Vietnam North to South in Ten Days
The classic three-city line, with two flights, honest days and a list of what to cut.
Ten days is the classic first trip: Hanoi in the north, Da Nang and Hoi An in the centre, Ho Chi Minh City in the south. It works if you treat the two flights as travel days and keep two or three nights in each stop. This plan shows the days honestly, and what to cut when your leave shrinks.
Who is this route for?
It suits first-timers who want a bit of everything: heritage, food, a beach-and-lantern town and a big southern city. It works for couples, friends and families with school-age children. If you travel with toddlers or elderly parents, read the cuts below before booking, because this route has two flights and some early starts.
Malaysian ordinary passport holders can enter Vietnam without a visa for 30 days1. Check the official sources before you travel.
The ten days at a glance
- Days 1 to 3: Hanoi, with a Ninh Binh day trip.
- Day 4: fly to Da Nang, then Hoi An.
- Days 5 and 6: Hoi An and a beach or heritage outing.
- Day 7: fly to Ho Chi Minh City.
- Days 8 and 9: the city and a day trip.
- Day 10: fly home.
How do you fly in and out?
Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi is listed with AirAsia, Batik Air Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines and VietJet Air2. Da Nang is also listed with those four airlines on the Kuala Lumpur route3, and Ho Chi Minh City with Malaysia Airlines, VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines and AirAsia4.
Fly into Hanoi and out of Ho Chi Minh City on an open-jaw ticket if the price suits. Our open-jaw planning guide explains how to compare.
Day by day
Day 1: arrive in Hanoi
Check in, eat near the hotel and walk a short stretch. Keep the first night calm.
Day 2: the Old Quarter and the citadel
Walk the Old Quarter in the morning. The central sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long was inscribed in 20106. Rest after lunch and return to the lanes in the evening. Our Hanoi guide explains the areas.
Day 3: Ninh Binh
Trang An Landscape Complex was inscribed in 20147. Go by car, take the river boat and return by evening. This is the first cut if you need one.
Day 4: fly to Da Nang, then Hoi An
Take a morning flight, then travel by car to Hoi An. Treat this as a travel day and keep the evening light. The Da Nang guide explains the airport and the beach.
Days 5 and 6: Hoi An
Hoi An Ancient Town was inscribed in 19998. Walk the old town early, rest in the heat and return in the evening for the lanterns. On Day 6, choose a beach morning, a cooking class or a countryside ride. Read the Hoi An guide for the zones.
Day 7: fly to Ho Chi Minh City
Fly after breakfast and arrive in the afternoon. Settle in, eat and rest. Do not plan a big sight on this evening.
Day 8: Ho Chi Minh City
Spend the day on the central streets, a market and a museum, with a break indoors at midday. Use Grab between stops.
Day 9: Cu Chi or the Mekong
Choose one day trip. The Cu Chi tunnel complex is described as 121 km long, with the Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc visitor sites9. The Mekong suits boats and fruit. Pick by interest, and read the Ho Chi Minh City guide.
Day 10: fly home
Pack the night before and leave for the airport with margin.
Why not take the train?
The Reunification Express between Hanoi and Saigon takes about 30 hours end to end5. That would use more than a full day of a ten-day trip, plus time to recover, so flights are the practical choice here.
What should you cut, in order?
- The Ninh Binh day, which saves a day in the north.
- The third night in Hoi An, which saves a night in the centre.
- The Cu Chi or Mekong day, which saves a day in the south.
Our guide to where to cut days on a north-to-south route explains each cut in more detail.
Where should you stay?
Choose areas, not hotel names. In Hanoi, pick the Old Quarter for evenings or a quieter lake area. In Hoi An, stay near the old town or toward the beach.
In Ho Chi Minh City, stay central. Compare rates yourself.
What should you book ahead?
- Your international flights and the two domestic flights.
- Airport transfers in each city.
- A Ninh Binh car and a Cu Chi or Mekong tour.
- Halal meal checks in each city, with a certificate and issuer you can name.
What will it cost?
Price the trip in lines: international flights, two domestic flights, nine nights, transfers, day trips, meals and extras. Rates change by season, so use the trip budget builder with current quotes and the travel-day checker for the two flight days.
If you share your leave dates and which flights you can reach from home, we can check the open-jaw option, the two internal flights and where this ten-day line is tightest for your group.
Common questions
Is ten days enough to see Vietnam from north to south?
Ten days is enough for a first taste of three regions, not for every highlight. You will see Hanoi, central Vietnam and the south, with two flights between them. Accept that some places will wait for a second visit, and keep each stop to two or three nights.
Why fly between regions instead of taking the train?
The Reunification Express between Hanoi and Saigon takes more than a full day end to end. On a ten-day trip that would swallow a large part of your leave, so a short domestic flight is the better use of leave. Rail suits a slower trip, not this one.
What should we cut if we only have eight days?
Cut the Ninh Binh day first, then the third night in Hoi An, and then the Cu Chi or Mekong day. This keeps Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City as the core. Do not squeeze all three cuts into one day, because that turns the trip into a transit exercise.
Do Malaysians need a visa for ten days?
Malaysian ordinary passport holders can enter Vietnam without a visa for 30 days, so ten days is within the limit. Rules can change, so check the official sources before you travel, and make sure your passport has enough validity.
What is an open-jaw ticket and does it help?
An open-jaw ticket means flying into one city and home from another, here Hanoi in and Ho Chi Minh City out. It saves a backtracking day and a flight. Compare the price with a return ticket, and see our open-jaw planning guide.
Sources
- Malaysian ordinary passport holders can enter Vietnam without a visa for 30 days. Wikipedia. Check before travel on official Vietnam immigration / MOFA channels.
- Kuala Lumpur International to Hanoi Noi Bai is listed as served by AirAsia, Batik Air Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines and VietJet Air. Wikipedia. Wikipedia destination table; check airline sites for current schedules.
- Da Nang to Kuala Lumpur International is listed as served by AirAsia, Batik Air Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines and VietJet Air. Wikipedia
- Ho Chi Minh City Tan Son Nhat to Kuala Lumpur is listed as served by Malaysia Airlines, VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines and AirAsia. Wikipedia
- Typical end-to-end journeys on the Reunification Express last about 30 hours; express timetables run about 33 to 34 hours. Wikipedia. Timetables change; check dsvn.vn.
- The Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Hanoi, was inscribed in 2010 (31 July 2010). Wikipedia
- Trang An Landscape Complex, Ninh Binh, was inscribed on 23 June 2014 under cultural and natural criteria (v)(vii)(viii), with an extension in 2016. Wikipedia. The list-of-sites article gave 2016; the dedicated article says 2014 inscription. Owner: confirm on whc.unesco.org (not reachable).
- Hoi An Ancient Town was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999. Wikipedia
- The Cu Chi tunnel complex is described as 75 miles (121 km) long, with Ben Dinh and Ben Duoc visitor sites. Wikipedia
Keep planning
If you share your leave dates and which flights you can reach from home, we can check the open-jaw option, the two internal flights and where this ten-day line is tightest for your group.