7 Days in Vietnam: North to South
Seven days covers Vietnam's three classic stops with two internal flights: three days in the north for Hanoi and an overnight on Ha Long Bay, two in the centre for Hoi An and My Son, and two in the south for Saigon and the Mekong Delta. It is the standard route because it works.
7 days in Vietnam at a glance
| Day | Based in | What you do | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | Arrive, and the Old Quarter after dark | Noi Bai airport to the Old Quarter: about 45 minutes |
| 2 | Hanoi | The city proper, or Ninh Binh | — |
| 3 | Ha Long Bay | Overnight on the water | Hanoi to Ha Long: about 2 |
| 4 | Da Nang → Hoi An | Back to Hanoi, fly to the centre | Ha Long to Hanoi by road, then Hanoi to Da Nang by air, about 1h15 |
| 5 | Hoi An | Ancient town, beach, and a tailor if you want one | — |
| 6 | Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City | My Son at dawn, then fly south | Hoi An to Da Nang airport 45 minutes, then Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City by air, about 1h20 |
| 7 | Ho Chi Minh City | Cu Chi or the Mekong, then out | Tan Son Nhat airport is inside the city, about 30 minutes from District 1 in traffic |
Seven days is the length Vietnam is built for. The country runs 1,600km north to south and the three regions are genuinely different — in food, in climate and in what the streets feel like. Two short domestic flights link them, and the route below is the one most first trips take because the alternatives cost more time in transit than they gain.
A complete first trip, and anyone who wants to understand why people talk about northern and southern Vietnam as different places.
Arrive, and the Old Quarter after dark
Land, and walk. The Old Quarter is small, dense and easiest to read in the evening when the food streets open and the pavements fill.
A street food walk on the first night is worth more than on the last, because it teaches you the timing: most Hanoi stalls make one dish, have made it for decades, and stop when the pot is empty. Knowing which hour each thing is eaten in changes the rest of the trip.
Pho is breakfast here and bun cha is lunch, and most bun cha places stop serving in the early afternoon. That is not a quirk; it is how the city eats.
The city proper, or Ninh Binh
Two ways to spend this. In the city: the Temple of Literature, the museums, the lake at dawn, and the craft streets in between.
Or take Ninh Binh, which is the best day trip in northern Vietnam. Two hours each way, limestone karsts identical in geology to Ha Long's but seen from a small rowing boat on a river, and Mua Cave's staircase for the view over the whole valley.
If you are doing Ha Long tomorrow, the city day is the better choice — Ninh Binh and Ha Long back to back is more repetitive than it sounds.
Book tomorrow's cruise transfer as a private one. The shared minibus collects from several hotels and reliably adds an hour at the start of the day.
Overnight on the water
This is the night that makes the difference. The day boats leave around four in the afternoon, and from then until the next morning the bay belongs to the handful of boats staying out.
Sunset from the deck, dinner aboard, and the karsts at dawn with mist between them — the image people come for, and one that is not available on a day trip.
Read the itinerary rather than the name. Ha Long, Bai Tu Long and Lan Ha sit next to each other and are sold interchangeably; Lan Ha has the beaches, Bai Tu Long has fewer boats.
Between July and September the harbour authority can stop all sailings for weather. Keep Ha Long early in the trip so a lost day can be moved.
Back to Hanoi, fly to the centre
The boat docks late morning and you are in Hanoi by mid-afternoon. Fly to Da Nang in the early evening — about an hour and fifteen minutes.
Hoi An is forty-five minutes from the airport. Arrive, eat, and walk the old town at night: the lanterns are lit every evening, not only at festival, and the first sight of it lit is the one people remember.
Do not take the last flight. A bay weather delay with nothing behind it strands you in Hanoi for the night.
Ancient town, beach, and a tailor if you want one
Out before eight for the empty streets, then the heritage ticket for two or three of the old houses — Tan Ky and the Fujian Assembly Hall are the ones worth an entry.
Middle of the day at An Bang beach or with a tailor. If you want clothes made, this is the day to order: two full days and two fittings is the realistic minimum, and the twenty-four-hour turnaround everyone advertises is how the disappointments happen.
Back out at five for the lanterns.
Bring a garment you already love the fit of for the tailor to copy. Copying something real beats describing something imagined across a language gap.
My Son at dawn, then fly south
Earliest My Son departure, back by early afternoon, then the flight to Saigon — about an hour and twenty minutes.
The change is immediate. Saigon is bigger, louder, later and hotter, the food is sweeter and comes with a plate of herbs, and the city runs well into the night in a way Hanoi does not.
Eat late. The best street eating in Saigon starts after nine.
Southern pho arrives with basil, bean sprouts and lime to add yourself. That is not a lesser version of the northern one; it is a different dish with the same name.
Cu Chi or the Mekong, then out
One big thing, not two. Cu Chi is north-west of the city; the Mekong is south. Doing both in a day is sold and is almost entirely road.
Cu Chi is the tunnel network, the trap systems and a stretch you can go down into — tight, hot and not for everyone, with exits at intervals that the guides point out before you enter.
The Mekong day reaches My Tho and Ben Tre: coconut groves, narrow canals by rowing boat, and workshops. Ben Tre is the quieter of the two.
If you have an evening flight, the War Remnants Museum in the city is the third option and needs only a couple of hours.
The famous Cai Rang floating market is near Can Tho, four hours away and winding down by eight in the morning. It cannot be done as a day trip from Saigon, whatever the listing says.
Planning this trip
The two flights
Hanoi to Da Nang and Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, roughly 1h15 and 1h20. Several carriers fly both many times a day. Book ahead, take morning or early-evening departures rather than the last of the day, and remember that Da Nang's airport is inside the city while Hoi An is 45 minutes further.
Three climates, one suitcase
In the same week Hanoi can be cool and damp, Hoi An hot and wet, and Saigon hot and dry. Pack light layers and something genuinely waterproof. Winter in the north surprises people: buildings are not heated, so 15°C is felt all day.
Money and booking ahead
Cash is still normal for street food and small operators, cards are fine in hotels and larger restaurants. Book the Ha Long cruise and the two flights before you arrive; everything else on this route can be arranged a day or two ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is seven days enough to see Vietnam?
It is enough to see its three main regions properly, which is what most people mean. It is not enough to add Sapa, the Ha Giang loop or Phu Quoc — each of those needs two nights of its own, and squeezing one in turns a good week into a tiring one.
North to south, or south to north?
Either works and the flights are the same length. North to south is marginally better because Hanoi's compactness is an easier landing than Saigon's scale, and because ending in the south gives you the warmest weather at the end rather than the start.
Can I take the train instead of flying?
For the Da Nang to Hue stretch, yes, and it is one of the best rail rides in Asia. For Hanoi to Da Nang or Da Nang to Saigon, the train takes 15 to 20 hours against 90 minutes in the air. On a seven-day trip that is a day and a half you do not have.
Do I need a visa?
Most nationalities need either an e-visa applied for online in advance or fall under a short visa exemption, and the rules change from year to year. Check the current position for your passport before booking flights rather than after.
Book the guided parts of this trip
Every tour above runs with a verified local operator.
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