7 days in Vietnam: itinerary

The 7-day line runs north, then hops the long leg by air. Hanoi is the northern base and the arrival airport for most long-haul flights; Ninh Bình is 2 h south by road or rail; Hạ Long City and its harbour are about 2 h 30 m east of Hanoi. From there you fly south to Đà Nẵng and drive 45 m to Hội An, then fly out of Đà Nẵng.

The alternative is a north-only week: Hanoi, Ninh Bình, Hạ Long, Sa Pa or Cát Bà, no flight. It is slower and cheaper, and it is the better choice in the wet months when the central coast is grey.

Day 1 — Hanoi. Land, drop bags in the Old Quarter and walk. Hoàn Kiếm Lake in the late afternoon, bia hơi and a bowl of phở for dinner. Keep the first evening light: jet lag decides how much of the old-quarter door is still open.

Day 2 — Hanoi. Temple of Literature and the Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum in the morning (the mausoleum closes on Mondays and Fridays and for part of the year; check before you go), then the Museum of Ethnology or the Hỏa Lò Prison in the afternoon. Book the Hạ Long cruise tonight if you have not already.

Day 3 — Ninh Bình. Morning train or car south, then a rowing boat at Tràng An or Tam Cốc and a climb at Hang Múa for the rice-field view. Sleep in Tam Cốc or Ninh Bình City.

Day 4 — Hạ Long. Transfer to Hạ Long City or Tuần Châu harbour and board a one-night cruise. Kayaking and a cave stop in the afternoon; dinner and a night on the bay. Lan Hạ, reached from Cát Bà, is the quieter alternative.

Day 5 — to Hội An. Disembark after breakfast, drive back to Hanoi, fly to Đà Nẵng and transfer to Hội An. This is the long day of the trip; a late-afternoon flight leaves room for a swim.

Day 6 — Hội An. Old town in the early morning before the tour groups, then the beach at An Bàng by bicycle, a tailor fitting or a cooking class. Lanterns on the river after dark.

Day 7 — Hội An and out. Last swim or a Mỹ Sơn half-day if your flight is late, then 45 m to Đà Nẵng airport.

Fly the Hanoi–Đà Nẵng leg. It is about 1 h 20 m in the air against 14–16 h by train or 20 h+ by bus, and the fare is often close to a sleeper-train berth. Vietnam Airlines, VietJet and Bamboo serve the route; book a few weeks out for the best fares (2026 estimate).

For Ninh Bình, the train from Hanoi is comfortable and drops you in town; buses and private cars are faster door to door. Hạ Long transfers are usually bundled into the cruise fare. In Hội An, walk or cycle; taxis and ride-hailing cover the airport run.

Every overnight bus costs you a day of sightseeing. On a 7-day trip, one flight and short road hops are the only realistic pattern.

Hanoi: the Old Quarter puts food, bars and the lake within walking distance; West Lake is quieter but needs taxis. Two nights is the minimum that does the city justice.

Ninh Bình: Tam Cốc has guesthouses and homestays among the karst; Ninh Bình City is more practical for an early train.

Hạ Long: the cruise is your room for the night. If you prefer land, Hòn Gai and Bãi Cháy have hotels, but the bay is the point.

Hội An: stay between the old town and An Bàng beach to walk to one and cycle to the other. Three nights here is the reward for the travel day before it.

A mid-range 7 days — 3-star hotels or good guesthouses, one cruise night, one domestic flight, restaurant meals and a few taxis — runs about 12,000,000–20,000,000 VND per person (roughly US$470–790), international flights excluded. Backpacker style with dorm beds and buses can land near 7,000,000–10,000,000 VND; a private-transfer, 4-star version runs past 30,000,000 VND (2026 estimate).

The cruise and the flight are the two big line items. Street food is cheap: a bowl of phở or a bánh mì is a few tens of thousands of đồng.

North only, no flight: Hanoi 3 nights, Ninh Bình 1, Hạ Long cruise 1, then Sa Pa or Cát Bà for 2. Best October–April, and the cheapest version of the week.

South instead of the centre: Hanoi 2, Hạ Long 1, fly to Ho Chi Minh City for 3 nights with a Mekong day trip. Good December–April.

If you have 10 days, add Huế or the Mekong; at 14 days the classic north-to-south line opens up. Build and save either version in the itinerary builder.