2 weeks in Vietnam: Ha Giang, Hoi An and a spare day
Most two-week itineraries try to cover the whole country and end up a blur. This one picks two regions that feel like different countries — the far north’s mountains and the central coast’s old town and beaches — joined by a single flight, with a spare day built in.
- Days
- 14
- Stops
- 4
- Internal flights
- 1
- Best months
- March–April
- Mid-range, pp
- $1,138
- Hanoi · 2n
- Ha Giang Loop · 4n
- Hoi An · 5n
- Da Nang · 2n
When this route works
- JanMixed
- FebGood
- MarPrime time
- AprPrime time
- MayGood
- JunMixed
- JulMixed
- AugMixed
- SepMixed
- OctMixed
- NovMixed
- DecMixed
- Hanoi, July–August: Jul: peak heat & humidity; Aug: hot, humid, stormy.
- Ha Giang Loop, June–August: Jun: wet season — landslides; Jul: heaviest rain of the year; Aug: still very wet.
- Hoi An, October–November: Oct: flood season begins; Nov: peak flooding & typhoons.
- Da Nang, October–November: Oct: flood season begins; Nov: peak flooding & typhoons.
We have no separate calendar for Da Nang (uses the central-coast calendar), so treat those verdicts as a close approximation.
Good fit
- First-time visitors who want variety
- Food and culture travellers
- Anyone who wants mountains and a beach
Not for
- Travellers set on the south — see the north-to-south version and its trade-offs
Day by day
Days 1–2 · 2 nights
Hanoi
The last night here is spent on the sleeper bus out.
The capital and the north’s hub — best explored on foot and through food.
- Day 1:
Grab to the Old Quarter. Jet-lag day: a bowl of pho, a slow loop of Hoan Kiem Lake, early night.
- Day 2:
The real city: breakfast pho on a plastic stool, French Quarter walk, egg coffee, Temple of Literature, then West Lake at sunset and bun cha for dinner.
Days 3–6 · 4 nights
Ha Giang Loop
The last night here is spent on the sleeper bus out.
The far north’s motorbike loop through the karst passes — the highlight of the north.
- Day 3:
Hanoi → Ha Giang · Sleeper bus · 6–7h · $11–17
The overnight sleeper is how most loop riders arrive — sleep on the bus, start the loop fresh.
Night sleeper bus lands in Ha Giang City around dawn. Hostel breakfast, safety briefing, and the loop starts north through Quan Ba.
- Day 4:
Loop day 2: deeper into the karst plateau towards Dong Van, the stretch most riders remember.
- Day 5:
Loop day 3: the Ma Pi Leng pass — the most dramatic and most dangerous road on the loop. Ride it with an experienced easy rider.
- Day 6:
Loop day 4 (on the 4-day version): back towards Ha Giang City at an easier pace, with time at the viewpoints. Night bus to Hanoi.
Days 7–11 · 5 nights
Hoi An
Where the trip slows down: cooking schools, tailors, rice-paddy cycling, beach.
- Day 7:
Ha Giang → Hanoi · Sleeper bus · 6–7h · $11–17
The overnight sleeper is how most loop riders arrive — sleep on the bus, start the loop fresh.
Hanoi → Da Nang · Flight · 1h20 · $35–70
Frequent, cheap, the obvious choice. Da Nang is the gateway to Hoi An.
Da Nang → Hoi An · Taxi / transfer · 40–50min · $12–18
Grab or a private car. Hoi An has no airport or train station — Da Nang is its hub.
Transfer from Da Nang airport (Hoi An has no airport or station). Easy afternoon in the old town, lanterns after dark.
- Day 8:
Morning cooking class (half day, you cook lunch). Afternoon tailor visit if you plan to commission anything.
- Day 9:
Bicycle through the paddies to Tra Que village, then An Bang beach and seafood.
- Day 10:
Second tailor fitting, or a Cham Islands day trip if the sea is calm. Night market in the evening.
- Day 11:
Free day: a spa afternoon, a last tailor visit, or — if Hue is not already on your route — a day trip there over the Hai Van Pass.
Days 12–13 · 2 nights
Da Nang
The central coast’s airport city — a beach evening and the best banh mi.
- Day 12:
Hoi An → Da Nang · Taxi / transfer · 40–50min · $12–18
Grab or a private car. Hoi An has no airport or train station — Da Nang is its hub.
Check in near My Khe beach. Swim late afternoon, seafood dinner on the sand.
- Day 13:
Marble Mountains in the morning, the beach in the afternoon — or ride the Hai Van Pass yourself.
Day 14
Fly home
- Day 14:
Fly home from Da Nang. A mid-afternoon flight keeps the last morning relaxed.
What it costs
Shoestring$606per person · Dorms, street food, Grab and your own two feet.Show breakdown
- Accommodation
- $234
- Food
- $234
- Drinks & coffee
- $52
- Local transport (Grab / taxi)
- $104
- Activities & entries
- $104
- Buffer (water, SIM, snacks)
- $78
- Ha Giang loop (3-day package, all-in)
- $400
- Inter-city transport
- $114
- Already covered
- −$108
- Total for 2
- $1,212
2 dorm beds × 13 nights
Budget-tool loop figures. Our cost note puts a 3-day group Easy Rider tour at $175–220 (bike, driver, insurance, homestays, meals); buses are extra
3 bus, train or flight legs at published fares
2 nights of package beds and meals, 2 nights on a sleeper bus
Comfortable$1,138per person · Private rooms, mix of street and restaurants, the odd day trip.Show breakdown
- Accommodation
- $520
- Food
- $468
- Drinks & coffee
- $130
- Local transport (Grab / taxi)
- $182
- Activities & entries
- $390
- Buffer (water, SIM, snacks)
- $156
- Ha Giang loop (3-day package, all-in)
- $500
- Inter-city transport
- $162
- Already covered
- −$232
- Total for 2
- $2,276
1 room × 13 nights
Budget-tool loop figures. Our cost note puts a 3-day group Easy Rider tour at $175–220 (bike, driver, insurance, homestays, meals); buses are extra
3 bus, train or flight legs at published fares
2 nights of package beds and meals, 2 nights on a sleeper bus
Premium$3,049per person · Boutique hotels, good restaurants, private drivers and guides.Show breakdown
- Accommodation
- $1,950
- Food
- $1,300
- Drinks & coffee
- $520
- Local transport (Grab / taxi)
- $520
- Activities & entries
- $1,170
- Buffer (water, SIM, snacks)
- $390
- Ha Giang loop (3-day package, all-in)
- $840
- Inter-city transport
- $208
- Already covered
- −$800
- Total for 2
- $6,098
1 room × 13 nights
Budget-tool loop figures. Our cost note puts a 3-day group Easy Rider tour at $175–220 (bike, driver, insurance, homestays, meals); buses are extra
3 bus, train or flight legs at published fares
2 nights of package beds and meals, 2 nights on a sleeper bus
2 travellers sharing rooms, excluding international flights. Daily rates come from our budget calculator, deliberately on the conservative side.
What this route leaves out — and why
- Sapa
- Redundant next to Ha Giang for a 14-day trip. Pick one northern mountain experience.
- Halong Bay
- Polarising and crowded. Adding it means losing Hue or the spare day — worth it on a return trip.
- Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong
- Both are great, neither is essential on a first two weeks. Saigon is better as a four-day visit than a one-night stop.
The 14-day north + central Vietnam trip — common questions
- Is 2 weeks enough for Vietnam?
- Two weeks is enough for two regions done well, not the whole country. The route that works best for first-timers is the north (Hanoi and the Ha Giang loop) plus the centre (Hoi An and Da Nang), joined by one flight.
- Why not take the train from Hanoi to Hoi An?
- Hanoi to Da Nang by train takes 15–17 hours against a flight of about 1h20. The train is a lovely experience if it is the point, but on a two-week trip it costs a full day.
- How much does this 14-day north + central Vietnam itinerary cost?
- Per person, two travellers sharing rooms, excluding international flights: about $606 shoestring, $1,138 comfortable, $3,049 premium. That covers lodging, food, local transport, activities, inter-city legs at published fares, and big one-offs like the loop or a cruise.
- When is the best time for this 14-day north + central Vietnam route?
- March–April — when the route rates best overall, weighted by nights at each stop. Avoid July–August in Hanoi (Jul: peak heat & humidity; Aug: hot, humid, stormy); June–August in Ha Giang Loop (Jun: wet season — landslides; Jul: heaviest rain of the year; Aug: still very wet); October–November in Hoi An (Oct: flood season begins; Nov: peak flooding & typhoons); October–November in Da Nang (Oct: flood season begins; Nov: peak flooding & typhoons).
- How many internal flights does this 14-day north + central Vietnam route need?
- 1 internal flight; the remaining 4 legs are by road, rail or boat.