Vietnam and Cambodia in Three Weeks: A 21-Day Itinerary

How this route works

Three weeks is enough to see Vietnam as a country rather than a single city. The shape is a long arc from north to south, and the distances dictate the method. Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is not a day trip: it is a domestic flight of about two hours, or more than thirty hours on the Reunification Express. This plan therefore flies between the big stops and uses road, boat and short hops for the rest. Read our guide to domestic flights in Vietnam before booking.

Cambodia is kept deliberately light here. We document Vietnam in detail, so the Cambodian leg is a hand-off, not a day-by-day plan. The Mekong Delta is the hinge: it is where the Vietnamese section ends and where an overland link begins.

Pace is moderate, with a rest day in each region. If you can only stay two weeks, use Vietnam in two weeks instead, and see how many days in Vietnam to judge what fits.

Block	Days	Base
North	1–7	Hanoi, Ha Long Bay
Centre	8–15	Hue, Hoi An
South	16–21	Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta

Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. Noi Bai airport lies 25 to 35 km north of the centre, so allow 45 to 70 minutes by road. Check in around the Old Quarter, take a short walk to Hoan Kiem Lake and keep the evening light. Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in the country, so buy bottled water on arrival.

Day 2: The Old Quarter and the French Quarter

Walk the Old Quarter’s trade streets, eat pho or bun cha at lunch and cross to the French Quarter and its Opera House in the afternoon. Our Hanoi Old Quarter guide maps it street by street. Try an egg coffee in the evening.

Day 3: Ba Dinh and the Temple of Literature

Visit Ba Dinh, with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a UNESCO site since 2010. Spend the afternoon at the Temple of Literature, founded in 1070. Train Street access is restricted and periodically closed by the authorities, so do not build a day around it; see what to know about Hanoi’s Train Street.

Day 4: Craft villages or a slow day

Choose between a half day at the craft villages around the city, such as Bat Trang, or a lazy day around West Lake. This is a buffer for jet lag and weather.

Day 5: Ha Long Bay, first day

Head east by road, roughly 150 to 180 km. Ha Long Bay is UNESCO-listed (1994, extended in 2023 to the Cat Ba Archipelago). An overnight stay on the water is the best way to see it, for example a two-day Ha Long Bay cruise from Hanoi, which gives you sunset and sunrise among the karst. Our overnight cruise guide explains how to choose. Typhoons are a risk roughly from July to September and can cancel sailings.

Day 6: Ha Long Bay and back to Hanoi

Spend the morning on the bay, then return to Hanoi by road in the afternoon. Keep the evening free. If you would rather not organise the road transfers and the boat yourself, a two-day cruise on the bay departing from Hanoi bundles them into one booking.

Day 7: Fly to Hue

Fly from Hanoi to Hue, about 1 h 15. Phu Bai airport serves the city. Remember that Hue is not the capital: it was the imperial capital until 1945. Settle in and walk along the Perfume River at dusk.

Day 8: The Imperial City

Spend the day in the Complex of Hue Monuments (UNESCO, 1993), starting with the Imperial City inside the citadel. Go early for the heat. Our Hue Imperial City guide covers what to prioritise. Try bun bo Hue and banh beo for lunch.

Day 9: Royal tombs and the Perfume River

Visit the tombs of Tu Duc, Minh Mang and Khai Dinh, then the Thien Mu Pagoda. A half-day boat trip on the Perfume River is a calm way to link the sites.

Day 10: Hai Van Pass to Hoi An

Travel south over the Hai Van Pass between Hue and Da Nang, continuing to Hoi An. See Hai Van Pass tours for options. If you prefer rail, the Hue to Da Nang section of the Reunification Express is the scenic stretch of the whole line.

Day 11: Hoi An Ancient Town

Hoi An Ancient Town is UNESCO-listed (1999). Walk the Japanese Covered Bridge, the lantern-lit lanes and the tailors’ shops. Decide your tailoring order on the first day so fittings are done before you leave. Planning details are in our Hoi An destination page.

Day 12: Basket boats and An Bang

Spend the morning on a coconut-palm water channel with a Hoi An basket boat tour, then take the afternoon at An Bang beach. The centre is hot and mostly dry from roughly February to August, with rains from about September.

Day 13: My Son Sanctuary

Visit My Son, a Cham Hindu temple complex roughly 40 km inland, UNESCO-listed in 1999. It is Cham, not Khmer. Start early and be back in town by lunch. Our My Son Sanctuary guide explains the layout.

Day 14: Free day in Hoi An

Rest, cycle, take a cooking class or visit the Cham Islands. This is the buffer day of the central block.

Day 15: Fly to Ho Chi Minh City

Transfer to Da Nang airport, about 45 minutes from Hoi An, and fly south. Tan Son Nhat airport is unusually close to the centre, about 7 km, so you will be in District 1 quickly. Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city, still widely called Saigon, but it is not the capital.

Day 16: District 1

Walk the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the Central Post Office and the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, which is under long-running restoration. Have lunch at Ben Thanh Market. In the evening, a Saigon River dinner cruise is an easy way to see the skyline. For orientation, read Ho Chi Minh City districts explained.

Day 17: Cu Chi Tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels lie roughly 60 to 70 km north-west of the city, at Ben Dinh (busier) and Ben Duoc (quieter). Choose Ben Duoc if you want fewer crowds; see Cu Chi Tunnels tours. Return for a rest before dinner. Watch your phone and bag near the road, as snatching from motorbikes is the main petty-crime risk in the city.

Day 18: Into the Mekong Delta

Leave early for the delta, which is not the same as Mui Ne, the dunes about 200 km north-east on the coast. Visit My Tho or Ben Tre, about 70 km from the city, for canals and orchards, then continue to Can Tho, about 170 km away. Our Mekong Delta destination page covers the options. If you would rather have the transfers, hotel and boat stops arranged for you, a two-day Mekong Delta and floating market tour with a hotel stay fits this stretch of the route.

Day 19: Cai Rang floating market

The Cai Rang floating market trades at dawn, at Can Tho, not My Tho. Go on a small boat at first light, then return for breakfast and a quiet afternoon. More detail is in Can Tho floating market tours.

Day 20: Chau Doc

Continue to Chau Doc, near the Cambodian border, by road or boat. Use the afternoon to walk its riverside and markets. This is the last night in Vietnam. If you prefer to reach Chau Doc on an organised route from Ho Chi Minh City, a three-day delta tour that ends at Chau Doc follows the same direction of travel.

Day 21: Towards Cambodia

Chau Doc is the plausible point of exit for an overland link. Confirm current transport options locally, and check the official immigration portal or your government’s travel advice for the visa position before you leave. Our Vietnam to Cambodia overland guide explains how crossings work in general terms, and the Vietnam visa guide covers the Vietnamese side. No rule is stated here for any nationality, because they change.

Practical notes

• Money: the Vietnamese dong is quoted in large numbers, roughly 28,000 VND to 1 EUR in 2026. Carry cash for street food and markets.
• Season: see the best time to visit Vietnam before fixing dates. Tet falls between late January and mid-February and varies each year.
• Getting around: ride-hailing apps such as Grab are the simplest way to move in cities.

Questions about Vietnam and Cambodia in three weeks

Can I cover all of Vietnam and Cambodia in three weeks?

Not comfortably. This plan gives Vietnam the bulk of the time and treats Cambodia as an extension reached from the Mekong Delta. Trying to fit more would turn the trip into a series of transfers.

Is Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City a day trip?

No. The two cities are roughly 1,100 to 1,150 km apart in a straight line. A domestic flight takes about two hours, and the Reunification Express takes more than thirty hours.

Is Hue the capital of Vietnam?

No. Hanoi is the capital. Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty until 1945 and is a heritage city today.

Where is the Cai Rang floating market?

At Can Tho, not My Tho. It trades at dawn, so plan an early boat departure from Can Tho.

How do I get from Vietnam to Cambodia?

Chau Doc, in the Mekong Delta near the border, is the plausible exit point for an overland link. Routes and operators change, so confirm current options locally before you go.

Do I need a visa for Cambodia?

Rules depend on your nationality and change. Check the official immigration portal of the country concerned, or your own government’s travel advice, before booking.

What is the best season for this route?

February to April works for most of the country at once. Outside that window, the north is best in autumn, the centre in spring and summer, and the south in the dry season from December to April.