Vietnam in 2 Weeks: North to South
A long, narrow country taken end to end — Hanoi to Saigon, with karst bays, imperial cities, and the Mekong.
Last updated: June 2026.
Vietnam is more than a thousand kilometres long and rewards travelling in one direction. North to south is the natural grain: begin in the old-quarter chaos of Hanoi, drift through the limestone of Halong Bay and the river valleys of Ninh Binh, jump the central coast to Hue, Da Nang and lantern-lit Hoi An, then finish amid the motorbikes of Ho Chi Minh City with the Mekong Delta on the doorstep. Two weeks covers the spine, but only if you resist the country’s temptation to add just one more stop.
Can you see Vietnam in 2 weeks?
Yes — the classic north-to-south spine fits a fortnight: Hanoi, a Halong Bay cruise, Ninh Binh, the central trio of Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An, then Saigon and the Mekong. What you cannot do is add the far-north mountains, the central caves, and the southern beaches as well. Two weeks means choosing.
The route at a glance
- Hanoi — 3 nights, with the adventurous Ha Giang Loop on offer as a 3–4 day option.
- Halong / Lan Ha Bay — 1–2 nights on an overnight cruise.
- Ninh Binh — 1 night, the “Halong Bay on land”.
- Central coast — 3 nights across Hue, Da Nang, and Hoi An.
- Ho Chi Minh City — 2 nights, with a Mekong Delta day trip.
The day-by-day itinerary
| Day | Base | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | Arrive Noi Bai; lose yourself in the Old Quarter; egg coffee and a first bowl of pho. |
| 2 | Hanoi | Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Train Street. |
| 3 | Halong / Lan Ha Bay | Transfer (~2.5 hrs) to a cruise; kayaking, a cave, sunset on deck, dinner aboard. |
| 4 | Halong Bay | Dawn tai chi, more bay, then back to Hanoi by afternoon. |
| 5 | Ninh Binh | ~2 hrs south; Tam Coc by sampan, the Mua Cave viewpoint, Trang An’s river caves. |
| 6 | Hue | Fly or overnight train south; the Imperial Citadel and the tombs of the Nguyen emperors. |
| 7 | Da Nang | The Hai Van Pass by road; My Khe beach, the Marble Mountains, the Dragon Bridge. |
| 8 | Hoi An | ~45 min from Da Nang; the lantern-lit Ancient Town, a tailor fitting, the riverside at dusk. |
| 9 | Hoi An | Cooking class, An Bang beach, a bicycle through the rice paddies, the night market. |
| 10 | Ho Chi Minh City | Fly Da Nang to Saigon (~1.5 hrs); Ben Thanh Market, the rooftop bars of District 1. |
| 11 | Ho Chi Minh City | War Remnants Museum, the Reunification Palace, the Cu Chi Tunnels half-day. |
| 12 | Mekong Delta | Day trip (~2 hrs): floating markets, coconut-candy workshops, a sampan through the channels. |
| 13 | Ho Chi Minh City | Buffer day — or trade it for the Ha Giang Loop back north (see below). |
| 14 | Depart | Tan Son Nhat International; last banh mi on the way to the airport. |
Is the Ha Giang Loop worth adding?
If you have an extra three or four days and a taste for adventure, yes. The Ha Giang Loop is a roughly 350-kilometre motorbike circuit through the far-northern mountains on the Chinese border — switchback passes, terraced valleys, and ethnic-minority villages most travellers never reach.
It does not slot neatly into a tight north-to-south fortnight; it is a detour from Hanoi, reached by an overnight sleeper bus (~6–7 hrs). Most riders go with an “easy rider” — a local who drives while you sit on the back — if they are not confident on a manual bike on mountain roads. Build it in early, straight after Hanoi, and trim the central coast or the Mekong to make the days; trying to bolt it on without cutting elsewhere is how a two-week trip falls apart.
How do you get around Vietnam?
The country is long, so the through-routes matter. The Reunification Express — the single-track railway running the full length of the coast from Hanoi to Saigon — is the romantic choice, and the Hue–Da Nang stretch over the Hai Van Pass is one of the great train rides anywhere. For the big jumps, a domestic flight saves a day.
- Reunification Express — soft-sleeper berths for overnight legs (Hanoi–Hue is ~13 hrs); the daytime Hue–Da Nang coastal run (~2.5 hrs) is worth doing for itself.
- Domestic flights — Vietnam Airlines, VietJet, and Bamboo connect Hanoi, Da Nang, and Saigon in 1–1.5 hrs; book early for the cheapest seats and watch VietJet’s baggage rules.
- Sleeper buses — cheap, ubiquitous, and the usual way to reach Sa Pa or Ha Giang from Hanoi; book a lie-flat “VIP” cabin coach for the overnight runs.
- In the cities — Grab (car or motorbike) is the default for getting around Hanoi and Saigon; the motorbike-taxi option is faster through traffic and absurdly cheap.
What about the rest of Vietnam?
Plenty does not fit, and that is the honest truth of fourteen days. The mountain trekking around Sa Pa, the caves of Phong Nha, and the southern beaches of Phu Quoc each want their own slot — pick one to add and drop a coastal night to pay for it. The seasonal trade-offs, which run differently in the north and the south, are laid out on the Vietnam destinations page.
Do you need a visa for Vietnam?
Many travellers do — Vietnam offers an e-Visa online for citizens of most countries, valid up to ninety days, alongside short visa-free entry for a few nationalities. Sort it before you fly using the Vietnam visa guide, and pin down the daily spend with Budgeting.