14 days in Vietnam: itinerary

The line below is the parent country's 14-day classic: north to south, one direction, no backtracking. Fly the long legs and keep the ground transport for the short, scenic hops — Hạ Long and Ninh Bình from Hanoi, Huế to Hội An over the Hải Vân Pass.

Two flights are unavoidable on this shape: Hanoi to Huế (or Đà Nẵng) and Đà Nẵng to Đà Lạt or Nha Trang. A third, Đà Lạt to Ho Chi Minh City, saves a long bus day. Book the domestic legs once your dates are fixed; fares rise close to departure (2026 estimate).

Nights per stop follow the country page: Hanoi 3–4, Hạ Long 1 aboard, Huế 2, Hội An 3, Đà Lạt 2, Saigon 2–3. Add one spare night per week for storms or delays — the centre floods most Octobers.

This plan uses five hotel changes in 14 nights, which is within the three-per-week rule. If you would rather slow down, cut Đà Lạt and give the extra nights to Hội An and Saigon.

Domestic flights are the backbone of a 14-day trip. Vietnam Airlines, VietJet and Bamboo serve the Hanoi–Huế/Đà Nẵng–Saigon triangle, and the parent country page is explicit: fly the long legs, because every overnight bus costs a day. Fares move with demand, so treat the bands above as estimates (check).

Trains work well on the north–south line if you want the scenery, and the Huế–Đà Nẵng stretch over the Hải Vân Pass is the one most travellers keep. Sleeper buses are cheapest but eat a night. For Hạ Long, Ninh Bình and the Mekong, book a shuttle or a small-group tour rather than piecing together local buses.

Base yourself in the old quarter or around Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hanoi, the riverside or old town in Hội An, and District 1 in Saigon. In Huế, stay inside or just outside the Citadel for the tombs and the food. Đà Lạt is small enough that anywhere central works.

For Hạ Long, the night aboard a cruise boat is the point — pick the boat, not the hotel. If you would rather not sleep on the water, Hạ Long City has hotels and you can day-trip the bay.

A mid-range 14-day trip in Vietnam lands around US$900–1,800 per person excluding international flights (2026 estimate). That covers guesthouses and 3-star hotels, domestic flights, one Hạ Long cruise night, local transport and two meals a day. Budget travellers who take sleeper buses and hostels can come in under US$700; resort stays on Phú Quốc or in top Hội An hotels push well past US$2,500.

The biggest variables are the Hạ Long cruise (US$120–250 for one night) and the three domestic flights (US$110–250 total if booked early). Food and local transport are cheap by US or UK standards.

If 14 days feels tight, the parent country page offers a 10-day version — Hanoi → Hạ Long → Hội An → Ho Chi Minh City — and a 7-day north-plus-Hội An week. Both drop Huế and Đà Lạt.

Swap Đà Lạt for Nha Trang if you want beach and diving, or for Quy Nhon for a quieter coast. Add the Mekong Delta as an overnight in Cần Thơ instead of a Saigon day trip if you have a spare night. And if you are travelling in October, keep the centre flexible: Hội An floods most Octobers.