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🇻🇳 Itinerary · Vietnam · 30 days

1-month Vietnam itinerary 2026: from Tonkin to the Mekong

30 days North to South: Sapa, Ha Giang, Hanoi, Halong, Hue, Hoi An, Dalat, Saigon and the Mekong. The grand tour with the northern mountains, budget and transport.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

30 days

Stops

10 places

Average budget

€2,600-4,500

Total distance

~3,200 km

Profile

Grand trip

Season

Sep-Nov, Mar-May

Hanoi 3d · Ha Giang 4d · Sapa 3d · Halong 2d · Ninh Binh 2d · Hue 2d · Hoi An 4d · Dalat 3d · Saigon 3d · Mekong 2d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Vietnam 1-month itinerary map: Hanoi, Ha Giang, Sapa, Halong, Ninh Binh, Hue, Hoi An, Dalat, Saigon, Mekong

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

11 days, day by day

1

~€55/day

Hanoi · D1 to D3 · Northern capital

  • D1 Arrival, rest, old quarter and water puppets.
  • D2-3 Mausoleum, Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem lake, egg coffee.
🛌 🛌 Old quarter · e.g. La Siesta Hotel (3 nights)·🛵 On foot and by Grab·Hanoi guide →
2

~€70/day

Ha Giang · D4 to D7 · The legendary loop

  • D4 Night bus or car to Ha Giang (6h).
  • D5-6 Ha Giang loop by motorbike or easy rider: passes, rice fields, ethnic villages.
  • D7 Ma Pi Leng pass, one of the country's highest, Nho Que river gorges.
🛌 🛌 Ha Giang / Dong Van (4 nights)·🛵 Motorbike loop or easy rider
3

~€60/day

Sapa · D8 to D10 · Terraced rice fields

  • D8 Road to Sapa. Bac Ha market on Sunday.
  • D9 Trek in the Muong Hoa rice fields, Hmong and Dao villages.
  • D10 Fansipan cable car, roof of Indochina (3,143 m).
🛌 🛌 Sapa (3 nights)·🚐 Mountain shuttle
4

~€120/day

Halong Bay · D11 to D12 · Cruise

  • D11 Back to Hanoi, shuttle to Halong, board the junk.
  • D12 Sunrise, kayak, cave, back to Hanoi.
🛌 🛌 Overnight on a junk (1 night)·🚐 Shuttle + ⛵ cruise
5

~€55/day

Ninh Binh · D13 to D14 · Inland Halong

  • D13 Train to Ninh Binh. Sampan in Tam Coc, Hang Mua viewpoint.
  • D14 Rowboat in Trang An (UNESCO), Bai Dinh pagoda, cycling in the rice fields.
🛌 🛌 Tam Coc · e.g. Tam Coc Garden Resort (2 nights)·🚆 Train Hanoi → Ninh Binh
6

~€60/day

Hue · D15 to D16 · The imperial city

  • D15 Flight Hanoi → Hue, imperial city and citadel.
  • D16 Royal tombs by boat on the Perfume River.
🛌 🛌 Hue (2 nights)·✈️ Flight Hanoi → Hue
7

~€60/day

Hoi An · D17 to D20 · Lanterns and beach

  • D17 Road over the Hai Van pass. Old town, evening lanterns.
  • D18-19 Custom tailor, cooking class, An Bang beach.
  • D20 Day trip to My Son sanctuary, Cham temples.
🛌 🛌 Hoi An · e.g. Little Riverside Hoi An (4 nights)·🚐 Car over the pass
8

~€60/day

Dalat · D21 to D23 · Highlands

  • D21 Flight Da Nang → Dalat. Cool highland town (1,500 m), colonial villas.
  • D22 Coffee plantations, waterfalls, Tuyen Lam lake.
  • D23 Canyoning or night market, Dalat wines.
🛌 🛌 Dalat (3 nights)·✈️ Flight Da Nang → Dalat
9

~€65/day

Saigon · D24 to D26 · The buzzing South

  • D24 Bus or flight to Saigon. Dong Khoi, cathedral, central post office.
  • D25 War Remnants Museum, Cu Chi tunnels.
  • D26 Cholon (Chinatown), night street food by motorbike.
🛌 🛌 District 1, Saigon · e.g. Hotel des Arts (3 nights)·✈️ Flight Dalat → Saigon
10

~€70/day

Mekong Delta · D27 to D28 · Canals

  • D27 Road to Can Tho. Homestay by the water.
  • D28 Cai Rang floating market at dawn, rowboat in the canals.
🛌 🛌 Can Tho (2 nights)·🚐 Day trip + 🛶 rowboat
11

Flight

Return · D29 to D30

  • D29 Back to Saigon, last shopping and iced coffee.
  • D30 Tan Son Nhat airport, return flight to Paris via a Gulf hub.
✈️ International flight

How much

Itinerary budget (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€2,600

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €700
  • 🏨 Guesthouses: €14/night
  • 🍜 Street food: €9/day
  • ✈️ 3 domestic flights + bus: €350
  • 🎫 Activities over 30 d: €350
Recommended

Comfort

€3,600

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €800
  • 🏨 3-4★ hotel: €45/night
  • 🍽️ Mixed restos: €22/day
  • ✈️ 3 domestic flights: €280
  • 🎫 Activities: €500

Premium

€5,200+

per person

  • ✈️ Upgraded flight: €1,500
  • 🏨 5★: €170/night
  • 🍽️ Fine dining: €55/day
  • 🚖 Private driver
  • 🎫 Private tours: €700

Shorter, longer

Other possible durations

1 week

1 week

The North: Hanoi, Halong and Ninh Binh.

2 weeks

2 weeks

North to South, Hanoi to Saigon.

You're here

1 month

1 month

The grand axis with the northern mountains and the Mekong.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

A month blends night buses, train, a motorbike loop in the North and 3 domestic flights. The flights (Hanoi → Hue, Da Nang → Dalat, Dalat → Saigon) avoid the Center's very long roads.

🛵

Ha Giang loop

motorbike or easy rider · 3-4 days · passes and ethnic villages

🚐

Shuttle Hanoi → Sapa

~€15 · 5-6h · to the terraced rice fields

✈️

Flight Hanoi → Hue

€50-70 · 1h15 · toward the Center

✈️

Flight Da Nang → Dalat

~€60 · to the highlands

🛶

Cai Rang floating market

at dawn · rowboat in the Mekong Delta

Adapt by season

Follow the dry season North to South

Over a month, the climate gap between regions becomes an asset. This itinerary goes North to South, ideal March to May and September to November. The northern mountains (Sapa, Ha Giang) peak September to November (golden rice terraces) and in spring. Avoid the mountain loops in July-August (rains, slippery roads). The Center's October-December rains are dodged by shifting the order. The South is doable year-round.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In October 2022, I did the Ha Giang loop by motorbike with an easy rider: 4 days of passes and golden rice terraces, it stayed the peak of the whole trip, well ahead of the cities.
  • • Keeping Ha Giang rather than just Sapa: wilder roads, far fewer people.
  • • The Cai Rang floating market at dawn, from a rowboat, before the groups arrive.
  • • Slotting Dalat and its cool highlands between Hoi An and Saigon, a break from the tropical climate.

⚠️ Would change

  • • If you're not comfortable on a motorbike, do the Ha Giang loop as an easy rider (driver).
  • • Cut Saigon to 2 nights and add a night in Hoi An or Dalat.
  • • In the Center's rainy season, reverse it: start South and end North.
  • • Add Phong Nha (caves) between Ninh Binh and Hue for caving fans.

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Is a month too much for Vietnam? +
No, it's what lets you add the northern mountains (Ha Giang, Sapa) and the highlands (Dalat) to the grand axis. Without that month, these regions, among the country's finest, always get cut.
Is the Ha Giang loop doable without a motorbike? +
Yes, as an easy rider: a driver rides the motorbike, you're the passenger. It's the safest option if you're not used to mountain driving.
How many domestic flights should you plan? +
Three are enough: Hanoi → Hue, Da Nang → Dalat and Dalat → Saigon. The rest is by train, night bus and local loops.
What's the best period for this grand tour? +
September-November (golden rice terraces in the North) and March-May. Avoid July-August for the mountain loops (rains) and October-December in the Center (possible flooding in Hoi An).
Do you need a visa for a month in Vietnam? +
French travelers get a 45-day exemption since August 2023. A one-month stay is covered without an e-visa. Passport valid 6 months after return.
What budget for 30 days? +
Count about €2,600 backpacker, €3,600 comfort and €5,200+ premium, flight from Paris included, per person.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

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