Vietnam Backpacking Guide: A North-South Route on a Budget

Vietnam suits a backpack better than almost any country in Southeast Asia. It is long and thin, a single main corridor runs down the coast, and cheap, frequent transport links nearly every town a traveller wants to see. The catch is the length. From the Chinese border to the Mekong Delta the country stretches roughly 1,650 km, and the two big cities, Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south, are about 1,700 km apart by road or rail. This page gives you the skeleton of a north-south route and the logic of the cheap ways to move along it.

The shape of a north-south backpacking route

Think in stages, not in a list of dream stops. A backpacker who tries to see everything in a fortnight spends the trip on night buses. Instead, pick one base per region and let the side trips come to you.

Stage	Base	Typical stay	What it is for
North	Hanoi	2–3 nights	Old Quarter, street food, the capital’s museums
North, optional	Ninh Binh, Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay, or the mountains	2–4 nights	Karst scenery, a bay, or Sapa and the Ha Giang loop
Centre	Hue	1–2 nights	Imperial City, royal tombs
Centre	Hoi An and Da Nang	3–5 nights	Old town, beaches, My Son, Hai Van Pass
South-central	Nha Trang, Quy Nhon or Da Lat	2–3 nights	Beach or cool highlands
South	Ho Chi Minh City	2–3 nights	District 1, Cu Chi, Cholon
South, optional	Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc	2–4 nights	Waterways, floating market, islands

A route in this order is friendly to the transport network, because you move steadily in one direction and never backtrack. If you prefer to start in the south, simply reverse it; the logic is identical. For a ready-made version of the central spine, see the Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City by train itinerary, and for a sense of how many days each stage deserves, read how many days in Vietnam.

Why you never plan north-south in a day

The most common planning mistake is treating Vietnam as small. It is not. Going from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is a domestic flight of about two hours, or more than thirty hours on the Reunification Express. There is no sensible road option for a single day. Even the sections between regions are real journeys: Hanoi to Hue is a long night, and Hue to Hoi An is a half-day.

The practical consequence is simple. Cut the country into legs of three to twelve hours, put an overnight on the longer ones, and only fly when the calendar is the problem. A flight for the biggest gaps, with trains and buses for the shorter hops, is the usual compromise of a backpacker who has three weeks rather than three months.

The four cheap ways to move

The Reunification Express

The railway runs down the coast through Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Saigon. The whole trip is more than thirty hours with sleeper berths, so almost nobody does it in one go. The sensible approach is to take the legs where the train really beats the alternatives: overnight sleepers that save a bed, and the Hue to Da Nang section over the coast, which is the scenic one. Our guide to train travel in Vietnam covers classes and booking, and the Reunification Express review is a candid account of what the carriages are actually like. Sleepers sell out around holidays, so book ahead when you can.

Sleeper buses

Sleeper buses have reclining berths in rows, and they are the backbone of backpacker transport, particularly on the long coastal legs and the routes the train does not serve. They are cheap and frequent, but the berths are built for smaller frames and the ride is not always smooth. Keep your valuables on you, not in the luggage hold. Our sleeper bus guide goes into operators, seat choices and what to expect at the rest stops.

Limousine minibuses

For medium distances, the so-called limousine is a comfortable minibus with fewer seats and, often, a hotel pickup. It is quicker than a big bus on routes such as Hanoi to Ninh Binh or Ha Long, and it is a good fit when you want a daytime ride rather than an overnight. Many use them for the road to Sapa, a destination also reached by night train to Lao Cai.

Domestic flights

When time is short, fly. Hanoi to Da Nang or Hue is about 1 h 15, and Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City about two hours. Several carriers compete, so fares can be low if you book early, but watch the baggage allowance. Remember that no airport has a rail or metro link: you reach the city by road. The airports are close to some cities and far from others: Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City is about 7 km from the centre, while Noi Bai in Hanoi is roughly 25–35 km out. Read more in domestic flights in Vietnam.

Getting around inside the cities

Most travellers use ride-hailing apps such as Grab, Be and Xanh SM for cars and for motorbike taxis, the xe om. A fixed fare on the screen protects you from the haggling that comes with street taxis. Cyclos are a sightseeing ride, and you negotiate the price and route before you climb in. The public side is improving: Ho Chi Minh City’s Metro Line 1 between Ben Thanh and Suoi Tien opened in December 2024, and Hanoi has a small metro. For a closer look, see Grab and taxis in Vietnam.

Cash, cards and the dong

Vietnam is still a cash country at the bottom of the price range, and that is where backpackers eat. Street food stalls, markets, small cafés and local buses want notes. Hotels, cruises, tours and larger restaurants accept cards.

• The currency is the Vietnamese dong, quoted in large numbers; in mid-2026 it is roughly 28,000 VND to 1 EUR and 26,000 VND to 1 USD, so always check the current rate.
• The US dollar is not legal tender. You can sometimes use it to settle large bills, but the right habit is to carry dong.
• Withdraw at bank ATMs inside or beside branches and keep small notes for markets and bus fares.

Our money in Vietnam page explains fees, cards and exchange in more detail, and the budget guide helps you work out a daily figure from current prices instead of guesses.

Eating well for very little

Backpacking in Vietnam is a food trip as much as a scenery trip. The country changes plate by plate as you travel: pho, bun cha and egg coffee in the north, the spicier imperial cooking of Hue with bun bo Hue and banh beo, Hoi An’s cao lau and mi quang, then com tam, banh xeo and ca phe sua da in the south. Banh mi and bia hoi turn up everywhere.

The cheapest strategy is to eat where locals eat: a busy stall with a short menu and fast turnover. A guided evening can make the first days easier if you are nervous about where to start. In Hanoi, a private street food tour is a good way to learn the dishes and the etiquette, and you can book one through a guided walk through Hanoi’s street food. In the south, a scooter food tour across Ho Chi Minh City covers more ground than you would on foot.

Remember that tap water is not drinkable anywhere in Vietnam. Order bottled water, accept the ice that comes in cafés and restaurants of a reasonable standard, and refill a filter bottle at your hostel.

Staying safe on a small budget

Violent crime is rare. The real risks are mundane and mostly avoidable:

• Traffic. Vietnam drives on the right and the roads are dominated by motorbikes. Cross at a steady, predictable pace and let the flow part around you.
• Snatching. In Ho Chi Minh City, bags and phones are grabbed from passing motorbikes. Keep your phone away from the road side and carry your bag across the body.
• Overcharging. The most frequent annoyance at tourist hubs is being asked for several times the right price. Check menus, agree fares in advance and use metered or app-based rides. Our guide to scams to avoid in Vietnam lists the usual patterns.
• Heat and weather. Hot, humid months wear you down, and the typhoon risk in the north and centre is real. Read the rainy season and typhoons before fixing dates.

The motorbike question

Renting a motorbike is the classic backpacker temptation, especially on the Hai Van Pass or the northern loops. Be honest about the risk. Riding without the right licence is a common reason insurers refuse a claim, and a crash without cover can be financially ruinous in a country where private hospital care can be expensive for foreigners.

Check what category your home licence is, what your insurer actually says about motorbikes, and whether you have real riding experience. If any of those are doubtful, ride pillion with a local rider; on the Ha Giang loop, most visitors do exactly this with an easy rider. The renting a motorbike guide goes through paperwork, checks and what to do after an accident.

Entry, SIM and the paperwork

Entry rules depend on your nationality and change from time to time. Vietnam issues an e-visa valid for up to 90 days to a broad list of nationalities and grants short visa exemptions to some countries. Never rely on a blog for your own situation: confirm it on the official immigration portal or in your government’s travel advice, and read the Vietnam visa guide for how the process works. A local eSIM or SIM makes ride-hailing, maps and train bookings far easier; see eSIM and SIM cards in Vietnam.

Choosing your season, region by region

There is no single best time for the whole country because the three regions have different weather. Roughly February to April works for most places at once. The north is best in autumn, October and November, when the rice terraces turn golden around September and October. The centre is dry and hot from about February to August, with typhoons and floods most likely in October and November. The south has two seasons, a dry spell from December to April and a wet one from May to November, usually as short afternoon downpours. If you are doing the whole length, aim for the shoulder window and accept compromises. The best time to visit Vietnam guide shows the trade-offs in more detail.

Tet, the lunar new year, falls between late January and mid-February and moves every year. Many businesses close, transport is fully booked and prices climb, so avoid planning a tight backpacker route across that week.

A three-week skeleton you can copy

1. Hanoi (3 nights). Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem, a food evening. Add a day trip to Ninh Binh or a cruise to Lan Ha Bay if the weather allows.
2. North extension (3–4 nights, optional). Sapa and its terraces or the Ha Giang loop with an easy rider, or a quieter valley such as Mai Chau. A single day out of the capital to Mai Chau is available as an organised day in the Mai Chau valley.
3. Overnight to Hue (2 nights). The Imperial City, royal tombs and the Perfume River.
4. Hai Van Pass to Da Nang and Hoi An (4–5 nights). The coast road, beach days, the old town, My Son and the surrounding countryside by bicycle, for instance on a guided countryside bike tour.
5. South-central coast or Da Lat (2–3 nights). Beach in Nha Trang or Quy Nhon, or the cool air of the highlands at about 1,500 m.
6. Ho Chi Minh City (3 nights). District 1, the museums, Cu Chi and Cholon.
7. Mekong Delta (2–3 nights). Can Tho and its dawn floating market, then onward to Cambodia or home. Travellers continuing west should see Vietnam to Cambodia overland.

Other pages cover the style of travel rather than the route. For going alone, read the solo travel guide; for a pair, Vietnam for couples; for older travellers, Vietnam for seniors; for hard physical adventure, Vietnam adventure travel; and for a gang of friends, group travel with friends. More cost-saving ideas are collected in Vietnam on a budget tips.

Backpacking Vietnam: your questions answered

How long does it take to backpack Vietnam from north to south?

Allow at least three weeks for an unhurried route with one or two stops per region, and a month if you want mountains, the central coast and the Mekong Delta. Two weeks is possible but means long transport days and a flight or two.

Is the Reunification Express worth it for a backpacker?

Yes, in sections. The full Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City run takes more than thirty hours, so most travellers ride one or two legs, such as Hue to Da Nang for the coastal scenery or an overnight sleeper berth to save a night’s accommodation.

Do I need cash in Vietnam, or are cards enough?

Carry cash. Street food, markets, small cafés and many local buses are cash only, while hotels, cruises, tours and larger restaurants take cards. The currency is the Vietnamese dong; US dollars are not legal tender, so change money into dong.

Can I rent a motorbike with my home driving licence?

Not safely. Riding without the right licence for Vietnam frequently voids travel insurance, so a crash can leave you paying hospital bills yourself. Check your licence category and your insurer’s wording before renting, or ride pillion with a local rider.

Is tap water safe to drink in Vietnam?

No. Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in Vietnam. Buy bottled water, use hostel refill stations, or carry a filter bottle to cut down on plastic.

What are the common scams backpackers should watch for?

Overcharging is the main one: unmetered taxis, cyclos priced after the ride, inflated menus at tourist hubs and fake or tampered meters. Agree the price first, use a ride-hailing app with a fixed fare, and check the bill.

When is the best time to backpack the whole country?

There is no single best season because the north, centre and south follow different patterns. Roughly February to April works for most of the country at once, while autumn suits the north and the dry season suits the south.