Vietnam North–South Route

The classic route running the length of Vietnam's S-shaped territory from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City: Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh, Hue, Hoi An, Da Lat and the Mekong.

Vietnam's North–South route (Xuyên Việt) follows Highway 1 and the North–South railway (the Reunification Express) about 1,700 km from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, and is the most common way for backpackers and first-time visitors to see Vietnam. In the north, highlights include Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake and the 36 Streets of the Old Quarter, the sea karsts of Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay, and Ninh Binh's Trang An and Tam Coc, the "Ha Long Bay on land". In the central section are the giant caves of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Hue's Imperial City and Nguyen Dynasty royal tombs, Hai Van Pass, Da Nang's My Khe Beach and Ba Na Hills, Hoi An's lantern-lit old town at night, and the My Son ruins. In the south are Nha Trang's beaches, the highland flower city of Da Lat, the Mui Ne dunes, and Ho Chi Minh City's Reunification Palace, the Cu Chi Tunnels and a day trip to the Mekong Delta. Doing the whole route takes 14–21 days; if you are short on time, a flying combination of Hanoi–Da Nang/Hoi An–Ho Chi Minh City takes 8–10 days. For transport you can take the North–South train in a soft sleeper (Hanoi to Hue takes about 13 hours), open-tour buses, or domestic budget airlines. The north and south have different seasons, so plan the order accordingly; typhoons are frequent in central Vietnam in September–December.

Destinations

Itineraries