Vietnam north to south in two weeks
Hanoi to the Mekong by train and short flights — the 90-day e-visa, the two climates running at once, and the bay worth avoiding the crowds on.
onesim team
Vietnam is 1,650 km from top to bottom and has two climates running on opposite schedules, which is the one thing that decides when you go and in which direction.
Two weeks covers the classic north-to-south run without the trip becoming a series of airports.
The visa is easy now
Vietnam's e-visa is valid for up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, costs USD 25 or USD 50 respectively, takes about three working days, and is accepted at 83 airports, land crossings and seaports.
A list of nationalities — including the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain — get a 45-day visa exemption instead and need nothing at all for a shorter trip. Check your own passport on the official government portal, and apply there rather than through the agencies that outrank it in search results.
The weather runs in two directions
This catches people out badly. Vietnam is not one climate:
- The north (Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long) has four seasons. Cold and damp December to February, hot and wet May to September, and lovely in March–April and October–November.
- The centre (Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang) has a distinct rainy season from September to December, with real flooding in October and November.
- The south (Saigon, the Mekong) is hot all year, with a wet season from May to November — afternoon downpours rather than washouts.
There is no month that is perfect everywhere. March and April are the closest, and October–November is excellent in the north and the worst time in Hoi An.
The route
| Nights | Where | Getting there |
|---|---|---|
3 | Hanoi | — |
2 | Lan Ha or Ha Long Bay | 2 h 30 by road, usually with the cruise |
2 | Hue | Overnight train or a 1 h flight |
3 | Hoi An | 3 h by road over the Hai Van pass |
3 | Saigon and the Mekong | 1 h 20 flight |
1 | Spare | — |
Hanoi is the best city in the country: the Old Quarter's thirty-six streets, each historically one trade; the lake in the middle; egg coffee; and street food eaten on a plastic stool at knee height. Three nights, and do a food walk on the first evening.
The bay. Ha Long is the famous one and the busy one. Lan Ha Bay, immediately south and reached from Cat Ba island, is the same drowned limestone landscape with a fraction of the boats. Book a two-day, one-night cruise rather than a day trip — the point is the morning, when the day boats have not arrived.
Hue has the Citadel and the emperors' tombs along the Perfume River. One full day plus arrival.
Hoi An is the one everybody loves: a preserved trading port of lantern-lit lanes, a river, a beach fifteen minutes away by bike, and the best tailoring in Asia if you have three days for fittings. It is also crowded from four in the afternoon — go into the old town early.
The Hai Van pass between Hue and Hoi An is a spectacular coastal road. Take a car with a driver, or the Top Gear route by motorbike with your bag sent ahead.
Saigon is faster, newer and louder. The War Remnants Museum is a difficult, necessary two hours. The Mekong Delta is worth an overnight to Ben Tre or Can Tho for a floating market at dawn, rather than the day trip that buses you to a coconut-candy workshop.
Getting around
The Reunification Express runs the length of the country and is a genuine pleasure in short hops — Hue to Da Nang is three hours of coastline and one of the great train rides. End to end it is 33 hours, which is a decision rather than a journey.
Domestic flights on Vietnam Airlines, VietJet and Bamboo are cheap and frequent. Grab covers cars and motorbike taxis in every city and removes all haggling.
Crossing the road in Hanoi or Saigon is a skill: walk slowly, steadily and predictably, and let the traffic flow around you. Do not stop, and do not run.
Worth knowing before you go
- Cash for markets and small places; cards work in hotels and city restaurants
- Grab installed and set up before you land
- A rain jacket, whatever the season
- Shoulders and knees covered for pagodas and the Citadel
- Motorbike hire and your travel insurance: check the licence clause before you rent one
