Vietnam 4 Weeks Solo Itinerary: from North to South

Vietnam is a long, narrow country in Southeast Asia. Because it stretches across so many latitudes, the north and south not only have different seasons but also speak distinct dialects and have unique cultures. Travelling here is incredibly diverse, from stunning natural landscapes to vibrant, bustling cities. In September 2023, I travelld through Vietnam for four weeks on my first ever solo trip, from the North all the way to the South. To spoil the ending: it was amazing and I completely fell in love with solo travel. I do believe Vietnam is a great country to start with, it's well-developed for backpackers and easy to navigate, even with minimal preparation. And I would go back in a heartbeat just for the food!

Hanoi

Starting in the North, I flew on Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The first thing that hit me was the humidity, there was no escaping it. To begin my journey, I booked a morning bicycle tour with Real Hanoi Bicycle Experience, which turned out to be a great choice. We explored the old quarted, crossed the bridge to the other side of the city and even stopped at Banana island. Places I hadn't considered visiting when I imagined Hanoi, but they were definitely worth seeing. The tour included two drink stops and ended with my first taste of pho (a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup), a perfect introduction to Vietnamese cuisine. Another delicious dish to try early on is bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich). You can get your first one at Bánh Mì 25 which serve great versions, but you can also find the classic at small street stands all over the city.

By foot, I strolled around Hoàn Kiếm Lake. On weekend evenings, traffic is banned and the area transforms into a bustling night market filled with lively events. Close to the lake, there is also a lovely shop called Cerender Ceramics, where you can find beautiful handmade plates and other ceramics. I also visited Train Street, one of Hanoi’s most famous attractions. You can find the train passing times online, and instead of going to one of the small cafés, I watched the train pass from the section where it crosses the road, and afterwards you can have a look inside Train Street itself.

Ha Giang Loop

The Hà Giang Loop is one of Vietnam's major highlight and for good reason. While it has become quite a popular (and touristy) attraction, it's still an incredible experience. I booked a 3-day, 2-night tour through Buffalo Hostel, which took care of everything: transport from Hanoi to the starting point and back, accomodation, meals, and the motorbike adventure itself. I ended up in a group of seven people, which I really liked, though groups can be as large as twenty. You can choose between driving yourself or riding with an easy rider (a local driver). Since I didn't have any motorbike experience, I opted for an easy rider and I am glad I did. The days are long, the roads can be rough, and even as a passenger you end up quite tired. Sitting on the back also gives you the chance to fully take in the stunning scenery. If you do decide to drive yourself, keep in mind that the bikes are manual and you will need an internation driving license. Tip: Our group also decided to create a PhotoCircle, an app available for both Android and Apple, to share all the pictures we took during the trip.

Cát Bà

What originally drew me to Vietnam was a photo I had seen of the iconic limestone karsts. While many people head to Hạ Long Bay to see this, I chose Cát Bà Island instead. It’s often considered a better alternative: quieter, greener, and noticeably cleaner, while offering the same breathtaking scenery. Getting there is also very easy. From Hanoi, it's about a three to four hour journey with a bus and boat combination. On the island, I visited  Cát Bà National Park. You can do a trek here without a guide, but it is recommend not to go alone. The hike involves a steady climb, but you're rewarded with a beatiful viewpoint overlooking the jungle and rolling hills. Of course, I also took a day cruise through Lan Ha Bay. During the cruise, we had the opportunity to kayak, swim, visit a floating fish farm, and even get a glimpse of Viet Hai village. Lunch was served on board and included a delicious fresh fish meal.

Tam Cốc

From Cát Bà Island, I travelled to Tam Cốc, a rural village in Ninh Bình, known for its rice fields, peaceful boat rides and beautiful pagodas. To get one of the best views over the area, I climbed up to the Hang Múa Viewpoint. It’s about 500 steps to the top, which can be quite a workout, especially in the heat, but the panoramic view over the rivers and rice fields makes it absolutely worth it. I also went on a boat ride along the Tam Cốc River. You sit in a small rowing boat and drift through the landscape for about 1 to 1.5 hours, passing limestone cliffs and even going through caves. Lastly, I joined a bicycle tour to visit some of the local temples and pagodas. This was surprisingly pleasant, as you cycle through the village and along the rice fields, taking in the countryside.

Da Nang

Initially not part of my plan, but I'm really glad I went. I stopped here because I had met some people earlier on in the trip and wanted to meet them again. Da Nang is a bigger city located along the coast, with a long stretch of beach and plenty of nice spots to grab a drink. One of the highlights was renting a scooter and driving part of the Hải Vân Pass. This is something many travellers do as a full route from Hue to Hoi An, but even doing just a section of it was worth it for the incredible coastal views. Afterwards, we continued towards the Lady Buddha, located on a peninsula overlooking the sea, a nice stop to end the day.

Hoi An

Hội An is very well known among tourists. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its yellow shophouses, colourful lanterns, and many tailors. The beach is also just a short ride away, which is a nice bonus. We mostly wandered around, as it's not that big, and I got some clothes made at LiMe Store. I also took the opportunity to relax a bit at the beach as I was halfway through my trip. For food, one really nice place to go is Mr. Son Restaurant, you should definitely try Cao Lầu here, a regional noodle dish from Hội An.

Da Lat

While searching for things to do in Vietnam, I found out that you can go canyoning in Da Lat, which was definitely something to add to my bucket list. The weather is noticeably cooler compared to the rest of the country, which is a nice change. Besider the really cool canyoning experience, where you even learn to abseil yourself, you can also explore the local farms and plantations. You can either rent a motorbike and drive around yourself or join a tour.

Mũi Né

As Northern Vietnam generally has better weather in September, heading further south meant fewer tourists, which might explain my experience in Mũi Né. I was quite lucky with warm and sunny weather, but I was also surprised by how much trash, debris, and plastic pollution there was on the beaches. That said, I did visit the red sand dunes early in the morning, which rewarded me with an amazing view of the sky. I also walked along the Fairy Stream, which was unexpectedly really fun. Along the stream, there are several small, simple restaurants and bars, but they weren’t very busy yet. I’m not sure if that was because of the early morning or the lower number of tourists, but overall, everything felt a bit quiet and deserted at that time.

Cần Thơ

Honestly, one of my highlights! The Mekong Delta is often visited as a day trip from Ho Chi Minh City, but that usually means being on a bus full of tourists and following a very fixed route. While travelling, someone recommended just going to Cần Thơ and staying for one or two nights and I’m really glad I did. Even the bus ride there from Ho Chi Minh was an experience, as I was the only tourist on board and some locals tried to communicate with me using translation apps.

I stayed at Can Tho - Green Sunshine homestay, and they recommended going for dinner at Bún Bò Huế Ông Mập. I had a delicious bánh mì and pho. The people didn’t speak English, but they really went out of their way to help me. The next morning, the homestay arranged a tour to the floating market Cái Răng. I was the only non-Asian tourist and the guide didn't speak English, but a lovely woman from Ho Chi Minh City took me under her wing and translated everything for me. We even stopped on a boat for breakfast, where I tried a different kind of pho, which was again delicious. We also visited a small shop with some great souvenirs. After the early but lovely morning, I borrowed a bike from the homestay and explored the area. I ended up at Bánh xèo bà bộ, where I tried a Vietnamese pancake for the first time and immediately loved it. I didn’t have time to visit the city centre itself, but if I were to go back, I would definitely spend more time here.

Phú Quốc

As one of my last stops, I flew to Phú Quốc. It was a bit risky since it's an island and the weather wasn't really in our favor that time of year. Still, apart from one rainy day, we were very lucky with the weather. An added bonus was that accommodation was quite cheapdue to travelling out of season. Like most locals in Vietnam, we got around by scooter. It is a bit more difficult to rely on Grab here, so driving yourself is the easiest option.

We spent most of our time in the south of the island, especially around Khem Beach. During the day it was fairly quiet, and later in the afternoon more locals would come by after work. You can also visit Phu Quoc Prison, which is free to enter. For sunset, I’d recommend heading to the southern town, where you have a view of the Kiss Bridge, or going to Sunset Sanato, where you can see various sculptures. That said, even though the island looks beautiful, I did notice that quite a few beach bars and places to grab a drink were closed as it’s quite seasonal. Our host also didn’t recommend visiting Starfish Beach. We also visited Grand World Phu Quoc, which felt a bit strange — it’s like a mock-up of Venice. It’s quite different from the rest of Vietnam, much more artificial, but since this part of the trip was mainly about relaxing, it was still interesting to see.

Ho Chi Minh

inally, I ended up in Ho Chi Minh City. After such a long and amazing trip, my energy was running a bit low, so I didn’t do too much. We also drove ourselves to the Củ Chi Tunnels (Ben Duoc). You can easily book an organized day trip from the city, but going by ourselves made it much quieter and more relaxed. The drive is quite long though, so depending on your experience and comfort level, a tour might still be a good option. There is also a shooting range nearby, which I thought was really cool, as it’s something I had always wanted to try.

Transport

To get around within cities, you can easily rely on the Grab app. For travelling between destinations, the easiest option is often to ask your accommodation to arrange transport. Vietnam has a very well-developed bus network, and hosts usually know the best options. If you book through them, they will often arrange pick-up directly from your accommodation, so you don’t have to go to a bus station yourself.

Vietnam 4 week Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi. Late arrival.

Day 2: Hanoi. Morning bicycle tour & walk around, evening bus to Ha Giang.

Day 3: Ha Giang Loop.

Day 4: Ha Giang Loop.

Day 5: Ha Giang Loop. Evening bus to Hanoi.

Day 6. Hanoi. Massage at Hanoi Old Quarter Spa.

Day 7: Cat Ba island. Early bus & afternoon hike in Cat Ba National Park.

Day 8: Cat Ba island. Day cruise in La Han Bay.

Day 9: Tam Coc. Early bus & hike to Hang Múa Viewpoint.

Day 10: Tam Coc. Boat ride & bicycle tour, night bus to Da Nang

Day 11: Da Nang. Early arrival & beach time.

Day 12: Da Nang. Drive part of Hai Van Pass & visit Lady Buddha.

Day 13: Hoi An. Explore town & arrange tailor.

Day 14: Hoi An. Beach time & evening sleeper bus to Da Lat.

Day 15: Da Lat. Explore by scooter.

Day 16: Da Lat. Canyoning.

Day 17: Mui Ne. Early bus & explore the beach.

Day 18: Mui Ne. Sunrise red sand dunes & Fairy Stream, evening bus to Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 19: Can Tho. Bus to Mekong Delta.

Day 20: Can Tho. Morning floating market & bicycle ride, flight to Phu Quoc.

Day 21: Phu Quoc. Explore Phu Quoc center. Day 22: Phu Quoc. Going North to visit Grand World Phu Quoc.

Day 23: Phu Quoc. Going South to visit Phu Quoc Prison & Khem Beach.

Day 24: Phu Quoc. Relax at Khem Beach.

Day 25: Ho Chi Minh City. Flight back to Ho Chi Minh City..

Day 26: Ho Chi Minh City. Cu Chi Tunnels.

Day 27: Flight home.