A week is a very short period of time for a journey to Vietnam. The best option for such a short journey is to focus on a limited region. Doing so allows to enjoy your time without having to rush from one plane to another.
In this page we briefly outline a selection of seven-day itineraries in Vietnam. For each programme we give suggestions on how to organise the transfers.
Seven days in Vietnam: choice of the itinerary
Aside from visiting only Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, possibly including one or two side trips from either city, it is not practical to organise a 7-day trip between these two cities. Choosing to make long-distance transfers at night would make it possible to add a visit to Hue or Da Nang (and therefore also nearby Hoi An) but the journey would be turned into an unpleasant marathon.
In our opinion it is best to choose to focus on a limited region of the country, i.e. the surroundings of Vietnam’s two major cities (Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City). Another option is to visit the centre, between Hue and Hoi An.
All of the itineraries outlined below can easily be organised independently. Resorting to the support of a travel agency can make things easier and smoother and is practically a necessity when it comes to organising the side trips.
Seven days in Vietnam: recommended itineraries
Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City are the major destination for a 7-day itinerary in Vietnam. If you are to visit the country for the second time you choose other destinations such as the Southeast (Da Lat, Cam Ranh, Nha Trang) or the Northern region (Ha Giang, Sa Pa).
We suggest you focus your journey on one or two main destinations, devoting 3-4 days to them. The remaining 3-4 days can be used for side-trips.
You should take into account that transfers between Hanoi, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City can take up to two half days. Travelling by plane offers the most convenient transfer options. Night trains are usually cheaper but less comfortable. We recommend using the train only for the Hue-Hanoi leg.
Long-distance travel by bus is not a good option as it is quite uncomfortable, which is something you want to avoid in the context of such a short journey.
Here are the itineraries we recommend for a 7-day journey in Vietnam:
Itinerary 1: Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi;
Itinerary 2: Hanoi, Sa Pa, Ha Long Bay;
Itinerary 3: Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc;
We assume that Tan Son Nhat Airport (in Ho Chi Minh City) is the point of arrival and departure. Another option is to enter and exit the country through Noi Bai Airport (near Hanoi).
If you travel from Asia you may also consider other points of entry such as the airports of Da Nang and Nha Trang.
Itinerary 1: Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi
Organising a 7-day tour between Hoi An and Hanoi is quite easy. The only problem is fitting a short excursion to Ha Long Bay. This would make the schedule very tight. If you don’t want to excluce a visit to Ha Long Bay you may want to drop another destination.
A possible schedule is the following:
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Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City; transfer to Hoi An; first visit to the city centre
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Day 2: Hoi An
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Day 3: Hoi An; excursions (to My Son Sanctuary or Cham Islands)
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Day 4: transfer to Hue by bus or car. Possible stops at Da Nang, Son Tra Peninsula, Lang Co; arrival in Hue in the evening
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Day 5: Hue; night train to Hanoi (or late evening flight)
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Day 6: Hanoi
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Day 7: Hanoi
As already said, time is very limited for an itinerary spanning such a large region. If you wish to add a visit to Ha Long Bay (typically the 2 day 1 night cruise) you will have to drop a destination or consider other options.
How to organise the transfers
If you choose a round trip flight itinerary (entry and exit through the same airport, typically Ho Chi Minh City airport), you have to include a long transfer from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City:
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Ho Chi Minh City-Hoi An (via Da Nang by plane and by taxi or bus)
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Hoi An-Hue (by bus or taxi)
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Hue-Hanoi (by night train or plane)
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Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City (by plane)
Itinerary 2: Hanoi, Sa Pa, Ha Long Bay
The second itinerary follows our suggestion and focuses on a more restricted area, i.e. the north of the nation.
A possible route in the vicinity of Hanoi follows the schedule below:
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Day 1: arrival in Ho Chi Minh City and transfer to Hanoi; first visit to the city centre
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Day 2: Hanoi
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Day 3: Sa Pa
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Day 4: Villages near Sa Pa or Mount Fansipan
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Day 5: Sa Pa, night transfer to Ha Long
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Day 6: Ha Long Bay
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Day 7: Ha Long Bay, return to Hanoi, end of the journey
This programme includes a short visit to Sa Pa. The time is very limited and the most reasonable option is to have the whole trip organised by a local agency that will also take care of making sure the return matches the schedule of cruise in the Ha Long Bay. Some operators offer combo packages (Sa Pa - Ha Long Bay).
How to organise the transfers
For obvious reasons the best choice for this journey is to enter and exit the country through Noi Bai Airport (near Hanoi):
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Hanoi - Sa Pa - Ha Long Bay (by bus or minivan, organised by a travel agency)
Itinerary 3: Southern Vietnam
The third itinerary is restricted to the south. As such, it is probably the best option for those who visit Vietnam in winter and are not comfortable with cold weather. Furthermore, in this season you can enjoy the sea in the southern seaside destinations.
A possible programme is the following:
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Day 1: arrival in Ho Chi Minh City; first visit to the city centre
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Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City
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Day 3: Ben Tre; transfer to Can Tho
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Day 4: Can Tho; transfer to Phu Quoc
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Day 5: Phu Quoc
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Day 6: Phu Quoc;
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Day 7: Phu Quoc; return to Ho Chi Minh City, end of the journey
There are many other variants:
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Mui Ne, another major seaside destination, along the coast between Vung Tau and Nha Trang. You can include a visit to Mui Ne as part of an itinerary between Ho Chi Minh City and Da Lat. The latter is a popular travel destination, mostly appreciated by locals for its mountain landscape and enjoyable climate;
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Cambodia; you can combine this itinerary to a journey in Cambodia. If you plan to do so, you can cross the border at Chau Doc and reach Phnom Penh either by bus or by boat.
How to organise the transfers
In general you can easily get around by bus in the whole southern region. You can reach Phu Quoc easily by plan from Ho Chi Minh City.
You can entrust organisation of the transfers between Ho Chi Minh City, Ben Tre and Can Tho and the whole side trip to a local agency. Autonomous travelling though possible is not advisable for such a short journey.
Related articles:
Itineraries in Vietnam (general article) | 10 days
First journey to Vietnam: classic two-week itinerary
