Three weeks is the perfect amount of time to spend traveling through northern and central Vietnam but you’ll need longer if you want to see the whole country. We know because it took us 3 weeks to see Hanoi, Sapa, Halong Bay, Ninh Binh, Phong Nha, Hue and Hoi An in October 2018. It was an amazing part of our 18 month honeymoon around the world, but we were definitely ready to leave when our tourist visa ran out.
In this guide we’re going to show you the 3 week itinerary we’d plan through the north and center of Vietnam if it were our first time again, based on our experiences and what we learned.
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Our Experience
It was early 2018 when we were planning our year and a half global adventure that it became clear we wanted to spend a bit longer traveling in Vietnam. Back then a tourist visa only lasted 30 days (it’s 90 days for you today!) so we had to plan our itinerary carefully. After working for a week in Hanoi we started in the north and worked our way through central Vietnam until our visa expired.
Instead of booking everything in advance, we traveled flexibly so we could stay as long as we wanted in each place, and we’re glad we did it that way because we enjoyed some places more than others. In the end we didn’t make it past Hoi An, which was a shame because we wanted to see the south but at the same time we were more than ready to move on to a new country. Read more about us.
Is 3 Weeks Enough Time For North And Central Vietnam?
How do you determine when you’ve spent enough time in a new country? When you start getting bored? When you can’t cope with a totally different culture anymore and crave familiarity? The answers depend on each individual and how they prefer to travel.
That said, we believe 3 weeks is the sweet spot to experience northern and central Vietnam’s landscapes, activities and tourist destinations in a concise manner but without rushing it. If you’re still enjoying the trip, stay for another week or 10 days to see the south.
Why were we ready to leave at the end? Well, in our experience, Vietnam wasn’t the easiest place to travel through. Getting around was a nightmare and the country definitely wasn’t set up for tourism like nearby Thailand. Also, there were scammers everywhere trying to fleece us and we even had money stolen from one of our hotels, which hasn’t happened anywhere else in the world since.
Like we said, we’re so glad we saw the country and we loved it for the most part, but a month was enough for us (including our week working in Hanoi). To be fair, we were traveling on a tight budget back then, so we might have had a better time if we stayed in nicer hotels and took flights rather than sleeper buses. But we still think it would have been ample time!
Tip: If you’re not sure about staying for so long, take a look through our 10 day itinerary ideas for northern and central Vietnam to see if they’re a better fit for your travel style.
Itinerary Map
Look at the map we created above to see where we would spend each day, along with travel days between places. It differs slightly from the route we took because we made a few mistakes but we’ll point them out and explain what you should do instead.
This itinerary is aimed at those who want to see the best bits and highlights of each place before moving straight onto the next place. There are no chill days or sit around and soak it up days. Nor are there hangover days factored in, so go easy on beer street!
It begins in Hanoi and ends at Da Nang airport after leaving Hoi An 3 weeks later. We’re writing it from our experience but with tips and changes based on how we’d do it differently, so you don’t make the same mistakes we did!
Days 1-2: Hanoi
We began our Vietnam adventure in chaotic and vibrant Hanoi. The capital city was frantic and fast paced, making it the perfect place to dive into the culture shock deep end. Follow our 2 day Hanoi itinerary to make sure you see and do everything, but here’s a summary:
Day 1 – We spent the first day visiting Hanoi’s Old and French Quarters, along with Hoa Lo prison and the infamous train street.
Day 2 – Our second day was all about exploration. We put on a comfy pair of shoes and walked the city to discover its further out tourist attractions like Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and Tran Quoc Pagoda.
We’d already spent a full week working in Hanoi before we started exploring properly as tourists for the next 2 days. And while we enjoyed it there, we definitely preferred other places in Vietnam. That’s why we think 2 days is easily enough time to spend in Hanoi, so see it quickly and start making tracks to your next destination: Sapa.
Day 3: Hanoi To Sapa
We started the day early with a Sapa bound semi-sleeper bus. You can book online with either 12Go Asia or Baolau and it usually costs around US $12/person one-way but you can also book a return ticket. We booked the Sapa Express through 12Go Asia and it left Hanoi at 7:30am from the northwest side of Hoam Kiem Lake.
The bus journey took around 6 hours, the last hour of which was rough vomit-inducing going as it meandered up into the mountains near the Chinese border. Those paper throw-up bags were in real danger!
Our bus arrived at 1:30pm to a flock of locals trying to get us to book trekking tours the second we stepped off the bus. We wanted to do a tour, but we wanted to shop around first. So we checked into our hotel and went straight to Le Gecko Cafe for lunch, which was fantastic.
The whole town was blanketed in dense clouds so we took a slow walk around town, booked our trekking tour (here’s some trekking tour options you can book online) and went out for dinner. But if the weather is good when you arrive, we recommend walking down to Cat Cat Village in the afternoon.
Note: It’s not worth taking the train from Hanoi to Sapa because it takes just as long and it has a changein Lao Cai to a bus anyway.
Days 4-6: Sapa
We planned for 3 days in Sapa because weather conditions up in the mountains are extremely changeable. We knew 2 days would be eaten up by the trekking tour and we also wanted to do Fansipan, so we gave ourselves the extra day for fudge room. It worked out because we spent our first morning in Cat Cat Village after the clouds had burned off.
Here’s how we spent our time in Sapa:
Day 4 – We explored Cat Cat Village for a few hours before going to Sun World Plaza at 12:00pm to take the funicular and cable car up to Fansipan Peak, the tallest mountain in Vietnam. The cable car was eerie but awesome because it passed high over rice terraces and into thick clouds. But the summit was even better, so we highly recommend doing Fansipan.
Day 5 – We were picked up by our trekking guide at 9:00am and we set off into the hills. It took around 6-7 hours of walking through beautiful scenery to reach the homestay. The weather wasn’t great and the rice terraces were flooded but it was still a great learning experience.
Day 6 – After sleeping in the homestay with a local H’mong guide, we set off for another 6-7 hours of similar walking. Later that day we were picked up by minibus 10km from town and transported back to our hotel. Here’s our guide on what it’s like to trek in Sapa to learn more.
At this point you could take a bus back to Hanoi in the evening. It would mean arriving late into Hanoi and being up early for another bus to Halong Bay but it would save a day if you’re really pushed for time. Just note that you’d have to already have booked a Halong Bay tour online before arriving into Hanoi.
Day 7: Sapa To Hanoi
This is a bit of a transition day with a 6 hour bus journey back to Hanoi, so it’s up to you to decide how to spend it. There are other things to see around Sapa or if you missed anything in Hanoi, this is your chance to tick it off.
If you haven’t already booked a Halong Bay cruise, you can also spend time negotiating in person with travel agencies once you get back into Hanoi. Most tours originate in Hanoi and offer return transport.
Bear in mind you can also visit Halong Bay and Cat Ba independently without a tour. Here’s our transport guide on the different options for traveling between Hanoi and Halong Bay to learn more.
Okay, what about us? What did we do on day 7? Well, we decided it would be more efficient to take an overnight sleeper bus from Sapa straight to Halong Bay after our second day trekking. And while it definitely was more efficient, it was also a truly awful experience.
The bus set off late, it took way longer than it was supposed to, it was far too busy and we got dumped off at 2:30am in Ha Long city (not Halong Bay) on a random street outside a hotel. So we paid for the hotel, got up the next morning, took a taxi to Halong Bay and checked into a nice hotel for a bit of respite. Read more about our Vietnam sleeper bus experiences to see if you’re up for it.
Day 8: Hanoi To Halong Bay
Most tours to Halong Bay depart Hanoi at around 9:00am. The bus takes 2-3 hours to arrive depending on whether it takes the new highway with tolls or the old road. Then your cruise departs at 1:00pm and first on the agenda is lunch.
Do your research about which activities are included in each tour package for Halong Bay. Most are very similar but there are sometimes subtle differences. In general, after sailing out into the bay and cutting through those famous limestone karsts, you’ll kayak, check out an oyster farm and swim.
Also bear in mind you can book one night, two nights or three nights in the bay. If you’ve got the money and you want to relax, there’s no harm staying longer. But we were absolutely content with just doing the one night.
We ended up having a work day in Halong Bay because our cruise was booked for the next day. In hindsight we’d have gone back to Hanoi after Sapa and then started our cruise tour from Hanoi. We paid for the bus journey from Hanoi to Halong Bay but didn’t use it.
Day 9: Halong Bay To Tam Coc
We enjoyed the Halong Bay cruise, but it wasn’t as good as we expected, especially after paying a lot for it (comparatively speaking for Vietnam). Our favorite part was meeting other travelers from around the world, relaxing with drinks on the top deck, making Vietnamese food and then partying all night with karaoke.
We missed Tai Chi at 6:00am for sunrise with the captain, which was a real shame. But after breakfast, our group all went out exploring a cave. At the end of the tour we had a bus back to Hanoi that was paid for as part of the overall price. But we skipped it and instead booked a bus straight from Halong Bay to Tam Coc in Ninh Binh Province.
You can ask crew members on the cruise to arrange bus tickets for you to travel to Tam Coc after the cruise arrives back into the port if you haven’t already booked it.
The bus left 2 hours late and it took around 4 hours to reach Tam Coc. We wanted to sleep but couldn’t because the driver thought he was driving a formula 1 car and it was terrifying. Once we arrived into Tam Coc there wasn’t much time to explore, so we went to Chookies for a chilled atmosphere and a fantastic pizza.
Days 10-11: Tam Coc
We really liked Tam Coc, it was one of our favorite stops in Vietnam. It was a tiny place with lovely countryside and three excellent tourist attractions. And because it was so rural, it was the first place we decided to ride a motorbike to get around.
We think 2 days in Ninh Binh (Tam Coc) is enough time to see the highlights before moving on, but it’s a peaceful and relaxing place so this is the spot to add in a chill day if you want or need one.
Here’s how we spent 2 full days in the area:
Day 10 – We had a slow morning because it was finally quiet, then we rented bicycles from our homestay and rode to Bich Dong Pagoda which was a temple built into a cave with lovely grounds and a hidden area not many know about. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon cycling around the countryside before ending at Chookies again.
Day 11 – We rented a motorbike from the hotel and went to Trang An boat tour after breakfast. It was well worth doing, so don’t miss it. Then on the way back to town we stopped at Mua Cave Viewpoint and climbed up a stone staircase to a stunning overlook. The scammers were out in full force but it was still definitely worth doing.
Days 12-14: Phong Nha
Phong Nha was another place we loved visiting, but it was not easy to get to. From Tam Coc, we took a hideous overnight sleeper bus which took around 7 hours and arrived into Phong Nha at 3:00am. As part of the price we could sleep a few more hours in a hostel but it was barely habitable.
Note: You could instead stay an extra night in Tam Coc, then the next morning taxi to Ninh Binh, take a train to Dong Hoi and then a minbus or taxi to Phong Nha. But that’s, well, that’s just a lot.
Why visit Phong Nha if it’s such a pain logistically? Because it’s serene, tranquil and home to some of the biggest caves on the planet. If you have money sat around ready for a splurge, take a look at Oxalis to book an awesome cave tour. Not having enough travel budget for one these cave tours was our biggest regret in Vietnam.
Here’s how we spent 3 days in Phong Nha:
Day 12 – We rented bikes and cycled up to hike around Phong Nha Botanical Gardens. Trust us, it’s much better than it sounds!
Day 13 – Sure, we couldn’t afford the thousand dollar cave tour, but we still wanted some cave action so we booked a tour like this one to see both Paradise Cave and Dark Cave in the same day.
Day 14 – We rented mountain bikes, went out exploring Bong Lai valley and visited Phong Nha Cave.
Day 15: Phong Nha To Hue
Getting to Phong Nha was awful, but getting from Phong Nha to Hue wasn’t too far behind. Even so, we still think it’s worth it for the unique caves. Here are the travel options we had to Hue:
- 4:00am bus from Phong Nha to Hue, takes 4 hours and arrives by 8:00am.
- 6:00am bus from Phong Nha to Hue, takes 7 hours and arrives by 1:00pm.
- Local bus to Dong Hoi train station, train Dong Hoi to Hue, takes 5 hours.
We know you’re thinking option three all the way! We agree, but bear in mind it arrived late into Hue so we’d have lost the whole day. Check Baolau and 12Go Asia for transport options because they might have improved by now. We missed the 4:00am bus so we ended up on the long 7 hour bus which was frustrating.
But we did do one thing right, we booked our Hue hotel near the night walking street near the restaurants and bars. After we checked into our hotel and grabbed lunch, we walked to the Imperial City and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring. Later we grabbed dinner and had a few beers in the busy pedestrian only area of town.
Day 16: Hue
We used our full day in Hue to explore one of Vietnam’s strangest but most intriguing tourist attractions: Hue’s abandoned waterpark. Gaining access to the park was super sketchy because (along with a bunch of other tourists) we had to pay a local guide to get us in the back way by bicycle.
But once we were inside, the old rundown waterpark was so cool to see. It was like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. After that we cycled back to Hue and spent the day eating, drinking and soaking up the vibrant atmosphere.
Day 17: Hai Van Pass
There’s a few ways you can travel from Hue to Hoi An:
- Take a train to Da Nang and arrange transport onto Hoi An (here’s our guide on how to get from Da Nang to Hoi An).
- Book a private transfer by car which would be safer, quicker and more relaxing but also more expensive.
- Drive yourself by motorbike across the Hai Van Pass.
We wanted to drive it on motorbikes but we didn’t want to just go the most direct route, so we paid for a tour like this one so we could have a guide take us to all the best spots on way. We’d have never been able to find them without a guide so it was well worth it.
The traffic was a bit nuts at times, but our guide created room for us and most of the drive was on quiet countryside roads. And the actual Hai Van Pass part (which was featured on Top Gear) was awesome. It ended up being one of our favorite days in Vietnam and you can read about our Hai Van Pass experience to learn more.
Days 18-21: Hoi An
We considered staying in Da Nang for a day or two, but it’s just like a lot of other beach resort cities so we decided to spend 4 days in Hoi An instead because we’d read it was one of the best places to visit in Vietnam. And it was. After all the chaos, slumming it and sleeper buses, Hoi An was the perfect place to chill, unwind and enjoy our last few days in a charming old town.
Here’s how we spent our time in Hoi An:
Day 18 – We rented bikes and cycled to An Bang Beach, had a relaxing day, sipped a few cocktails and then cycled back to town through countryside surrounded by green vegetation.
Day 19 – We spent the whole day in the ancient town buying tailor-made fitted clothes, eating delicious Banh Mi, drinking Vietnamese coffee and taking a cooking class.
Day 20 – Originally we planned to go to My Son ruins but we met a local Vietnam war veteran who ran private guided tours in his nearby village, so we did that instead and it was amazing. He’s since stopped doing the tours which is a shame because it was totally unique and off the beaten path.
Day 21 – We had a flight booked out of Da Nang to Bangkok in the afternoon so we spent the morning lazing around the anicent town and our hotel pool.
Our days 20-21 were different to how you’ll do it, but we highly recommend booking some tours to see all the highlights around Hoi An. It’s the best place you’ll visit in Vietnam, so it’s the place you should spend the most time and money. Take a look through these top rated tours in Hoi An so you can see at all the excellent options.
We hope our 3 week itinerary helps with planning your trip to northern and central Vietnam!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.