Recommendation: Cat Ba Island + Ha Long Bay boat tour and Hoi An are a must
I took 3 weeks to travel from Northern to Southern Vietnam by bus. If you have time, it is a unique way to travel. If you only have 1-2 weeks, the highlights I'd recommend are: Hanoi, Cat Ba/Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha, Hoi An, Mui Ne, and Saigon.
Route overview:
*Diem Bien Vue -> Sapa -> Hanoi -> Cat Ba/ Ha Long Bay -> Ninh Binh -> Phong Nah -> Hue -> Hoi An -> Nha Thang -> Dalat -> Mui Ne -> Saigon*
Diem Bien Vue *(1 night)*
6-hour bus ride to Sapa *($12)*
Sapa *(1 night)*
6-hour bus ride to Hanoi *($13)*
Hanoi *(2 nights)*
* Hoa Lo Prision
* Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
* Walked around Hoan Kiem Lake
* Water puppet show
* Bought a knockoff Northface jacket that kept me really warm *($13)*
4-hour bus + ferry ride to Cat Ba Island *($14)*
Cat Ba *(3 nights)*
* Did an all day boat tour of Ha Long Bay ***(MUST DO)***. The tour company I used was called 'Cat Ba Ventures'. It cost $29 and included kayaking through caves, a stop at a fish nursery, and lunch. I was on the fence about doing an overnight boat trip through Ha Long Bay, but opted for the day trip to save money. It would have been awesome to spend a night out there!
* Ate a great dinner at 'Yummy' restaurant.
* Rented a scooter to cruise around the whole island. Stopped at Trung Trang cave and Cat Ba National Park where I hiked to the top to enjoy a beautiful view.
4-hour bus ride to Ninh Binh *($10)*
Ninh Binh *(2 nights)*
* Stayed at Tam Coc Nature lodge. This was one of the coolest hostels I've ever stayed at! The nature surrounding is breathtaking and the free breakfast was 10/10.
* Rented a scooter and went to Hoa Lu (Ancient capitol) and Bai Dinh Pagoda where I spent two hours walking around admiring the beautiful mountain landscape.
* Walked to Hang Mua where you can take the 500 steps up to a lookout with a dragon sculpture on top.
8-hour night bus to Phong Nha *($13)*
Phong Nha *(1 night)*
* Stayed at 'Nguyen Snack' which was a neat spot if you're comfortable with rustic accommodation.
* Rented a scooter and drove around Phong Nha National Park. The scenery was stunning! There are lots of caves to explore and the botanical gardens are a must see.
4-hour bus ride to Hue *($7)*
Hue *(1 night)*
* This wasn't my favorite town because there wasn't much to see, but a good place to spot to break up the trip between Phong Nha and Hoi An.
* Walked around town and went to see the imperial city.
3-hour bus ride to Hoi An.
Hoi An *(3 nights)*
* Touristy for all the right reasons. Hoi An is an awesome town with lots to do!
* Rented bikes for $1 and went to 2 different beaches.
* Walked around the night market.
* Ate at “Cay Tre Bamboo”. (Some of the best food I've ever eaten.)
* Took a cooking class.
* Rented a scooter to go see 'My Son'. Unfortunately is stared POURING rain so we didn't make it the whole way and went to see the coconuts village instead.
12-hour night bus to Nha Thang *($12)*
Nha Thang *(1 night)*
* Walked around the fairly large downtown city area.
* Went to see the big white Buddha statue and Hindu temples.
4-hour bus to Dalat *($7)*
Dalat *(1 night)*
* I wasn't feeling well while in Dalat so didn't do much besides nap at hang out at the hostel.
* Stayed at 'Red House' hostel. It was nice, but a little bit far from town.
4-hour bus ride to Mui Ne *($6)*
Mui Ne *(2 nights)*
* Stayed at 'Mui Ne Xua' Hostel. It was a super cool spot with bamboo style huts.
* Went on a sunrise tour of the White Sand Dunes, Red Sand Dunes, a fishing port, and fairy creek.
* TIP: Be careful of scammers at the sand dunes. It was still dark when we arrived at the dunes for sunrise so they tried to convince me that I needed to rent an ATV (for an additional change) to get to the highest sand dune with the best view because the walk would take too long. I opted to walk and as the sun came up, quickly realized it wasn't far at all.
5-hour bus to Saigon *($10)*
Saigon *(3 nights)*
* Stayed at LaLaLa hostel. The rooms were small, but they had the friendlies staff! It was New Years Eve when I was there. The manager invited me to celebrate with her friends (Tried homemade Vietnamese liquor... all I can say is that a little bit goes a LONG way.
* Breakfast at 'Little Hanoi egg coffee' - very cute spot! Must try egg coffee while in Vietnam.
* Remnant museum and tour of Chi Chu tunnels.
Saigon was my last stop in Vietnam. From there, I took a bus an 8-hour bus ride to Phnom Penh, Cambodia where I continued my travels through Cambodia.
Recommendation: Cat Ba Island + Ha Long Bay boat tour and Hoi An are a must
I took 3 weeks to travel from Northern to Southern Vietnam by bus. If you have time, it is a unique way to travel. If you only have 1-2 weeks, the highlights I'd recommend are: Hanoi, Cat Ba/Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha, Hoi An, Mui Ne, and Saigon.
Route overview:
*Diem Bien Vue -> Sapa -> Hanoi -> Cat Ba/ Ha Long Bay -> Ninh Binh -> Phong Nah -> Hue -> Hoi An -> Nha Thang -> Dalat -> Mui Ne -> Saigon*
Diem Bien Vue *(1 night)*
6-hour bus ride to Sapa *($12)*
Sapa *(1 night)*
6-hour bus ride to Hanoi *($13)*
Hanoi *(2 nights)*
* Hoa Lo Prision
* Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
* Walked around Hoan Kiem Lake
* Water puppet show
* Bought a knockoff Northface jacket that kept me really warm *($13)*
4-hour bus + ferry ride to Cat Ba Island *($14)*
Cat Ba *(3 nights)*
* Did an all day boat tour of Ha Long Bay ***(MUST DO)***. The tour company I used was called 'Cat Ba Ventures'. It cost $29 and included kayaking through caves, a stop at a fish nursery, and lunch. I was on the fence about doing an overnight boat trip through Ha Long Bay, but opted for the day trip to save money. It would have been awesome to spend a night out there!
* Ate a great dinner at 'Yummy' restaurant.
* Rented a scooter to cruise around the whole island. Stopped at Trung Trang cave and Cat Ba National Park where I hiked to the top to enjoy a beautiful view.
4-hour bus ride to Ninh Binh *($10)*
Ninh Binh *(2 nights)*
* Stayed at Tam Coc Nature lodge. This was one of the coolest hostels I've ever stayed at! The nature surrounding is breathtaking and the free breakfast was 10/10.
* Rented a scooter and went to Hoa Lu (Ancient capitol) and Bai Dinh Pagoda where I spent two hours walking around admiring the beautiful mountain landscape.
* Walked to Hang Mua where you can take the 500 steps up to a lookout with a dragon sculpture on top.
8-hour night bus to Phong Nha *($13)*
Phong Nha *(1 night)*
* Stayed at 'Nguyen Snack' which was a neat spot if you're comfortable with rustic accommodation.
* Rented a scooter and drove around Phong Nha National Park. The scenery was stunning! There are lots of caves to explore and the botanical gardens are a must see.
4-hour bus ride to Hue *($7)*
Hue *(1 night)*
* This wasn't my favorite town because there wasn't much to see, but a good place to spot to break up the trip between Phong Nha and Hoi An.
* Walked around town and went to see the imperial city.
3-hour bus ride to Hoi An.
Hoi An *(3 nights)*
* Touristy for all the right reasons. Hoi An is an awesome town with lots to do!
* Rented bikes for $1 and went to 2 different beaches.
* Walked around the night market.
* Ate at “Cay Tre Bamboo”. (Some of the best food I've ever eaten.)
* Took a cooking class.
* Rented a scooter to go see 'My Son'. Unfortunately is stared POURING rain so we didn't make it the whole way and went to see the coconuts village instead.
12-hour night bus to Nha Thang *($12)*
Nha Thang *(1 night)*
* Walked around the fairly large downtown city area.
* Went to see the big white Buddha statue and Hindu temples.
4-hour bus to Dalat *($7)*
Dalat *(1 night)*
* I wasn't feeling well while in Dalat so didn't do much besides nap at hang out at the hostel.
* Stayed at 'Red House' hostel. It was nice, but a little bit far from town.
4-hour bus ride to Mui Ne *($6)*
Mui Ne *(2 nights)*
* Stayed at 'Mui Ne Xua' Hostel. It was a super cool spot with bamboo style huts.
* Went on a sunrise tour of the White Sand Dunes, Red Sand Dunes, a fishing port, and fairy creek.
* TIP: Be careful of scammers at the sand dunes. It was still dark when we arrived at the dunes for sunrise so they tried to convince me that I needed to rent an ATV (for an additional change) to get to the highest sand dune with the best view because the walk would take too long. I opted to walk and as the sun came up, quickly realized it wasn't far at all.
5-hour bus to Saigon *($10)*
Saigon *(3 nights)*
* Stayed at LaLaLa hostel. The rooms were small, but they had the friendlies staff! It was New Years Eve when I was there. The manager invited me to celebrate with her friends (Tried homemade Vietnamese liquor... all I can say is that a little bit goes a LONG way.
* Breakfast at 'Little Hanoi egg coffee' - very cute spot! Must try egg coffee while in Vietnam.
* Remnant museum and tour of Chi Chu tunnels.
Saigon was my last stop in Vietnam. From there, I took a bus an 8-hour bus ride to Phnom Penh, Cambodia where I continued my travels through Cambodia.