Route
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
Go north to south with two flights and one night train: Hanoi → Huế → Hội An → Đà Lạt → Ho Chi Minh City in 14 days, three nights per main base; cut Huế and Đà Lạt if you have 10.
The line is about 1,700 km by road and the fastest train takes around 30 hours end to end, so nobody should ride it in one go. Split it into legs of four hours or one night: fly the long gaps, take the train or a car where the coast is the point (Huế to Đà Nẵng over the Hải Vân Pass), and use the sleeper bus only when nothing else runs. Direction matters less than season: the central coast floods in October and November, the south is wet from May to November.
Route line
Written north → south; every leg works in reverse. Start at whichever end your cheaper long-haul flight lands.
Legs
| Leg | Best mode | p50 | Fare | Alternative | Book ahead | Bags | Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi → Huế | Fly HAN → HUI (1 h 15 in the air) | 4 h | ₫1,200,000–2,800,000 (≈ US$50–110) (2026 estimate) | Night train, soft 4-berth cabin, 12–14 h, ₫900,000–1,600,000 (≈ US$35–65) | 1–2 weeks; 4+ weeks near holidays | Yes — check the fare includes a hold bag | day |
| Huế → Hội An | Private car over the Hải Vân Pass with stops | 4 h | ₫1,300,000–2,000,000 (≈ US$50–80) per car (2026 estimate) | Train Huế → Đà Nẵng (2 h 30–3 h, ₫100,000–300,000 (≈ US$4–12)) + car to Hội An (45 min, ₫350,000–450,000 (≈ US$14–18)) | 1 day | Yes | day |
| Hội An → Nha Trang | Car to Đà Nẵng station, night train (9–10 h) | 11 h | ₫800,000–1,400,000 (≈ US$35–55) soft berth (2026 estimate) | Fly DAD → CXR (1 h 10), then 45 min north by car; ₫1,000,000–2,200,000 (≈ US$40–85) | 1–2 weeks | Yes — under the lower berth | night |
| Nha Trang → Đà Lạt | Limousine van (9 seats) via the Khánh Lê pass | 4 h | ₫250,000–350,000 (≈ US$10–14) (2026 estimate) | Private car, ₫1,500,000–2,200,000 (≈ US$60–85) | 1–2 days | One case per seat | day |
| Đà Lạt → Ho Chi Minh City | Fly DLI → SGN (55 min in the air) | 3 h 30 | ₫800,000–2,000,000 (≈ US$35–80) (2026 estimate) | Limousine or sleeper bus, 7–9 h, ₫300,000–500,000 (≈ US$12–20) | 1 week | Yes — check the fare includes a hold bag | day |
p50 is door to door for the best mode, hotel to hotel, including airport transfers and check-in. Fares are one way per person unless marked per car.
Variants
Fast
10 days · 9 nightsTwo flights (HAN → DAD, DAD → SGN). Hạ Long as a day cruise from Hanoi only if the forecast is clear.
Standard
14 days · 14 nights- Hanoi3n
- Hạ Long Bay (boat)1n
- Huế2n
- Hội An3n
- Night train1n
- Đà Lạt2n
- Ho Chi Minh City2n
The train lands in Nha Trang early; continue to Đà Lạt the same morning. The long day is the price of skipping a flight.
Slow
21 days · 21 nights- Hanoi3n
- Hạ Long Bay (boat)1n
- Ninh Bình2n
- Huế3n
- Hội An4n
- Nha Trang2n
- Đà Lạt3n
- Ho Chi Minh City3n
Adds Ninh Bình and a beach stop; still one move every two to four nights. Add the Mekong Delta (Cần Thơ, 1–2 nights) at the end if you have more.
When
Feb (after Tết) to Apr is the only window that is good along the whole line. In Oct–Nov, shorten the central coast and give the nights to the north.
| Region | Best | Wet / risky | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| North (Hanoi, Hạ Long) | Oct–Apr | Jun–Sep hot, storms at sea | Dec–Feb cool and grey. |
| Central coast (Huế, Hội An) | Feb–Aug | Sep–Dec; floods peak Oct–Nov | Hội An's old town floods most years; Huế gets the heaviest rain. |
| Nha Trang | Jan–Aug | Oct–Dec | Sea too rough for boat trips in the wet months. |
| Đà Lạt (highlands) | Dec–Apr | May–Oct afternoon rain | Cool all year; mountain passes close after heavy rain. |
| South (Ho Chi Minh City) | Dec–Apr | May–Nov, afternoon downpours | Rain rarely lasts all day. |
Blackout weeks
- Tết (late Jan–Feb; 2027 around 6 Feb — check)
- Trains and flights sell out a month ahead; many family businesses close for 3–7 days.
- Apr 30 – May 1, Sep 2
- National holidays: coast and Đà Lạt full, fares up.
- Jun – Aug
- Domestic school holidays: beach towns and night trains book early.
Prepare
- E-visa: apply on the official portal (evisa.gov.vn) at least a week ahead; the name must match your passport exactly.
- Train: book on the official Vietnam Railways site (dsvn.vn). Resellers add a fee; cabins are "soft 4-berth" (khoang 4) or "hard 6-berth" (khoang 6). Take the soft 4-berth for night legs.
- Flights: low-cost fares often exclude the hold bag; add it when booking, not at the airport.
- Sleeper bus reality: bunks about 1.7 m long, shoes off at the door, bags in the hold, roadside toilet stops, arrival often 04:00–05:00.
- Keep one ride-hailing app working for arrivals at stations and piers.
- Leave one spare night before the international flight out; storms and floods move schedules.
Per-leg traps
Any sleeper bus
Dropped at a highway junction or company yard far from the centre, often before dawn. Get the drop-off point in writing and book a car from there.
Any night train
An agency sells a hard 6-berth ticket as "soft sleeper". The ticket should read khoang 4 (4-berth); check the coach and berth number before you pay.
Any night train
Private-carriage operators attach their own coaches to some trains at a higher price; check the train number and times match the train you wanted.
Huế → Hội An
Cheap drivers take the tunnel and skip the pass. Write "over the Hải Vân Pass, with stops" in the booking.
Hội An → Nha Trang
Nha Trang's airport is Cam Ranh, about 35 km south; budget 45 min and ₫350,000–450,000 (≈ US$14–18) by car to the centre.
Nha Trang → Đà Lạt
The Khánh Lê pass closes after landslides in heavy rain (Oct–Dec). Check before leaving; the long way via Phan Rang adds hours.
Hội An
Hội An has no station or airport; "bus to Hội An" often ends outside the old town.
Go next
Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
Bus from Ho Chi Minh City via the Mộc Bài – Bavet border, 6–7 h
₫350,000–600,000 (≈ US$14–25) (2026 estimate)
Check Cambodian entry rules before you go; the official Cambodian e-visa site is evisa.gov.kh. Stay on your bus's side of the border process.
Mekong Delta (Cần Thơ)
Bus or car from Ho Chi Minh City, 3 h 30 – 4 h
₫200,000–300,000 (≈ US$8–12) by bus (2026 estimate)
1–2 nights; floating markets start at dawn.
Luang Prabang (Laos)
Fly from Hanoi before you start south
check
Add it at the Hanoi end, not after Saigon.
Sources
- Vietnam Railways (official tickets) (official)
- Vietnam National E-visa portal (official)
- Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (official)
- Cambodia e-Visa (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) (official)