A South to North Vietnam Itinerary: Ricky’s 8 Days from Saigon to Ha Noi

A south to north Vietnam itinerary is the shape I reach for when a group lands in Saigon and has just over a week before the flight home leaves from Ha Noi. Ricky and his party of six flew in from Australia in early October, and in eight days they crossed the whole length of the country — the Mekong, Ba Na Hills, Hoi An’s lantern streets and a day on Ha Long Bay — without sleeping in more than four hotels.

Ricky sent us two photos, both taken together in a hotel lobby, so this is mostly the plan behind the trip: how the days ran, why I put them in that order, and what I would tell the next group planning the same line.

Why a south to north Vietnam itinerary suited this group

Vietnam is long and thin, so the first decision is always the direction. Ricky’s flights landed in Ho Chi Minh City and left from Ha Noi, which made the answer easy: start in the south, move north, and never fly the same stretch twice. Two short domestic flights carry the whole trip — Saigon to Da Nang, then Da Nang to Ha Noi.

With six people, I also care about how often the bags come out. Each base got two nights except Hoi An, and the one-night Hoi An stop sits between two longer stays, so nobody is packing every morning.

Ideal pacing: Day 1 land in Saigon and rest · Day 2 city sights and Cu Chi · Day 3 Mekong, evening flight to Da Nang · Day 4 Ba Na Hills · Day 5 Cam Thanh and Hoi An · Day 6 fly to Ha Noi, afternoon city tour · Day 7 Ha Long Bay day cruise · Day 8 home.

Saigon, Cu Chi and the Mekong

The flight from Australia touched down at Tan Son Nhat just after six in the morning. A driver met the group and took them to the Elios Hotel in the city centre, and the rest of the day was left free. After a night flight, a slow first day matters.

Day two was the full Saigon picture in one go. Their guide started at the Reunification Palace, the former presidential palace where the war ended, then the red-brick Notre-Dame Cathedral and the War Remnants Museum. After lunch the group drove about 60 kilometres out to the Cu Chi Tunnels, finishing with tea and cassava, the simple food the guerrillas lived on.

Day three went south to My Tho for Vinh Trang Pagoda and a boat into the delta: fruit orchards, folk music played by local families, a bee farm with honey tea, and a coconut candy workshop. Back at the hotel they collected their bags, and an early-evening flight had them in Da Nang that night. Our Mekong Delta travel guide covers the river towns in more depth.

Ba Na Hills and the Golden Bridge

Day four was the one I planned around the group. Ba Na Hills is a full day out of Da Nang, up into the mountains by cable car, and it gives a group plenty to share. The guide collected them from the ELC Hotel & Spa and drove the coast road out of the city.

At the top came the Golden Bridge, the walkway held up by two giant stone hands, then the French-style gardens of Le Jardin, Linh Ung Pagoda and its 27-metre Buddha. A second cable car climbed to Nui Chua Peak for lunch, followed by Fantasy Park, a big indoor games centre, and a last temple with views over Da Nang Bay before the ride down. They were back at the hotel by five.

Lanterns in Cam Thanh, an evening in Hoi An

On day five the group moved down the coast. The morning was Cam Thanh Coconut Village, starting with local craftspeople who showed them how to make a lantern by hand — one to take home each. Then a boat through the water coconut forest, with a go at the traditional fishing methods the villagers still use.

The afternoon was Hoi An Ancient Town: the Japanese Covered Bridge, the symbol of the town, and a walk along the Hoai River as the lanterns came on. That night was at the Kim An Hoi An Hotel. One night is short for Hoi An, I know, but with the morning flight north the next day, the town is at its best in exactly that afternoon-into-evening window. Our Hoi An travel guide has ideas for anyone who can give it longer.

Ha Noi and a day on Ha Long Bay

Day six began early, with a transfer to Da Nang airport before seven for the flight to Ha Noi. The group dropped their bags at La Dolce Vita Hotel in the Old Quarter, and met their guide at midday for lunch. The afternoon covered the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, and Hoa Lo Prison, the jail American prisoners of war called the “Hanoi Hilton”.

Day seven was Ha Long Bay as a day cruise, not an overnight. The expressway gets you to the cruise port by lunchtime, and the boat took them out among the limestone islands for about six hours: Sung Sot (Surprising) Cave, the climb up Titop Island for the view across the bay, and kayaks or a bamboo boat through Luon Cave into its lagoon. On the way back there was tea and cake on the upper deck at sunset, and they were back at the hotel by about half past nine.

The next morning a driver collected them at a quarter past five for the flight home. Our Ha Long Bay travel guide compares day trips and overnight cruises if you are deciding between the two.

Tips from Ricky’s trip

Want a trip like Ricky’s?

Like the look of Ricky’s eight days? The stops follow much the same line as our Best of Vietnam 10-day tour — Saigon and Cu Chi, the Mekong, Hoi An, Ha Noi and Ha Long Bay — only run south to north, two days shorter, and with Ba Na Hills in place of My Son. Message me, Lan, and I’ll fit the same route to the days and the people you are travelling with.

Over to you: have you walked the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills or made a lantern in Cam Thanh? I’d love to hear how you found it — tell me in the comments below. Thank you!

Quick FAQ from Ricky’s trip

If a south to north Vietnam itinerary like Ricky’s is what your group has in mind, get in touch with My Viva Tour — I’d love to plan it with you, from the first quiet morning in Saigon to the last early ride to Noi Bai.