Yes, Vietnam is one of the easiest countries in Southeast Asia to backpack on your own, thanks to a well-worn north-south route lined with hostels, bookable buses and cheap food.
Dorm beds cost 150,000 to 250,000 VND (US$6 to 10), and most hostels will book your onward sleeper bus or train for you. Grab handles city rides at fixed prices, and the e-visa costs US$25 for up to 90 days. English is common in hostels in
Hanoi,
Hoi An and
Ho Chi Minh City, and a translation app covers markets and local buses. The one stretch where independent travelers usually hire help is the
Ha Giang Loop, where a local motorbike driver is the safer choice.
Three weeks lets you travel Vietnam from top to bottom without rushing; two weeks covers two regions comfortably, and one week works best for a single region.
The country stretches about 1,650 kilometers, and the train from
Hanoi to
Ho Chi Minh City takes 30 to 36 hours, while a flight takes around 2 hours. With 7 days, stay in the north: Hanoi,
Ninh Binh and
Cat Ba. With 14 days, combine the south and center, from the
Mekong Delta to
Hoi An and
Hue. With 21 days, add the
Ha Giang Loop (3 to 4 days) and the caves of
Phong Nha.
Yes, you can easily get around Vietnam without a car, and driving one legally requires a Vietnamese license or a valid International Driving Permit.
Sleeper and limousine buses connect nearly every backpacker stop, for example Hanoi to
Ninh Binh in about 2 hours or Hanoi to
Ha Giang in 6 to 7 hours for 250,000 to 400,000 VND. The Reunification Express train runs down the coast, and the Hue to Da Nang stretch (2.5 to 3 hours) is the most scenic. Domestic flights between
Hanoi,
Da Nang and
Ho Chi Minh City often cost 900,000 to 2,500,000 VND. In cities, Grab cars and motorbike taxis cover the last few kilometers.
The essential stops in Vietnam are
Hanoi,
Hoi An, the karst scenery of
Ninh Binh or
Ha Long Bay, and the
Mekong Delta, with the
Ha Giang Loop as the top pick for a longer trip.
Give Hanoi 2 to 3 days for the
Temple of Literature and the Old Quarter food stalls, and Hoi An 3 days, including a sunrise trip to
My Son Sanctuary. Ninh Binh needs 2 days for the Trang An boat route (250,000 VND). In the south, spend 2 to 3 days in
Ho Chi Minh City and at least one night in
Can Tho to catch a floating market at dawn.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park adds the country’s largest show caves.
If you are short on time in Vietnam, skip the beach resort towns and the theme parks first, since the cities, mountains and delta are harder to find elsewhere in Asia.
Nha Trang,
Mui Ne and
Phu Quoc are pleasant, but each costs 2 to 3 days for scenery you can match in Thailand. The theme parks
Sun World Ba Na Hills and
VinWonders can be skipped too, with entry tickets around 750,000 to 950,000 VND. With one week, choose between the north and the south instead of trying to cover the length of the country. A Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City dash eats at least one full travel day, even by plane.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Vietnam in seconds. Try it out!
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