You’re planning to spend two weeks in Vietnam but don’t know where to start?! Well, allow me to help you out! Me and my husband 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.
Your first decision will be – whether to start your Vietnam adventure in Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi. These are the most popular tourist spots in Vietnam and two of the country’s biggest cities. And they are both home to a large international airport, meaning you can easily get to them.
I’ll be honest though, it will be difficult to squeeze both Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi into one itinerary without taking a few domestic flights as they are located on opposite ends of the country.
Therefore, if you want to combine the city and the beach choose Itinerary 1 as it includes Ho Chi Minh as well as the popular beach towns of Mui Ne and Nha Trang. While, if it’s culture you’re after then fly into Hanoi and tick off Halong Bay and Hoi An by following Itinerary 2.
Itinerary 1: Ho Chi Minh, Mui Ne, Dalat, Nha Trang
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. So, if you fly into this airport then this is the itinerary for you. It includes 5 nights in the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh, a relaxing 3-day beach escape to Mui Ne (also famous for its sand dunes), 3 nights in the quirky mountain town of Dalat, and a final 3 days in Nha Trang a mega tourist beach resort town in the South.
Ho Chi Minh (5 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 5 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 time 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!
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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 (3 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, 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 (3 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 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 $34 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!
Nha Trang (3 Nights)
Nha Trang to my European followers is the Costa del Sol of Vietnam (or Cancun to Americans I guess). To put it simply this is a super-touristy beach resort. Nha Trang is a great place to stop and relax at the end of your two-week Vietnam itinerary.
We got to Nha Trang via a 3-hour sleeper bus, there were a few different options to choose from and this was the quickest route and cost us around $10 USD each.
We really enjoyed our time here. There are lots of Italian and Greek restaurants where you can get your food fix from home, but our favorite restaurant was a local one called Yen’s. At Yen’s, we ate some of the best Vietnamese food we’d ever eaten.
Best things to do in Nha Trang
- VinWonders Theme Park is a massive theme park and water park combined, which is only reachable by ferry or cable car. Honestly, VinPearl Land is such a fun day out. If you have kids or a ‘big kid’ like I do it’s definitely worth the trip and the $$$. The entrance fee, including the cable car there is $37.50 USD.
- Do a half-day snorkelling tour in one of the best snorkeling spots in Vietnam. Pick-up for the tour is early – 7:30 am from most hotels in Nha Trang. The day includes a seafood feast on board the boat for Lunch. The average cost for this tour is $40 USD.
- We also paid a visit to the Thap Ba Hot Springs while here, which has become a quintessential Nha Trang experience. You sit in a private mud bath for about 15 minutes and then rinse off in a mineral shower. Your skin is sooo soft after! The ticket price is 299,000 VND or $12 USD.
- Hon Noi Beach – This is THE most beautiful beach in Nha Trang and it’s located around 26 km from downtown. The sand is white and the water is a mix of blue and green, yep, on one side the water is blue and on the other side, green. So unique!
Where to stay in Nha Trang
We spent 5 nights in total at Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel, a 5-star beachfront hotel featuring a Roman-style outdoor swimming pool and private beach. The rooms are large, bright, and inviting and there’s also a fitness center, a bar, and two restaurants on-site. Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel is very reasonable considering all it offers and rooms are priced at approximately $69 USD per night.
How to get home from Nha Trang
There’s an airport in Nha Trang, called Cam Ranh International Airport which flies to various international destinations including China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, etc. Alternatively, you can catch a cheap domestic flight from here back to Ho Chi Minh and catch your return flight home from there. The flight between Nha Trang and Ho Cho Minh is an hour and 10 minutes long.
Itinerary 2: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hoi An, Hue
This itinerary begins in Hanoi, the capital (and my favorite) city in Vietnam. You’ll have 5 nights in total in Hanoi – I recommend splitting it up into 3 nights at the start then 1 night after your Halong Bay tour and a final night in Hanoi before flying home.
If you follow this itinerary you’ll also get to explore Hoi An, Hue, and Halong Bay- all beautiful and dare I say, some of my favorite parts of the country.
Be mindful though that because of the distances between places this itinerary involves two domestic flights – but the flights are cheap at around $100 USD return.
Hanoi (5 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.
As I said, I recommend splitting your stay here up. I recommend spending 3 nights at the start then 1 night after your Halong Bay tour and a final night in Hanoi before flying home. 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 6 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 starts from $135 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 a flight to Da Nang (the closest airport to Hue and Hoi An). There are several different airlines that operate this route and prices average $50 USD each way.
Hue (3 Nights)
Hue is very popular with backpackers and solo travelers and as a result it’s known as one of the best places to party in Vietnam.
From Da Nang International Airport it’s a 2-hour drive to Hue. You can catch a train directly from Da Nang to Hue which takes around 2.5 hours it costs around $70 USD but it’s so scenic and a stress-free way to travel.
We filled our days in Hue visiting the Mieu Temple Complex (a beautiful walled complex that houses shrines to past Emperors), wandering across the city’s beautiful bridges, and shopping at the street markets.
Another super-popular thing to do in Hue is to visit the DMZ or Vinh Moc Tunnels. This is a larger version of the Chu Chi Tunnels near Ho Chi Minh. It is in fact the largest and longest tunnel in the country and within the tunnel system, you can see tanks, airplanes, and other artillery.
The Demilitarized Zone (or DMZ) is a full-day tour from Hue but such a unique experience. It includes lunch, return transfers from your hotel in Hue, and a professional guide. It costs $55 USD per person.
Where to stay in Hue
We stayed at the White Lotus Hue Hotel and really rate it. First off, it has an excellent rating of 9/10 on booking.com. Many rooms boast city views and there’s also an outdoor swimming pool, restaurant and bar on-site. A room here costs around $67 USD per night
Hoi An (4 Nights)
My favorite stop in Vietnam! Hoi An is a UNESCO world heritage site that is both incredibly beautiful and unforgettable.
Hoi An is around a 3.5 hour bus ride from Hue or 2.5 hours in a private cab. The bus costs around $12 USD each way, while a can is around $70 USD.
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.
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Where to stay in Hoi An
We spent 4 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 home from Hoi An
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. We then recommend spending one final night in Hanoi before flying home.
Is 2 weeks in Vietnam enough?
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 one city. Because of the size of the country with two weeks in Vietnam, you’ll only be able to focus on the South or the North.
If you love big cities and pretty beaches then fly into Ho Chi Minh and visit Nha Trang and Mui Ne from there. While if it’s culture and history you’re after fly into Hanoi and from there explore Halong Bay and Hoi An.
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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.
Last Updated on September 2, 2024 by snaphappytravel