Hanoi → Lan Ha Bay → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City · map not to scale
At a glance
- Nights
- 9 nights, 4 stops
- Hotel changes
- 3 (including the night on board)
- Travel
- 2 flights within the trip, quoted separately; every other move by private car or boat
- Best for
- First-time visitors with ten days who want depth over coverage
- Budget
- From 1,400 USD per person (10 days × 140, 2 travellers, 4★); 5★ upgrades quoted individually
The short answer
In ten days I skip anything that needs two nights of its own or a long drive each way: Sapa, Hue, Ninh Binh, the Ha Long day trip and a night in Can Tho. I never cut a soft first day in Hanoi, one night on Lan Ha Bay, three nights in Hoi An and one full day on the Mekong.
Ten days is the trip length first-time visitors ask our team about most, and it is also the one most often overfilled. A typical first draft has seven or eight stops. When I plan ten days for our own guests, most of my work is deciding what to leave out, so that the four places that stay in can be seen properly.
The route below draws on two private Metta Voyage tours for couples, the 10-day honeymoon route and the 10-day In Style tour, which connect Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. I have kept their shape and cut the rush.
What to skip in Vietnam in ten days: my cut list
My rule is simple: anything that needs two nights of its own, or a long drive there and back, does not belong in a ten-day first trip. That puts these on the cut list:
- Sapa. About four hours by car each way from Hanoi, or a night train arriving around 6 a.m. It needs two nights to be worth it.
- Hue. It is possible as a day trip from Hoi An, but on ten days I would rather you rested.
- Ninh Binh. Beautiful, and much better with a night in the countryside, which ten days cannot spare.
- The Ha Long day trip. About three to three and a half hours each way by road for a four-hour cruise. If the bay stays in, it stays in as an overnight.
- A night in Can Tho. The Mekong Delta works as one full day from Ho Chi Minh City.
None of these is a bad idea. They simply belong to a longer trip: our two-week pacing rules add Sapa and Hue, and the three-week route built around rest days adds Ninh Binh and a beach.
What I would never cut
A soft first day in Hanoi
After a long-haul flight, nobody sightsees well. Day one is for checking in, resting and an easy evening: a cyclo through the Old Quarter and the water puppets, which need almost no walking. The full city tour waits for day two.
One night on the water
Our couple tours include the bay as a day trip. If you can give it a night, an overnight cruise on Lan Ha Bay replaces the return drive with a quiet evening on the water, and the car takes you from the pier to Hanoi airport for the flight to Da Nang. How I compare ships is in what I check before I book a cabin.
Three nights in Hoi An
Hoi An is the centre of this trip. Three nights let you walk the old town early, before the day visitors arrive, and still keep a free day for the beach, a spa or the Cham temples at My Son.
One full day on the Mekong
Ho Chi Minh City is the most intense stop for traffic and heat, so I keep city sightseeing to afternoons and give one full day to the canals and orchards around My Tho.
Ten days in Vietnam after the cuts, day by day
This version runs north to south. Both of our couple tours run south to north and work just as well; we choose the direction based on your flights and the season.
| Day | Where | What we do | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hanoi | Arrive and rest; evening cyclo ride around the Old Quarter and a water puppet show | Hanoi |
| 2 | Hanoi | Ho Chi Minh Complex, One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake, West Lake and Tran Quoc Pagoda | Hanoi |
| 3 | Lan Ha Bay | Private car to Tuan Chau (about two and a half hours); lunch on board, village cycle or cave, cooking class | Cruise |
| 4 | Bay to Hoi An | Morning kayak, car from the pier to Hanoi airport, afternoon flight to Da Nang, drive to Hoi An | Hoi An |
| 5 | Hoi An | Half-day walk in the old town: Chua Ong Pagoda, Chinese Assembly Halls, Tam Ky house, Japanese Bridge | Hoi An |
| 6 | Hoi An | Free day: Cua Dai beach, a spa, or a half day at the My Son Cham ruins with your guide | Hoi An |
| 7 | Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City | Cham Museum in Da Nang, flight south; afternoon Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office | Ho Chi Minh City |
| 8 | Mekong Delta | My Tho: private boat through the canals to an orchard, coconut candy workshop, cycling on village lanes | Ho Chi Minh City |
| 9 | Ho Chi Minh City | Free morning; optional Cu Chi Tunnels or the War Remnants Museum and Ben Thanh Market | Ho Chi Minh City |
| 10 | Departure | Free time until the airport transfer | — |
What to skip in ten days if you want a beach
Some couples would rather finish on the sand. In that case the south is what I cut. Our 10-day tours with Nha Trang give the beach three nights: snorkelling over coral, a boat trip around Nha Trang Bay, a spa or simply a sun lounger. To make room, we shorten Ho Chi Minh City to one night with the Mekong Delta, or take the south out altogether and fly from Da Nang to Cam Ranh.
Near Nha Trang I book L’Alya Ninh Van Bay for couples who want a quiet lagoon villa at the end of the trip. Amanoi, inside Nui Chua National Park above Vinh Hy Bay, is about 75 minutes by private car from Cam Ranh airport; it belongs to our top price tier and is quoted individually.
Mistakes I see most often
- Trying to see the whole country. North, centre and south in ten days already means two domestic flights. Adding Sapa or Hue on top turns the trip into a series of transfers.
- Sightseeing on arrival day. The first afternoon after a long flight is the worst time for a full city tour.
- Choosing the bay as a day trip to save a night. It saves a hotel night but costs most of a day on the road.
- Giving Hoi An one or two nights. It is the place where a ten-day trip slows down; cutting it is the most common false saving I see.
Where to stay on a ten-day route
Hanoi. Fairmont Hanoi, open since February 2026 a short walk from Hoan Kiem Lake, has 241 rooms and suites and a wellness floor with a bathhouse and a 20-metre lap pool. After a long flight, a calm central hotel makes the first two days easier.
The bay. Heritage Line Ginger is made for compact northern itineraries like this one: twelve suites with private balconies, a pool on the terrace deck, a village cycle, a cooking class and morning kayaking. Families who want more space can take Capella Cruise, whose two family suites sleep five.
Hoi An. Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery sits on the Thu Bon River, a short walk from the old town, which suits a first visit when you want to walk in at dawn. NHAAN Resort & Spa Hoi An, in Cam Thanh village by the Co Co River, has a rooftop spa, an infinity pool and workshops in pottery, lantern-making and woodcarving. For a beach base, Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai has 100 villas on a kilometre of Ha My beach, about 30 minutes from Da Nang airport.
Ho Chi Minh City. We choose a central 4–5★ hotel and name it in your quote. How I choose hotels in general is in what a DMC founder checks before booking.
What ten days costs
Private Vietnam trips start from 140 USD per person per day, based on two travellers sharing, 4★ hotels and a private guide and driver throughout, confirmed in your private quote. As a worked example, 10 days at 140 USD gives from 1,400 USD per person.
A group of four saves 5% (133 USD per person per day); a group of six saves 8% (about 129 USD). A stay at a 5★ luxury resort such as Amanoi or The Nam Hai moves that part of the trip to our top tier, from 350 USD per person per day, quoted individually.
Domestic flights are quoted separately; this route uses two, Hanoi to Da Nang and Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City. Bookings are confirmed with a 30% deposit, with the balance 45 days before arrival, and a non-refundable holding fee of 100 USD per traveller (kept even if you cancel early), which is separate from the 30% deposit. Card payments carry a 3.5% fee.
See Metta Voyage’s 10-day Vietnam honeymoon tour and the 10-day In Style Vietnam tour for couples for their current from-prices. How I price long trips is in the real cost of a long private trip.
What I check before a first trip
The month
This route crosses three climates. Vietnam’s national tourism site describes Hanoi and Ha Long as cool and often misty from December to March, and warm with clearer skies from April to June. Hoi An is dry from February to August and rainy from September to January, with tropical storms possible from September. Ho Chi Minh City is dry from December to April and wet from May to November. More in how I choose the month for a long trip.
Health and comfort
The US CDC recommends being up to date on routine vaccines, and lists hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines as recommended for most travellers to Vietnam, along with preventing mosquito bites. Talk to your doctor before you travel and pack regular medication in hand luggage. If stairs or long walks are difficult, tell us early: we can skip the climb at Marble Mountains and check boarding on the ship. More in my checklist for parents in their seventies.
Teenagers and footprint
For families with children over ten, the highlights tend to be the cyclo ride, kayaking, a lantern or pottery workshop in Hoi An and cycling in the Mekong Delta. Buy food and crafts from the families who make them, ask before taking close-up photographs and carry a refillable bottle; our guides explain customs at pagodas, such as covering shoulders and knees.
Paperwork
Entry rules depend on your passport. Vietnam’s e-visa, applied for through the government portal, can be valid for up to 90 days. Check your own case before booking flights.
Metta Voyage has organised more than 2,000 bookings for over 10,100 travellers and holds a 4.9 rating on Tripadvisor. Tell our team your dates and how you like to travel, and we will shape these ten days around you.
Sources
Vietnam National Authority of Tourism – Weather and climate · Vietnam National Authority of Tourism – Visa requirements · Vietnam e-visa portal (evisa.gov.vn) · US CDC – Travelers’ health: Vietnam
Questions we are often asked
What should I skip in Vietnam if I only have ten days?
I usually leave out Sapa, Hue, Ninh Binh and a night in Can Tho, because each needs two nights or a long transfer. They fit better into two or three weeks.
Should we do Ha Long Bay as a day trip or overnight?
A day trip from Hanoi means about three to three and a half hours on the road each way. If you can give it a night, an overnight cruise on Lan Ha Bay is calmer and lets you fly south from the pier.
Can we end the trip on a beach?
Yes. We replace part of the south with three nights near Nha Trang, for example at L'Alya Ninh Van Bay, or at Amanoi about 75 minutes from Cam Ranh airport.
Is the route better north to south or south to north?
Both work. Our couple tours run south to north; we choose the direction that matches your international flights and the weather for your dates.
Are domestic flights included?
No. Domestic flights are quoted separately; this route uses two.
David — for The Metta Voyage team. Checked against our itineraries and the sources above on 11 November 2026.
