10 Days in Vietnam: A North to South Itinerary

Ten days is the sweet spot for a first trip to Vietnam. It is long enough to travel the full length of the country, from the limestone bays of the north to the canals of the Mekong Delta, without spending the holiday stuck in transit. This Vietnam itinerary runs north to south, the direction most Indian travellers prefer, because you finish in Ho Chi Minh City, which has the cheapest and most frequent flights home. Below is a day-by-day plan for 10 days in Vietnam covering Hanoi, a Ha Long Bay cruise, Hoi An, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, plus how to choose between internal flights and trains, how long to give each stop, and what to eat before you move on.

Getting there and the shape of the trip

Direct flights connect Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata to both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on VietJet, IndiGo and Vietnam Airlines. Return fares usually sit between INR 18,000 and INR 32,000 (approx) if you book a few weeks ahead. Book an open jaw ticket: into Hanoi, out of Ho Chi Minh City, so you never backtrack. Vietnam is a long, thin country, roughly 1,650 km end to end, so you will use one or two short domestic flights to cover the big gaps.

Days 1 to 2: Hanoi

Start in Hanoi, the loud, green, endlessly walkable capital. Give it two nights. Spend the first afternoon getting lost in the Old Quarter, then sit on a plastic stool for your first bowl of pho and a glass of bia hoi, fresh draught beer that costs about INR 30. Day two is for the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake and the Train Street area.

Food to try in Hanoi: pho bo, bun cha (grilled pork with noodles, the dish Obama ate here), banh cuon, and egg coffee at a back-alley cafe. Hanoi is your easiest city for vegetarian food, with several com chay spots and a couple of Indian restaurants near the Old Quarter.

Day 3: Ha Long Bay cruise

The highlight of the north is an overnight Ha Long Bay cruise. It is about a 2.5 hour drive to the harbour, then one night on the water among the karsts, with kayaking, a cave visit, sunset on the top deck and seafood cooked on board. One thing most guides get wrong: a day trip to Ha Long is a waste, you spend five hours in a car for two hours on the water. Do the overnight or skip it. If the main bay feels too crowded, ask about neighbouring Lan Ha Bay, which is quieter and just as pretty. Cruises are close to all inclusive, so budget INR 8,000 to 18,000 (approx) per person depending on the boat.

Day 4: Fly south to Hoi An

You are back on the mainland by late morning. Drive to Hanoi, then fly Hanoi to Da Nang (about 1 hour 20 minutes). Da Nang airport is only a 45 minute taxi from Hoi An, so you can be walking the lantern-lit old town by evening. Use the Grab app for honest taxi fares.

Days 5 to 6: Hoi An and Da Nang

Hoi An is the stop most people wish they had given more time, so keep two nights. The old town is a walkable maze of tailor shops, riverside lanterns and yellow merchant houses. Get one set of clothes tailored (delivery in a day), cycle out to the rice paddies and An Bang beach, and take a basket-boat ride in the coconut palms.

Da Nang, 30 minutes north, is worth half a day for the Marble Mountains and the Golden Bridge held up by giant stone hands. Honest skip: the Golden Bridge is packed by mid-morning and the queue can eat an hour, so go at opening or not at all. If you love trains, the short Da Nang to Hue run over the Hai Van Pass is one of the prettiest rail stretches in Asia.

Food to try in central Vietnam: cao lau and white rose dumplings (both unique to Hoi An), a banh mi from Banh Mi Phuong, com ga (chicken rice), and mi quang, the turmeric noodle dish from Da Nang.

Day 7: Fly to Ho Chi Minh City

Fly Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City (about 1 hour 25 minutes). The far south is hotter, faster and more modern than Hanoi. Spend the afternoon in District 1: the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the old Central Post Office, and a rooftop bar for the skyline.

Days 8 to 9: Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta

Give Ho Chi Minh City a full day for history. The War Remnants Museum is heavy but important, and the Cu Chi Tunnels, a half-day trip out of town, show the war from ground level. Balance it with a Vietnamese iced coffee, a walk down Nguyen Hue and street-food hopping in the evening.

On day nine, take a Mekong Delta day trip to My Tho or Ben Tre, about two hours away. You glide through narrow canals on a sampan, visit a coconut-candy workshop and eat elephant ear fish at a garden restaurant. If you can spare a night, an overnight in Can Tho for the Cai Rang floating market at dawn is the far better version of this.

Food to try in the south: com tam (broken rice with grilled pork), a sweeter southern pho, hu tieu noodle soup, and a proper southern banh mi.

Day 10: Departure

Keep the last morning easy. Do your souvenir shopping at Ben Thanh Market, grab one more iced coffee, and fly home from Ho Chi Minh City.

Internal flights vs trains

The Reunification Express railway runs the whole coast and is genuinely scenic, but end to end it takes over 30 hours, which you do not have on a 10-day trip. The sensible split:

• Fly the long legs (Hanoi to Da Nang, Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City). Domestic fares are cheap, often INR 2,500 to 5,000 (approx), and each flight saves you a full day.
• Take the train only for a short, scenic hop if you love rail, such as Da Nang to Hue over the Hai Van Pass.
• Skip the sleeper trains unless the train itself is the point of your holiday.

Know before you go

• Visa: Indian passport holders need an e-visa. Apply online (about USD 25) at least four to five working days before you fly, and carry a printed copy.
• Best time: the country is long, so weather varies. Broadly, November to April suits the north and February to May is driest in the centre.
• Money: the currency is the Vietnamese dong. Cards work in cities, but carry cash for cruises, markets and the Mekong.
• Get a local Viettel SIM at the airport and download Grab for taxis and food.
• Pack a light layer: Hanoi can be cool and damp in December and January, while the south stays warm all year.
• Vegetarians should look for com chay signs, and both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have Indian restaurants if you need a break.

Planning the route, the cruise and the domestic flights together is what makes 10 days in Vietnam feel relaxed rather than rushed.

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