Two Weeks in Vietnam Itinerary (Perfect for Couples & Solo Travelers)

This guide covers the perfect itinerary for spending two weeks in Vietnam. This itinerary starts in Ho Chi Minh and ends in Hanoi, but, you can do it in reverse if you wish.

You’re planning to spend two weeks in Vietnam but don’t know where to start?! Well, allow me to help you out! My husband and I recently spent one month traveling through Vietnam, ticking off its top destinations and some hidden gems along the way. In fact, my husband has backpacked through Vietnam three times, so I reckon we’re great people to give you advice on what to do here.

I’ve spent a lot of time researching and writing this blog post as I adore Vietnam and I really want you to see the best of it. But, be warned it will be a busy two weeks as you try to squeeze everything in. The only way to successfully do this itinerary would be to take a flight home from Hanoi at the end, instead of making your way back to Ho Chi Minh by land (as the two cities are located at either end of Vietnam).

This two weeks in Vietnam itinerary combines the country’s most popular tourist spots, biggest cities, best beaches, as well as some hidden gems.

So, let’s get started – shall we?

PERFECT Two Weeks in Vietnam Itinerary

This itinerary starts in Ho Chi Minh, the biggest city in Vietnam, and also where the country’s main airport is located – Tan Son Nhat International Airport. You will start this adventure with 2 nights in the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh, a relaxing 2-day beach escape to Mui Ne (also famous for its sand dunes) and, 2 nights in the quirky mountain town of Dalat.

Next, you’ll move onto Hoi An and Halong Bay- all beautiful and dare I say, some of my favorite parts of the country. And you’ll end the trip with 3 days in Hanoi, the capital (and my favorite) city in Vietnam. From here you can fly home as there’s a large international airport in Hanoi.

Be mindful though that because of the distances between some places this itinerary may require you to take two internal flights (unless you’re happy with a long bus journey) – but the flights are cheap at around $100 USD return. We took the bus when we followed this itinerary, and the buses called ‘sleeper buses’ are surprisingly comfy as you have a bed and there’s a toilet on-board. The bus is also much cheaper with the ticket between Hoi An and Hanoi costing under $20 USD per person.

Ho Chi Minh (3 nights)

Ho Chi Minh (known to some as Saigon) is the biggest city in Vietnam and very different from most cities I’ve visited. It’s manic (in a good way), energetic, and vibrant. I recommend spending 3 nights in Ho Chi Minh.

Once you get used to the very narrow footpaths that will often force you to walk along the side of the road, the noise of honking horns, and master the challenge of crossing the road here you’ll find an exciting city, filled with excellent restaurants, quirky coffee shops, and great shopping.

To put it simply, spending your first day in Ho Chi Minh is sure to awaken all of your senses.

The best things to do in Ho Chi Minh

• Saigon Central Post Office, which was built by Alfred Foulhoux, who also constructed the Eiffel Tower is one of my favorite buildings in Ho Chi Minh. The Post Office is an exquisitely preserved French-colonial-style building that attracts a lot of photographers.

• The Vietnam War Remnants Museum offers an in-depth look at the Vietnam War. The War Remnants Museum showcases photographs, documents, and artifacts from the Vietnamese War.

• The Cu Chi Tunnels is another must-do whilst in Ho Chi Minh. The Chu Chi Tunnels is a 120 km long underground city if you will, built as protection for the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War. The tunnels feature trapdoors, living areas, kitchens, storage facilities, armory, hospitals, and command centers. We did this Cu Chi Tunnels Luxury Tour and we loved it. It’s 6 hours long and includes pick-up from your accommodation, an English-speaking guide, and lunch. It costs just $18 USD per person.

• Independence Palace – is one of the most historically important buildings in the city as it was the home and workplace of the president of the Republic of Vietnam (Nguyễn Văn Thiệu). And it was here the Fall of Saigon took place in 1975, a momentous event that ended the Vietnam War. You can still see the tank outside today!

• Ben Thanh Market is one of my favorite places to eat in Ho Chi Minh, after 6 pm you can choose from a variety of food stalls serving up delicious local dishes. After filling your bell, be sure to have a stroll around the other stalls which sell all types of souvenirs, clothing, and more!

Related Read: 7 of the Most Photogenic Spots in Hong Kong

Where to stay in Ho Chi Minh

We stayed at the Adora Art Hotel and really rate it. It’s a 4-star hotel located in District 1 and I loved the interior – it’s decorated like a museum. The hotel is a 2-minute walk to Ben Thanh Market and the really selling point of this hotel is the outdoor pool with city views. A room here costs around $75 USD per night.

Friends of ours splurged and stayed at the Silverland Mây Hotel and loved it. It’s a luxury 4-star hotel, also in District 1 and, boasts a gorgeous indoor pool and rooms here start at $110 USD per night (that price includes afternoon tea).

Mui Ne (2 Nights)

Mui Ne, is best described as a little town in the desert. A big contrast to the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh. Mui Ne is very laid-back, and most of the hotels and restaurants are dotted along the town’s beach. The beach in Mui Ne is very popular for kite surfing.

We reached Mui Ne via a luxury mini bus from Ho Chi Minh which took 2 hours and cost around $16 USD each. You can also catch a bus here which takes around 4 hours and is cheaper at around $8 USD per person.

If you follow this itinerary, you’ll have 3 nights here. One of the best things to do in Mui Ne is to take a trip to the Fairy Springs just a 10-minute drive from town. The scenery here is outstanding, and it feels pretty magical, hence the name. We recommend arriving at the Fairy Springs early in the morning (before 9 am), which is when the tour buses arrive. The entrance fee to the Fairy Springs is just 5,000 VND or 25 cents!

Another must-do in Mui Ne is to book a half-day sunset tour to the Red and White deserts of Mui Ne, this tour departs daily at around 2 pm from Mui Ne (although the departure time changes by season). It’s 5 hours long and cost us approximately $17 USD per person. Here, you can climb massive sand dunes and slide down them on your bum or pay a little extra money for a quad bike tour. The half-day tour also includes a stop at a small fishing village.

Where to stay in Mui Ne

Whilst in Mui Ne we stayed Muine Sports Hotel, which is clean and basic accommodation with an outdoor swimming pool. Plus, it’s just 100 meters from the beach. A double room here costs as little as $18 USD per night!

If you’re after a more luxury property in Mui Ne, the Hoang Ngoc Beach Resort is very well-rated and boasts a large outdoor pool, a private beach, and, an on-site restaurant. This one costs from $65 USD per person.

Dalat (2 Nights)

High up in Vietnam’s central highlands lies the town of Dalat. You will find Dalat very different to your previous two stops because of its high altitude location, to me it felt more like being in the mountains of Nepal. But it’s well worth the bumpy bus journey up, the food and people are uniquely different from other parts of Vietnam. It’s colder up here too, especially at night so make sure to pack a jumper and jeans.    

We caught a 4-hour bus from Mui Ne to Dalat that was operated by Sleeper 41 and cost approx. $9 USD each. You could also get a private taxi here which will take under 2 hours but will set you back around $60 USD.

The best things to do in Dalat

• Bao Dai’s Summer Palace – which was the Summer home of King Bao Dai, the last king of the Vietnam feudal court. The palace was built from 1933 – 1937, and is art-deco in style.

• Crazy House – a backpacker favorite in Dalat. Unique and Alice in Wonderland-like is the best way to describe it. You need to experience this treasure for yourself.

• Crémaillère Railway Station – a wonderful art-deco train station. Here you can ride a quirky little train to Trai Mat, 30 minutes away. It costs approximately $5 USD.

• Dalat Flower Park – the Flower Gardens were established in 1966 and are home to over 300 different species of flowers. The Gardens are particularly popular with domestic tourists.

• Datanla Falls – is one of the most visited waterfalls in Vietnam. But perhaps the best activity at the Falls is the rollercoaster that you control yourself. With a lever, you are able to control your own speed completely.

Tour suggestion: We booked a full-day tour of Dalat through our hotel as we were limited in time. It cost approximately $23 USD per person and included stops at Datanla Falls, Dalat Flower Gardens, Bao Dai’s Summer Palace and more!

Where to stay in Dalat

We stayed at LADALAT Hotel, a 5-star with a bar, fitness center, indoor pool and, lovely terrace area. The rooms were very spacious, clean, and nicely decorated. And the staff were super-helpful. A room here costs from $72 USD per night. It’s one of the best-rated hotels in Dalat, with a score of 8.2/10!

How to get from Dalat to Hoi An:

Your best option to get from Dalat to Hoi An is to get an internal flight from Dalat Airport to Da Nang International Airport (which is only a 45-minute drive from Hoi An). This will cost from $100 USD one-way. Alternatively, you will need to get a bus which will take a lengthy 17 hours in total. Or if you have a rental car the drive will take 9 hours.

Hoi An (3 Nights)

This is my favorite stop in Vietnam! Hoi An is a UNESCO world heritage site that is incredibly beautiful and unforgettable.

Hoi An sure is a gem! This delightful town is like stepping into a postcard with its stunning ancient architecture and vibrant mix of cultures. The blend of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese influences creates a unique charm.

Walking through those lantern-lit streets feels like wandering in a dream, especially during the enchanting Lantern Festival (held once a month) when the whole town glows with color and warmth. And if you need a break from the hustle and bustle, Cua Dai Beach is just a stone’s throw away, offering a perfect spot to relax surrounded by the serene beauty of rice paddies and coconut groves.

Best things to do in Hoi An

If you want to get some clothes made, make sure you add Hoi An to your Vietnam itinerary. Some of the best tailors in the world line the streets of this small town. We got lots of beautiful things made here (including 3 Suits and some dresses) for a very reasonable price.

On one of our days here, we hired a bike for the day from our hotel and spent a full day cycling the surrounding area. We cycled through rice paddies filled with water buffalo and down, stopped for lunch at a little cookery school, and finally down to the mile-long beach.

Handily, most of the historic sites in Hoi An work on a coupon system. This means 75,000 VND (or $5 USD) gets you a ticket that can be used to enter five attractions: one museum,  one museum, one old house, one assembly hall, the handicraft workshop, and either the Japanese Covered Bridge (we highly recommend seeing this) or the Quan Cong Temple. These tickets are sold at various entry points into the Old Town.

I’ll be honest we spent most of our time in Hoi An eating – the food here is awesome! Yup,Hoi An is a foodie’s heaven. The ‘Banh Mi Queen‘ is here – a little old lady who makes the best Vietnamese rolls in the world for $1 USD. We also loved Home and Little Flower.

Related Read: The Most Photogenic Places in Sri Lanka (A Unique Itinerary)

Where to stay in Hoi An

We spent 3 nights at Hoi An Garden Villas a 3-star hotel on on Nguyen Duy Hieu road. It features a lovely outdoor pool and clean and cool rooms. It is reasonably priced for Hoi An at $24 USD per night.

The ENSO Retreat Hoi An is fabulously rated (with an average guest rating of 9.8/10) – with a lush garden, large outdoor pool and free bike rental it’s no wonder why guests love it here. The rooms are airy and very Asian in design, which we loved. Expect to pay around $53 USD a night here.

Getting from Hoi An to Hanoi:

From Hoi An you will need to get back to Da Nang International Airport (a 45-minute drive away) to catch your domestic flight into Hanoi. Luckily domestic flights in Vietnam are super cheap. Your other alternatove is a 16.5 hour bus journey with Queen Cafe Bus.

Hanoi (3 Nights)

You may not know that Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. We both preferred Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh. I loved the ‘homey’ feel of the city; many of the buildings in Hanoi are French-colonial in style.

Hanoi feels more like a big town than a city and I guess that’s why I liked it so much, being a small-town girl myself.

I recommend splitting your stay here up. I recommend spending 2 nights at the start then a further 1 night after your Halong Bay tour. Why I recommend doing this will make sense once you read the below itinerary.

Best things to do in Hanoi

• Hoan Kiem Lake – We spent hours walking around the beautiful and peaceful Hoan Kiem Lake. Fun fact: every morning at 6 am a big group of locals practice Tai Chi on the shore.

• The National Museum of Vietnamese History – highlights Vietnam’s pre-history up to 1945. It is very large and is home to over 200,000 exhibits. Which is why we recommend spending a half-day here.

• We also spent half a day at the Ho Chi Minh Masoleum Complex. Ho Chi Minh (former President of Vietnam) is buried here and it’s considered a pilgrimage site to the local people. They come from all over Vietnam every day to pay their respects, so, as a result, expect long queues.

• Go see a Water Puppet Show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. Such fun! Water puppetry is an art form that dates back to the 11th century. This tradition comes from a time when rice paddy fields were flooded and villagers would make entertainment by standing in the waist-deep water with the puppets performing over the water.

Where to stay in Hanoi

We spent 3 nights at Hanoi Old Quarter Hotel, a beautiful colonnaded hotel in the Old Quarter of the city. The rooms here are very spacious with beautifully tiled floors and some rooms feature exposed brick on the walls. The hotel is a short walk to Hoan Kim Lake. And it costs from $41 USD per night.

Another fantastic option in Hanoi is the Hanoi Tunger Premium Hotel which costs from only $31 USD per night.

Halong Bay (1 Night)

One of the natural wonders of the world, Halong Bay is majestic and beautiful. And to me it looks like something from a James Bond movie.

When it comes to choosing a tour of Halong Bay, you’ll want to do your research. From wild party cruises where young twenty-somethings get deserted on an island ‘Castaway-style’ to high-end luxury cruises, there is something for every type of traveler and every budget.

This is the best-rated Halong Bay tour as it’s all-inclusive and includes all food, drink and, even some activities like kayaking and/or cooking. You can book different luxury levels for your accommodation on board depending on your budget. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and is a MUST-DO during your one month in Vietnam. Rates for this tour start from $139 USD per person. It leaves from and returns you back to Hanoi.

As I said, you’ll be transferred back to Hanoi after your Halong Bay cruise and from here you can catch your flight home. Hanoi Airport, also called Noi Bai Airport flies to various destinations in Europe and Asia.

How much money do I need for 2 weeks in Vietnam?

As a rough estimate, I would say to allow $100 USD per day in Vietnam. That total would include everything – accommodation, food and activities. Some days you’ll spend more (like the days you have a guided tour) but some days you’ll spend less. So, overall I’d say $100 USD per day is a pretty accurate amount to budget for. That will be for mid-range hotels and eating at a mixture of local restaurants and at street food stalls.

$100 USD per day is what I budgeted for our one-month trip through Vietnam.

Of course, you can reduce your daily budget by staying in hostels, eating at street food stalls only, and not doing any guided tours.

Is 2 weeks enough time in Vietnam?

Yes, two weeks is enough time to see Vietnam. However, it’s the minimum amount of time I recommend spending in this gorgeous country unless you only want to see a few destinations. Because of the size of the country with two weeks in Vietnam, you will have to budget for internal flights or only focus on the South or the North of the country.

Which month is the best to visit Vietnam?

As a general rule of thumb, the best months to visit Vietnam is in March and April. You’ve got to remember the huge size of the country so the weather varies massively from coast to coast and from North to South. But, typically March and April are good across the country.

The summer (from May to August) can be very warm and humid and the wet season (August and September) is a bad time to visit the coast of central Vietnam due to the risk of typhoons.

PIN IT for later!

Thanks for Reading!

And there you have it two detailed itineraries for two weeks in Vietnam. We spent a lot of time researching the best route for you, you may choose to spend more or less time in the places I recommend above.

Tell me – what did you think of our two weeks in Vietnam itinerary? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions in the comment section below.

While you’re here, you may also be interested in checking out my other Asia blog posts, such as –

Hong Kong Layover Guide: Things to Do in 6, 10, and 12 Hours

Best Things to Do With 24 Hours in Hong Kong

The Ultimate Three Week Itinerary for Sri Lanka

Last Updated on February 14, 2025 by snaphappytravel