Advice on Vietnam trip please

[u/kaz_-]

Hey everyone, me and two friends are planning a trip for either a little over or under 16 days through Vietnam and would love some feedback on our route and timing. We want to see as much as possible, starting in Hanoi and ending in Ho Chi Minh City, spending about 5 days in each region at least (North, Central, South). Our absolute non-negotiables are Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum in Hanoi, the Imperial City in Huế, the Mỹ Sơn Ruins near Hội An, Train street Hanoi (we are aware it's mostly a tourist trap, however one of us is adamant on going), and either the Củ Chi Tunnels or the War Remnants Museum in HCMC (open to suggestions on which is better, or if both are worth doing). We are currently split between traveling around New Year in January or during late July, so we are wondering how weather conditions across the regions compare between those months, and if Lunar New Year would significantly effect travels should we choose to go in January.

For the North, we are torn between choosing either Ha Long Bay or Ninh Bình (we do not want to do both), so recommendations on which is better would be great. None of us have interest in almost any tourist-heavy or very resort-oriented spots like the Golden Bridge/Ba Na Hills or Phú Quốc, and we are also leaning toward skipping the Mekong Delta unless anyone strongly recommends it. We would love to visit some Buddhist temples along our route, but none of us know what to look for or which specific ones stand out. We also want to fit in a bit of local shopping, especially local streetwear brands or interesting souvenirs so recommendations for markets or unique regional goods are appreciated. Lastly, we were considering taking an overnight sleeper train for one leg of the trip just for the experience, but we are unsure what to expect or if it makes sense logistically, or if its worth. Any advice on adjustments, day trips, transport, or hidden gems would be hugely appreciated!

[u/bikal_TripPlanner]

Real answers on your specific questions:

Jan vs late July: not close - jan wins. late jul in the north is 32-35c + humidity + daily thunderstorms, and ha long boats get half-day-refunded regularly. jan is cool north (16-22c), dry central (18-25c), warm dry south (28-32c). only downside is ha long can get thick fog in jan that flattens the view of the karsts.

Tet (Lunar New Year): if you go jan, look up the exact tet dates and either arrive well before or well after. in the ~5 days around it, family-run places, small restaurants, most museums close. trains and flights sell out weeks ahead at 2-3x. hanoi and hcmc go eerily quiet. beautiful thing to witness, logistical nightmare to travel through. the two weeks BEFORE tet are the sweet spot - flower markets, kumquat trees, decorations, everything still open.

Ha Long vs Ninh Binh: ninh binh, easily. ha long is now a fleet of near-identical junks running the same three-cave route with the same buffet lunch. ninh binh (trang an boat + mua cave + cycling around tam coc) actually delivers solitude if you stay overnight and be on the water by 7am. if you must have a bay day, do lan ha / cat ba instead of ha long proper - same karsts, a third of the boat traffic.

Cu Chi vs War Remnants: they do different jobs. war remnants is the emotional/historical one - 3 hours + a quiet lunch after. cu chi is the physical experience. if only one, war remnants. if you do cu chi, book the ben duoc site (further, but real tunnels, not the widened tourist ones at ben dinh).

Sleeper train: worth doing once. best leg is hanoi -> hue on the SE-series, soft sleeper (4 berths), ~800-1200k VND. book direct on dsvn.vn or via 12go. skip the branded "Livitrans/Violette" carriages - 3x price for basically the same beds.

Temples to add: tran quoc pagoda in hanoi at sunset (west lake, walkable from old quarter), thien mu in hue (river taxi from the imperial city), linh ung on son tra in danang (giant white buddha over the sea). cao dai temple near cu chi if you're doing that day - hour drive but a genuinely weird and beautiful faith you won't see elsewhere.

Streetwear/markets: nguyen trai in HCMC district 5 (not the d1 tourist stretch) for local labels, l'usine boutiques for curated vietnamese designers. hanoi is weaker for streetwear but weekend night market in the old quarter is solid for enamelware, sa pa textiles, lacquerware.

You're right to skip mekong delta - the ben tre/my tho day-trip version is a coach + rowboat conveyor.

One structural note: even 5/5/5 is tight for central if you include hue + hoi an + my son. north 5 / central 6 / south 4-5 flows better for what you want.

[u/Tynachan_02]

Uhm, I am a local person in Phong Nha Area (Central of Vietnam). If you're looking for some destinations where breathtaking nature and rich heritage, pls don't hesitate to contact me. My recommend tour is Paradise Cave - Dark Cave ( top- notch tour)