South · North · Central coast

A month
in Vietnam

Island time, city pauses, mountain roads and lantern nights. This is my Vietnam itinerary, organised by destination so you can make it your own.

Timings are approximate, with room to adjust the route as you go. Optional ideas are marked below.

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A traveller with arms outstretched above a mountain landscape

01 · A short transit stop

Ho Chi Minh City

A brief city stop before heading to the island.

War Remnants Museum (exhibitions documenting war and its effects on civilians)Map

Independence Palace (former presidential palace with preserved rooms and wartime history)Map

Ben Thanh Market (covered market with food, clothing and souvenir stalls)Map

Colourful buildings along a leafy street in Phu Quoc

A red starfish held above clear shallow water in Phu Quoc

02 · Island time · around a week

Phu Quoc

Island time before travelling north, including a full-day outing on the water.

Spend time on Phu Quoc (island beaches and a slower coastal break)Leave room for a little island time.Map

Snorkelling, island hopping & cable car (a day on the water and above the island coastline)The Phu Quoc tour we booked included lunch and a cable-car ride, with around 8½ hours for the outing.View activity on GetYourGuide ↗︎

A black-and-white photograph of a twin-towered cathedral

An ornate temple altar with gold and red carvings

03 · A northern base

Hanoi

A proper city pause between excursions to the surrounding region.

Explore the Old Quarter (busy lanes, shops and street food in historic Hanoi)Map

Hoan Kiem Lake (central Hanoi lake with a walking path around the water)Map

Temple of Literature (historic Confucian temple and former centre of learning)Map

Take a street food tour (a guided introduction to Hanoi’s local dishes)

Hanoi Military Jeep Tour (city sightseeing by jeep)A four-hour city experience from our trip.View activity on GetYourGuide ↗︎

Hanoi water puppet show (traditional puppetry performed on a water stage)We booked a 50-minute performance.View activity on GetYourGuide ↗︎

A river winding between green fields and limestone mountains

Rowboats beside a pavilion surrounded by limestone cliffs

04 · Two-day side trip

Ninh Binh

Boat trips, viewpoints and cycling through the rice paddies.

Trang An or Tam Coc boat trip (small-boat ride through limestone scenery)Choose one of the two boat-trip areas.Map Tam Coc map ↗︎

Hang Mua viewpoint (steep stair climb to panoramic views of Ninh Binh)Map

Bich Dong Pagoda (temple buildings set into a limestone hillside)

Cycle through the rice paddies (country lanes among fields and limestone hills)My notes mention a restaurant beside a mountain in the paddies, but do not include its name.

Find an Indian restaurant (a curry break from the original food notes)There was an Indian restaurant in my notes, but the name was not recorded.

Trang An boat ride, Bich Dong & Mua Cave sunset tour (boat scenery, pagoda visit and a viewpoint in one outing)Our guided Ninh Binh outing brought these stops together in a roughly 5½-hour tour.View activity on GetYourGuide ↗︎

Hanoi–Ninh Binh limousine transfer (road transport between the two destinations)The transfer we booked between Hanoi and Ninh Binh was listed at around 2½ hours.View activity on GetYourGuide ↗︎

05 · Day trip

Ha Long Bay

We booked the Ha Long Bay day trip from Hanoi, with a luxury cruise and buffet lunch.

Ha Long Bay luxury cruise & buffet lunch (boat outing among limestone islands)View activity on GetYourGuide ↗︎Map

Go kayaking (explore the bay at water level)

06 · Four days · three nights

Ha Giang Loop

A motorbike route through mountain passes and villages.

Ha Giang Loop (mountain-road journey through northern Vietnam)The four-day, three-night route was the option in my itinerary.Map

An illuminated bridge and boats reflected in the water at night

Brick temple ruins framed by a stone doorway

Green rice fields under a pink evening sky

07 · Around a week

Hoi An

Ancient Town, lantern evenings, the beach and countryside outings.

Hoi An Ancient Town (historic trading-port streets with preserved old buildings)Map

Enjoy the lantern nights (evening walks among illuminated lanterns)

An Bang Beach (sandy beach near Hoi An)Map

My Son ruins (remains of Cham temples in a green valley)A day-trip option.Map

Marble Mountains (limestone hills with caves, pagodas and viewpoints)A day-trip option near Da Nang.Map

Cycle in the countryside (a slower ride through lanes and farmland)

Take a lantern-making class (hands-on workshop making a Hoi An-style lantern)

08 · Optional weekend idea

Phong Nha caves

This was marked as a possible weekend trip in my original plan.

Paradise Cave (large cave with stalactites and stalagmites)Optional.Map

Dark Cave or Phong Nha Cave (a choice of cave excursions in the Phong Nha area)Optional: choose the cave outing that suits your trip.Map Dark Cave map ↗︎

Support local women

If you can afford to and would like to, consider donating to Peace House Shelters to support women and children experiencing domestic violence.

I don’t receive any money or commission from these donations. Supporting local women matters to me, and this is one small way to give back to the places I visit. It takes all of us to stand against gender-based and domestic violence.

Donate to Peace House Shelters ↗︎

A monthin Vietnam