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Great traverse of Vietnam, south to north, in 21 days

The 21-day traverse in reverse, from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi.

Day-by-day
Day	Where	Focus
1	Ho Chi Minh City	Ho Chi Minh City
2	Can Tho	Can Tho
3	Can Tho	Cai Rang
4	Ho Chi Minh City	Back to the city
5	Da Lat	Da Lat
6	Da Lat	Da Lat
7	Da Nang	Toward Da Nang
8	Hoi An	Hoi An
9	Hoi An	Hoi An
10	Hue	Hue
11	Hue	Hue tombs
12	Phong Nha	Phong Nha
13	Phong Nha	The caves
14	Ninh Binh	Ninh Binh
15	Ninh Binh	Trang An
16	Hanoi	Hanoi
17	Ha Long Bay	Ha Long
18	Hanoi	Hanoi
19	Hanoi	Night train
20	Sapa	Sapa
21	Hanoi	Leave Hanoi

Duration21 days

BudgetMidrange, with domestic flights

PaceSouth, highlands, coast, then the north

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City

Land and walk the center. Book an airport transfer from Tan Son Nhat. Search centre hotels for the night.

Day 2: Can Tho

Travel to Can Tho.

Day 3: Cai Rang

Be at Cai Rang at dawn.

Day 4: Back to the city

Return to Ho Chi Minh City. Search centre hotels for the night.

Day 5: Da Lat

Travel to Da Lat.

Day 6: Da Lat

See Datanla and Truc Lam.

Day 7: Toward Da Nang

Travel toward Da Nang. Search beachfront hotels for the night.

Day 8: Hoi An

Walk the old town. Search Old Town hotels for the night.

Day 9: Hoi An

Stay in the old town.

Day 10: Hue

Travel to Hue. Search Hue hotels for the night.

Day 11: Hue tombs

Visit the tombs.

Day 12: Phong Nha

Travel toward Phong Nha.

Day 13: The caves

Visit Paradise Cave or Phong Nha Cave. Do not treat Son Doong as a stop.

Day 14: Ninh Binh

Travel to Ninh Binh. Search Ninh Binh hotels for the night.

Day 15: Trang An

Take the Trang An boat.

Day 16: Hanoi

Travel to Hanoi. Search Old Quarter hotels for the night.

Day 17: Ha Long

Take a day boat.

Day 18: Hanoi

Return to Hanoi. Search Old Quarter hotels for the night.

Day 19: Night train

Board the night train to Sa Pa.

Day 20: Sapa

See the stone church and Cat Cat. Search Sapa hotels for the night.

Day 21: Leave Hanoi

Return to Hanoi and fly home.

Stay and tours