RoutesSoutheast Asia
One Month in Vietnam
Hanoi to Saigon the slow way, by train, bus and motorbike.
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Dotted path is schematic (great-circle-ish arcs between stops), not a transport route.
Stop by stop
Click a stop (or its pin on the map) for costs, country facts and what to do there.
1Hanoi VietnamOld Quarter, Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay overnight, Ninh Binh or Ha Giang.4 nights
$272 mid
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0A thousand-year-old capital eaten one bowl of pho at a time.
Hanoi is Vietnam's intellectual, political and culinary capital, a city of lakes, French villas, Soviet blocks and a medieval Old Quarter whose 36 streets are still roughly organised by trade. The traffic is a river of scooters you learn to wade through; the reward is the best street food in the country, a cafe…
- Daily budget
- $25–$165 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $272 4 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr
- Internet
- 90 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake Dawn tai chi at the lake, then the 36 streets.
- Temple of Literature Vietnam's first university, 1070.
- Train Street Access is periodically restricted; respect the barriers.
- Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay Overnight cruises; Lan Ha from Cat Ba is quieter.
Vietnam: practical facts
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND) · 25,699.00 VND/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Vietnamese; English common in tourism and among younger people
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C, F (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or boiled only
- Emergency
- 113 police, 115 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
night train to Hue · about 13.0 hours
2Hue VietnamCitadel, royal tombs, the Perfume River.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Hue yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Da Nang (about 80 km).
Vietnam: practical facts
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND) · 25,699.00 VND/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Vietnamese; English common in tourism and among younger people
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C, F (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or boiled only
- Emergency
- 113 police, 115 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
motorbike or train over the Hai Van Pass · about 3.0 hours
3Da Nang VietnamMy Khe beach, Marble Mountains, Son Tra.2 nights
$142 mid
Photo: Kuroczynski · CC BY-SA 4.0A beach city with fibre internet: central Vietnam's practical nomad base.
Da Nang is a modern, orderly city on a long sweep of beach between Hue and Hoi An, and in a few years it has become one of Asia's fastest-growing remote-work hubs. My Khe beach is the morning routine, the Han River bridges the evening one, and the Marble Mountains, Son Tra peninsula, Ba Na hills and Hoi An's old town…
- Daily budget
- $27–$168 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $142 2 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Feb, Mar, Apr, May
- Internet
- 100 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- My Khe beach at dawn The city swims and exercises before work.
- Marble Mountains Caves, pagodas and views; 20 minutes south.
- Son Tra peninsula and the Lady Buddha Monkeys, viewpoints and the Linh Ung pagoda.
- Hai Van Pass The coastal mountain road to Hue by scooter or train.
Vietnam: practical facts
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND) · 25,699.00 VND/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Vietnamese; English common in tourism and among younger people
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C, F (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or boiled only
- Emergency
- 113 police, 115 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
shuttle bus · about 0.8 hours
4Hoi An VietnamOld town, An Bang beach, cooking class, tailoring, My Son.4 nights
$288 mid
Photo: Steffen Schmitz (more photos) · CC BY-SA 4.0Lanterns, tailors and rice paddies on the central coast.
Hoi An's old town is a preserved trading port of Chinese assembly halls, Japanese bridges and yellow-washed merchant houses strung with silk lanterns, and it has become one of Vietnam's most visited places for good reason. Step a kilometre outside it and the town turns into rice fields, water-buffalo lanes and An Bang…
- Daily budget
- $28–$175 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $288 4 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Feb, Mar, Apr
- Internet
- 80 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Old town after dark Lanterns, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Thu Bon river boats; buy the entrance ticket that funds restoration.
- An Bang beach A proper beach 4 km away with a relaxed cafe strip.
- Tra Que vegetable village Farming demonstrations and cooking classes among the herb beds.
- Cycling the paddies Cam Thanh's coconut-palm waterways and basket boats.
Vietnam: practical facts
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND) · 25,699.00 VND/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Vietnamese; English common in tourism and among younger people
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C, F (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or boiled only
- Emergency
- 113 police, 115 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
sleeper bus south · about 11.0 hours
5Nha Trang VietnamBeach, islands, mud baths.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Nha Trang yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Ho Chi Minh City (about 320 km).
Vietnam: practical facts
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND) · 25,699.00 VND/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Vietnamese; English common in tourism and among younger people
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C, F (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or boiled only
- Emergency
- 113 police, 115 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus to Da Lat · about 4.0 hours
6Da Lat VietnamCool hills, canyoning, coffee farms.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Da Lat yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Ho Chi Minh City (about 230 km).
Vietnam: practical facts
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND) · 25,699.00 VND/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Vietnamese; English common in tourism and among younger people
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C, F (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or boiled only
- Emergency
- 113 police, 115 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
sleeper bus · about 7.0 hours
7Ho Chi Minh City VietnamWar museum, Cu Chi, District 3, Mekong Delta overnight to Can Tho.5 nights
$375 mid
Photo: Radek Kucharski · CC BY 2.0Saigon: nine million scooters, a thousand coffee shops and the fastest-moving city in the region.
Officially Ho Chi Minh City, still Saigon to almost everyone who lives there, Vietnam's southern metropolis runs on commerce, coffee and motorbikes. District 1 holds the French colonial landmarks and the war museums; District 3's tree-lined streets hide the cafes; Thao Dien across the river is where the expat and…
- Daily budget
- $28–$180 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $375 5 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
- Internet
- 120 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- War Remnants Museum Harrowing and essential.
- Cu Chi tunnels Half-day trip; the Ben Duoc section is quieter than Ben Dinh.
- District 1 colonial core Notre-Dame, the Central Post Office, the Opera House and the Reunification Palace.
- Cholon (District 5) Chinatown's temples and the Binh Tay market.
Vietnam: practical facts
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND) · 25,699.00 VND/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Vietnamese; English common in tourism and among younger people
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C, F (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or boiled only
- Emergency
- 113 police, 115 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus to Phnom Penh or fly home · about 6.0 hours
8Can Tho (Mekong Delta) VietnamCai Rang floating market at dawn, canals by sampan.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Can Tho (Mekong Delta) yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Ho Chi Minh City (about 130 km).
Vietnam: practical facts
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND) · 25,699.00 VND/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Vietnamese; English common in tourism and among younger people
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C, F (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or boiled only
- Emergency
- 113 police, 115 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus back to Ho Chi Minh City · about 3.5 hours
9Ho Chi Minh City VietnamFinal days: coffee, food streets, flights out.5 nights
$375 midPhoto: Radek Kucharski · CC BY 2.0Saigon: nine million scooters, a thousand coffee shops and the fastest-moving city in the region.
Officially Ho Chi Minh City, still Saigon to almost everyone who lives there, Vietnam's southern metropolis runs on commerce, coffee and motorbikes. District 1 holds the French colonial landmarks and the war museums; District 3's tree-lined streets hide the cafes; Thao Dien across the river is where the expat and…
- Daily budget
- $28–$180 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $375 5 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
- Internet
- 120 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- War Remnants Museum Harrowing and essential.
- Cu Chi tunnels Half-day trip; the Ben Duoc section is quieter than Ben Dinh.
- District 1 colonial core Notre-Dame, the Central Post Office, the Opera House and the Reunification Palace.
- Cholon (District 5) Chinatown's temples and the Binh Tay market.
Vietnam: practical facts
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (VND) · 25,699.00 VND/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Vietnamese; English common in tourism and among younger people
- Plugs and voltage
- A, C, F (220 V)
- Tap water
- Not drinkable; bottled or boiled only
- Emergency
- 113 police, 115 ambulance
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
North: Hanoi, the mountains and the bay
Four nights in Hanoi, with a two-night Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay cruise and, if you have the appetite, the three-day Ha Giang motorbike loop (easy-rider drivers for non-riders). Ninh Binh is the better day trip if time is short. Sapa's rice terraces are a night train away but busier than Ha Giang.
Centre: Hue, the pass and Hoi An
The train from Hanoi to Hue is 13 hours overnight; Hue's citadel and tombs take two days. Then the Hai Van Pass by motorbike (or the train, which hugs the same cliffs) to Da Nang, and 30 minutes on to Hoi An for four nights of old town, beach, tailoring and cooking.
South: beaches and the Delta
Sleeper bus or train south to Nha Trang or Mui Ne for a beach stop, then Da Lat's cool hills if you want a change, and finally Ho Chi Minh City: the War Remnants Museum, Cu Chi, District 3's cafes, and a two-day Mekong Delta trip to Can Tho's floating market. Fly home from SGN or continue to Cambodia by bus.
Practical notes
Visa: the 90-day e-visa from the official portal covers this with room to spare; many European passports have a 45-day exemption. Transport: book sleeper trains two to five days ahead (12go or the Vietnam Railways site); sleeper buses are cheaper and rougher. Weather: the north is cool and grey in winter, the centre floods in October and November, the south is hot and wet from May to October; February to April is the best compromise. Budget: Vietnam is one of the cheapest countries on this site; the mid figure includes a good bay cruise and the Ha Giang loop.