Vietnam travel itinerary: 7 days in Hanoi, Halong Bay & Hoi An.

Seven days in Vietnam is enough for three destinations done well, not five done badly. The classic short itinerary is Hanoi → Halong Bay → Hoi An (with Da Nang as the gateway). You fly between Hanoi and Da Nang to skip the slowest overland leg, and use a cruise boat to see the bay properly.

If this is your first time, skip Ho Chi Minh City on a 7-day trip — it deserves its own visit, and adding it forces overnight flights that ruin the pacing.

Base in the Old Quarter. Day 1: walk the lake at Hoan Kiem, lunch at a bun cha spot, visit the Temple of Literature in the afternoon, then a water-puppet show. Day 2: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in the morning (closes at 11 am), Train Street coffee, then guided street-food tour in the evening — the easiest way to eat the city without getting lost.

Hanoi's motorbike traffic looks chaotic but it flows around pedestrians. Walk at a steady pace, don't stop in the middle of the road, and locals will weave around you.

Do an overnight cruise rather than a day trip. The day-trip boats spend more time on the road than on the water, and you miss sunrise — the only time the bay is genuinely quiet. Two-day, one-night cruises out of Halong City or Lan Ha Bay (the quieter southern section) are the sweet spot.

Cruise tickets vary wildly in quality. Avoid the cheapest tier (poor food, noisy boats) and the most expensive (you pay for marketing). The mid-tier boats are where the experience is — pre-book a few weeks out to lock in the cabins with private balconies.

Fly Hanoi → Da Nang (1h15 on VietJet or Vietnam Airlines), then taxi or pre-booked transfer 45 minutes south to Hoi An. The Old Town is a UNESCO heritage site and one of the most beautiful evening walks in Southeast Asia.

Day 5: bike to An Bang Beach, lantern-lit dinner in the Old Town. Day 6: My Son Sanctuary morning tour (Cham ruins), tailoring fitting in the afternoon. Day 7: day trip to Marble Mountains and Ba Na Hills (the Golden Bridge), then fly home from Da Nang.

• Book My Son skip-the-line tickets — gates queue heavily after 8 am
• Tailors need 24h minimum — order on day 1
• Carry repellent for evenings near the river

For 7 days, fly the Hanoi–Da Nang leg — overland is 17+ hours and exhausting. The slow Reunification Express train is a great experience on longer trips, but not on a 7-day plan.

For shorter hops (Hanoi to Halong City, Da Nang to Hoi An), pre-booked private transfers are dramatically cheaper than they look — split between two or three people, they often beat the bus and save 90 minutes.

Get a travel eSIM before you land — Vietnam's airport SIM kiosks have very long queues at peak hours and the resellers outside arrivals are not always reliable. Viettel and Vinaphone both have excellent coverage even on Halong cruises.

Cash is still king in Vietnam — ATMs are everywhere but draw VND in larger amounts to avoid per-withdrawal fees. Most cruise tours, restaurants and tailors accept card; street food is cash only.