee in the morning. We would highly recommend hiring some bikes and going for a bike ride towards An Bang beach through the rice fields; it's beautiful and you can watch the locals working in the rice fields which is fascinating. You can rent bikes from Bee Bike, but a lot of hotels have them; we rented ours from our hotel for for VND100k/day. When you get to An Bang, park up next to a beach bar and hope in for a drink to cool down. You can spend the day here, or head back to the centre of Hoi An in the early afternoon. BE WARNED - there are some scammers trying to whistle at you and charge you for parking here. Ignore them and cycle past to your bar of choice and they'll leave you alone - parking is free.
In the afternoon, don't forget to try one of our favourite Banh Mi restaurants, Banh Mi Phuong, for lunch. This is one of Vietnam's most famous dishes, and it was one of our favourite foods that we tried. Afterwards, head for a walk and see the Japanese Bridge and Phuc Kien Assembly Hall for some Vietnamese culture and architecture.
In the evening, we loved grabbing a beer at one of the many riverfront restaurants and bars, such as Wanderlust. It is also worth getting a lantern boat ride on the river - it costs VND150k for 2 people and is a nice, relaxing way to spend some time in the evening.
Day 5: We did a fantastic cooking class (Cam Thanh) which you can book here. It's relatively cheap and a great way to learn how to make some of Vietnam's infamous dishes such as spring rolls, bun cha, curry and more. They fully cater for vegetarian and vegan diets. We would HIGHLY recommend doing this even if you aren't much of a chef - it's good fun and a good way to meet other travellers too. This will take most of the day, but if you have spare time we recommend grabbing a beer at a restaurant and watching the lanterns turning on as the sun sets for the evening. When you're next feeling peckish, we loved Nu Eatery - their steamed buns are incredible, and it's in a nice, quiet location just off the beaten track.
Day 6: Despite our tourist trap senses tingling, we did go and do the coconut boats. Whilst it was indeed a bit on the touristy side, it was quite good fun. We got to connect with our local guide, and it only cost about £4/$6 each. We recommend this tour (affiliate).
For dinner, we loved the restaurant Quán Cao lầu Bá Lễ. Here, they are using a centuries old recipe to serve one of Vietnam's most famous dishes - Cao Lau. This is essentially pork slices with noodles, spicy sauce and vegetables - it's delicious! The food was phenomenal, and it's a great place to try such an infamous dish.
Day 7: Get up and it's time to head to Hue! You can take a bus which costs £5/$7 on 12go.asia and takes around 4 hours. We personally recommend travelling later, which will give you time to head to the local market in Hoi An in the morning and try some of the local foods - you can opt to do it self-guided in the mornings, or you can book the tour here that starts at 6:30pm (it's even better than the one in HCM in our opinion). If you opt to self-guide the market and then take an earlier bus and thus arrive in Hue a little earlier, it's worth walking around the central area of Hue upon arrival - it's truly unique and felt quite traditionally Vietnamese versus some of the more touristy parts of the country. We recommend walking along the Perfume river - here you can see locals playing badminton and even street dance groups practicing. If you have time, you can also experience a massage from blind locals - this is not well known by tourists, but it is on Phan Boi Chau Street, near Hai Duc Pagoda and Xuan Dieu street; if you are stuck, ask some locals as it is not well signposted!
Hue Night Walking Street had the busiest/most touristy restaurants if that's your vibe; we enjoyed the platter at Madam Thu.
Day 8: Hue is steeped in history, and had very few tourists. On the whole, Vietnam can feel very touristy but Hue felt like we got a true insight into how local people live, which was fantastic. On the first full day, we recommend doing a tour of the Imperial City and Thien Mu Pagoda. We did this tour which was excellent. The tour lasts most of the day and due to the heat, it is pretty tiring. After, we'd recommend trying to take a dip in a pool if your hostel or hotel has one to cool down and relax in the afternoon.
Day 9: You could either do this upon arrival on day 7 and leave early today, or as we have written - it's your choice and depends on transport times! We visited the Abandoned Water Park (Hồ Thuỷ Tiên). This is a really cool little place - it is exactly as the name suggests, a waterpark which has since been abandoned; it's sometimes eerily quiet but if you like exploring old, slightly creepy places it's good fun! Locals have pitched up to charge entry fees, but it only cost VND20k per person; they gave us a bottle of water each and were very friendly. If you haven't done it yet, a boat ride on Perfume River in the afternoon is also great fun.
If you managed to do the above on Day 7, get an earlier flight or train to Hanoi in the morning. To get to Hanoi, we recommend either flying or getting the train tonight, depending on your budget. Flying is much faster, but trains can often be cheaper. Travel in the afternoon if you can so you get extra time in Hanoi!
Day 10 - 12: Hanoi
Hanoi is an AWESOME city. With tonnes of culture and some of Vietnam's best food, we loved it here (although it is manic and a little crazy!)
Day 10: We recommend going to see Ho Chi Minh's body at the Mausoleum. It was fascinating to see, and he's an immensely important person in Vietnam's history. Afterwards, head to The Note Coffee - this is a cafe with post it notes on the wall which you can write on and leave a message. We recommend trying egg or coconut coffee here - both are delicious! In the afternoon, walking around the Lake of the Restored Sword offers lots of views of a beautiful temple in the centre. You can pay to enter the temple in the centre, which offers some amazing views of the surrounding lake and city. For dinner, we recommend visiting Hoang's for some Bun Cha or Bancong in Old Town.
Day 11: Hao Lo Prison is a MUST visit. It was an excellent insight into how prisoners lived in such harsh conditions during the colonial and Vietnam War periods. After this, you should head to Đường Tàu - the famous train tracks in Hanoi! There are two "parts" to the train track - we recommend going to the section at the address 3 P. Trần Phú, Hàng Bông, Hoàn Kiếm, for the best views and cafes. Chill here with a drink and watch the trains go by - we loved Railway Cafe here as the owner was super friendly. If you get hungry in the evening, you should
Day 12: Mini walking tours are excellent in Hanoi! In the morning, we recommend doing one that covers the Opera House, St Joseph's cathedral and the Old Quarter to learn about Hanoi's history - you can book free ones at GuruWalk. We also recommend going to the Temple of Literature afterwards. In the evening, make sure you see a water puppet show - it is in Vietnamese but you can pay for an English headset; it was a great experience that is frequented by locals. You can watch shows at 31 Lo Su, Hoan Kiem which is in the Old Quarter. We booked this experience which only costs £6/$8.
Day 13-14 - Lan Ha Bay/Cat Ba Island
Day 13: You can book trips that cover both Lan Ha and Cat Ba like this one. This means you get transport included and can look to do a trip to Lan Ha with some time on Cat Ba. Day 11 should be the first of a 2 day boat trip. We recommend doing the 2 day rather than 3 day trip - a lot of the trips essentially do the same as day 2 on day 3 of the 3 day trips, so best avoided in our opinion.
The boat trips are great fun - you can go kayaking, swimming, eat plenty and even do some squid fishing! Book with an established, well reviewed company as some of the other boats in the Bay looked pretty grim; we used Venezia Cruises and they were very good!
Day 14: This is the second day of your boat trip. This involved an interesting tour of a local village on Cat Ba island; the locals still farm and fish their own food and are largely self-sufficient. You can let your tour operator know you want to stay on Cat Ba for a while and continue your exploring if you wish to extend your stay in Vietnam! Else, you'll be dropped off back in Hanoi.
Day 15 - 18 - Ha Giang Loop
The Ha Giang Loop was the BEST thing we did in all of Vietnam without a shadow of a doubt. The scenery, meeting other travellers and getting to know your local driver were truly some of the best experiences we have EVER done travelling. We used Ha Giang Amazing Tours for our tour, and we can't recommend them enough - the guides were so friendly, safe and helpful. We know there is a 4 day tour, but we did 3 days and felt it was plenty - our bums certainly agreed! You'll be picked up in the afternoon on day 15 from Hanoi, with days 16-18 spent doing the Loop before being dropped off back in Hanoi that night.
Day 19 - 20 Ninh Binh
Day 19: You can get the train from Hanoi to Ninh Binh in just a couple of hours for as little as £5 / $7. You can book tickets on 12go.asia. Mua Caves were absolutely excellent with breath-taking views; we recommend doing this first upon arriving. Afterwards, take some time to walk around the nearby rice fields - the views are excellent and they make for a fantastic insta post if that's your thing. The walk is a little tiring but well worth it! There are some amazing stays nearby here too - see below!
Day 20: Make an early start and head to see Tam Coc where King Kong was filmed. You can get there yourself (which we recommend doing) using a local taxi which your hotel can help you organise.
If you are self-guiding, you can head to Van Lam pier and pay for a boat tour upon arrival. It costs around VND150k per boat, plus a VND120k per person entry ticket which includes someone to row the boat for you! If you wish, you can book a trip for relatively cheap - our friends used this tour and said it was fantastic. Your guide will take you through caves which is a fantastic experience. In the afternoon, head to Trang An - again you can either self-guide or most trips will cover both. At Trang An you have three options for self-organising a boat:
Option One (3-4 hours): It takes you in a circular route to: Trinh Temple, Dark Cave, Light Cave, Nau Ruou Cave, Tran Temple, Ba Giot Cave, Seo Cave, Son Duong Cave, Khong Palace, Bao Hieu Pagoda, Tran Cave and Quy Hau Cave.
Option Two (2-3 hours): Visits Lam Cave, Cao Son Temple, Vang Cave, Thanh Truot Cave, Dia Linh Mountain, Suoi Tien Temple, Dai Cave and Hanh Cung Vu Lam (Vu Lam Royal Step-over Place). This is one of two tours that go to where scenes from the movie Kong: Skull Island were filmed.
Option Three (3 hours): This tour explores a large cave and a location from Kong: Skull Island. You go to Trinh Temple, Dot Cave, May (Cloud) Cave, Suoi Tien Temple, Dia Linh Mountain, Dai Cave and Hanh Cung Vu Lam (Vu Lam Royal Step-over Place).
Make sure to take sun cream and a hat as it gets very hot on boat trips and shade can be minimal! You can then head back to Hanoi via bus or train.
If you're tighter on time, you can do a day tour to Ninh Binh from Hanoi such as on this trip (affiliate).
Day 21 Hanoi and home
A final walk around Hoan Kiem lake, and time to head home. Boo.
2 week itinerary
If you've only got 2 weeks in Vietnam, we have cut some bits out of our 3 week itinerary to make the most of the time you have.
Day 1-3; Hoi An. Do the cooking class, coconut boats and bike ride to An Bang beach.
Day 4-6: Hanoi. Visit Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, the train tracks, Hao Lo prison and a walking tour.
Day 7-10: Ha Giang Loop
Day 11: Ninh Binh. Overnight or even a day trip from Hanoi.
Day 12-13: Cat Ba/Lan Ha - an overnight boat trip from Hanoi, or you can explore Cat Ba island yourself if you're on a budget.
Day 14: Hanoi and home
Food and drink
We found the food to be one of the highlights of visiting Vietnam. The ingredients are super fresh and the food is truly unique. Without sounding overly negative, food poisoning can be a problem in Vietnam. Whilst we generally found the food to be fresh and problem-free, make sure the restaurant or vendor you buy from is relatively busy and the ingredients look fresh. We met a few people who paid the price not sticking to this!
We were surprised that vegetarian food wasn't that prominent in Vietnam. Whilst we did see veggie dishes in a few restaurants, a lot of restaurants will use small amounts of meat in broths and sauces - so be careful and ask the waiter/waitress beforehand.
Below we've outlined some of our favourite dishes and must haves
Pho: A MUST try! Delicious hot vietnamese noodle soup, usually made with beef, vegetables (usually onion and spring onion) and herbs (coriander). Some restaurants do vegetarian options too which contain other vegetables like carrot or sweet potato. Pho is a staple part of Vietnamese diet and it's at the top of our "must try" foods list.
Bun cha: Calling all meat lovers - a Hanoi specialty that features seasoned and marinated pork patties and slices grilled over a charcoal fire. This is then served with rice noodles (or sometimes rice paper), vegetables and sauce. This was probably our favourite Vietnamese food - the herbs and charcoal taste are spectacular.
Banh mi: A baguette which originates in Ho Chi Minh City but can now be found all over Vietnam. The traditional banh mi is filled with pork and vegetables, but this dish has evolved such that you can have almost anything - pork, beef, chicken, vegetables and even cheeses! It's a delicious and often cheap lunch option - some vendors sell them for as little as $2. We thought Banh Mi Phuong in Hoi An and Banh Mi Long Hoi in Hanoi were the best Banh Mi we had in all of Vietnam!
Cao lau: Cao lau is a dish that originates from Hoi An. This delicious dish contains tender slices of pork, rice noodles and delicious fresh vegetables. Some versions can be a little spicy if you like something with a kick (optional)!
Coffee: Vietnam is renowned for it's coffee - the taste and variety of coffee is something few countries can offer in the world. You'll find egg coffee, coconut coffee, yoghurt coffee, Vietnamese-style iced coffee and many more variations. We personally loved the coconut coffees - delicious!
Beer: For the beer lovers and party goers, we thought Hanoi Beer was the best Vietnamese beer. Give Saigon Beer a swerve, it wasn't too great in our opinion.
Where to stay
If you're travelling for a while, we would always recommend booking on flexible bookings with pay upon arrival. We did a few 'pay in advance' bookings and ended up with some stinkers (really bad). Some of our hotel recommendations are below:
Ho Chi Minh: District 1 and Chinatown are the touristy areas. It's clean and well located, but Grab taxis are very cheap to get around the city anyway. We recommend staying at either La Memoria (mid-range) or Baoanh Hostel (budget).
Hoi An: Hoi An has tonnes of cheap hotels. We stayed at Thienh Thanh and absolutely loved our stay - it was a 10 min walk into the centre and the fruit bowl breakfast was SO good. Anywhere within 10/15 min walk of the Old Town is a perfect location. Mad Monkey also looked great!
Hanoi: Stay in the Old Quarter for sure - there are so many traditional Vietnamese restaurants, street stalls and cafes. We stayed at Tonkin Homestay (budget) and Lavender Central Hotel (mid-range) - both were great. Some friends also stayed at Hotel Emerald (mid-range) and loved it.
Cat Ba: We thought Cat Ba Xanh Spring was excellent! Near Cannon Fort is a cool area. There are also some amazing looking rural stays if you prefer the tranquility, such as this Homestay.
Lan Ha Bay: If you're doing a boat trip, we recommend using Venezia Cruises. We recommend doing Lan Ha Bay ahead of Halong Bay - the sad reality is the postcard version of Halong Bay just doesn't exist anymore (in our opinion). We found it to be littered with rubbish, the water filled with plastics and more boats than you can imagine. Lan Ha was much quieter and more enjoyable.
Ninh Binh: There are some beautiful stays near Mua Caves. We personally loved Hang Mua Green Retreat, but Chez Beo also looked great if you like rural stays that are a bit more "at one" with nature. We had friends who enjoyed their stay at Hang Mua Village homestay, but honestly anywhere nearby is great!
How to get around Vietnam
Generally, we used internal flights to get around Vietnam. Flights were really quite affordable on short-notice (often below £60) through Vietnam Airlines or VietJet. We found that flying got us from A to B quickly and let us spend more time doing fun stuff. If you're on a budget, Vietnam has lots of day time and overnight trains which you can book through 12go.asia. Although these can regularly be over 15 hour journeys, they're an affordable way to travel Vietnam. The Ha Giang Loop is generally done on the back of a motorbike - it's not as scary as you think!
Safety
Vietnam is an incredibly safe country. We regularly went out for walks at night. Locals were always very friendly and keen to practice their English by speaking to us. Haggling is normal practice in street stalls so don't be scared of trying this. The main issue you're likely to encounter (if any) is food poisoning. Without sounding overly paranoid, be mindful you are in an autocracy so be sensitive with comments about government and Vietnam's history. We would always recommend sticking to the basic rules of travelling - don't stroll down dodgy or quiet areas and avoid drugs and prostitution.
How much to budget for Vietnam?
We found Vietnam one of the most affordable countries in the world. You can easily get meals for VND100k or even less (£3/$4). Hostels and hotels can be as little as £8/$10 per person per night (especially if you are sharing/in a two) - although be warned, you get what you pay for! Overall, we spent £2,200 (US$2800) for 2 people for approximately 4 weeks, including all internal travel, food, activities and accommodation. We tended to stay in hotels as they were so cheap. We think budget travellers could do Vietnam on £30-35/day ($40-45/day), with mid-budget travellers able to do Vietnam on £40-45/day ($50-60/day). £60+/day gets you higher-end/bordering on luxury!
Other important bits
Grab: Get the Grab taxi app for cheap rides! It is super helpful in Vietnam and it's extremely affordable - you can get a car or hop on the back of a driver's motorbike. We found ride would regularly be less than £1/$1.30 for a 10 minute ride!
Weather: In rainy season it can get VERY hot and humid. Be careful if planning on walking for quite a while and pack plenty of water.
If you have more time: Strongly consider visiting Cat Ba and Sapa for some nature. They're both amazing places well worth visiting, hence why we think 3 weeks is the MINIMUM time needed to visit Vietnam.
Ha Giang Loop: Book your tickets a few weeks in advance, as the good providers do get booked up.
Hotels/hostels: Be careful booking hotels and hostels!!! Check the address, as we got scammed twice on a well known website where a grubby hotel had stolen the name (and pictures) of nicer hotels, only to find out upon arrival that this was clearly not the same hotel we had booked. And some hotels do fake reviews - just do a bit of homework!
Do I need a visa for Vietnam?
UK passport holders do not need a visa to visit Vietnam for up to 45 days. US passport holders need a visa to enter Vietnam for any length of time; US e-Visas are valid for up to 90 days.
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