VIETNAM: Top to tail

Introduction

Travelling through Vietnam from top to tail -- Hanoi to Saigon or the reverse, is by far the most common way first time travellers and backpackers approach the country. Long and thin, Vietnam is well suited to a trip like this -- just don't forget just how long it really is!

Starting in the capital Hanoi, you head out first to Ha Long Bay before heading south, hitting pretty much all the tourist highlights of Vietnam -- Hue and the DMZ, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Mui Ne before finishing it off in Saigon.

You can do this trip in either direction, and with Vietnam's international border crossings with Cambodia, Laos and China, it is easy to blend this into more extended trips.

Suggest trip length

The suggested minimum time for a trip like this is ten days to two weeks, though three to four weeks will be a far more comfortable pace. Vietnam is a bigger country than you may think, and the land transportation can be very slow.

Sample plan

1) Hanoi -> Ha Long Bay (stunning scenery)
2) Hanoi -> Hue (Imperial capital, temples, trips to DMZ)
3) Hue -> Hoi An (riverside town, 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 (museums, nightlife, day-trips)

Save some time

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

Take a side trip

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

Combine trip plans

This trip links in easily with the Cambodia one month adventure.

Map

Sample Trip Times (in hours)

To help you work out how you'll get around, we've listed the trip durations for the various forms of transport available. Note that with the exception of flight times, these are average trip times, so no hate mail if you take the slow train.