Vietnam Travel route

Picture: Light snacking at Cam Ranh Bay.

Going through Vietnam from top to tail - Hanoi to Saigon or even the reverse, is definitely the most common method very first time travellers and backpackers approach the united states. Lengthy and thin, Vietnam is suitable to a vacation similar to this - only do not forget the length of time it really is!

Starting when you look at the capital Hanoi, you leave very first to Ha longer Bay before heading south, hitting almost all of the traveler features of Vietnam - Hue as well as the DMZ, Hoi a, Nha Trang and Mui Ne before completing it off in Saigon.

This can be done travel in a choice of way, and with Vietnam's intercontinental border crossings with Cambodia, Laos and China, you can easily mix this into even more extensive trips.

Suggest travel length

The suggested minimum time for a-trip such as this is ten days to two weeks, though 3 to 4 days may be a far more comfortable rate. Vietnam is a more impressive country than you might believe, as well as the land transportation can be extremely slow.

Test program

1) Hanoi -> Ha Long Bay (stunning scenery)
2) Hanoi -> Hue (Imperial money, temples, trips to DMZ)
3) Hue -> Hoi An (riverside city, shopping, tailoring, )
4) Hoi An -> Nha Trang (Beaches, boat trips)
5) Nha Trang -> Mui Ne (beaches, sand dunes)
6) Mui Ne -> Ho Chi Minh City (galleries, nightlife, day-trips)

Save some time

One-day: travel domestically from Hanoi to Hue
Two days: Skip Halong Bay (not recommended)

Simply take a side journey

Two days: head south from Ho Chi Minh City to explore the Mekong Delta from Can Tho.
3 days: head north from Hanoi toward mountain city of Sapa.

Test Trip Days (in hours)

That will help you workout the way you'll get around, we've detailed the travel durations the different kinds of transportation available. Observe that with the exception of journey times, they're normal trip times, therefore no hate post if you take the sluggish train.

VIETNAM: Top to tail From To Environment Bus Train Boat Hanoi Ha Extended Bay - - 3:00 - Hanoi Hue 1:10 14:00 13:00 - Hue Hoi An - 4:00 2:30 (Da Nang) - Hoi An Nha Trang - 10:00 9:00 (Da Nang) - Nha Trang Mui Ne - 7:00 7:00 (Ma Lam) - Mui Ne Saigon - 4:00 - - Saigon Can Tho - 3:00 - -