Vietnam is a type of locations that makes me remorse not taking a niche 12 months after faculty. It’s a lot greater than a 2.4 household, two-week vacation vacation spot. But when two weeks is all that you’ve, what are you able to see? On this put up I’m sharing our 2 week Vietnam itinerary together with 5 locations, the place we stayed and what we might have accomplished in a different way.
*This put up accommodates affiliate hyperlinks*
Is 2 weeks in Vietnam sufficient?
Whereas I work for myself and our children have and eight week summer season vacation, Mr Tin Field’s depart allowance isn’t fairly so beneficiant. So we may solely permit a fortnight for our Vietnam vacation. If you happen to’re in the same scenario don’t be postpone spending simply two weeks in Vietnam.
Would we now have appreciated longer? After all. However two weeks was sufficient time for us to journey between Vietnam’s two largest cities, cruise Ha Lengthy Bay and slot in a seaside break on the finish.
Planning a 2 week Vietnam itinerary
Planning our Vietnam itinerary concerned a number of compromises. I wished to permit sufficient time in to benefit from the experiences we may squeeze right into a fortnight and in addition ensure that we had time to calm down.
Once we visited Egypt and Sri Lanka final 12 months, three nights in every place felt like the correct quantity of time for us.
I checked out a number of tour firm itineraries for Vietnam they usually moved a lot quicker than this. They advised staying one or two nights in every place, which had the benefit of masking extra floor. However I knew the tempo would exhaust us.
How I deliberate our Vietnam vacation
So I made a decision to plan our vacation myself utilizing reserving.com*, Get Your Information* and Skyscanner.
I additionally purchased a duplicate of Lonely Planet’s Vietnam vacation spot information (the 2023 version) for inspiration, however was a bit disillusioned. Lots of the knowledge was generic and I noticed a number of errors.
If you happen to like having a information e-book to plan your travels I recommend attempting the Tough Information* or Eyewitness journey information* as an alternative.
And, after all, I learn blogs about issues to do in Vietnam with children to assist me create a brief checklist of locations we wished to see.
Vaccinations
We all the time verify the Journey Well being Professional web site to search out out the really useful vaccinations for journey to international locations new to us.
Once we had been again within the UK in July I booked us into the journey clinic at Boots the place we had been suggested on what we wanted for the areas we had been travelling to. Do you know you may get Boots Membership Card Factors on vaccinations?
Getting round Vietnam in two weeks
To save lots of time we booked inner flights in all places count on to Ha Lengthy Bay, the place we obtained a mini bus switch from and again to Hanoi.
I’m certain we may have squeezed in a coach or a Vietnam sleeper prepare someplace however having not traveled this far East with the youngsters I went for the simple, and really fairly low cost, possibility of flying.
We used Vietnam Airways for all of our inner flights. They had been low cost, dependable and the onboard service was good. All of our flights had been lower than and hour and a half however would have taken us entire days by street or rail.
All of our native journey for sightseeing was accomplished with Seize taxis. Mr Tin Field set this up utilizing our Revolut card for fee and it was tremendous easy to make use of.
We organized most airport transfers by way of our lodges they usually added the price to our invoice.
The one exception was in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis the place the resort wished us to electronic mail them our financial institution card particulars upfront together with the CVC quantity. This appeared a little bit dodgy. It in all probability wasn’t however we determined to e-book the switch by way of a tour firm we’d utilized in Hanoi.
What to see in Vietnam in 2 weeks
Beneath is an summary of the two week Vietnam itinerary that I put collectively primarily based on how a lot time we had and the locations we actually wished to see.
If you wish to discover out extra about every place I’ve included hyperlinks to my extra detailed guides.
Days 1 to three: Hanoi
We started our journey from north to south Vietnam within the capital, Hanoi, basing ourselves within the Previous Quarter.
It is a mixture of low degree colonial townhouses and slim streets with loads of shade from bushes and store canopies making it simple to discover even within the warmth of the day.
As Vietnam newbies we determined to throw ourselves straight into the road meals scene with a tour. We booked this by way of Get You Information* and opted for a personal tour as we knew this may be simpler with the youngsters.
It was costly however paid off. Our information gave us a great deal of details about Hanoi and took us to locations of eat we’d by no means have discovered on our personal. Pho and Bánh mì had been massive hits with the youngsters.
They continued to order these and be extra adventurous with their meals selections all through our journey.
We additionally visited Hanoi’s Prepare Avenue as a part of the meals tour. The remainder of our time was spent seeing Hanoi independently.
We wandered across the cafes and touristy retailers within the Previous Quarter, visited Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and the Presidential Palace, and walked throughout Hoàn Kiếm Lake to see the weird turtle relics at Ngoc Son Temple.
Learn extra about our two days in Hanoi.
The place we stayed: Acoustic Lodge & Spa* in Hanoi’s Previous Quarter
Days 3 to five: Ha Lengthy Bay
We checked out of our resort early on day three and had been picked up by a mini bus which took us to Ha Lengthy Bay to hitch a two day cruise.
Ha Lengthy Bay is one among Vietnam’s vacationer scorching spots. Tons of of vessels rotate across the 1969 jungle-draped limestone islands that seem like the set of a Jurassic Park film.
We had been completely wowed by its pure magnificence. The hovering islands coated in tumbling greenery that plunges into turquoise water had been like nothing we’ve seen earlier than.
It was an exquisite expertise to kayak across the coves, go to Cat Ba Island and expertise the wonderful hospitality onboard our cruise ship.
Cruising Halong Bay or neighbouring Lan Ha Bay are a should on any Vietnam itinerary. And the excellent news is you don’t have to scrimp on the nights even on a two week vacation in Vietnam.
We booked a two evening/three day cruise and thought this was the proper period of time.
I’ve defined why and shared extra about what we did on our cruise in addition to addressing the elephant within the bay, aka the garbage, in my put up all about cruising Ha Lengthy Bay.
Our cruise ship: Mon Cheri 2*
Days 5 to eight: Hoi An
From Ha Lengthy Bay we transferred to Noi Bai Worldwide Airport in Hanoi and flew to Da Nang. A taxi booked by our subsequent resort was ready to switch us to Hoi An.
This historic sea port is unashamedly brash. It’s vibrant and bustling, and we cherished it.
The Previous City is a UNESCO World Heritage web site with a whole lot of historic buildings whose structure was impressed by colonials from China, Japan, Portugal and France. There’s tailors for all budgets, chilled out cafes, and meals stalls promoting every little thing from pho to fruit and dried fish and ice cream rolls.
By evening the city comes alive with vibrant lanterns, fairy lights and throngs of individuals searching the markets and driving illuminated boats alongside the river.
We packed rather a lot into our two days in Hoi An: a go to to the Lantern Girl, and afternoon at An Bang Seashore, a loopy bucket boat expertise, a extra ethereal lantern boat journey and procuring within the evening market.
However we got here away understanding there was a lot extra to see.
I’ve written all about our three nights in Hoi An and the place else we might have appreciated to have seen within the area.
The place we stayed: Lantana Riverside Lodge* in Hoi An.
Days 8 to 11: Ho Chi Minh Metropolis
We timed our flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh Metropolis excellent so we had a little bit of time within the afternoon to discover. Nevertheless, not for the primary time throughout out journey, the climate had completely different concepts and handled us to a thunder storm.
As a substitute of a go to to the Warfare Remnants Museum to introduce the youngsters to Vietnam’s twenty first Century historical past we hit the resort pool and ventured out within the night to the Bitexco Monetary Tower Skydeck when the rain stopped.
The following morning we’d booked a full day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels and Mykong Delta.
The battle tunnels had been one thing each Mr Tin Field and I wished to do however I wasn’t certain how family-friendly they might be. So the afternoon on the Mekong Delta with boat rides, biking and a yummy lunch was the sweetener for the youngsters.
The tour was a protracted day however a shock hit with the ladies. The notably cherished the Horrible Histories-style data on the battle tunnels – man traps and all. And the menagerie of unique animals bred within the Delta villages was fascinating to them.
The following day we made it to the Warfare Remnants Museum and had a enjoyable dinner at Bến Nghé Avenue Meals Market.
We cherished lots of issues about our time right here. However I’ll be sincere and say HCMC didn’t seize me like Hanoi did. It’s a contemporary metropolis with lots of western influences. Historical past has an enormous half to play in that and we had the chance to discover a few of this throughout our keep.
Learn extra about our keep in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis.
The place we stayed: Orchids Saigon Lodge* in District 3.
Days 11 to 14: Phu Quoc
Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest Island and a brief 45 minute flight from Tan Son Nhat Worldwide Airport. This makes it a simple add on to a keep in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis.
Fishing was the island’s important trade. Backpackers had been drawn right here by the laid again vibes and pristine seashores. Lately Phu Quoc has grow to be much more business with costs to match.
We stayed on Khem Seashore within the south of the island the place there’s a free shuttle bus to take you to the retailers, eating places and nightly firework shows at Sundown City in addition to the Hon Thom Cable Automotive to the Aquatopia Water Park and different sights on Hon Thom Island.
Nevertheless we flew to Phu Quoc to calm down on the finish of a busy fortnight and selected to not depart our 5 star resort.
For 2 full days we whizzed down slides on the waterpark, dipped our toes within the turquoise sea and pranced round on inflatable unicorns.
The lodging and amenities had been glorious and, I believe, fairly good worth for a beautiful three bed room villa with a personal pool and a formidable breakfast buffet thrown in. The one kicker was the worth of the opposite food and drinks which was a lot dearer than on the mainland
Learn our full overview of our family-friendly Phu Quoc Resort.
The place we stayed: New World Phu Quoc Resort*.
Do you want a visa for 2 weeks in Vietnam?
We’re UK passport holders and after we visited in July to August 2024 we didn’t require a visa for our two weeks in Vietnam. In truth we may have stayed for as much as 45 days.
A bit of recommendation I did take note of in my Lonely Planet information e-book was to verify the arrival date stamp earlier than you allow immigration. If the stamp hasn’t been modified to that days date you could possibly be quick modified.
That is good recommendation wherever you might be holidaying notably if there’s a free however time restricted visa.
If you’re from the UK verify the newest visa necessities on the gov.uk web site.
Different nationalities ought to verify their authorities’s official web sites for journey recommendation.
What to eat
The meals in Vietnam was a giant spotlight for our hungry children. They cherished Ban Mi, Pho and spring rolls.
The meals was unimaginable in all places we went, from small cafes in Hanoi to avenue meals markets in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis to posh nosh spots in Hoi An. And it was so fairly priced, besides in our Phu Quoc resort, which was extortionate compared.
The espresso was a giant shock too. Who knew Vietnam was a caffeine lover’s paradise?! Salt espresso and egg espresso with candy and frothy condensed milk are to die for.
If you’re visiting Vietnam for the primary time I’d advocate together with a avenue meals tour* in your itinerary. Ours actually opened our eyes to what was on the menu right here and made us extra adventurous.
What to pack for Vietnam
We don’t pack gentle and had 23kg of bags allowance every for our worldwide and inner flights. So in case you are intending to only carry a backpack you’ll wish to adapt my recommendations to your journey fashion.
Having stated that each our ladies travelled with a small suitcase and, usually, my mum bag was the place all of the extras just like the seaside bag, journey video games and first help package ended up.
So with out supplying you with a blow by blow packing checklist, right here’s our suggestions for what to pack if you happen to observe the same itinerary as us:
What to pack for sightseeing
Lengthy or cropped trousers, t-shirts and shirts made out of cotton with sturdy sandals or trainers are the best garments for exploring. Don’t overlook your hat and solar glasses too.
Shorts are acceptable however you received’t see many Vietnamese sporting them as they like to not tan.
If you’re visiting a temple then your shoulders and knees have to be coated. That is additionally anticipated when visiting locations of nationwide significance like Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum in Hanoi.
Girls: chub rub fashion shorts are your pal if you happen to resolve to go for floaty clothes within the warmth!
Seashore and pool days
Swim fits or bikinis are advantageous at public seashores and resort swimming pools. However topless sunbathing can be a step to far.
I’d commend bringing lengthy sleeve, UV protecting swim fits or rash vests to your entire household particularly in case you are doing a kayaking or snorkelling journey.
Pack flip flops for the seaside – the sand will probably be scorching – and water footwear for boat journeys. We additionally threw in a number of light-weight towels which got here in helpful after we visited An Bang Seashore in Hoi An. Towels had been supplied in any respect our lodges and our Ha Lengthy Bay cruise.
Additionally, don’t overlook swim goggles for the youngsters. We ended up shopping for some in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis as a result of we’d solely packed one pair. We knew there would have been arguments after we obtained to our pool days in Phu Quoc.
Different issues to pack for Vietnam
You should buy most stuff you would possibly overlook to pack. In my expertise, there’s all the time one thing that drops off the checklist!
Nevertheless there are some particular issues I’d advise bringing to your two weeks in Vietnam:
Issue 50 solar cream – it doesn’t take lengthy to get burnt in the summertime solar in Vietnam
Insect repellant* – all the locations we visited had been malaria free so there was no want for anti-malarials however there are nonetheless mosquitos about they usually can carry different nasty illnesses
Common journey adaptor* – Vietnam has Kind A, C and F plug sockets so that you want an adaptor that may work for one or all of those
First help package – we all the time journey with a little bit bag of plasters, anti-septic cream, Sudocrem, a bug chunk zapper, rehydration sachets, paracetamol, Immodium and Rennies.
Moist wipes and tissues – these are simple to return by in Vietnam however have a pack or two in your day bag for instant use. We didn’t come throughout a squat and drop rest room throughout our entire two weeks however they’re there.
Issues we packed however didn’t use
I hate writing it however we didn’t use our reusable water bottles. It’s greatest to not drink the faucet water in Vietnam and all our resort lodging supplied plastic bottles of water within the rooms.
Our cruise was the one lodging that had refillable glass bottles within the cabin.
When to go to Vietnam
We had been tied to the college holidays for our journey and the summer season was the one time we may get two full weeks off altogether.
July and August are the monsoon season for a lot of Vietnam and we did get rain in every place we stayed. In truth we noticed every kind of climate from excessive humidity in Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh Metropolis to torrential downpours in Ha Lengthy Bay and Phu Quoc.
The moist days had been nonetheless heat. We sat beside the pool in Phu Quoc in heaving rain nevertheless it was nonetheless 27°C.
When the solar was shining there was excessive humidity and temperatures over 30°C. We averted being out in the midst of the day until we had been within the shade.
The changeable climate didn’t put a dampener on our journey.
Nevertheless, if you happen to can solely vacation for 2 weeks in Vietnam and wish to keep away from the sticky, moist season then visiting in the course of the Easter holidays is the higher time of 12 months.
Nevertheless count on the climate to vary by area. Within the spring you’ll discover cooler temperatures within the north and hotter temperatures within the south.
Extra from our 2 week Vietnam itinerary
You possibly can see extra from our entire two week Vietnam vacation by testing my Instagram account the place there are three Tales and loads of grid posts about our experiences.
Extra vacation itineraries for households
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Disclosure: this put up accommodates affiliate hyperlinks marked with *. If you happen to click on on one among these and make a purchase order I could earn some fee. This doesn’t have an effect on the worth you pay.