2 Weeks in Vietnam Itinerary

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If Vietnam isn’t on your travel destination list, let me tell you that you should change your mind. This country is absolutely stunning with beautiful mountain villages, amazing rivers, big cities, and relaxing beach towns. There is so much history, culture, and adventure in Vietnam that you cannot miss it.

Keep in mind that for travel to Vietnam, a visa is required (US Citizens). You can apply for an e-visa ahead of time but you must have this before boarding your plane to Vietnam. This visa allows you to visit Vietnam for 30-days. Make sure you check regulations from your home country as these regulations can differ.

This 2 week Vietnam backpacking itinerary is moving from the South of Vietnam to the North of Vietnam or Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. However, you could easily reverse this itinerary to move from North to South.

3 Days in Ho Chi Minh AKA Saigon

Ho Chi Minh City has a very large international airport so it’s an easy place to start your trip in Vietnam. This city is full of culture and history! You can spend your time here exploring the many museums, and beautiful cathedrals, eating some amazing food, and just taking in all the sounds and smells.

I will say that Saigon was definitely overwhelming when first getting to Vietnam. There are scooters everywhere, even on the sidewalk. So you feel like you always need to be looking and paying attention. However, the culture here shouldn’t be missed.

I also recommend taking a day trip to the Mekong Delta from here. It’s a couple-hour bus ride from the city center and a great way to get a break from the city while seeing the agricultural areas and swamps of Vietnam. I loved my day trip here. I booked this through TripAdvisor.

Where to stay: I used credit card perks to stay at a nice hotel here and stayed at Fusion Suites Saigon. It was so comfortable and in a great location. If you’re looking to splurge some, I highly recommend it.

3 Days in Hoi An

Oh, Hoi An! I absolutely LOVED it here. At one point, someone jokingly asked if I was the spokesperson for Hoi An because I kept bringing it up. Seriously, this place is unlike any other.

It has the perfect mix of culture, backpackers, old buildings, beach, and farm life. It’s perfect for riding your bike to the beach during the day and then looking at the beautiful lanterns that light up the city at night. It has a laid-back city vibe.

Hoi An is famous for the lanterns that light up the whole city at night. It seriously feels like a completely different city during the night versus day. It’s beautiful and pictures do it no justice.

Hoi An is also famous for getting tailor-made clothes so I think 3 days is the minimum that someone should stay in Hoi An. While the clothes typically get made overnight here, sometimes you need adjustments after your initial fitting which means that another night would be helpful.

Make sure you get a Bahn Mi here! They are some of the best in the country. The two top ones in Hoi An are: Bahn Mi Phuong (made famous by Anthony Bourdain) and Madam Khanh – The Banh Mi Queen. Check out both, they’re both delicious and you can’t have enough bahn mi.

Getting from Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An: There are a few options but I recommend flying to Da Nang and taking a taxi or bus from the airport to Hoi An. It’s the quickest way and not too much more expensive than taking a train or a bus. For 2 weeks in Vietnam, saving time will be ideal because Hoi An is far from Ho Chi Minh.

Where to Stay: I recommend staying in the Old Town unless you are really needing a relaxing beach vacation. I stayed at SnapStay Hostel and cannot recommend it enough.

You can check out my Hoi An travel guide for more helpful tips and what to do in Hoi An!

2 Days in Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh is the perfect way to get back to nature after spending a few days in cities. It’s a mountain town with caves, temples, an amazing viewpoint, and scenic river boat rides through limestone mountains.

Some highlights of things to do in Ninh Binh are: Bich Dong Pagoda, climb the 500 steps at Hang Mua Peak (bring water), and take a boat tour in Tam Coc or Trang An.

Ninh Binh is also famous for goat meat and snails, if you’re a meat eater — definitely make sure you try these out! If you are not a meat eater, be prepared for seeing goats on the side of the road for selling meat.

Where to Stay in Ninh Binh: I stayed just outside of the town, in Tam Coc. I stayed at Green Mountain Homestay and loved it. I have also heard great things about Banana Tree Hostel. Green Mountain Homestay has private rooms if you’re looking to spend a little more and shared rooms if you are looking for a budget option.

How to Get to Ninh Binh from Hoi An: You can take a sleeper bus or an overnight train! Apparently, the train is a beautiful ride. All the tickets were sold out so I was unable to take the train, but I’ve heard it’s a great way to get to Ninh Binh.

Check out my post on things to do in Ninh Binh to help plan your 2 days here!

3 Days on the Ha Giang Loop

Now, that you’ve rested in the relaxing nature town of Ninh Binh, time for an adrenaline rush on a 3-day motorbike tour on the Ha Giang Loop! I cannot recommend this enough. The Ha Giang Loop really is more than one location because you drive through tons of smaller villages along the Ha Giang Loop. It’s the ultimate adventure and nothing beats these views. This is an unforgettable experience, do not miss it!

You can read all about my trip in this blog post on my Ha Giang Loop Experience!

Where to stay: I stayed at Jasmine Hostel because it was where I booked my motorbike trip through. They were able to arrange my sleeper bus from Ninh Binh to Ha Giang as well.

How to get to Ha Giang from Ninh Binh: The sleeper bus is your best option here. If you can, get the VIP sleeper bus, you won’t regret it!

1 Day in Hanoi

Back to a big city with AMAZING food! Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam so naturally you must visit when making your way to this amazing country. You can spend your time here just eating the day away while also dodging motorbikes trying to cross the road.

This is another big city but not quite as overwhelming as HCMC. There are museums, cute coffee shops, a large lake to sit around, and so much more. There really is so much to do here. This is only 1 day because it’s a great hub to get to the next stop of Ha Long Bay, and you’ll come back to Hanoi after!

Must Do: Get the egg coffee in Hanoi! It’s a northern Vietnam specialty, so you won’t be able to get it South. Visit the famous train street!

Where to Stay: I stayed at Buffalo Hostel in a private room, so I can’t speak to the dorms here. The location of this hostel was perfect. I would recommend staying in Hanoi’s Old Quarter so you are close to the main tourist attractions, food, and nightlife of the city.

How to get to Hanoi from Ha Giang: A sleeper bus is your best option! You can easily book this through Jasmine Hostel or whoever you book your Ha Giang Loop Tour from! Again, GET THE VIP BUS! You won’t regret it.

2 Days in Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and definitely a must-see before leaving Vietnam. It’s full of limestone cliffs that are such a site to see. Honestly, I sat at the top of the boat and just stared at the cliffs in awe for at least an hour.

The most popular way to explore Ha Long is through a Ha Long Bay Cruise. There are SO many options that it’s hard to go wrong here. They are luxury cruises full of activities and great food.

If you’re looking for a budget and backpacker-friendly option, I went on the Ha Long Bay Hideaway tour that I booked through Buffalo Hostel in Hanoi. We took a boat out on the water and were able to jump off the boat and swim through the bay. Then we stayed the night on an island before heading back to Hanoi.

This was in July of 2022 and I have heard since that the Vietnamese government is banning stays on islands due to pollution. So be sure to check out one of the overnight cruises or a day cruise!

How to Get to Ha Long Bay: Easiest way is to go there from Hanoi via bus. If you book a cruise, they will typically pick you up and drop you back off in Hanoi!

Where to Stay in Ha Long Bay: Personally, I think the best option is to stay on one of the luxury cruise ships! Take your pick! Here’s a website that shows you all the options.

1 Day in Hanoi

Head back to Hanoi to have a final day before heading to the airport. I used this day to eat all the food and drink all the egg coffee I could fit in. Then I spent some time walking the streets, just looking at all the beautiful old buildings.

With Hanoi being the capital of Vietnam, it has a large international airport which makes it an easy exit point to your next destination if you’re continuing your travels or back home!

Are two weeks even long enough in Vietnam? I think 2 weeks is the minimum that one should travel to Vietnam. This country has so much to offer that if you can stay longer than 2 weeks, you most definitely should! If you can’t, this is a great way to see some highlights of what Vietnam has to offer!

There ya have it, 2 amazing weeks in Vietnam! Book your flight and go explore this amazing country!