Now that you’ve finally narrowed down on Vietnam as your next travel destination, here’s an itinerary to help you plan your trip.

We visited Vietnam in March 2023 which is just before the onset of summer. This blog is an attempt to capture our experiences and learnings from the trip here. Hope this helps!

The blog contains these sections:

• High level plan/ itinerary
• Budget
• Flights
• Visa
• Forex
• Must install apps
• Detailed itinerary

🗓️ High level itinerary

Ten days is a good time to cover Vietnam – you can spend 4-5 days in North (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Ninh Binh), 2-3 days in Central (Hoi An, Da Nang) and 2-3 days in South Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh city)

• Hanoi – Old quarters, Hoan Kiem Lake, Night Markets, Overnight Halong Bay Cruise
• Ninh Binh – Bai Dinh Pagoda, Trang An Boat tour, Mua Caves, Hoa Lu
• Hoi An – Lantern Market, An Bang Beach, Old town
• Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi Tunnels, Bui Vien walking street, Nguyen Hue, Independence Palace, Pink church

In case you have lesser number of days, we would suggest you the following -1) Skip Ho Chi Minh completely, 2) Do a day trip to Ninh Binh from Hanoi, 3) Do a day trip to Halong Bay from Hanoi

💰 Budget

	Per person	Comments
Flights to & from India	Rs.25,000 round trip	Indigo with layover in Kolkata
Internal Transportation	Rs.15,000	between cities
Accomodation	Rs.25,000 for 10 days	Rs.2.5K per night
Food	Rs.15,000 for 10 days	Rs.1.5K per day
Experiences	Rs.15,000	cruise, tunnels tour, Visa
Miscellaneous	Rs.5,000
Total Budget	Rs.1,00,000	per person

✈️ Flights

• The best way to travel in Vietnam is to either fly in to North Vietnam (Hanoi) and travel all the way to the South (Ho Chi Minh city) and fly out from there or vice versa
• Once you have sense of dates, check out which of the above options is cheaper and accordingly book the flights. We use Skyscanner to look out for best deals

🧳AK’s Travel Tidbits 🧳

• Air Asia has only 7kg cabin baggage included as part of the fare – so be careful while comparing prices, don’t just fall for the low price bait and later end up spending money on check-in baggage fee. Indigo gives 25 kg check-in plus 7 kg cabin as part of the fare
• Vietnam is massive, so never book onwards and return flight form the same city. For example if you fly to Hanoi and travel all the way to the South (Ho Chi Minh city). But say your return flight to India is from Hanoi, then you will have to travel all the way back to Hanoi (1600 km)
• Book flight tickets at least 2-3 months in advance to get the best deals. For peak periods, I would suggest booking 4-5 months in advance

📃 Visa

• Getting a Vietnam Visa for Indians is super easy. All you have to do is just visit the official Visa portal → Click on “eVisa” → Click on “For Foreigners”
• There are three steps in this process
  1. Fill required personal information & Vietnam entry airport and exit airport details
  2. Pay $25 Visa fee
  3. After 3-4 working days, check the result in this official portal page. If it is approved, print the E-visa

🧳AK’s Travel Tidbits 🧳

• Don’t ever visit any other website apart from the official one shared above (there are quite a few random sites)
• Fee is exactly $25 – don’t pay anything more on any site. If they are charging more than $25, then the site is likely not the official one

💵 Forex

• If needed you could take some Vietnamese currency (VND – Vietnamese Dong) from India. Use the extravelmoney.com to find which authorized forex vendor offers the best exchange rates in your locality
• You could also carry a Forex card and use it to withdraw Dong from ATMs. Note that every ATM in Vietnam charges a flat fee for each withdrawal
  • The bank that charges the cheapest is Agribank – they charge a flat 22,000 VND for every withdrawal. So withdraw the maximum amount every time (generally 3,000,000 VND is the withdrawal limit per transaction, but in Hanoi old town area few Agribank ATMs had 2,000,000 VND as the limit)
• Dollar is also widely accepted in Vietnam
• At the time of our travel (Mar 2023), 1000 VND = 3.5 INR

📱Must install apps

• Google Translate
  • Majority of the population in Vietnam is not fluent in English. But thankfully most of them use Google Translate to guide English tourists. So it is advisable to have Vietnamese language downloaded on Google Translate
• Grab
  • It is the SEA equivalent of Uber. Download it and have your Forex card added as the payment option to reduce cash usage. Also always make it a practice to check for rates on Grab before checking with any local cab owners/ hotel folks – as with any other tourist destinations, local cab owners charge exorbitant rates
    • In cities like HCM, Grab works like magic 24*7 and charges very reasonable rates
    • Grab also has food delivery service, with a delivery fee of as low as VND 5000 (we never felt the need for this, so didn’t use this service)

📝 Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi – arrival & sightseeing

• Landed super early in the morning. We flew in Indigo from Bangalore with a layover in Kolkata
• Purchased Viettel SIM at the Hanoi airport for VND 250K (for 14 days with a few GBs daily limit)
  • There are no official stores of Viettel inside the airport – these folks are re-sellers so they actually charge some premium compared to a Viettel retail outlets. We chose Viettel since it has the best coverage in Vietnam even outside the major cities 
• Checked in to a place near airport to get some sleep before going to our accommodation in Hanoi old quarters
  • New Sky Airport hotel is a good option for someone looking to spend just few hours near Airport
• Booked cab via Grab and headed to Old town after having Pho for breakfast. Checked in to a pretty Airbnb in the Hanoi old town
• In the evening, we headed to Hoan Kiem Lake – a pretty lake with a walking/ running trail and landscaping. Try to be here around sunset time for pretty pictures. There is a bridge that connects to a small temple located inside the lake (you need to pay a small entry fee for it). Temple looks pretty when lit – so plan to be here after it gets dark
• We then headed to Cafe Giang to have the famous Egg Coffee. We were quite apprehensive on how the egg would smell/ taste in the coffee but to our surprise it blended so well and tasted really good. Must try!!

Day 2: Halong Bay – overnight cruise

• There are quite a few options for Halong Bay Cruise (day trip/ overnight stay, 1N vs. 2N, Halong Bay vs. Cat Ba). We figured 1N Halong Bay cruise would be the best option since 1N would give us an ideal amount of time to explore and the Halong Bay is easily accessible and has variety of landscapes (cave, beach, island hike) compared to CatBa
• We had booked Alisa Cruise for a night. They had arranged for a pick up from our hotel in Hanoi. We started around 8:30 AM in the morning and reached Halong Bay Port around 11:30 AM
• We onboarded the cruise around 12:30 PM. We had lunch post that and checked into our rooms to quickly freshen up. Cruise kitchen staff took our diet priorities right in the beginning. They prepared vegetarian food just for the two of us ❤ 
• Post that we went to TiTop island. Hiked all the way up to see Halong Bay in its glory – surreal views from the top. It is a very easy and short hike. There is a man made beach at the base of the island where we spent some time after hiking down
• After that we went kayaking inside a cave. One could choose either kayak or small boat ride. Came back to our rooms to freshen up and then headed to the deck for a Vietnamese cooking session where they taught us how to make fresh Vietnamese rolls. Post that we had a multi-course dinner on the deck with some cultural performances from the crew

Day 3: Halong Bay & Hanoi sightseeing

• Headed to the Tsung Sot Cave in the morning – one of the largest caves in Vietnam. Post that we had a brunch and checked out around 11 AM from the cruise
• Amanda Cruises had arranged for a drop back to Hanoi. We reached our hotel around 3PM
• Rested for a while and headed to Train street. Quite a few coffee shops are operating in the train street but the train schedule is quite random. We waited for almost an hour but had no luck. Coffee shop owners here keep giving false information saying the train would be here any minute so that you end up buying something from their shop. Don’t fall for the trap
• We had Banh Mi in the evening from Banh Mi Vui. We would highly recommend this place! We also had Banh Trang Nuong (Vietnamese Pizza) from one of the small eateries next to Hoan Kiem lake
• We then headed to Ta Hien Street to explore the night life. Had dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant Xoi Yen

Day 4: Ninh Binh – arrival

• We took a shared minivan to Ninh Binh. It costed us 300,000 VND per person. Minivan picked us up from our hotel. 
• Ensure you stay in the Hanoi old quarter area since hotel pick up & drop option would be provided by the tour operators (Halong Bay, Ninh Binh, etc.,).
• We reached Ninh Binh and checked in to our stay Trang An Lamia Bungalow. The property is surrounded by tall mountains on one side and paddy fields on the other side and is very aesthetically designed. However, it is slightly far from the central area – would take 20-30 min in scooter which you can rent at the property. So we would highly recommend that you stay here if you can ride a scooter
• We then headed to the city center to explore a few restaurants for Lunch. Loving Hut Vegan restaurant had amazing vegetarian options
• In the evening, we went to Bai Dinh Pagoda. We reached around 7 PM which was quite late since the Pagoda is massive and it would take at least 2-3 hours to explore. Hence we just saw the well lit up Pagoda from the outside and headed back. It would be ideal to reach here around 4 PM so that you can experience Pagoda both in day and in the night lights. There is an entry fee (200,000 VND per person which includes electric shuttle fee and pagoda entry

Day 5: Ninh Binh – sightseeing

• We had breakfast at our property and headed to Trang An – which is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites
• Once in Ninh Binh, if you want to go on a boat tour, you have two decisions to make: 1) Trang An or Tam Coc, 2) If Trang An, which route (1, 2 or 3). Firstly we picked Trang An mainly because it is UNESCO world heritage and also the boat tour is managed by a private tourist agency so much safer whereas Tam Coc tour is organized by local farmers and is not so professionally managed. Once we finalized Trang An, we decided to pick route 3 which is the most famous since it is the only route which takes you inside the longest cave – Dot cave which is 1km long!
• Trang An boat ticket costed us 250,000 VND per person. Groups of 4 are taken around in hand rowed small boats for 2-3 hours duration. We witnessed incredible landscape in the form of massive tower karsts (naturally formed limestone structures), caves & historic temples
  • It is advisable to start the Trang An tour as early as possible because it gets really hot in the afternoon in the open area of Trang An. We started around 8AM and by the time we reached back it was pretty hot
• We headed to Mua Caves in the 2nd half. Mua Caves is a medium level hike and has around 500 stairs which are slightly uneven. With regular breaks one can easily reach the top of the caves for stunning views of the Tam Coc area!
• We took an overnight train from Ninh Binh to Da Nang. We had booked 2AC coach seats which costed us 843,000 VND per person. We had booked the tickets on 12Go website (the trains are as good as Indian railways). It took us around 13 hours to reach Da Nang

In case you are running short of number of days but still want to cover Ninh Binh, consider doing a day trip from Hanoi.

Day 6: Hoi An – arrival

• We reached Da Nang station at around 11 AM where we had our cab driver waiting for us for our ride to Hanoi
  • Da Nang is a coastal city in Vietnam and is a major connecting city. This is also the place to stay at if you want to do the Ba Na Hills and the Marble mountain tours. We, however, were not very keen on this and hence did not choose to stay here
  • The drive from Da Nang to Hoi An is about 45-50 mins and the road is along the coastline (do not expect any views of the sea though since the entire route is filled with fancy sea facing resorts)
  • The town of Hoi An is a very drastic change from Da Nang. Declared as a UNESCO world heritage site, this town has a charm of its own
  • We stayed in a Homestay which was a stone’s throw away from the main area of the red river and the lantern market of Hoi An. After checking into the accommodation, we headed for breakfast at Ellie’s Cafe (known for smoothies and Buddha bowls which are healthy but quite bland)
  • We hopped on to our bicycles which were freely available at the accommodation to explore the town
    • The best way to explore the town of Hoi An is on bicycles or by foot. While the humidity may make it difficult to walk long distances, bicycles are a great middle ground
    • Post sunset, the entire town of Hoi An lights up and we set out to explore the night lantern market, which is a sight to behold

Day 7: Hoi An – town sightseeing

• We headed to the vegetable market set up early in the morning to shop for some fruits and local souvenirs. It is a lively market with a lot of shops selling local produce (fruits, flowers and vegetables). We purchased some fresh mangoes
• We then went to the famous Banh Mi Phuong for breakfast. Their Banh Mi and hot chocolate was one of the best
• We then went cycling to An Bang beach. It was around 5 km ride from the central Hoi An area. The route is very scenic and is surrounded by green farmlands and water bodies. We reached around 10 AM and spent some time in the water. Would recommend coming a bit early since it gets really hot around noon
• We then headed back to the old town to join a walking tour which we had booked via Guruwalk. We would highly recommend this tour and our guide was extremely knowledgeable and she gave great insights on Hoi An’s history. Walking tour concept is quite new here but it is similar to the free walking tour concept in European cities. You can join the tour for free and you can tip at the end of the tour depending on how much you enjoyed the tour
  • Apart from the tips, in this tour you also need to purchase Hoi An old town access ticket which costs around 120,000 VND per person. This ticket gives access to 5 old town’s heritage attractions including a Vietnamese traditional performance which will all be covered in detail during the walking tour. We would highly recommend this tour

Day 8: Ho Chi Minh City – arrival

• We reached Ho Chi Minh City at around noon and stayed in a Airbnb the central part of the town
  • One word of caution for those doing the trip North to South – the weather changes drastically and the temperature in Ho Chi Minh City goes to nearly 40 degrees Celsius vs 18-20 degrees in Ninh Binh
• After getting some rest, we decided to explore the city’s nightlife and went to the Bui Vien Walking street. The street is entirely closed for traffic and people are out on the streets

Day 9: Ho Chi Minh City – city tour

• For the 2nd day in Ho Chi Minh City, we decided to explore the city on foot
• We started in the morning at around 10 AM by visiting the Ben Thanh market – one of the oldest markets in the country which was set up at the time of the French colonial rule
• We then visited the Saigon Central Post Office, again, another landmark building which was established at the time of the French colonial rule
• While visiting these, we passed by some really massive but pretty parks around the city which give it the much needed green cover 
• We then caught a glimpse of the Notre Dame cathedral from the outside and finally ended the walk with a visit to the Book street
• We then headed to the Independence palace or the Reunification Hall, which once served as the seat of the French colony and was then turned into the presidential palace. The palace is now converted into a museum explaining the Vietnam war and the methods and technologies used to navigate through it
• We then ended the day by taking a walk at the Nguyen Hue, a boulevard by the Saigon river that comes to life during the evening with a lot of buskers and street vendors

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City – Cu Chi Tunnels day tour

• We booked a day trip to Cu Chi Tunnels through GetYourGuide – the Cu Chi Tunnels are an extensive network of tunnels which were an integral part of the Vietnam war and were used as hiding spots during combat
• We then headed to the Chinatown of Ho Chi Minh City in the evening. Since it was a Sunday and late evening, most of the shops in the market in China Town were closed by the time we reached. However, we were able to find a few vendors still open and bought some Vietnamese candies and jellies as souvenirs 

🧳AK’s Travel Tidbits🧳

While Ho Chi Minh has cabs easily available on grab, the public transport is also very cheap and effective and buses are quite frequent. So we would recommend going around the city in a bus itself (use Google maps to figure out bus routes and timings)