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The Ultimate Travel Itinerary for Vietnam

If you’re in for an adventure of natural beauty encountering diverse landscapes, cool city hubs and mind blowing views, Vietnam is the country for you.

Vietnam is a paradise and has become a must for backpackers and travellers. Being one of the most popular destinations of South East Asia, Vietnam has an enormous variety to offer. The country is extremely easy to navigate with highways linking the North to the South and vice versa. Many people have the desire to rent motorbikes with it being extremely easy and cheap to do so as well as being a once in a life time experience. Public transport is also on offer throughout the country making it again one of the easiest countries to navigate. On your journey you will encounter scenery never seen before that cannot be captured by a photograph. Your mouth will be open and locked by the magnitude of what Vietnam has to offer.

The people of Vietnam are some of the most friendly in South East Asia. The locals are always prepared to help and guide travellers to the next destination.

In this Ultimate Travel Itinerary for Vietnam, it is important to remember the size of Vietnam and the diverse weather throughout the country. In November/December Mandy needed a winter jacket and gloves whilst motorcycling around Ha Giang loop in the North, got trapped in a monsoon in Central Vietnam and ended down South in shorts and a vest. Tom also started in the North region of Vietnam in January/February wearing jeans and a jacket, again ending in minimal clothing because of the sweltering heat in Ho Chi Minh city. Research weather patterns in advance.

Depending on where you are arriving into Vietnam from will ultimately influence your route. Tom flew from Bangkok to Hanoi after travelling from London 3 days prior. This decision was made purely on budget as flying to Bangkok was cheaper than directly to Hanoi. Find out everything you need to know about booking flights here. Mandy was travelling into Vietnam via the bordering country Laos and also decided to fly into Hanoi to save valuable time, taking 1.5 hours preferred to a 24 hour bus journey. Remember, sometimes it’s cheaper in the long run to take the more expensive route at face value.

2 weeks

If you only have 2 weeks we recommend using public transport or flying between main hubs like Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City to save the valuable time you have. Buses are very cheap and are actually quite comfortable for a 5’10” man. You may have issues if you are 6’ or more using night buses designed for the size of dainty Vietnamese people. Flying domestically is also something to consider if on a time restraint, being cheap and cheerful if booked in advance.

30 days

One month is the preferred amount of time to travel through Vietnam with the 30 day visa readily available. This being said you will have to pick and choose between certain destinations because of the vast amount to do. If you have more time, we 100% advise you to use this to explore Vietnam further. We both spent 30 days individually travelling from the North to the South of Vietnam. Below we highlight routes suiting a variety of travellers for 30 days which is coinciding with the 30 day visa accessible via https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/apply-online/ and a 2 week option for fast travelling.

It is important to note that it may take slightly longer than 2 days for VISA approval so book in advance. You will pay the ‘Visa Pre-Approval Letter Fee’ online and then a stamp duty fee when entering the country, https://vietnamvisa.govt.vn/vietnam-visa/visa-fees/. Vietnam is one of the countries in South East Asia where you need to pre-arrange your VISA.

Take into account that these estimations include the travel times. Remember, travelling through the night will help to utilise your time and money.

14 days Tom’s 30 days Mandy’s 30 days
Hanoi 1 day 2 days 2 days
Hà Giang 7 days
Hạ Long Bay/ Cat Ba 3 days/2 night tour 3 days/2 night tour 3 days
Hanoi 1 day 1 day
Mai Châu District 2 days
Tam Coc (Ninh Binh) 3 days
Hanoi 1 day
Phong Nha 3 days 4 days 3 days
Huế 1 day 2 days 3 days
Da Nang
Hội An 2 days 3 days 4 days
Ninhvana 3 days
Đà Lạt 3 days 2 days
Mũi Né 2 days
Ho Chi Minh City 3 days 4 days 3 days

To find out more places to explore in South East Asia click here!

Travelling Translated

Travelling Translated

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