Vietnam, North to South
A two-week thread from Hanoi's old quarter to the Mekong delta — with the right pace, the right train, and the rice-terrace detour most itineraries skip.
The essentials, gathered.
- Best season
- Oct – Apr (north) · Dec – Apr (south)
- Currency
- Vietnamese Dong (VND)
- Language
- Vietnamese · English in hubs
- Time zone
- ICT (UTC+7)
- Plug
- Type A / C / G, 220V
- Entry
- E-visa available online; 90 days, single or multiple entry
The right month.
The country spans 1,650 km so the seasons split. North (Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long): October to April is dry and cool. Centre (Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang): February to May. South (Saigon, Mekong, Phu Quoc): December to April. Pick a region, not a 'best month'.
From the airport, onward.
Fly into Hanoi (HAN) for north-to-south, Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) for the reverse. Internal flights on Vietnam Airlines are cheap and reliable; the Reunification Express train is a romance, not a fast way to travel. For Ha Long, sleep one night on a small junk (not a 200-cabin floating hotel) — Lan Ha Bay is quieter than Ha Long proper. Grab is the default for in-city.
Three neighbourhoods, three personalities.
Hanoi Old Quarter
Stay near Hoan Kiem Lake — walk to street food, motorbike everything else.
Hoi An Ancient Town
Lantern-lit, car-free centre; rent a bicycle, ride to An Bang beach.
District 1, Saigon
Walkable for the colonial core, but stay near Le Thanh Ton for the food scene.
What to order, and where.
Phở bò
Phở Gia Truyền on Bat Dan in Hanoi — northern broth, beef brisket, no garnish theatre.
Bánh mì
Bánh Mì Phượng in Hoi An, the one Anthony Bourdain put on the map and that's still that good.
Cơm tấm
Saigon's broken-rice plate with grilled pork — Cơm Tấm Ba Ghiền is the standard.
The dossier.
Lan Ha Bay overnight cruise
Quieter sister bay to Ha Long, accessed from Cat Ba island.
Ha Giang motorbike loop
Three to four days through the karst mountains near the Chinese border — the most spectacular drive in Southeast Asia.
Hoi An tailoring
Allow 48 hours and two fittings; Yaly Couture and Bebe are the trusted houses.
Cu Chi tunnels & War Remnants Museum
Sobering, essential context for the south.
Mekong homestay
Skip the My Tho day trip; sleep in Ben Tre or Can Tho instead.
What our advisors would tell you.
- 01
The dong has many zeros — 100,000 VND is about USD 4. Triple-check before handing over a note.
- 02
Cross the street slowly and never stop. Scooters part around predictable movement.
- 03
Carry a printed copy of your e-visa; immigration sometimes asks even though it's digital.
- 04
Tap water is not potable anywhere. Reusable bottle with a built-in filter saves a lot of plastic.
- 05
In the north Oct–Dec, pack layers — Sapa drops to 8°C and rooms rarely have heating.
- 06
Tip 5–10% in restaurants that serve foreigners; round up in local ones.
Petty theft (phone snatching from scooters) is the main risk in Saigon — keep your phone in your hand or pocket, not held out at street level. Vietnam is otherwise one of the safest countries in the region for solo and family travel.
Plan Vietnam with us.
Share what you have in mind. One of our advisors will reply within 24 hours with a quietly composed itinerary.
