Vietnam in 10 Days: Hanoi, Ha Long, Ninh Binh, Hue, Hoi An and Saigon

Ten days is the shortest honest answer to the question of how to see Vietnam from top to bottom. This route touches all three regions: Hanoi, the bay and the karst of the north, the imperial and ancient towns of the centre, and the big southern city. It does so by flying twice, not by crawling down the coast, and it accepts that every stop gets one or two nights.

Two things to settle before you go. First, geography: Vietnam is roughly 1,650 km long, and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are about 1,700 km apart by road or rail. North to south is a two-hour flight or more than thirty hours on the Reunification Express, never a day trip. Second, a common confusion: Hanoi is the capital, while Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the largest city and the commercial centre. Hue was the imperial capital until 1945 and is not the capital today. If the comparison matters to you, our piece on Hanoi versus Ho Chi Minh City explains how they differ in character.

What sets this page apart from the others: it covers north, centre and south but leaves out the Mekong Delta and the mountains. If you can find another four days, the two-week itinerary adds both.

The shape of the trip

Days	Stop	Nights
1	Hanoi	1
2	Ha Long Bay (overnight cruise)	1
3–4	Ninh Binh, then evening flight to Hue	1
4–5	Hue	2
6–7	Hoi An	2
8–9	Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)	2
10	Departure	–

The structure rests on two domestic flights: Hanoi to Hue (or to Da Nang, about the same 1 h 15) and Da Nang to Saigon. Our guide to domestic flights in Vietnam covers airlines, baggage and booking. The train is too slow for this calendar. The one exception is the Hue to Da Nang section of the Reunification Express, which hugs the coast and is worth taking for the view alone; the train travel guide explains berths and booking.

Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi

Noi Bai airport lies roughly 25–35 km north of the centre, so allow 45 to 70 minutes by road. Use a pre-booked transfer or a ride-hailing app such as Grab rather than haggling at the kerb.

Spend the afternoon on foot in Hanoi: Hoan Kiem Lake, then the Old Quarter, where each street historically traded a single craft. Our Old Quarter guide suggests a loop that avoids the worst of the traffic. Eat pho or bun cha, and finish with an egg coffee. Cross streets at a slow, steady pace and let the motorbikes flow around you.

Hanoi gets one night and one afternoon here, so choose carefully. Skip the museums and keep the evening unhurried.

Day 2: Hanoi to Ha Long Bay

Leave early for the coast, roughly 150–180 km east of Hanoi, a drive of about three hours or more depending on traffic. Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1994, extended in 2023 to the Cat Ba Archipelago), with limestone islets rising straight from jade-green water.

The efficient choice for ten days is a two-day, one-night format such as the overnight cruise from Hanoi: you board around midday, kayak or visit a cave in the afternoon, eat on deck and sleep on the water. The overnight cruise guide explains how to read a boat’s quality. A fuller picture of the area is on the Ha Long Bay destination page.

Weather matters. Typhoon risk runs roughly July to September, and the authorities can cancel sailings at short notice, so travel insurance and a flexible hotel in Hanoi are sensible. Winter is cool and grey, with mist that can hide the karst.

Day 3: Back to shore, on to Ninh Binh

Breakfast on board, a last paddle or a short visit, then disembark late morning. A road transfer takes you south to Ninh Binh, around 100 km below Hanoi, which usually means three to four hours with a stop. You arrive in the late afternoon, check in and rest.

If the cruise runs late or the sea is rough, treat this evening as the shock absorber of the trip. It is one of the few places in the plan where nothing is booked.

Day 4: Ninh Binh, then a flight south

Start early, because the afternoon is spoken for. The Ninh Binh landscape is rice paddies, karst towers and rivers. The Trang An Landscape Complex is a UNESCO site (2014); you travel by rowing boat through caves and between the hills. On a short trip the most compact way to see the surroundings is a half-day jeep tour with kayaking and lunch, which links the major viewpoints without wasted time.

By early afternoon, head back to Hanoi, roughly two hours by road, and fly to Hue on a late-afternoon or evening flight. Do not book a departure before 6 pm: the road, the airport check-in and an unplanned delay have all to be absorbed. If you prefer, Da Nang is an alternative arrival airport, about two hours from Hue by road. You land at Phu Bai, about 15 km from the centre of Hue, and reach the hotel by taxi or app.

This is the tightest day of the itinerary. If it worries you, drop the kayaking, take a shorter walk at Trang An, and keep a margin.

Day 5: Hue, the imperial city

Hue sits on the Perfume River and was the capital of the Nguyen emperors until 1945. The Complex of Hue Monuments is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1993), and the Imperial City inside the citadel is the centrepiece. Give it a morning: walls, gates, the Thai Hoa palace and the courtyards that were restored after the war.

In the afternoon choose between two tombs: Khai Dinh, a vivid mix of Vietnamese and European decoration, or Tu Duc, quieter and set among pines and a lake. Minh Mang is the third of the big three, further out. If you only have time for one, take Khai Dinh for its drama. The Thien Mu Pagoda, on a bluff above the river, suits the late afternoon. The slow way to see these is a river trip, such as a half-day boat trip on the Perfume River with a stop at the pagoda.

Hue cooking is spicier than the north’s, and it is the right place for bun bo Hue and banh beo. Plan an early night; tomorrow is a long day on the road. More on the city is on our Hue page.

Day 6: Hue to Hoi An over the Hai Van Pass

There are two good ways to reach Hoi An, roughly 120 km away.

1. By road over the Hai Van Pass. The road climbs between Hue and Da Nang with sea views on both sides. Go with a private car or a driver who stops at the viewpoints; the Hai Van Pass tours describe the options.
2. By train for the coastal section. The Hue to Da Nang leg of the Reunification Express is the scenic one. The ride takes about three hours; transfer from Da Nang station to Hoi An by taxi, roughly 45 minutes.

Either way, aim to reach Hoi An by mid-afternoon. The Ancient Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1999): wooden merchant houses, the Japanese Covered Bridge, tailors and, at night, lanterns reflected in the river. The old town fills with day-trippers around noon; wander it again after dark when it softens.

Day 7: Hoi An at a slower pace

This is your only rest day. Hoi An rewards unstructured time. A suggested rhythm:

• Morning: a bicycle ride through the paddies to An Bang beach, or a swim there.
• Midday: lunch with cao lau and mi quang, noodle dishes tied to this town and its region.
• Afternoon: the tailor. Order early in the stay, because most shops need at least a couple of fittings over two or three days. Allow time and bring a clear idea of what you want.
• Evening: a round of the lanterns and a quiet drink by the river.

For one hands-on experience, a basket boat ride in the coconut-palm creeks near town is a short, playful outing that suits all ages.

My Son Sanctuary, about 40 km inland, is a Cham Hindu temple site (UNESCO, 1999). It is Cham, not Khmer, and it makes a good half-day if you prefer ruins to the beach, though it does not fit this schedule easily.

Day 8: Fly south to Saigon

Take a late-morning transfer to Da Nang airport, about 45 minutes from Hoi An, and fly to Ho Chi Minh City, roughly an hour and a half in the air. The country changes with the flight: the south has no winter, only a dry and a wet season, and a different tempo, louder and faster than Hanoi.

Tan Son Nhat airport is unusually close to the centre, about 7 km, so you are in the hotel within 20 to 45 minutes. District 1 is the practical base. After checking in, walk Nguyen Hue walking street, look at the Central Post Office and the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica (under long-running restoration, so expect scaffolding), and have a first ca phe sua da.

Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City

One full day in Ho Chi Minh City. A sensible sequence:

1. Morning: the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum, which is blunt and can be heavy, so pace yourself.
2. Midday: Ben Thanh Market for lunch and shopping. Bargain politely and keep your phone zipped away; bag and phone snatching from passing motorbikes is the typical risk in this city.
3. Afternoon: Cholon, the Chinese quarter, with its temples and herbal shops.
4. Evening: a ride to a rooftop bar, or dinner on a street with broken-rice dishes and banh xeo.

Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien) opened in December 2024 and is a useful way to see a different part of town. Otherwise, use Grab, Be or Xanh SM.

If you would rather spend this day outside the city, the Cu Chi Tunnels lie about 60 to 70 km north-west, but they take a half day and replace the museums.

Day 10: Departure

Plan the flight home from Tan Son Nhat for the afternoon or evening, which lets you leave a final hour for coffee or a last market. The airport is close, but traffic can stretch the journey, so leave a buffer. No airport in Vietnam has a rail or metro link, so you travel by road.

Practical notes

When to go. There is no single best season for Vietnam. February to April suits most of this route at once. The north is best in autumn, the centre in spring and summer, and the south in the dry season from roughly December to April. October and November bring typhoon and flood risk to the centre, which affects Hue and Hoi An directly. Check the best time to visit Vietnam before fixing dates.

Entry. Rules depend on your nationality and change. Vietnam issues an e-visa valid up to 90 days to many nationalities and gives short visa exemptions to others. Check the official immigration portal or your government’s advice, and see our visa guide for the steps.

Money. The currency is the Vietnamese dong. In 2026, expect roughly 28,000 VND to 1 EUR and 26,000 VND to 1 USD. Carry cash for street food, markets and small cafés; hotels, cruises and larger restaurants take cards.

Water and weather. Tap water is not drinkable anywhere in Vietnam, so drink bottled or filtered water. Pack for a cool, damp Hanoi in winter and for heat in the south.

Tet. The lunar new year falls between late January and mid-February on a different date each year. Many businesses close for several days and transport is fully booked, so avoid this period for a tight itinerary like this one.

Vietnam in 10 days: questions

Is 10 days enough for Vietnam?

It is enough for a good first look at all three regions, not for depth. You get one or two nights per stop and no spare day, so any delay, such as a typhoon or a missed flight, is felt immediately.

Should I take the train between Hanoi and Saigon?

Not for the whole way. The Reunification Express takes more than thirty hours end to end, which would swallow a third of this trip. Take it only for the scenic coastal section between Hue and Da Nang.

Which cities are the capital and the largest city?

Hanoi is the capital. Ho Chi Minh City, still widely called Saigon, is the largest city and the economic centre. Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty until 1945.

What is the best time of year for this itinerary?

There is no single best month for the whole country. February to April works for most of the route at once. In autumn the north is at its best but the centre is in typhoon and flood season.

Do I need to book the domestic flights in advance?

Yes, book them as soon as your dates are fixed, especially around Tet and school holidays when flights fill up and prices rise. Hanoi to Hue takes about 1 h 15, and Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City about an hour and a half.

Is the Ha Long Bay cruise worth the time on such a short trip?

Yes, an overnight cruise is the most atmospheric way to see the bay, but it costs you most of two days. If you are short on time, a long day trip is the compromise, though you spend more hours on the road than on the water.

Where does this itinerary skip the Mekong Delta?

It does not include the Mekong Delta or the northern mountains such as Sapa and Ha Giang. Those need extra days, and the longer itineraries add them.