Itinerary
Two Weeks in Vietnam: A Comfortable First-Trip Itinerary
Fourteen days from Hanoi to Saigon without rushing: two flights, one night on the water, and a comfortable rhythm in each base. Travel times are sourced and dated.
Two weeks is enough to see Vietnam from north to south on a first trip, if you fly the long legs and stay put for two or three nights at a time. The route that works is Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Lan Ha Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon and the Mekong Delta: 14 days and 13 nights, with two domestic flights and the longer drives placed on days with little else planned.
Hanoi 4 nights, Lan Ha Bay cruise 1 night, Hue 1 night, Hoi An 4 nights, Saigon 3 nights. Fly Hanoi to Hue and Da Nang to Saigon; drive the rest. Our 13-day Comfort tour follows the same line, with one fewer day in Hoi An. Hue is the least essential stop on the route, and the first one to cut if you want a slower trip.
We measured central Vietnam ourselves in January 2026, in Da Nang and Hoi An. For the other legs we use published travel times, each cited below, and the route design of our own tours. Check any flight or train time with the carrier before you book.
The shape of the trip
Route at a glance
| Hanoi (with a Ninh Binh day) | 4 nights |
| Lan Ha Bay, cruise | 1 night |
| Hue | 1 night |
| Hoi An | 4 nights |
| Saigon (with a Mekong day) | 3 nights |
Our own route design, 28 October 2026. The 13-day Comfort tour is the same line with three Hoi An nights.
Three rules hold it together, borrowed from our three-day Da Nang and Hoi An plan: one demanding thing per day, in the morning; nothing scheduled in the hot middle of the afternoon; and at least one unbooked day. It is a route for travellers who want to see and understand, not collect, and every day has an active option and a gentler one.
Days 1–5: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Lan Ha Bay
Day 1 – Arrive in Hanoi
Do nothing. Long-haul flights land at awkward hours and jet lag is the real enemy of the first two days. Get a transfer arranged in advance, check in and sleep. Settle your e-visa well before you fly, and read health and travel insurance after 50 while you still have time to act on it.
Day 2 – Hanoi
The Old Quarter and the Temple of Literature are the classic morning, with a long break in the afternoon. Sit down often. Gentle version: a seated cyclo ride and one museum rather than a walking circuit. For how hard the surfaces really are, read how much walking is involved.
Day 3 – Ninh Binh, as a day trip
Ninh Binh is about 115 km from Hanoi, and takes roughly two hours by train or limousine bus. It is a landscape of limestone and rice fields, best seen from a rowing boat, and in our tour design the day involves little climbing. Return to Hanoi that evening.
Days 4–5 – Lan Ha Bay
Ha Long Bay is the name everyone knows. It is about 170 km from Hanoi, and buses take 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Lan Ha Bay lies on the Cat Ba side of the same UNESCO-listed area, which UNESCO extended in 2023 to the Ha Long Bay–Cat Ba Archipelago. We use Lan Ha for our tours because we judge it quieter, which is our opinion rather than a measured crowd count. On Day 5 you return to Hanoi in the afternoon. Take one night on a cruise boat, not two. Ask the operator for the exact pickup time, the transfer route and the stairs between decks and cabins.
Days 6–10: Hue and Hoi An
Day 6 – Fly to Hue
The flight is about an hour and twenty minutes in the air. The train takes between 12.5 and 15 hours, so on a two-week trip we fly. In the afternoon, rest.
Day 7 – Hue, then Hoi An
Spend the morning at the Imperial City, where the official adult ticket is 200,000₫, and leave by early afternoon. The drive to Hoi An is about 130 km and takes three to three and a half hours; the Hai Van Pass road adds about an hour. Our guide to the Hue Imperial City covers the walking, the tunnel and the tickets.
Days 8–10 – Hoi An
This is the unhurried middle of the trip. Day 8: the old town in the late afternoon, after buying the old town ticket, and the lanterns after dark, as in Hoi An at night. Day 9: My Son early, then nothing. Day 10: the Bay Mau basket boats or the Marble Mountains, then the beach. If you take the 13-day tour version, drop one of these days.
Days 11–14: Saigon and the Mekong
Day 11 – Fly to Saigon
Hoi An to Da Nang airport is about forty to fifty minutes. The flight to Ho Chi Minh City is about an hour and twenty minutes. Arrive, rest and leave the war-history sights for the next morning.
Day 12 – Mekong Delta day
Ben Tre is about two hours by road from Saigon, with canals, boats and orchards. Choose a small-group or private trip, not the largest coach tours. Gentle version: skip the rowing sections and keep to the main boat.
Days 13–14 – Saigon, then home
Spend Day 13 in the city, with the War Remnants Museum in the morning, a long lunch and a farewell dinner. Day 14 is departure. Carry small notes for tips, and read our money guide for the banknote mix-up that catches most visitors.
Travel times, sourced
Legs on this route
| Hanoi to Ninh Binh, by road or train | about 2 hours |
| Hanoi to Ha Long, by bus | 2.5–3.5 hours |
| Hanoi to Hue, flight / train | 1h 20m / 12.5–15 hours |
| Hue to Hoi An, by road | 3–3.5 hours |
| Da Nang to Saigon, flight | about 1h 20m |
| Saigon to Ben Tre, by road | about 2 hours |
Source: vietnamtourism.com transport timetables, checked 21–27 October 2026 (Hanoi to Ha Long, Hanoi to Hue, Hue to Hoi An, Hanoi to Ninh Binh), and its itinerary guide for the Da Nang to Saigon flight and the Ben Tre road. This is a private travel-information site, so confirm times with the carrier.
When to go, and what to settle first
North to south crosses climates, so no month suits all of it. The central coast is the wettest part of the route from October to December: reference data puts Hue’s rainy season at September to December. February to May is the reliable window we recommend in the best time to visit. For other first-trip questions, start at Start Here.
If you would rather not organise four flights, a driver and two hotel changes yourself, our 13-day Comfort tour does it with 4–5 star hotels and an active and a gentle option each day, built around your dates. Ask us on WhatsApp, and we will say so if we are not the right fit.
Common questions
Is two weeks enough for Vietnam?
Yes for a first trip, if you pick a single north-to-south line and use domestic flights for the long legs. Two weeks covers Hanoi, one northern landscape, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon and a Mekong day, though not the far north or the central highlands.
What is the best route for 14 days in Vietnam?
North to south or south to north along the coast: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Lan Ha or Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon and the Mekong Delta. Staying two to four nights in each base keeps the pace comfortable.
Should I fly or take the train between cities?
Fly the long legs. Hanoi to Hue is about 1 hour 20 minutes in the air against 12.5 to 15 hours by train, on timetables checked in October 2026. The short coastal legs can be driven.
Is Hue worth including?
It is the most skippable stop, but a good one if the Nguyen dynasty interests you. Give it a night and a morning at the Imperial City, where the adult ticket is 200,000₫, rather than a rushed stop.
Do I need a tour for this route?
No. It can be done independently with flights, drivers and hotels booked in advance. A tour mainly removes the planning and the transfers.
How hard is the walking on this itinerary?
Mostly easy, with a few exceptions. Hue and the Hanoi Old Quarter mean long, flat days; the Marble Mountains near Hoi An and the Lan Ha boats are the main places where steps matter. Each has a gentler option.
Planning this trip yourself?
Ask us anything about the route, the pace or the timing. It goes straight to the office in Da Nang, not to a call centre — and if we are not the right company for your trip, we will tell you that too.
Mai Tiến Tần
Founder, Vietking Travel · Licensed international tour operator No. 01-1082/2018 · Company registered in Vietnam, 2011
Everything here is written from Da Nang, after walking the route. Prices carry the date they were checked. Where we do not have a figure we can stand behind, we say so rather than guess.