Seven days in Vietnam: a first-timer's route
A week isn't long for a country this shape — but with the right route you can take in the north, the centre and the south without living on aeroplanes. Here's how we'd spend it.
Vietnam is roughly 1,650km from top to tail, and the three things most first-timers come for — the old streets of Hanoi, the limestone seascape of Halong Bay, and the lantern-lit lanes of Hoi An — are spread right across that length, with Ho Chi Minh City another hour's flight south again. Try to drive between them and you'll spend your holiday on a coach. The trick in seven days is to move north to south in one direction and let two short domestic flights do the heavy lifting. Here's the route we'd actually book for a friend.
Days 1–2: Hanoi & the north
Fly into Noi Bai (HAN) and base yourself in or near the Old Quarter. Hanoi is dense, green and a little chaotic in the best way — you cross the road by walking slowly and letting the scooters flow around you. Day one, don't over-plan: a wander round Hoan Kiem Lake, egg coffee at an old café, and a bia hoi (fresh draught beer) on a plastic stool as the evening gets going. Day two, go deliberate — the Temple of Literature in the morning, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex and the Imperial Citadel, then the Train Street area for a photo (it comes and goes with safety crackdowns, so ask locally first).
A city taxi from the airport runs about USD 15–20; book a car ahead if you land late. Budget roughly USD 50–90 a night for a comfortable boutique hotel in the Old Quarter.
Tip: eat where it's busy and turning over. Bun cha, pho and banh mi are all Hanoi specialities and a full street-food meal rarely tops USD 3–5 a head.
Day 3: Halong Bay
This is the one day we'd ring-fence completely. The classic move is an overnight cruise — you leave Hanoi mid-morning, reach the water by early afternoon, and spend the night anchored among the karsts. It's about a 2.5–3 hour transfer each way (the expressway has cut this right down in recent years), so a day-trip technically works but gives you barely two hours on the water. Pay for the overnight if you possibly can.
For fewer boats and cleaner water, ask about Lan Ha Bay off Cat Ba, which sits just south of the headline Halong zone and sees a fraction of the traffic. A decent mid-range overnight cruise with cabin, meals and kayaking runs about USD 120–200 per person; the budget boats are cheaper but it's a false economy here.
Days 4–5: Hoi An & Da Nang
Back to Hanoi, then your first internal hop: Hanoi → Da Nang (DAD) is about 80 minutes and, booked ahead, often USD 35–60 one way. From Da Nang it's a 40-minute drive down the coast to Hoi An — and Hoi An is where a lot of people's trip quietly peaks. The Ancient Town is a UNESCO-listed trading port, pedestrianised, and genuinely magical after dark when the lanterns come on and paper boats float down the Thu Bon river. Get a suit or dress tailored (24–48 hours), cycle out to the rice paddies and An Bang beach, and eat cao lau and white-rose dumplings, both Hoi An originals.
Use the Da Nang end for a change of pace: the Marble Mountains, the Son Tra peninsula, and the much-photographed Golden Bridge up at Ba Na Hills if that's your thing (it's touristy — go early or skip it without guilt). If you'd rather not keep changing hotels, stay in Hoi An both nights and treat Da Nang as a half-day out.
Days 6–7: Ho Chi Minh City & the Mekong
Second hop: Da Nang → Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), about 85 minutes and similar money to the first flight — this is the beauty of the north-to-south plan, both legs are cheap and quick, and you can search flights and hotels for the whole chain in one go. Saigon (nobody local calls it anything else) is faster, hotter and more commercial than Hanoi — think rooftop bars, the War Remnants Museum, the Central Post Office and Notre-Dame, and the markets of District 1.
On your last full day, get out of the city. The Mekong Delta (My Tho or Ben Tre, about 2 hours each way) gives you sampans, coconut-candy workshops and floating life; the Cu Chi Tunnels are closer (around 90 minutes) and heavier going but historically gripping. Pick one — doing both in a day is a mistake.
When to go
Vietnam doesn't have one weather window, because the three regions don't share a climate:
- North (Hanoi, Halong): best Oct–Apr. Dry and cool-ish; Dec–Feb can be genuinely chilly and misty on the bay.
- Centre (Hoi An, Da Nang): best Feb–Aug. The flip side is a real rainy season Sep–Nov, when Hoi An sometimes floods.
- South (HCMC, Mekong): warm year-round; dry season Dec–Apr, afternoon downpours May–Nov that rarely wreck a day.
The sweet spot that keeps all three happy is roughly February to April. Avoid Tet (Lunar New Year, late Jan/Feb) unless you want the atmosphere and don't mind closures and packed transport.
Making it work
A few honest words on pace. Seven days means four hotel check-ins and two flights — that's full but not frantic, provided you book the internal legs in advance and keep each city to its highlights.
What to skip in a week: Sapa (gorgeous, but a long detour north you can't justify), Phong Nha's caves, Nha Trang's beaches, and Phu Quoc. They're all worth a trip of their own — try to bolt them on and the whole thing unravels.
Grab the app for taxis and food everywhere, carry a little cash for street stalls, and pick up a local eSIM at the start so maps and ride-hailing just work. If the logistics feel like a lot — connecting flights, cruise choice, airport transfers, a guide who actually knows the back streets — that's exactly the kind of trip we put together. You can plan your trip with us and we'll build this route end to end so all you do is show up.
Want this planned for you?
We build this exact route as a private, guided trip — flights, hotels, transfers and a local guide, tuned to your pace. Tell us your dates and we'll come back within 24 hours.