Our 12-Day Vietnam Itinerary: A Budget Trip for Two

Last updated: September 2026

TL;DR: Our 12-Day Vietnam Itinerary at a Glance

To help you decide if you want to read the whole thing, here’s a gist of what you’ll get in this blog: We spent 12 days travelling from North to South Vietnam in April 2024.

Our Vietmam itinerary route: Kolkata → Hanoi → Hoi An → Da Nang → Ho Chi Minh City → Kolkata

Day	Location	Activity
Day 1	Hanoi	Walking tour Thang Long Puppet show Hoan Kiem lake
Day 2	Halong Bay	Day tour
Day 3	Ninh Binh	Day tour
Day 4	Hanoi	Ho Chi Minh Museum Temple of Literature Train Street
Day 5	Hoi An	Fly to Da Nang + Self transfer
Day 6	Hoi An	Coconut forest tour Cooking class Hoi An Ancient Town
Day 7	Hoi An	An Bang Beach
Day 8	Da Nang	Marble Mountain Lady Buddha My Khe Beach
Day 9	Ho Chi Minh City	Fly to Ho Chi Minh City
Day 10	Ho Chi Minh City	Saigon Central Post Office Notre Dame Cathedral War Remnants Museum Ben Thanh Market Apartment Cafe
Day 11	Ho Chi Minh City	Cu Chi Tunnels Bitexco Skydeck Hop-on Hop-off bus (city tour)
Day 12	Ho Chi Minh City	Independence Palace Return to Kolkata (India)

The idea of travel is different for everyone. The kind of travel that I was used to jammed everything possible into one trip. The idea behind this was – if you’re lucky enough to be here now, chances are, you won’t get to come back. So we used to make the most of it.

I was a kid back then. Letter was the primary communication channel. Land phones were only beginning to show up in affluent homes. I remember my father used to bring back long multi-page letters about travel experiences from his colleagues. My parents pored over them, planning our itinerary, estimating costs. My eyes would widen at the prospect of a vacation, especially because they were far apart and always fun.

Decades have passed since then. Information is easily available today. I plan my own trips now. But I learnt it all from my wise father.

Thankfully, my husband has the same enthusiasm for travel. So we try to go on at least one vacation in a year. Following this ritual, we pooled both our resources and took a trip to Vietnam in 2024. 

This is a good place to mention that I have branched a little away from my childhood travel ideology. My itineraries now aren’t as jam-packed. But still close enough to the middle-class travel theory. As you would find in this Vietnam travel itinerary.

We went to Vietnam in April which is the shoulder season. This is the transition period between the dry and the wet seasons. So it was quite hot but doable. And the prices were cheaper than in the high season. The optimized duration for our trip turned out to be about 2 weeks considering important spots, budget and leaves from work.

We moved through the country from the North to the South in 12 days, covering some specific sights within our budget. I will break my Vietnam itinerary down in the following sections accordingly.

North Vietnam Itinerary

We flew into Hanoi from Kolkata because Indigo has direct flights – which means it’s cheaper. 

Top sights we covered in our North Vietnam Itinerary:

1. Hanoi city – We kept an entire day to explore Hanoi in our Vietnam itinerary. It wasn’t enough. Hanoi is steeped in history, hanging on to history and creating history. The museums and temples are a must-visit to learn about the foundation of the country. Visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum if not anything else. We also soaked up Vietnamese folklore at their puppet show. You might also want to take a street food tour, hop unique cafes or daydream by the Hoan Kiem lake. So you need at least 2 whole days to leave somewhat satisfied.
2. Halong Bay – We did the day tour. But if you can, stay the night in the cruise ship. Halong Bay is a natural wonder in the South China sea. It’s a group of islands with tall limestone structures jutting out of the sea. It is spread across an enormous area. So the tours are broken up into 5 circuits. We took Route 2.
3. Ninh Binh – This is another UNESCO world heritage site. You will see beautiful limestone karst, rice paddies, rivers, and caves. We took the day tour – which is why it was a little rushed and tiring. But if your budget and time permits, I recommend staying one night and exploring it at your pace. It’s a peaceful countryside to explore.

Hanoi Itinerary: 

Day 1: Reached Hanoi at 2 in the morning; took the hostel’s free walking tour in the morning. In the evening, we watched the Puppet Show & strolled along Hoan Kiem lake.

Day 2: Halong Bay tour

Day 3: Ninh Binh day tour

Day 4: Hanoi city tour (self)

What I would like to add to my North Vietnam itinerary on my next trip:

1. Take the scenic train to Sapa
2. Stay in Sapa for 2 nights
3. Return to Hanoi from Sapa via the Ha Giang loop – a popular motorbike route

Central Vietnam Itinerary

From Hanoi, we took a Vietjet flight to Da Nang. Then we took a bus at the airport intending to go to or closer to Hoi An. But it dropped us on the opposite route. It was entirely my fault. I decided not to trust the cab driver at the airport who repeatedly told us that there was no bus on that route in the evening. But I was convinced that he wanted to rip us off.

Long story short, we took a cab to Hoi An after the detour.

I cannot recommend staying at Hoi An enough. The sleepy town looks like someone has wound the clocks to go extra slow.

Hoi An was once a trading port connecting China and Japan with the rest of Asia. That’s why it has an abundance of fusion architecture – Japanese, Chinese and French structures along with Vietnamese tube houses dating as far back as the 15th century. Along with ancient houses, the town has well-preserved temples, pagodas, communal houses, assembly halls – bearing the imprint of the time gone by.

These structures are lined along narrow, winding alleyways. Bright pink bougainvillea spills over the fading yellow walls. Pretty lanterns hang at every storefront. These are lit as the sun goes down, painting the town in a warm yellow, red and green glow.  

Hoi An invites you to pause for a while. Sit down and have a cup of tea. Float a lantern in the river. Walk into a painting shop and pet a cat. Look up at the sky. Run your fingers lightly along the fading yellow walls, listening to the sighs of history.

What we did at Hoi An:

1. We booked a pass for the Ancient Town. Look out for the yellow stall right at the entrance of the town. The pass lets you visit 5 heritage sites. You get a brochure with information on all the sites in the town. I would recommend you to read up first and then choose your 5 sites instead of randomly walking into the first 5 places you see.
2. Cooking class: Food is a crucial inlet into a community’s history and culture. So we wanted to keep a cooking class in our Vietnam itinerary. We took the class at Hoi An after a ride in a basket boat along the Coconut Forest river. It was a highly immersive experience.
3. Boat ride on the Thu Bon river in the evening. It’s so much like the river in the movie, ‘Tangled’. You can make a wish and float a lantern in the river. The cost of the lantern is not included in the boat tour.
4. We spent an entire day at the An Bang beach near Hoi An. Be sure to add this to your Central Vietnam itinerary. It’s a lovely beach with changing rooms, lounge chairs with umbrellas rented by the hour, towel rentals and loads of eateries. If you order food, the chairs and towels are free. You can also spread out on the sand on your own sheet and bring your own food. Free country.

What we did at Da Nang:

1. Marble Mountains: It is a cluster of 5 natural limestone and marble hills near Da Nang city. These hills are named after the 5 elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Metal and Wood) and house caves and temples. Expect a lot of walking up and down stairs and within the caves. Be careful while climbing the slippery marble path within the caves.
2. Lady Buddha statue: This 67-metre-tall statue sits on a hilltop by the sea, watching over the sailors at sea. There’s a local saying that when something you lost is returned to you, you go to the Lady Buddha to express gratitude. We went there in the evening and took a moment to look at the sparkling Da Nang city line. There is also a pagoda within the huge complex that you can visit. It’s best to rent a car for a round trip from the city, especially if you are going there in the evening. It gets pretty quiet after sundown. Chances are you won’t get a cab or be able to hitch a ride from the site at that time.
3. My Khe Beach: We spent the evening at this popular Da Nang beach, sinking into bean bags on the sand and watching the waves crash.

We intentionally skipped Ba Na hills because man-made adventure parks hardly ever make sense to us.

Hoi An & Da Nang Itinerary at a Glance:

Day 5: Flew to Da Nang. Took a cab to Hoi An.

Day 6: Coconut Boat tour & cooking class + Sights at Hoi An Ancient Town

Day 7: An Bang beach

Day 8: Took a cab to Da Nang + went to see the Marble Mountains & Lady Buddha

What I would like to add to my Central Vietnam itinerary on my next trip:

1. Visit Son Doong – World’s largest cave. There is a 6-day camping and trekking tour conducted by only one company and requires a certain level of expertise.
2. Visit 5 more sites in Hoi An Ancient Town
3. Play Bai Choi at Hoi An – It’s a Vietnamese card game played while sitting inside tiny, thatched bamboo huts on stilts. Each player group sits in separate huts that sit at the perimeter of a circular pedestal. The speaker stands in the middle of the pedestal singing and guiding the game.

South Vietnam Itinerary

In the final leg of our Vietnam trip itinerary, we flew out of Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City (previously known as Saigon). This part of the trip started with a setback. I fell sick. I was coughing and running a temperature. And I was tired. The moment I hit the hotel bed, I felt like I would not be able to get up. My poor husband had to run around the city looking for a pharmacy. Thankfully, he returned with ammo. 

I spent the better part of the evening in bed. And then we decided that going downstairs for dinner instead of ordering in might just make me feel better. So I forced myself out of the bed, plopped down at the nearest restaurant and ordered pumpkin soup and hot water. The waiter was surprised. He brought in the water and said, “Careful miss, it’s very hot”. We became friends from that moment. 

His name is Minh Nhut. Minh from Ho Chi Minh. He quit school at a young age to support his family. And now he is married to a girl from Vung Tau and expecting a baby girl. They have named her something that means “a good way to go”. We dined at that restaurant for all 3 days that we were in HCMC.

What we did at Ho Chi Minh City:

1. Cu Chi Tunnel: An eye-opening historical landmark from the Vietnam war. It’s located about 40 kilometres from the city – a bus ride away. Think of Cu Chi as an underground city with tunnels for roads. The Vietnamese farmers built this network as a shelter for the Viet Cong and to launch secret attacks on the Southern Vietnamese army and the Americans. These tunnels have living quarters, hospitals, kitchens, classrooms, and ammunition rooms. It is a man-made wonder that you absolutely should not miss.
2. City tour: Things to see include the Saigon post office, Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame cathedral, Cafe Apartment, sunset from the 49th floor of Bitexco skydeck. We also took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour around the city in the evening. And did some shopping at Ben Thanh Market.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Itinerary:

Day 9: Flew to Ho Chi Minh City

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City tour

Day 11: Cu Chi tunnel tour

Day 12: More city walks + flew back to Kolkata at night

What I would like to add to my South Vietnam itinerary on my next trip:

1. Take the Mekong river boat ride. Mekong is the lifeblood of Vietnam – which makes it an important piece of the country’s culture. Too bad we didn’t have time in our South Vietnam itinerary.
2. Visit Mui Ne. Imagine desert-like sand dunes merging into the sea. Fairy streams winding through red canyons. And looking at the oldest lighthouse of Southeast Asia. All of these can be found in Mui Ne, about 200 kms from HCMC.
3. At the time of our trip, the Notre Dame Cathedral was undergoing renovation. So all we could see was scaffolding. I hope to be able to see the cathedral in its beauty the next time I visit. And also observe it from a rooftop cafe while sipping on salt coffee.

How Much Did Our 12-Day Vietnam Trip Cost?

This 12-day Vietnam itinerary cost us 1.7L INR for 2 in April 2024. The cost includes:

• Flights from India (Kolkata) and back to Kolkata
• Hotel stays
• Internal flight transfers
• Public+private transports within the cities
• 3 meals each day
• Visa cost
• All tours and activities

Here’s the detailed cost breakdown for a Viet trip for 2 from India.

Is a 12-Day Itinerary Enough for Vietnam?

Honestly, a 12-day Vietnam itinerary is going to be tight if you plan to cover North, Central and South. The better option is to split your Vietnam itinerary into 3 separate 7-day trips for a more relaxed experience.

But I also understand that you may not be able to take so many vacations and even if you do, travelling to the same country more than once or twice may not be on your wishlist. So my 12-day Vietnam itinerary would be suitable to cover the major parts of the country at one go and on a budget. I have linked the Google sheet that I worked on while creating the itinerary.

However, if you want to have a more relaxed holiday, I have an itinerary you can follow within the same budget. For this, I would change two things from my original 12-day Vietnam itinerary:

1. If this is your first time in Vietnam and you have around 10-12 days available, I’d recommend you to include Hanoi, Hoi An and Da Nang in your Vietnam itinerary.
2. For a budget traveller, I would recommend you to choose bus as your intercity transport over flights. You can get a sleeper bus from Hanoi to Da Nang at a fraction of the flight cost. And you would save the cost of one-night accommodation. In all the money you spend for the bus ride would be lesser than the average cost for both (flight transfer + one-night stay).

Day	Location	Activity
Day 1	Hanoi	Walking tour Thang Long Puppet show Hoan Kiem lake
Day 2	Halong Bay (Via Klook)	Day tour from Hanoi
Day 3	Ninh Binh (Via Klook)	Day tour from Hanoi
Day 4	Hanoi	Ho Chi Minh Museum Temple of Literature Train Street
Day 5	Transfer to Hoi An	Hanoi to Da Nang Sleeper bus (1 night) – Redbus  Self transfer to Hoi An via Grab cab
Day 6	Hoi An	Coconut forest tour (Via Klook) Cooking class  (Via Klook) Hoi An Ancient Town
Day 7	Hoi An	An Bang Beach
Day 8	Da Nang	Marble Mountain Lady Buddha
Day 9	Da Nang	Ba Na Hills (optional) My Khe Beach
Day 10	Return

This Vietnam itinerary would cost you 1.7L INR in April 2027 from India (Kolkata). I checked. You can extend this itinerary by 2 more days and spread those out between Hanoi and Da Nang. The cost would increase accordingly.

Who is This 12-Day Vietnam Itinerary Suitable for?

This would work great for:

• Couples – we travelled as a 30-something couple
• Budget travellers
• First-time travellers to Vietnam
• Solo travellers
• Ones with little time but want to cover a good number of must-see spots in Vietnam
• Someone willing to choose coverage over continuous comfort

This itinerary is not for:

• Senior citizens
• Slow travellers
• Travellers wanting sevral beach days
• Travellers with five to seven days

More FAQs on Vietnam Itinerary

How many days is best to visit Vietnam?

10-12 days is a good amount of time to visit different regions of Vietnam without making the trip too rushed.

5-7 day Vietnam itinerary: Covers one region of Vietnam. For example, for North Vietnam, include Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Sapa. For Central Vietnam, include Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue.

10 day Vietnam itinerary: Covers 2 regions. You can do North + Central – this will include Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Hoi An, Da Nang. Or, you can cover North + South – include Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, Mui Ne/Vung Tau/Dalat/Nha Trang.

14 day Vietnam itinerary: Covers North + Central + South Vietnam. You can cover Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Hoi An, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City with relaxed days in between.

What is a good first-time itinerary for Vietnam?

A must-see, classic Vietnam itinerary for first-timers would be from North to Central Vietnam. Hanoi is non-negotiable because it is the cultural capital of Vietnam. For a first-time traveller to Vietnam, this is a must-see bustling city. You can then move on to Hoi An to immerse yourself in its lantern-lit streets and warm, decadent vibe. Finally, end with the quickly growing beautiful beach city of Da Nang.

Day 1-4: Hanoi

Day 1: Arrive at Hanoi. Take the walking tour to get to know the city. Move on to watch the world-famous puppet show at Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. End the day with a lazy stroll at Hoan Kiem Lake.

Day 2: Take the day tour to Ha Long Bay. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Watch the limestone karsts jutting out of the ocean from the comfort of your cruise. Kayak through the emerald waters and explore hidden caves with stalactices and stalagmites formed over hundreds of years.

Day 3: Take the day tour to Ninh Binh. Also a UNESCO World Heritage, it is popularly known as Ha Long Bay on land. Trek up to the dragon peak of Hang Mua, take a scenic boat ride along the Trang An river and stroll though the corridors of history at the Bai Dinh pagoda.

Day 4: Explore Hanoi at your own pace. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the final resting place of Uncle Ho. Stroll through the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university. Watch the train whoosh past within inches of you at Train street while sipping on salt coffee. End the day with shopping at the Night Market (if you are there on the weekend).

Day 5-7: Hoi An

Day 5: Take an overnight bus to Da Nang. Once you reach, book a Grab cab to your hotel in Hoi An. Spend the day at leisure or relaxing at your hotel after the trip.

Day 6: Ride in a basket boat through the Coconut forest, along the winding canals of the Thu Bon river until it meets the De Vong and Co Co rivers. At the end of your ride, take a cooking class to immerse yourself in Vietnam’s culinary extravaganza. Stroll through the Ancient Town of Hoi An and wander through the colourful lantern-lit streets.

Day 7: Relax the whole day at the nearby An Bang beach

Day 7-10: Da Nang

Day 8: Transfer to Da Nang. Visit the Marble Mountains – naturally formed limestrone and marble hills. Walk through its caves and learn its history. Tour the Lady Buddha complex and watch the Da Nang skyline light up.

Day 9: Either visit Ba Na Hills or relax at the My Khe beach.

Day 10: Walk around Da Nang city and transfer to the airport for your return flight.

Which is better to visit, Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi?

If you are travelling to Vietnam for the first time, it’s is crucial to include Hanoi. Hanoi is the melting pot of Vietnamese culture. It’s a bustling city with dramatic scenery nearby. You also get history, various food options, nighlife and a strong cafe culture in Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh City too has history, food options and nightlife but it is more of a modern city with skyscrapers built around business. If you are visiting HCMC, do not miss the Cu Chi Tunnels and the boat ride along the Mekong river.

HCMC has the vibe of a busy adult building their career, eager to learn skills and make money. Whereas, Hanoi is the beating heart of the country where the person grew up and spent their formative years.

Is it better to travel North to South or South to North?

I travelled from North to South during April. These are my observations:

There are a lot more things to do in the North and the Central Vietnam. Therefore, starting off at the North with 100% energy helped me manage my packed schedule. By the time I reached HCMC, I was almost drained. And since there wasn’t much to do in HCMC, I could relax a bit before returning home.

The weather gets hotter as you move to the South. Since we were in Vietnam in the peak summer month, it felt a bit uncomfortable towards the end in HCMC. If we had started in HCMC, it could have a been an easy transition from hot to less hot.

But my previous reason holds more weight for me because the weather transition wasn’t huge given our 12-day Vietnam itinerary. South to North could’ve made more sense if we had stayed in Vietnam for about a month or so.

Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments. I’d be happy to answer them.