How many days in Vietnam: north, central and south routes for 5, 7, 10 and 14 days

How many days in Vietnam? With five days, stay in one region; seven days gives one or two; ten days covers north, centre and south at a brisk pace; fourteen days does all three without rushing. A north-to-south route runs from Hanoi down to Ho Chi Minh City, by plane or train.

What are Vietnam's north, central and south regions?

Travellers usually split Vietnam into three regions, each with its own highlights and main airport. The table gives the overview before you pick a route.

Nha Trang and Da Lat sit on the south-central coast and highlands and are usually folded into the southern leg of a three-region plan.

Where should you go with 5 or 7 days in Vietnam?

With five days pick one region; with seven days choose either one region at an easy pace or two regions with one flight between them.

In the north, Ha Long Bay (cruises leave from Tuan Chau and Bai Chay ports) is about two and a half hours by road from Hanoi, and Ninh Binh is about two hours by train or road, according to VNAT.

In the centre, Ba Na Hills sits atop Mount Chua (Nui Chua) in Da Nang, and Hoi An Ancient Town is a World Cultural Heritage site according to Hoi An's heritage management website.

How do you order the cities on a 10 or 14-day trip?

With ten days or more, run the route in one line, north to south or south to north, so you never backtrack. An open-jaw ticket, such as arriving at HAN and leaving from SGN, fits this well.

1. 1Days 1-3: HanoiWalk the Old Quarter of 36 historic streets and Hoan Kiem Lake, the symbolic heart of the city, then head to Ha Long Bay.
2. 2Days 4-6: Ninh Binh, and Sapa on a 14-day tripTake a sampan at Trang An and, if time allows, go to Sapa and the Fansipan cable car.
3. 3Days 7-9: Da Nang, Hoi An, HueSee the Marble Mountains, Hoi An and Hue, then fly or take the train south.
4. 4Day 10 onward: Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta and the southern coastCan Tho is about three hours by road from Ho Chi Minh City and Cai Rang is its best-known floating market; then add Phu Quoc, Da Lat or Nha Trang if you have time.

If a three-region trip is tight, drop Sapa and Da Lat first, because both need longer detours from the main cities.

Should you fly or take the Reunification Express?

When days are short, fly between regions; when you have time and want the scenery, take the train in short legs such as Da Nang to Hue. VNAT says Reunification Express trains link Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, stopping at Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Phan Thiet.

• The train offers four classes: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper.
• The full Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City run takes up to about a day and more, so it does not suit a short trip.
• Online tickets are sold through dsvn.vn, linked from the Vietnam Railways site vr.com.vn; check current timetables and fares on the official site.
• Between Hue and Da Nang the Hai Van Pass road is an alternative to the train.

Does the weather differ between regions?

Weather differs clearly between regions, so order your cities to suit each region's season. The points below come from VNAT's climate and city pages.

How does mobile data help when you cross regions?

A multi-region trip means frequent city changes, and you need data to check in to hotels, book train tickets at dsvn.vn, call Grab and open maps in each new city.

• Keep hotel and flight bookings on your phone.
• Download offline maps for each city in advance.
• Install an eSIM before you go so you do not hunt for a new SIM when you change region.

For budgeting, see “Vietnam on a budget: cities, routes and internal transport”, and choose a plan from the Vietnam eSIM page below.

Bekijk eSIM-abonnementen voor Vietnam