How to spend 2 weeks in Vietnam: the perfect itinerary! 

Last updated on March 30th, 2026

Want to experience 2 weeks in Vietnam? We’re sharing the perfect 2 week Vietnam itinerary for first-timers to the country!

During our 6 weeks in Vietnam, we fell madly in love with the country. With delicious street food, bustling cities and towns, adventurous activities, plus epic natural sights, Vietnam offers an incredible mix of things to see and do!

And if you’re looking to spend 2 weeks in Vietnam, we’re sharing the perfect 2 week Vietnam itinerary, based on our experience in the country. It is crafted specifically for first-timers to Vietnam, who want to experience some of the country’s highlights in just 14 days!

Table of Contents

 [show]

• About this 2 week Vietnam itinerary 
• Days 1-2: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
• Day 3: Travel to Hoi An
• Days 4-5: Hoi An
• Day 6: Travel to Hanoi
• Days 7-8: Hanoi
• Day 9-10: Ninh Binh
• Day 11: Travel to Ha Giang
• Days 12-14: Ha Giang Loop
• Have more than 2 weeks in Vietnam?

About this 2 week Vietnam itinerary 

While 2 weeks in Vietnam is enough time to visit both the northern, central, and southern parts of the country, you won’t be able to visit all of the best places to visit in Vietnam. But you will be able to experience a handful of the destinations we personally visited and loved!

Since there is a lot to experience, this 2 week Vietnam itinerary is fast paced. We’re including suggestions of things to do, places to stay, and we’ve built in time to travel to the next destination. Which can take up part or most of a day!

We’ve also included some additional ideas and stops you could make if you have more time. Have 3 weeks in Vietnam? We also have a 3 week Vietnam itinerary, which includes an additional destination we loved.

Lastly, this 2 week Vietnam itinerary travels from south to north. While you can do it in reverse, we personally suggest traveling Vietnam from south to north, as the scenery only gets better and better that way. And who doesn’t want to end their trip with the BEST scenery? 

Days 1-2: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Your 2 weeks in Vietnam kicks off in Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon. This is the largest city in the country, with 9 million residents. And it has the country’s largest airport, making it a great place to fly into to kick off your trip!

While in Ho Chi Minh City you’ll find a mix of French colonial and modern buildings, markets, museums, street food, fine dining, parks, nightlife, and more!

Day 1: Explore District 1 

Start your first day in Ho Chi Minh City with coffee at Cheo Leo Cafe, the oldest cafe in the city! We recommend the Cà Phê Sữa Đá (iced coffee with condensed milk)!

For breakfast, grab a banh mi at Bánh Mì Hồng Hoa. They have a variety of options and we recommend the mixed meat, bbq pork, or egg banh mis!

Walk through Tao Dan Park. This is a beautiful, peaceful park filled with flowers, sculptures, and a Buddhist temple. Keep an eye out for locals playing đá cầu, or foot badminton, the national sport of Vietnam! 

Visit the Reunification Palace, also known as Independence Palace. This is the former South Vietnamese government building and walking around inside feels like you’ve stepped back into the 70s because not much has changed!

Have lunch at Bún thịt nướng – Nguyễn Trung Trực. This street stall serves up one of our favorite Vietnamese foods, bun thit nuong, a delicious dish of vermicelli, grilled pork, fresh herbs like basil and mint, veggies, and fried spring rolls. Make sure to get the lemon tea to wash it down with!

Spend the afternoon exploring District 1! We especially recommend checking out the Notre Dame Cathedral, Ho Chi Minh City Book Street, Saigon Central Post Office (make sure to mail a postcard!), People’s Committee Building, and the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House.

Day 2: Day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels

Today you’ll go on a half day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels! We HIGHLY recommend the morning tour because they get you to the tunnels before the large tour bus crowds. Plus it will be much cooler in the morning.

After your tour, grab some pho at Phở Hòa Pasteur, which was our go to spot for southern style pho in Ho Chi Minh City!

If you have time, head to the War Remnants Museum. This museum shares the Vietnam perspective of the Vietnam War (known as the American War in Vietnam.) It is very graphic at times and hard to look at, but really important to understand what the Vietnamese went through and still experience the after effects of to this day.

For your final night in Ho Chi Minh City, enjoy a sunset picnic at  Landmark 81, the tallest building in Vietnam. During our visit, we picked up sandwiches from Kashew, laid out a blanket, and enjoyed all of the people and families around us flying kites.

Where to stay in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is split up into 24 districts, with District 1 (and 3) being home to the majority of the tourist sites. We suggest staying in either District 1 or District 3 for convenience. Here are a handful of suggestions!

Hotels: Little Saigon Boutique Hotel, LOTTE Hotel Saigon, Auc Lac Charner Hotel, Intercontinental Saigon

Vacation rentals: Rooftop Hidden Gem (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom), Penthouse Suite with Rooftop Pool (2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms), Saigon Skyline Suite (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms)

Hostel: Vy Khahn Guesthouse, Saigon Rooftops Hostel, Mobylette Saigon Hotel

Check out our 3 day Ho Chi Minh City itinerary for even more things to do. You can also watch us experience Ho Chi Minh City, plus Vietnam, for the first time in this video!

Day 3: Travel to Hoi An

Today you will travel to Hoi An, Vietnam! While we took an overnight sleeper train From Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, we’d suggest flying, since you’re more limited on time. It is a 1.5 hour flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang (the closest airport to Hoi An). We suggest taking an early morning flight, that way you have some time to explore in the afternoon.

Once you reach Da Nang, you will have to take a Grab or a taxi to Hoi An, which should be about 40-45 minutes and cost less than $20. 

After arriving and getting settled in Hoi An, go on a basket boat tour! Even though it’s a bit touristy, it’s a must do activity in Hoi An. Your guide will paddle you through beautiful canals of a coconut forest to an open bay. Here you’ll get to watch the boat skippers dance on spinning boats!

For dinner, head to Madam Khanh – The Banh Mi Queen for the best banh mi we had in Vietnam! A couple other spots to check out are Bun Cha Ta or Nhan’s Kitchen. And if you want a break from Vietnamese food, check out Babas Kitchen for Indian food.

Where to stay in Hoi An

Hotels and Homestays: Paddy Boutique House (where we stayed!), THE VIEW Homestay, La An Central, Boutique Villa, Square Villa Hoi An, Hoi An Central Hotel

Vacation rentals: Rosie Villa 4 (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom), Rural Escape Private Villa (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom), Villa Nipa Tree Private Villa (1 bedroom, 1 bathroom)

Hostels: Bed Station Hostel, The Seaside Bungalow, SacLo Villa

Days 4-5: Hoi An

While you got a bit of a teaser of Hoi An yesterday, for the next two days, you’re going to properly explore!

Hoi An is one of the most charming cities in Vietnam. From the 15th to 19th centuries, it was one of the most prosperous trading ports in Southeast Asia. And today it is most famous for its Ancient Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The yellow buildings, old roofs, tree lined streets, and lanterns will make you feel like you’re in a Vietnamese fairytale!

Day 4: Visit Hoi An’s Ancient Town 

Start the day with breakfast! One great spot to get a healthy breakfast is Ellie’s Cafe. 

Enjoy some tea at Mót. It’s the best tea we have ever had! And very refreshing on a warm Hoi An day.

Explore Hoi An Ancient town! You will need to purchase a Hoi An Old Town Entrance Ticket to walk around. The tickets can be purchased at the small yellow huts scattered around town (we got ours here). The tickets cost 120,000 VND and also give you access to 5 Old Town attractions. In our opinion, some of the must visit spots are the Japanese Bridge, Old House of Tan Ky, and the Fujian Assembly Hall. 

For lunch, head to Nostalife. We recommend trying the Cao Lau, which is the signature dish of Hoi An and has thinly sliced bbq pork, bean sprouts, lettuce, crispy fried cao lau noodles, crispy pork skin, and fresh thick rice noodles. The Mi Quang and white rose dumplings are delicious too!

Attend a lantern making class at Hoi An Handicraft Tours. This is such a fun activity and makes for a great souvenir to take home!

End the day at the Hoi An Night Market. The night market happens every night across the An Hoi Bridge from Ancient Town. You’ll be able to find a bunch of food stalls, plus stalls with items to buy.

Day 5: Explore Hoi An by bike

Today you’re going to explore Hoi An by bike! We suggest renting a bike from your accommodation or from Bee Bike or Hoi An Cycling. You can also go on a cycling tour if you don’t feel comfortable riding on your own.

Now that you’ve got your bike, ride through the rice fields over to Sound of Silence Coffee Shop. This super cute cafe has good food and coffee, a beautiful indoor seating area, plus a huge outdoor patio overlooking the beach. The views are AMAZING!

Spend the rest of the morning and afternoon lounging at An Bang beach. We loved this beach! During our visit it was extremely clean and not too crowded. There are other restaurants here if you need some lunch!

Ride through Tra Que Vegetable Village, an area with 150 farmers growing over 41 different types of produce, without chemicals or harsh fertilizers. 

While there, enjoy garden fresh food at Baby Mustard. Most of the food is straight from the garden! We tried their bánh xèo, lemongrass chicken, and mackerel on lemongrass, plus their special secret drink. Everything was insanely fresh and high quality!

Check out our guide to Hoi An for even more things to do. You can also watch us experience Hoi An in this video!

Day 6: Travel to Hanoi

It’s time to head to Hanoi! The best way to get there is to take a taxi from Hoi An to Da Nang’s airport. The flight from Da Nang to Hanoi is about 1.5 hours. And once touching down in Hanoi, it’s a 40 minute ride to the Old Quarter, so you’ll have a bit of a journey from the airport to town.

Once you arrive in Hanoi, we suggest spending the rest of the day and evening going on a street food tour! This is a great way to get acquainted with the city and also try its famous foods. Make sure you plan this for the evening, to give you enough time for any travel delays. 

During our visit, we did a food tour with Hanoi Soul on Airbnb Experiences. But a couple other food tour options are: Private Hanoi Street Food Walking Tour With Real Foodie and Small Group Hanoi Street Food Tour with a Real Foodie. 

Where to stay in Hanoi

We recommend staying in or near Hanoi’s Old Quarter. It will be super easy to get around on foot or a short Grab ride to most of the top sights. Here are a few places we’d recommend!

Hotels: Hanoi Allure Hotel, Hanoi Salute

Vacation rentals: Luxury Apartment Near Hoan Kiem Lake, XOI Zion 3, and XOI Zion 7. We stayed at all three of these!

Hostels: The One Hostel, Hanoi Backpackers Hostel, Luxury Backpackers

Days 7-8: Hanoi

Vietnam’s bustling capital of Hanoi has history dating back over 1,000 years. This makes it one of the world’s oldest capital cities!

In Hanoi you’ll find the charming and chaotic Old Quarter, tons of street food, historic sites, and stunning nature nearby, like Ninh Binh and Ha Long Bay.

Day 7: Explore Hanoi’s Old Quarter

Start your first day in Hanoi with coffee and breakfast at Hidden Gem Coffee. This cafe lives by the ethos of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” They use recycled materials to decorate the cafe and even to serve their food!

Next, head to the Old Quarter and French Quarter to explore. Similar to Ho Chi Minh City, much of Hanoi was heavily influenced by the French. Be sure to see the St. Joseph Cathedral, Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc Son Temple on the lake, and the Hanoi Opera House.

For lunch pop over to Nem Nướng Nha Trang Quế Hoa for spring rolls. We ate here 4+ times!

To learn more about the history of Hanoi, visit the Hoa Lo Prison Relic. Built by the French in 1896, this was used to house Vietnamese citizens who rebelled against French control. It was later used as a POW camp for US pilots during the Vietnam War. Much of the rhetoric about how the soldiers were treated is embellished, so take it with a grain of salt, but we still think it’s important to visit. 

Enjoy dinner at Cha Ca Thang Long. This is a great spot to try Cha Ca, which is catfish marinated in turmeric, galangal, fermented rice paste, and then topped with dill and other herbs. The fish is grilled right in front of you and is super tender and flavorful! 

Watch the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. Water puppetry originated in the rice paddies of the Red River Delta over 1,000 years ago. We were nervous this would be a tourist gimmick, but we were thoroughly impressed with the artistry of the puppet movements and the live music and singing. 

End the night with ice cream at Kem Tràng Tiền. It’s a refreshing and very affordable treat!

Day 8: Visit historic sites + see train street

For your final day in Hanoi, start with coffee at Tranquil Books & Coffee. This cafe is filled with bookshelves and has a nice outdoor seating area. There are seasonal and specialty drinks as well!

Enjoy a massive breakfast spread at Muối Tiêu – Salt n’ Pepper Kitchen. Our platter came with eggs, meat, potatoes, avocado, fruits, bread, tomato soup, and more. It was huge and SO good!

Visit the tranquil grounds of the Temple of Literature. Built in 1070 as a place to worship the Chinese philosopher Confucius, the temple is surrounded by red brick walls and has 5 different courtyards.

Spend the rest of the morning checking out other historic sites. A couple popular options are the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Have bun cha for lunch! This is one of the best dishes in Vietnam. We recommend going to Bun Cha Dac Kim or Bún chả Hương Liên or Bún Bò Nam Bộ Bách Phương!

Watch a train whip right by you at the Hanoi Train Street! This is a MUST DO in Hanoi. Check out our detailed post on Hanoi Train Street to learn where to go and what to expect. 

Enjoy dinner at Bún Bò Nam Bộ Bách Phương, which makes a delicious bowl of bun bo nam bo, a mix of rice noodles, meat, veggies, and peanuts, served with a fish sauce.

On your last night in Hanoi, go out for an evening on the town and experience Hanoi’s nightlife. Hanoi has a famous Beer Street where backpackers, tourists, and even locals sit in the tiny, colorful chairs, sipping super cheap Vietnamese beers. If that isn’t your scene, check out these bars and speakeasies: Kumquat Tree, Nê Boong-ke, or The Hanoi Social Club. 

If you’re in Hanoi on a weekend, you could instead hop around the Weekend Night Market. 

We have tons of Hanoi content to help you plan your trip! Our 3 days in Hanoi itinerary covers everything you need to know to visit Hanoi. Including the top sights, plus where to stay! We also have a guide with how to visit Hanoi Train Street, the 13 best coffee shops in Hanoi, and the best food in Hanoi.

Day 9-10: Ninh Binh

Known for its towering limestone peaks and gorgeous valleys, Ninh Binh (pronounced “ning bing”) has been given the name “Ha Long Bay on land.” This province in Northern Vietnam has a rich history and beautiful countryside that makes for a relaxing getaway in Vietnam. 

Here you can explore by bicycle or motorbike zipping through rice fields, check out temples, go for a boat ride, climb to viewpoints, and so much more!

Day 9: Take a Trang An boat tour

First, you need to get to Ninh Binh! It is easy to get to from Hanoi, with multiple train and van options, which take between 1.5-2.5 hours. We suggest taking the earliest option, so you have plenty of time to explore the rest of the day.

Once arriving, head over to Trang An to go on a boat tour. On your way in, have a quick lunch and coffee at Cafe Thực Giang, just a little bit down the road from the Trang An boat area. 

There are three different routes you can choose from for the boat tour, which are all around 2.5-3 hours long and feature a mix of temples and caves. We chose to do route #3, which had the least number of caves, but the longest of them all, at 1 km long. The scenery along the entire ride was jaw dropping!

After your ride, if you have enough time, visit the Hoa Lu Ancient Capital and see the views at Tuyet Tinh Coc. Or you can just relax at your accommodation for the rest of the day, which was one of our favorite things to do in Ninh Binh!

For dinner, either eat at your lodging (we did this a lot!) or head to Ngoc Linh Restaurant or Aroma Indian Restaurant (for non Vietnamese food).  

Where to stay in Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh is made up of multiple towns, including the actual town of Ninh Binh, plus Tam Coc and Trang An. Tam Coc and Trang An are the two most popular areas to stay in, as they are closer to attractions and have much more natural beauty.

Tam Coc

Tam Coc is the more convenient area to stay, but it is a lot busier than Trang An. You’ll be close to the action though! Tam Coc Holiday Hotel and Villa, Tam Coc Friendly Homestay, and Tam Coc Center Boutique Hotel are all good lodging options.

Trang An

Trang An Lamia is where we stayed and we absolutely LOVED it! We had a private bungalow with a comfortable bed (the comfiest in Vietnam!), a cool outdoor bathroom, and our own private dipping pool. The property feels like a giant garden! We ate most of our meals here and they were all very good!

A couple other options are HoangLong Riverside Homestay and An’s Eco Garden Resort

Day 10: Explore the Tam Coc area

Get an early start and head to Hang Mua! You will want to get here just after sunrise to beat the crowds. If you bike here, beware of the parking scams along the way to the Ecolodge, where the official parking is. People will try to stop you and tell you that you need to park before this for a fee, but it is NOT true. They can be aggressive, so just keep pedaling. 

If you have bikes, ride into Tam Coc from Hang Mua. We loved this ride! Once near town, grab coffee and cake at Brick Coffee Shop. This was one of our favorite coffee shops in Vietnam!

After you’re caffeinated, visit the Bich Dong Pagoda, which is a free temple complex located just west of Tam Coc. It consists of three pagodas, with a couple of them being partially or fully in a cave! 

Have lunch at Thao Béo Restaurant to try a local delicacy…goat meat! We loved their goat kebabs! If goat meat isn’t your thing, they have plenty of other options too.

It’s time to travel back to Hanoi! We suggest either taking the train or a van and you can see all of your options here.

Check out our guide to the top things to do in Ninh Binh. This guide covers even more things to do, plus scams you should look out for. We also have detailed guides to visiting the Mua Caves Viewpoint and riding the Trang An boat tour.

Day 11: Travel to Ha Giang

Today you’ll be traveling to the remote Ha Giang Province in northern Vietnam. The journey should take about 7-8 hours from Hanoi and the only way to get there is by bus or a van. You can see all of your options on 12Go!

While some people take a sleeper bus to Ha Giang from Hanoi, we personally would suggest a daytime van. The roads are windy and the driving can sometimes be a bit crazy, so we personally preferred doing the drive in the daylight. Plus, you won’t be super tired from a rough night of sleeping on the sleeper bus!

Once you’re in Ha Giang, spend the rest of the day walking around town. We enjoyed dinner at Phương Hạnh DONER KEBAB Bánh mỳ and a coffee at Lofita 247 Nguyen Thai Hoc. 

Where to stay in Ha Giang

There are many hostels and homestays in town. We stayed at Be’s Home in a private room, but some other choices include Sun Ha Giang Hotel, ​​Tí Lầu Homestay, Ha Giang Historic House, Palm Ha Giang Ecolodge, Odyssey Hostel, and Lucky House Villa & Hostel. 

Days 12-14: Ha Giang Loop

For your final 3 days in Vietnam you’re going to tackle the Ha Giang Loop! This is a roughly 350 km (217 mile) motorbike loop through some of the best scenery in Vietnam. It was our favorite thing we did in Vietnam!

Along the way you’ll have endless views of towering limestone peaks, ride a boat through the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia, visit small villages, waterfalls, and so much more!

This loop can be done by yourself, although not all countries’ drivers licenses are legal in Vietnam (read our guide about our top tips before traveling to Vietnam to learn more). However, regardless of your license, we highly recommend going with a guide!

We did a private tour with Ha Giang Road Trip, riding with easy riders (where we sat on the back), and it was the BEST! Instead of stressing about how to safely navigate the insanely mountainous and windy roads, we could just focus on the scenery and enjoy the ride. Our guides were also so much fun and made the experience even better!

While 4 days is the most ideal amount of time on the Ha Giang Loop, you can complete it in 3 days. At the end of the third day, you will be taken back to Hanoi by van. Make sure to book lodging in Hanoi for this night!

Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the Ha Giang Loop. This guide included frequently asked questions, our route suggestions, and so much more. You can also watch our nearly week long adventure on YouTube, check out Part 1 and Part 2. 

Save this 2 weeks in Vietnam itinerary for future planning!