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Raincouver Beauty

Canadian Beauty and Travel Blog

Asia, Travel, Vietnam

2 Weeks in Vietnam Itinerary for First Timers

October 6, 2019

Vietnam is a fantastic country to dive in and visit several cities to get a full taste of the diversity of the nation. Today, I’ll be sharing the best 2 weeks in Vietnam itinerary with you. I like to stay a bit longer than needed in most cities as I like to explore deeper and eat at a lot of different places.

I’ll share some suggestions of places to visit and the type of traveller it’s best for. Then I’ll provide a sample 2 week itinerary for your first time in Vietnam!

Ha Long Bay – 3 Day 2 Night Cruise

Recommended for Everyone

My most memorable time in Vietnam is seeing the beautiful limestones in Ha Long Bay. It is so beautiful and serene and I’d highly recommend this trip for everyone! I did my Ha Long Bay cruise with Dragon Legend and it did not disappoint! If you have the means to do so, I would suggest to look into the more luxury operators. I had 5 star food, service, and accommodation all for a really reasonable price compared to North American standards.

Some of the activities I did during my cruise were kayaking, visiting a fishing village, and having a beach BBQ. I also enjoyed just relaxing on the boat while cruising through the bay!

How Much to Budget:

  • $350 USD per person all inclusive for 3 Day 2 Nights (includes transfer from Hanoi)
  • Can be done for much cheaper depending on your budget and preference

Hoi An – 4 Days

Recommended for Everyone

Hoi An is the most touristy city in Vietnam and surprisingly it was one of my favorites. Usually, I hate touristy set ups and go out of my way to avoid them (looking at you Santorini). But the infrastructure is not set up well for tourists in Vietnam yet, so it was actually really enjoyable to walk around Hoi An. Also, just a short bike ride away, you’ll see the authentic lives of Vietnamese people. Surprisingly the costs in Hoi An aren’t that high either!

Hoi An Travel Guide – 4 Days

Things to Do in Hoi An:

  • Explore the lantern lit ancient town
  • Visit the temples and historic sites in ancient town
  • Get a suit or shirt tailor made for you (I didn’t do this though and I’ll share why)
  • Do a cooking class (highly recommend Sabirama)
  • Bike around the farm area (most hotels have free bike rentals)
  • Hire a boat and sail the river with lanterns and candles
  • Hoi An Night Market
  • Watch locals shop at Central Market
  • Haggle for souvenirs and tourist clothing

How Much to Budget

  • $50 USD each for cooking class
  • 60,000-120,000 VND for casual meals in a restaurant
  • 40,000-60,000 VND for coffee
  • $40 USD for mid range hotels

Ho Chi Minh – 3 Days

For Big City Lovers

If you enjoy modern restaurants, craft cocktails, rooftop bars, or shopping in mega malls, you’ll be impressed by Ho Chi Minh. It’s a completely different vibe than the rest of Vietnam. It reminded me of Athens or Mexico City! However, it doesn’t have the traditional Vietnamese life or vibe that you may be looking for. I think if you are not into big cities, Ho Chi Minh is skippable especially if you are short on time. It is also the most expensive city in all of Vietnam! Read my 3 day HMC travel guide!

Things to Do in Ho Chi Minh:

  • Learn about the horrors of the Vietnam War at War Remnants Museum
  • Go shopping in boutique stores on Nguyen Trai (don’t worry it’s cheap!)
  • Hit up all the happy hours at the different bars
  • Walk along Nguyen Hue at night to enjoy the local vibe
  • Try out other south east Asian food

How Much to Budget:

  • 40,000 VND for entrance to War Remnants Museum
  • 150,000-200,000 VND for a meal at a modern casual restaurant
  • 60,000-100,000 VND for a coffee
  • $70 USD for a mid range hotel

Hanoi – 3 Days

For Street Food Lovers

Hanoi is a haven for street food lovers. Mom and pop food stalls line the Old Quarters and the prices will leave you wanting to eat 8 meals a day. Honestly, there’s not a lot of tourist attractions or “beautiful scenery”. But I had some of the best food of the trip in Hanoi and food was so cheap here (check out everything I ate in Hanoi in 3 days)!

Things to do in Hanoi:

  • Try the local foods like: Banh Mi, Bun Ca, Pho Ga
  • Try Egg Coffee
  • Enjoy the peacefulness at Hoan Kiem Lake
  • Learn how to cross the street like a local
  • Check out Train Street

How Much to Budget

  • 30,000-60,000 VND for a meal in a very simple restaurant
  • 20,000-40,000 VND for coffee
  • $40 USD for a mid range hotel

Beach Resort Town – 3 Days

For Beach Lovers

Vietnam is a long skinny country with hundreds of miles of coast line! This allows them to have many beach resort towns. I didn’t actually find the beach is to be as nice as the ones in the Caribbean. But if you are going to Vietnam and would like to have a beach break, there are a few beach resort towns to choose from: Da Nang, Na Trang, Mui Ne, or Puoc Quoc. I went to Da Nang because it’s close to Hoi An and convenient logistically (here’s my 3 day travel guide for Da Nang)

Things to Do in Da Nang:

  • Stroll the Sandy Beaches
  • Day Trip to Ba Na Hills (Vietnam’s Disneyland)
  • Paragliding over the China Sea (about $40 USD)
  • Eat Korean food (lots of Korean tourists!)
  • Visit Marble Mountain, Lady Buddha

How Much to Budget:

  • 750,000 VND for entrance to Ba Na Hills
  • 60,000-100,000 VND for a meal at a casual restaurant
  • 30,000-60,000 VND for a coffee
  • $70 USD for a mid range hotel facing the ocean

2 WEEKS IN Vietnam Itinerary

In summary, your 2 weeks in Vietnam should definitely include these stops:

Hanoi – 2 Days

Ha Long Bay– 3 Days

Hoi An– 4 Days

Then, you can add in these stops depending on your interests:

Big City (Ho Chi Minh) – 3 Days

Beach (Da Nang, Na Trang, Mui Ne, or Puoc Quoc) – 3 Days

Nature (Sapa or Ninh Binh) – 2 Days

History (Hue day trip) – 1 Day

My Best Tips for Visiting Vietnam

  1. Booking Flights – If you are flying between cities (which I recommend), book directly on Vietnam Airlines website! The price was less than half of what Google Flights was showing.
  2. Business Class Standby – Vietnam Airlines has a cool standby program and I upgraded for $15 CAD! Definitely worth it!
  3. Splurge on SOME hotels – I got so excited by how cheap hotels were and I tried to get the cheapest options. I feel like I definitely missed out on some of the bucket list luxury Vietnam moments because of this.
  4. Purchase a SIM card at the Airport – Data is very cheap in Vietnam and it’s totally worth the $15 to have data on your phone during your trip.
  5. Download Grab and do not use taxis – It’s Vietnam’s version of Uber and it was easy to use and you avoid miscommunication with the driver

If you enjoyed this guide, make sure to read my 2 weeks in Greece itinerary guide! I’ll also be adding more Vietnam travel guides each week, so be sure to follow along here!

Asia Da Nang Halong Bay Hanoi Ho Chi Minh Hoi An Travel Travel Guide Vietnam
by raincouverbeauty 
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Hello!

Hi, I’m Angela and welcome to Raincouver Beauty! I test and share swatches and reviews of the latest beauty products. I also love to travel the world especially if I can sip on a glass of wine! Join me as I live high-low: save when you can and splurge on special experiences!

Contact me: raincouverbeauty@gmail.com

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