Our Vietnam 15 Day Itinerary

Vietnam has traditionally not been a popular tourist destination among Indians. In India, people mostly go to Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia for a short holiday. Few don’t even know that Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia.

But the landscape is changing now. Travel bloggers and social media influencers have presented Vietnam as an exotic destination that can be as cheap as Thailand if not more. Coupled with direct flights from big cities in India to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam, more and more people are now considering Vietnam a fun-filled but pocket-friendly destination.

If you are looking to travel to Vietnam, give yourselves at least 7 days in Vietnam as Vietnam is a big country and each city offers something different from the rest. Vietnam has everything – nature, history, culture, and fun theme parks. We visited Vietnam for 15 days and covered 5 cities from Ho Chi Minh City in the South to Hanoi in the North.

Also Read: Vietnam Travel Guide

To help you plan your Vietnam trip, here is our Vietnam 15 day itinerary :

Breakdown of our 15 days in Vietnam

• Day 1: Flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Stay in Ho Chi Minh City)
• Day 2: Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta Full-Day Tour (Stay in Ho Chi Minh City)
• Day 3: Flight to Da Lat (Stay in Da Lat)
• Day 4: Da Lat sightseeing (Stay in Da Lat)
• Day 5: Flight to Da Nang (Stay in Da Nang)
• Day 6: Da Nang sightseeing (Stay in Da Nang)
• Day 7: Full day trip to Ba Na Hills (Stay in Da Nang)
• Day 8: Da Nang sightseeing (Stay in Da Nang)
• Day 9: Full-day trip to Hoi An (Stay in Da Nang)
• Day 10: Flight to Hanoi and then bus to Sa Pa (Stay in Sa Pa)
• Day 11: Sa Pa sightseeing (Stay in Sa Pa)
• Day 12: Sa Pa sightseeing and overnight bus to Hanoi (Overnight in the bus)
• Day 13: Full-day tour to Ninh Binh (Stay in Hanoi)
• Day 14: Full-day tour to Halong Bay (Stay in Hanoi)
• Day 15: Hanoi sightseeing and flight to Delhi

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City

We reached Ho Chi Minh City in the morning after taking an overnight flight from Delhi. We went to the hotel and took a few hours nap.

In the first evening of our Vietnam 15 day itinerary, we visited Bui Vien Walking Street which is a go-to place for foreign tourists at night. After sunset, the street gets lively with loud music, street fire performances, pubs, bars, and eateries everywhere. It reminded us of Bangla Walking Street near Patong Beach in Phuket.

After dinner at Bui Vien Street, we explored the city on foot. There is not much to see and do in the city itself.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City

Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta Full-Day Tour

Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta are two different places and are generally arranged as separate tours on different days. But as we were supposed to have only one full day in Ho Chi Minh City, we booked this 13-hour long tour from Klook that covered both places on the same day. You can check out our honest review of this tour here.

Cu Chi Tunnels – These tunnels were part of a large network of underground tunnels in the Cu Chi district that served as the operation base of Communist fighters (Viet Cong) in South Vietnam. They were fighting under the direction of North Vietnam backed by Russia against South Vietnam backed by the US during the Vietnam War.

The tunnels were used as hiding spots, hospitals, weapon storage, and living quarters for the Viet Cong fighters. The tour was very informative, and we learnt lots of new things about the Vietnam War.

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Mekong Delta – This part of the tour was all about boat rides. In total, we took two motorboat rides, two cruises, and one boat ride along the Mekong Delta. Although the scenery was beautiful, we got bored after a while with all the boat rides and felt like rushing from one place to another. Maybe a full-day Mekong Delta tour is less rushed and has more things to see and do than just boat rides.

Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta Combo Tour – Klook

Day 3: Da Lat

Flight to Da Lat

We had originally booked a morning flight to Da Lat which got rescheduled to an afternoon flight thereby leaving us very little time for any sightseeing. We had our breakfast, went to the airport and reached Dalat at 5 PM.

Lumiere Da Lat Light Garden

This is the most instagrammable place in Da Lat. Lumiere has different zones, created by combining natural light and special effects. The staff was very helpful in both suggesting the poses and taking photographs.

100 Roof Bar

100 Roof Bar is not your everyday bar where there is loud music, alcohol and lots of dancing. Yes, they do serve alcohol and other beverages, but people visit 100 Roof Bar for its bizarre architecture.

From the outside, it may look like a normal bar but from the inside, it is a multi-storey labyrinth with many stairways leading to a dead end. Once we reached the roof, we were welcomed by the tiered garden. We continued climbing the garden stairs and ended up with the night view of Da Lat.

Note: Buying a drink is mandatory to go inside.

Da Lat Night Market

Da Lat Night Market is a food and clothing market. We started exploring the market looking for local vegetarian food but the only vegetarian dish we could get was a wrap which for some reason, locals call it a Pizza Dalat.

Day 4: Da Lat

Datanla Waterfall

Datanla Waterfall is not popular because of the waterfall but rather how you can reach there. There are two ways to reach the waterfall from the car parking area, one by hiking down that is not only a bit laborious but also time-consuming. There is another but fun way is by self-drive Alpine Coaster. We drove the coaster at full speed on a circular track giving the feeling of driving a roller coaster.

The waterfall was not less impressive either. The water was coming down with full force and there was a chair placed near to the fall for taking instagrammable photos.

Valley Of Love

Dalat is famous for instagrammable attractions and Valley of Love was no different. The Valley of Love is spread over 242 hectares of area. There are many beautiful gardens where you can take many exquisite photos.

Apart from wandering around different gardens, you can also enjoy a paddle boat ride, take your photos with celebrities at a wax museum, play a VR game, and see famous landmarks of the world at Miniature Park.

Note: Entry ticket of VND 250k (INR 875) includes unlimited access to all the activities.

Linh Phuoc Pagoda

Linh Phuoc Pagoda was the most beautiful pagoda we saw on our Vietnam 15-day trip. The whole pagoda complex has some amazing mosaic work. There is a huge statue of Quan Am about 40 ft high inside the pagoda.

There is a bell tower just a few metres away from the pagoda. As you climb the tower, you will see the 60 ft high statue of Lady Buddha made of about half a million flowers.

There is also a hall depicting 18 levels of hell which we missed as we were unaware of it.

Klook.com

Day 5: Da Lat, Da Nang

Crazy House

We visited Crazy House in the morning as we had a few hours before our flight to Da Nang. This unique architectural building is actually a guest house. The house is designed as a 5-story high Banyan tree with a branch-like structure passing along the walls. There are also 10-themed rooms which can be booked for a stay.

It was fun exploring the Crazy House, taking odd-angled staircases to move from one place to another.

Flight to Da Nang

Our flight was originally scheduled to depart Dalat at night. But like the flight to Da Lat from Ho Chi Minh City, it also got rescheduled to the afternoon.

We reached Da Nang in the evening and explored the streets of Da Nang before retiring to our room.

Day 6: Da Nang

My Khe Beach

We hit the My Khe beach first thing in the morning. The water was clean and the landscape was beautiful. The beach was not crowded and we couple of non-swimmers had a wonderful time sitting on the beach and strong waves regularly pushing us out of our position.

Full Body Vietnamese Massage

Taking a massage in Vietnam is very cheap. There were many massage parlours next to our hotel. We chose the one which had the lowest price. and booked a 1-hour full body oil massage for just VND 230k (~INR 800) per person. The massage was very relaxing and an hour just flew by and felt like minutes.

Art In Paradise

Art In Paradise is a 3-D Art Museum like the Trick Eye Museum we visited in Phuket. The museum is pretty big and has lots of 3-D art.

We went there at 5:30 PM after checking out the timing on the website which had mentioned the last entry at 8 PM but the museum actually closes at 6 PM. The guard was kind enough to give us an extra hour to go through the museum. Being late proved to be a blessing in disguise as we had the whole museum for ourselves for about an hour.

Han River Cruise

After thanking the guard at Art In Paradise, we took a Grab and reached the Han River waterfront to hop on the cruise ship for a 45-minute cruise on Han River.

There was a short 5-10 minute dance performance on the ship before the cruise started. The performance was alright, nothing much to talk about. But the time at the river was pretty good. The cruise offered great views of the city. But the highlight of the cruise was the stunning sight of the famous Dragon Bridge that illuminates at night with constantly changing multi-coloured lights.

Han River Cruise Ticket – Klook

Day 7: Da Nang

Day Trip to Ba Na Hills

Ba Na Hills is one of the most famous attractions of Vietnam. It has an amusement park, themed village, fairy tale castle, and pagodas.

We took the 15-minute long cable car from the car parking to reach the Ba Na Hills. First, we saw the Golden Hands Bridge which nowadays many people in India associate Vietnam with. Then we entered the French Village and just spent all the time walking and taking many photos.

There is also an indoor amusement park and we did a few rides. Afterwards, we rode the Alpine Coaster. We found the ride to be a bit short and with fewer curves as compared to the one at Datanla Waterfall. We explored the French Village a little bit more and then went back to the hotel in the evening. You can read about our experience here.

Ba Na Hills Ticket – Klook
Private Car to Ba Na Hills from Da Nang – Klook

Fire Show at Dragon Bridge

There is a 10-15 minute fire show at 9 PM on Friday to Sunday. Dragon at Dragon Bridge literally breathes fire for a few minutes before throwing water for a couple of minutes. We saw people standing close to the dragon getting fully drenched.

Day 8: Da Nang

Marble Mountains

Marble Mountains are famous for caves and temples. We used the elevator to reach the first part of the mountain. We saw pagodas and Buddha statues. There are many caves in the Marble Mountains but none more famous than Huyen Khong Cave. If you have time and energy for only one cave, go for this cave.

Asia Park

Asia Park is an amusement park owned by Sun World which also owns Bana Hill and Fansipan attractions.

The park is divided into many different cultural zones like Japan, India, Indonesia, and Cambodia with few rides in each zone. The famous attraction at Asia Park is a Ferris wheel that takes 15 minutes to revolve and gives breathtaking views of Da Nang city. There is also an arcade centre inside Asia Park where you can play games unlimited times.

A few of the arcade games and rides were not working but it is worth visiting considering the price of VND 170k (INR 600).

Asia Park Ticket – Klook

Day 9: Da Nang

Day Trip to Hoi An

A car for a roundtrip transfer to Hoi An was booked from Klook. We first went for a Coconut Boat ride in the morning. We hopped onto the round basket-shaped boat and wore the conical hat provided by the boatman. Our boatman cum guide stopped the boat now and then to take our photos. He even suggested where to sit or stand which would help in better photos.

Just before the ride ended, he made the boat dance in which he shook and spun the boat very fast. We had to hold the boat very tight to avoid falling off the boat. It was an amazing experience and we had lots of fun.

We took Grab and reached Hoi An Ancient Town. Hoi An Ancient Town is a very walkable area. There are many old houses which are open to tourists. But you will need to buy an Ancient Town ticket that will grant entry to up to 5 sightseeing places. We didn’t find these houses/buildings very interesting and could have skipped them.

There are also many clothing and souvenir shops but we found souvenir prices a bit on a higher side than other places in Vietnam.

We were all afternoon exploring the streets of Hoi An. It was not very crowded in the afternoon but most people visit Hoi An in the evening. As the sun sets down, you will see the colourful lanterns all around you which is a sight to behold.

One of the most famous things to do in Hoi An is to take a 10-minute boat ride in the Hoai River and release the glowing paper lantern in the river. Not only tourists but many locals also visit Hoi An in the evening to release the lantern.

Private Car to Ba Na Hills from Da Nang – Klook
Hoi An Boat Ride and Release Lantern Ticket – Klook
Coconut Forest Basket Boat Ride Ticket – Klook

Day 10: Sa Pa

Travel Day

Sa Pa is a hill station in North Vietnam. The closest airport is Noi Bai International Airport which is about 300 kilometres away from Sa Pa. We first boarded the Vietnam Airlines flight to Hanoi and then bus to Sa Pa.

We had pre-booked the bus through 12GoAsia for ~INR 3200 for two people.

A Van picked us up from the airport and dropped us off at the Sao Viet Bus Company office. We boarded the bus after an hour’s delay. It was a luxury sleeper bus with wifi available on board. The bus ride was bumpy and I couldn’t sleep. We reached Sa Pa late in the evening and booked a taxi to the hotel.

Day 11: Sa Pa

Fansipan

Visiting Fansipan Peak at an altitude of 3143 metres is the topmost thing to do in Sa Pa. It is now very easy to visit Fansipan through Sun World Cable Car. We first took the monorail from Sa Pa town to the cable car station, then a 15-minute cable car that offered panoramic views to reach Fansipan Cable Car station. We then took the funicular to reach Fansipan Peak. Another way to reach the summit was to climb the 600-odd steps.

It was very chilly at the top and we didn’t bring any jackets despite carrying them in our suitcase as the hotel receptionist misguided us about the weather at the top. The views were just mind-boggling but we had to hustle through all the attractions as we were feeling very cold. We felt lucky that we did not get sick after that.

Fansipan Ticket – Klook

Moana Sapa

It is the newest attraction in Sa Pa targeting Instagrammers and young people. It is like a miniature Bali and has a replica of Bali Gate, a version of Infinity Lake where a Piano is placed in the middle of the water, a Giant Golden hand, a death swing, and a Moana girl statue.

Day 12: Sapa

Sapa Sightseeing Tour

We booked a private car through our hotel that will take us to famous sightseeing places in and around Sa Pa. The tour included a visit to Love Waterfall, Silver Waterfall, and Cat Cat Village. We paid VND 900k (~INR 3200) for the private car and VND 480k (~INR 1700) in entry tickets for two people for waterfalls and Cat Cat Village. The tour was expensive and disappointing. The waterfalls were pretty average with very low water flow. The Cat Cat Village felt like a tourist trap with nothing much to there but only shops all around the village.

Overnight Bus to Hanoi

We boarded the bus from the Interbus Lines bus office in the night and reached Hanoi at 4 AM.

Day 13: Hanoi

Day Tour to Ninh Binh

This was a very hectic day as we had reached Hanoi at 4 AM with hardly any sleep and had to leave for a very long day tour at about 8 AM. The original plan was to reserve this day for city sightseeing but VietJet Airlines brought forward a day our flight to Delhi leaving us no option but to book the Ninh Binh Tour on the same day we arrived in Hanoi.

The Ninh Binh tour included a transfer by Limousine and a visit to Bai Dinh Pagoda, the Unesco World Heritage Site of Trang An, and Hang Mua Cave.

Bai Dinh Pagoda complex is massive but it did not feel any special.

Visit to Trang An included a 2-hour boat ride. The boat ride was beautiful with all the amazing views it offered but it felt repetitive after a while and it was also a bit uncomfortable sitting on a wooden seat for continuous 2 hours. The highlight of the ride was passing under the many water caves.

Hang Mua Cave is not a cave but a mountain. You have to climb 500-something stairs to reach the top. There is a stone-carved dragon at the top. While we were climbing, we stopped many times to take photos of the incredible views.

Ninh Binh Tour – Klook

Day 14: Hanoi

Day Tour to Halong Bay

Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most famous attractions in Vietnam. We booked the day tour through Klook which included a land transfer by bus and cruise in Halong Bay for about 5 hours.

Our cruise started with an early lunch followed by a visit to the magnificent Surprise Cave. The cave is massive and adorned by stalagmites and stalactites. We had never seen a cave like this before and we were in awe of its beauty.

Then we stopped at Ti Top Island where we spent some time on the beach and just relaxing.

The final stop in the itinerary was a short boat ride of about 30 minutes. Although the scenery was beautiful but it was similar to what we saw in Trang An a day earlier.

Klook.com

Day 15: Hanoi

Our flight was at about 7 PM, so we had about half a day for a quick sightseeing of Hanoi city.

Lotte Observation Deck

The observation deck is located on the 65th floor of Lotte Centre. I thought it was an open Observation deck like the Marina Bay Sands Observation Deck in Singapore. But it was not. The views could only be seen from the glass window or using the many telescopes placed there. We were a bit disappointed as for us open views are far superior to the views seen from inside the building.

Lotte Observation Deck Ticket – Klook

Train Street

Hanoi Train Street is referred to as just 100 metres of narrow streets surrounded by houses and cafes packed together on both sides. People often visit these cafes to get the views of a train passing through this street. During our visit, police had placed a blockade and stopped us from going further into the street. We were permitted to just cross the blockade to take some photos. We had to view the train from outside Train Street which was underwhelming.

Flight to Delhi

We left for the airport in the afternoon. We spent a couple of hours at Song Hong Business Lounge before boarding the VietJet flight to Delhi.

If you have any questions about this itinerary or any place in Vietnam in general, please feel free to drop your query in the comments below!!

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