Places to Visit in Vietnam: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City

The short answer: Most first trips to Vietnam run Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, calling at Ha Long Bay, Hoi An and Hue along the way: a 7-day trip covers the north and centre or the centre and south, while 10 days covers all three. Emirates flies non-stop from Dubai to both Hanoi (about 6 hours 45 minutes) and Ho Chi Minh City (about 7 hours 25 minutes), and Etihad flies non-stop from Abu Dhabi to Hanoi. Our Vietnam Heritage Journey, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City over 8 days and 7 nights, runs from AED 7,200.

This guide groups Vietnam's places by region (north, centre, south), with how far each is from its usual base, what it costs to get in where we could confirm a fee, and how long to allow. For weather and when to go, see our best time to visit Vietnam guide rather than repeating it here. If you already know you are going, see our Vietnam visa guide for UAE residents or Vietnam visa services.

Vietnam at a glance

	Vietnam from the UAE
Flight time	About 6 to 7 hours non-stop to Hanoi on Emirates (Dubai) or Etihad (Abu Dhabi); about 7 hours 25 minutes non-stop to Ho Chi Minh City on Emirates (Dubai)
Visa	Many UAE residents need an e-visa or visa on arrival depending on passport; see our Vietnam visa guide for the detail by nationality
Length between the two ends	About 1,700 km from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City; a one-way domestic flight runs about 2 hours, the Reunification Express train 32–37 hours
Currency	Vietnamese dong (VND)
Getting around	Domestic flights (Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet) for long hops; the north-south train for shorter, scenic overnight legs; cars and buses within each region
Our package	Vietnam Heritage Journey, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, 8D/7N from AED 7,200 – see our Asia packages for the current itinerary

The north: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and the mountains

Hanoi Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake

Hanoi's Old Quarter is a grid of narrow streets, each still loosely tied to the trade it was named for, around Hoan Kiem Lake in the city centre. Both the Old Quarter's streets and the lakeside promenade are free to walk, and a half to full day covers the area, including the small Ngoc Son Temple on an island in the lake, which charges a modest entrance fee. Weekend evenings close several Old Quarter streets to traffic for a night market.

Temple of Literature

Vietnam's first national university, founded in 1070, is a series of courtyards and stone stelae a short taxi ride south of the Old Quarter. Several 2026 ticket guides give the adult entrance fee as VND 70,000, though older listings cite lower and higher figures, so confirm the current price on arrival. Allow an hour to 90 minutes.

Train Street

A residential lane where the track runs within arm's reach of houses now turned into cafes, with a train passing a few times a day. Guides through 2026 describe it as still open to individual visitors, though access runs through the licensed cafes rather than open street access, and it was briefly closed for safety reasons in 2025. Rules here change quickly: check locally before planning around it, and never stand on the tracks.

Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay cruises

Ha Long Bay's limestone karsts sit on the coast, variously reported as 130 to 175 km from Hanoi depending on the route, a drive of roughly 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Lan Ha Bay, bordering it to the south, has similar scenery with fewer boats and is a common base for cruises that still visit Ha Long Bay's karsts. A day cruise runs roughly US$50–75 per person; an overnight 2-day, 1-night cruise is commonly US$120–250 per person in the mid-range, more for a private cabin or luxury boat. Give this at least one full day, two if you take an overnight cruise.

Ninh Binh: Trang An and Tam Coc

Often described as Ha Long Bay on land, Ninh Binh's limestone valleys are about 90 to 100 km south of Hanoi, roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2.5 hours by road. Trang An's boat route through caves and temples costs around VND 300,000 per adult and takes about half a day; Tam Coc, a shorter and more touristy version of the same scenery, costs around VND 250,000 and takes about 90 minutes. Tam Coc is busiest in May and June, when the surrounding rice fields turn gold before harvest.

Sapa

A hill town near the Chinese border, about 320 km from Hanoi: the overnight train to Lao Cai takes roughly 8 hours, plus a further hour by road to Sapa, or a direct bus runs 5.5 to 7 hours. The Fansipan cable car, which set Guinness records for length and height gain when it opened in 2016, lifts visitors to Vietnam's highest peak at 3,143 metres in about 15 minutes; a round-trip ticket is reported at roughly VND 800,000–850,000 for a foreign adult, though older listings quote lower figures, so confirm before buying. Most visitors give Sapa two nights, with a day for trekking through the surrounding terraced valleys.

Ha Giang

Vietnam's far-northern karst mountains, reached by a bus of about 5.5 to 7 hours from Hanoi (around 300 km), then toured as a loop of roughly 300 to 350 km by motorbike or jeep over 3 to 4 days, past the Ma Pi Leng Pass and the towns of Dong Van and Meo Vac. This is a trip in its own right, not a day trip, and self-driving the loop needs a steady head for mountain roads.

The centre: Hue, Hoi An and Da Nang

Hue

Vietnam's former imperial capital, about 100 km north of Da Nang over the Hai Van Pass, a drive of roughly 2 to 2.5 hours, or 2.5 to 3 hours by train with sea views for part of the way. The Imperial City (Citadel) costs VND 200,000 for an adult on the heritage authority's own fee table; a combo ticket adding two or three royal tombs costs VND 420,000 or VND 530,000, valid for two days. A full day covers the Citadel and one or two tombs.

Hoi An

A UNESCO-listed trading-port town about 30 km south of Da Nang, roughly 45 minutes by taxi, known for its lantern-lit old quarter and tailoring shops. The ancient town ticket costs VND 120,000 for a foreign visitor, covering a set number of heritage houses and assembly halls (though it is reported as rarely checked on the street itself); the Full Moon Lantern Festival evenings are free to wander, with paper lanterns from about VND 20,000 and river boat rides from about VND 120,000. Give Hoi An a full day and an evening.

Da Nang and Ba Na Hills

Vietnam's third city sits on the coast between Hue and Hoi An, with its own beaches and the Marble Mountains on its edge. Inland, the Ba Na Hills resort and its Golden Bridge, held up by giant stone hands, is reached by a drive of 45 minutes to an hour followed by a cable car; a combined ticket covering the cable car, Golden Bridge, Fantasy Park and French Village runs around VND 1,000,000 for a foreign adult, with sources reporting a range either side of that figure. A full day covers Ba Na Hills.

The south: Nha Trang, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh City and the delta

Nha Trang

A coastal city built around a long public beach, with the Vinpearl resort island reached by cable car offshore. It is about 1 hour 5 minutes to 1.5 hours from Ho Chi Minh City by air, and 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes from Hanoi. A day covers the city beach and the Long Son Pagoda; add a day for Vinpearl's cable car and water park.

Da Lat

A hill town in the central highlands, cooler than the coast, with flower gardens, waterfalls and the Crazy House. It is roughly 300 km from Ho Chi Minh City: about 45 minutes to an hour by air, or 4 hours or more by road. One to two days covers the main sights at an easy pace.

Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam's largest city and the usual end (or start) of a south-to-north trip. The War Remnants Museum, in District 3, covers the American War years and costs VND 40,000 for an adult on most current listings, though the museum's own booking page shows VND 30,000, so the two differ; allow 2 to 3 hours. The Cu Chi Tunnels, a wartime tunnel network, are about 60 to 70 km northwest of the city centre, a drive of 1.5 to 2 hours each way, with an adult entrance fee reported at roughly VND 110,000–135,000 depending on which of the two sites (Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc) you visit; most people go on a half-day tour rather than independently.

Mekong Delta

The river delta south-west of Ho Chi Minh City, reached for a day trip to My Tho or Ben Tre in about 1.5 to 2 hours, or over 2 to 3 days further south to Can Tho for its floating markets. Go earlier rather than later in the day: the floating markets wind down by mid-morning.

Phu Quoc

An island off Vietnam's southern coast, close to Cambodia, reached by a flight of about an hour from Ho Chi Minh City. Known for its beaches and the Hon Thom Cable Car, almost 7.9 km long over the sea, which took the Guinness record for the longest non-stop three-rope cable car in 2018 and runs to an island water and theme park. Phu Quoc suits a beach add-on of 3 days or more rather than a stop on a fast north-to-south run.

A 7-day and a 10-day route

A 7-day trip usually picks one half of the country rather than the whole length: Hanoi (2–3 days), Ha Long or Lan Ha Bay (1–2 days) and Ninh Binh or Sapa (1–2 days) covers the north; or Hue, Hoi An and Da Nang (3 days) with Ho Chi Minh City (2 days) covers the centre and south. A 10-day trip runs the length of the country: Hanoi and Ha Long Bay (3–4 days), Hue and Hoi An (2–3 days), and Ho Chi Minh City with a Mekong Delta day trip (2–3 days), flying the two longer hops between regions to save time on the road.

Getting between regions

Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet are the two main scheduled domestic carriers connecting Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City; Bamboo Airways stopped selling tickets for its scheduled domestic flights from 1 August 2026, with its final scheduled service on 22 August 2026, as its fleet shrank from around 44 aircraft to about 3, so it is not a reliable option to plan around for now. The Reunification Express train runs the length of the country, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, in roughly 32 to 37 hours depending on the service; most travellers use it for a shorter overnight leg between two neighbouring regions (Hanoi to Hue or Da Nang, for example) rather than end to end.

Flights and visa basics from the UAE

Emirates flies non-stop from Dubai to Hanoi and to Ho Chi Minh City, both daily. Etihad flies non-stop from Abu Dhabi to Hanoi. Etihad served Abu Dhabi to Ho Chi Minh City in the past; our most recent sources disagree on whether a non-stop service currently operates, so we are not naming it as a confirmed current route, and recommend checking directly before booking around it. We found no confirmed non-stop Air Arabia service from Sharjah to Vietnam. Emirates and Vietjet signed a partnership in October 2024 that lets Emirates passengers connect onward to Vietjet's domestic network on a single itinerary, but this is not a non-stop Vietjet flight from the UAE.

Visa rules depend heavily on your passport. Our Vietnam visa guide for UAE residents covers who can use the e-visa, who needs a visa on arrival, and the current validity rules; if you would rather we handled the paperwork, see Vietnam visa services, from AED 245.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best places to visit in Vietnam?

Hanoi's Old Quarter, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An's old town, Hue's Imperial City and Ho Chi Minh City cover a classic first trip. With more time, add Ninh Binh or Sapa in the north, Da Nang's Ba Na Hills in the centre, or Phu Quoc and the Mekong Delta in the south.

What is there to do in Hanoi?

The Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature, and Train Street (access rules permitting) cover a day or two in the city itself; most visitors also use Hanoi as the base for a Ha Long Bay cruise or a trip to Ninh Binh or Sapa.

What is there to do in Ho Chi Minh City?

The War Remnants Museum and a half-day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels cover the city's wartime history; the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc are the two most common add-ons from here, by day trip and by short flight respectively.

How many days do you need in Vietnam?

Seven days suits one half of the country, north or centre-and-south. Ten days or more lets you cover Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City in one trip, flying the longer hops between regions.

Is Ha Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay better for a cruise?

Both sit on the same stretch of coast with similar limestone scenery. Ha Long Bay has more boats and is better known; Lan Ha Bay, just south of it, is quieter and is where many newer cruises are based, including some that sail into Ha Long Bay itself.

Do I need a visa to visit Vietnam from the UAE?

It depends on your passport. Many UAE residents need either an e-visa arranged in advance or a visa on arrival; see our Vietnam visa guide for UAE residents for the rules by nationality, or let us arrange it through our visa service.

Plan your Vietnam trip with Holidayys

Our Vietnam Heritage Journey, Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City over 8 days and 7 nights, runs from AED 7,200 per person – see our Asia holiday packages for the current itinerary and dates. If your passport needs a visa or the e-visa arranged, see Vietnam visa services, from AED 245.

For a different route, length or starting city, message us on WhatsApp +971 4 589 0001 or use our contact page and we will put together a custom itinerary. We quote flights with the trip; we do not sell flights alone.

Related guides

• Vietnam visa for UAE residents
• Best time to visit Vietnam
• Vietnam visa services
• Asia holiday packages
• Flight times from Dubai
• Places to visit in Malaysia

Last checked 9 October 2026 against Emirates' and Etihad's own route pages for Dubai/Abu Dhabi-Hanoi and Dubai-Ho Chi Minh City; flight-route trackers (FlightsFrom, FlyTeam, Flightmapper) for schedule confirmation; Vietjet's and Emirates' October 2024 partnership announcements; aviation press (AeroTime, AeroCorner) on Bamboo Airways halting scheduled flights in August 2026; the Hue heritage authority's own fee table; and tour-operator and ticketing guides for the Temple of Literature, Train Street, Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay cruises, Trang An, Tam Coc, the Fansipan cable car, Ba Na Hills, Hoi An's ancient town ticket, the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels, since several of these had conflicting or no single official price online. Flight schedules, entry fees and transport options change; confirm the current position before you travel.