Vietnam and Phuket Itinerary: Malou’s 15 Days from Hanoi to Bangkok

This Vietnam and Phuket itinerary fits two countries, six hotels and two very different coastlines into fifteen days, and it’s one of my favourite routes to plan. I’m Rachel, and in August I looked after Malou and her travel companion, two Australian travellers who wanted the classic Vietnam journey from north to south, then a few slow days on a Thai beach before flying home from Bangkok.

I only have two photos from their trip, both taken indoors at a hotel with one of our team. So this is less a photo diary and more a look behind the plan, and what I’d tell you if you were booking the same route.

How this Vietnam and Phuket itinerary is put together

The idea is simple: start in the north, finish in the sun. Vietnam is long and thin, so we fly the big jumps (Hanoi to Da Nang for Hoi An, then on to Ho Chi Minh City) instead of losing whole days on the road. One more short flight takes you across to Phuket, and a last one up to Bangkok for the flight home.

Every arrival had a driver waiting. Every sightseeing day had an English-speaking guide. And the free days were left properly free. After nine busy days in Vietnam, the beach days in Phuket aren’t a luxury. They’re the recovery plan.

Hanoi, and why the day of the week matters

Their flight landed late on the first night, so day one was simply the airport pick-up and sleep at La Dolce Vita Hotel downtown.

The city tour fell on a Monday, and in Hanoi that changes things. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is closed on Mondays and Fridays, and every year it also closes from mid-June to mid-August for maintenance. In August you see it from the outside, then walk through the gardens to the two houses where he lived and worked, and on to the One Pillar Pagoda. The Ethnology Museum is closed on Mondays too, so the plan swapped in the Women’s Museum instead.

The rest of the day ran as planned: Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake first thing, an eight-dish Vietnamese lunch, the Temple of Literature, then Hoa Lo Prison, the “Hanoi Hilton”. Back at the hotel by about 4:30. Our Ha Noi travel guide has more on the city if you’re staying longer.

One night on Ha Long Bay

Day three is the drive to Tuan Chau port, about two and a half hours, then lunch on board Le Journey Premium Cruise as it heads out among the limestone islands. The afternoon covers Surprising Cave and Ti Top Island, where you can swim or climb to the lookout.

Back on board there’s a sunset party with a cooking class. The chef shows you how to roll fresh spring rolls, and then you eat your own work. Dinner is on the sundeck when the weather allows. My advice is always the same: set an alarm. Tai chi on the sundeck starts at 6am, then breakfast and kayaking before check-out and an early lunch. Read more in our Ha Long Bay travel guide.

Hoi An: a free day, then Ba Na Hills

From the cruise it’s back to Hanoi and straight to the airport for an evening flight south, with our driver waiting to take them to Kim An Hoi An Hotel.

I left the next day completely free. After a cruise and a late flight, nobody wants another early pick-up, and Hoi An’s Old Town is best explored slowly anyway. Our Hoi An travel guide covers what to see.

Day six is the big one: Ba Na Hills, up in the mountains outside Da Nang. The cable car climbs to the Golden Bridge, the walkway held up by two giant stone hands, and Linh Ung Pagoda. A second cable car takes you to the French Village for a buffet lunch and Fantasy Park’s rides. The cable car down leaves around 3pm, and you’re back in Hoi An for the evening.

Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta

A morning flight brought them south to Ho Chi Minh City, with the rest of the day free at Elios Hotel.

The next morning our guide covered the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the War Remnants Museum, a heavy but important stop. After lunch it’s a 60 km drive out to the Cu Chi tunnels, finishing with tea and cassava, the food the guerrilla fighters lived on during the war.

The Mekong day is gentler. Vinh Trang Pagoda in My Tho first, then a boat past the four islands to Unicorn Island for tropical fruit and folk music, a honey bee farm and a coconut candy workshop. Lunch is by the river, with time for a short bike ride around Tan Thach village or a rest in a hammock. Our Mekong Delta travel guide goes deeper.

Culture note: coconut candy is one of the Mekong Delta’s best-known sweets. Coconut milk is cooked down with malt syrup and sugar until it’s thick enough to set, then cut into small bars and wrapped by hand. A bag of it is an easy gift to carry home.

Across to Phuket for the beach part of the plan

On day ten it’s a midday transfer to the airport for the flight to Phuket, with a driver waiting to take them to Andakira Hotel.

The one organised day in Phuket is the speedboat trip to Phi Phi. Pick-up is around 7am for the pier at Laem Nga, then out to Bamboo Island for a swim, lunch at Ton Sai Bay on Phi Phi Don, Monkey Beach and Viking Cave, and Maya Bay, where the film The Beach was made. Loh Samah and Pileh Lagoon are the snorkelling and swimming stops before the boat heads back to the pier, around 5pm, and the transfer to your hotel.

The next day and a half are simply beach time. That’s on purpose. Our Phuket travel guide has ideas if you’d like to fill them.

Two nights in Bangkok to finish

A late-day flight up to Bangkok, an evening check-in at Bizotel Premier Hotel, and one free day for markets, street food and shopping. On day fifteen our driver collected them at 10am for the airport. For Bangkok ideas, see our Bangkok travel guide.

Tips for your own Vietnam and Phuket trip

Want a trip like Malou’s?

Malou’s route follows our Majestic Vietnam & Thailand 15-day tour almost day for day: the same Ha Long Bay night, Ba Na Hills day, Cu Chi and Mekong days, and the Phi Phi speedboat from Phuket. If you’d like Hue and a day at the River Kwai instead, our Escape Australia 15-day Vietnam & Thailand tour is the other version I’d look at. Just message me, Rachel, and I’ll shape it around your dates.

Over to you: have you ever added a Thai beach to the end of a Vietnam trip? Phuket, or somewhere else? Tell me in the comments below. Thank you!

Quick FAQ from Malou’s trip

Planning your own two-country trip? Start with our Phuket travel guide, or send me a message and I’ll help you shape it.