Vietnam is one of the best countries I have ever been to. For most backpackers traveling to Vietnam, the question really isn’t about where to go but about how long to stay somewhere. I went into Vietnam relatively blind, knowing only about Hanoi, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, and Ha Long Bay. It helps to be prepared but Vietnam is a country where it is easy to go with the flow. Your Vietnam itinerary will basically sort itself out. You will hear suggestions from everyone about where the best places to go in Vietnam are.

“Oh skip Nha Trang.”

“You can’t miss Sa Pa, bro.”

“Even just one day in Ninh Binh and you’ll be glad you went.”

Vietnam is very backpacker friendly and the tourist trail is very well-defined. It helps that it is a relatively vertical country where there is a pretty common north-to-south trail or vice versa. My own route made very little sense and was full of mistakes that could have been easily avoided had I looked at a map but you should be thankful that I made the mistake of spending five out of seven nights on sleeper buses so that you don’t have to.

The first thing to consider before going to Vietnam is the visa. While some countries are pretty lax about visas, you shouldn’t risk it in Vietnam. There was a group of Americans on my bus who were turned back at the border because their Visas weren’t ready. To avoid any nightmares, Vietnam Visa can take care of everything for you, whether it is a Vietnam visa on arrival or a Vietnam visa for US citizens. Trust me, you definitely don’t want to miss out on this country for whatever reason.

I unfortunately had to cut out a week of my Vietnam trip due to an impulse decision to include the Philippines on my Southeast Asia trip. Despite rampaging through the country at a hectic pace, I enjoyed every day of it. Without further ado, the perfect backpacker’s itinerary for Vietnam.

If you’re traveling north to south, read it as is. If traveling south to north, just read it backwards I guess. Well, from bottom to top, not backwards. It wouldn’t make very much sense that way.

Stop 1: Hanoi

The capital city of Vietnam is pure chaos. It is hot, hectic, and the perfect way to get thrust into your Vietnam adventure. Travelers have mixed opinions on Hanoi, and you are either going to despise the chaos or indulge in it. In my opinion, the city itself does not have any must-see attractions, but it serves as a good central point to see the rest of northern Vietnam. You don’t really need more than three days here to see the museums, monuments, and get your fill of banh-mis and other Vietnamese cuisine.

Stop 2: Ha Long Bay

Crowned one of the new seven natural wonders of the world, Ha Long Bay is probably the best-known destination in Vietnam. You can get there pretty easily from Hanoi, and while I don’t typically recommend tours, it is probably the least complicated way to see the 3,000 islands of Ha Long. Check out Cat Ba National Park while you’re there. Although breathtakingly beautiful, two full days in Ha Long should be ideal, heading back to Hanoi on the third day to your next northern Vietnam stop.

Stop 3: Sa Pa

My personal favorite place that I went to in Vietnam is Sa Pa. You can’t visit Vietnam without trekking through the rice terraces, lush valleys, and the endless mountains of this region. Take a multi-day trek here for one of the most amazing experiences in South East Asia. You’ll stay in a homestay with local families in the villages within the valley which makes for an incredible experience.

When I visited in 2017, Sa Pa was still relatively off the beaten path. It is well-known among travelers, but its location far north makes it pretty out of the way for short-term travelers. If you have the time, Sa Pa is an essential stop and provides an excellent and authentic local experience. Just beware of the young girls that will inevitably tag along. Try to resist their powerful charm to try and sell you bracelets. Regardless, they are adorable and it is a lot of fun having them as company. Some of them will end up being your de facto guides. Are they old enough to be qualified guides? Definitely not, but when you see them running through the mud in their flimsy sandals, you’ll quickly realize they are much more qualified than you are.

I only did a two-day trek, but would have loved to extend it to three or even four days if I had more time. The region is vast and has no shortage of unbelievable views.

Stop 4: Ninh Binh

Often referred to as Ha Long Bay on land, Ninh Binh is another good destination to be surrounded by Vietnam’s amazingly lush nature. I didn’t actually get to go to Ninh Binh because I fell asleep on my bus, missed my stop, and woke up in Phong Nha instead, but I was told it was amazing. If I could do my Vietnam route differently, it would have been to spend a day or two in Ninh Binh instead of spending a day or two on sleeper buses trying to get back north after accidentally ending up in Phong Nha. But hey, it happens.

Stop 5: Phong Nha

If you aren’t tired of Vietnam’s incredible nature yet, Phong Nha has to be your next stop. The lush mountains and limestone karsts may have lost their luster for you, but Phong Nha will take you underground. Phong Nha is world famous for its caves, and it’s easy to see why. Paradise Cave is breathtakingly beautiful and is consistently ranked as one of the world’s best caves. Phong Nha also has the world’s largest cave, but you probably won’t be exploring that anytime soon as it costs $3,000 for an excursion into it (and is fully booked until well into 2019).

Regardless, Phong Nha is a great place to chill out in the more rural areas of Vietnam. Phong Nha really showed me a more local side of Vietnam, where I got to hang out with the sweet and overly friendly Vietnamese children, swim with the water buffalo, and throw a duck into the water for good luck. Three days here should suffice, but you can easily spend five or more just to take a break from the city life and relaxing by Easy Tiger’s swimming pool.

Stop 6: Hue

More of a sensible in-between stop than an actual must-see city, Hue can be done in a day or two just to break up the monotony of sleeper buses. I only spent a night here because I was sick and in a hurry, but in hindsight, Hue is a pretty cool city. Once the imperial capital, Hue’s old monuments, palaces, and pagodas are some of the best that you’ll find in Vietnam. There’s also an eerie abandoned water park that has become a popular attraction in recent years, and Hue is definitely the best place to check out the DMZ from the war.

The Hai Van Pass is a popular way to get to your next destination. While long and potentially dangerous, there is nothing more exciting for thrill-seekers than to motorcycle through the Hai Van mountain pass and catch the magnificent vistas of the surrounding cities, valleys, and ocean.

Stop 7: Da Nang/Hoi An

By the time backpackers make their way to central Vietnam, they will all likely be too hyped about Hoi An to even bother with Da Nang. Undoubtedly, you will encounter a large percentage of travelers telling you that Hoi An has been their favorite city in Vietnam. I had a quick stop in Da Nang, hiking up marble mountain and checking out the beach, but I was more than ready to kick back in the city of lanterns.

I loved Hoi An but I’ll admit that my expectations might have been a bit too high (the temperatures definitely were). Although it was fun for the first few days, going to the beach, then the night market, then Tiger Tiger 1 and Tiger Tiger 2 before struggling to find a reasonably priced way home got old pretty fast. Regardless, I don’t think I’ve felt as much magic in Vietnam as I did walking through Old Town at night for the first time and seeing all the lanterns lit up.

Hoi An is also a popular place to do all of your shopping. I’m not just talking about your typical souvenirs. Hoi An’s tailors, textile markets, and other craftsmen can make pretty much anything you want and have it ready within a couple of days. I’m talking anything from the high-quality knock-off Birkenstocks that I bought to a leopard suit that my Australian friend had made to his exact measurements. I had my bank account hacked before arriving in Hoi An, which might have been a good thing because I would have likely spent all my money on shopping here. Give yourself three days minimum in Hoi An, but that will likely turn into five or six.

Related: 2-Week Vietnam Itinerary

Stop 8: Nha Trang/Quy Nhon

If you’re running low on time, these two don’t really need to be seen. They offer some nice beaches but are pretty touristy and as a non-beach person, I don’t really care for beach cities. If you have some time or are traveling at a more leisurely pace, splitting up the long bus ride from Hoi An to Da Lat could be ideal with a stop at Nha Trang.

Stop 9: Da Lat

Are you tired of the Vietnamese heat? Hang out in Da Lat for a few days. The weather here was my favorite in all of Vietnam. It hardly rained and was a perfect 70 degrees almost all throughout the day. The city itself does not have much to do, but the surrounding nature provides a lot of options for the adventurous traveler. A popular activity is canyoning, or rappelling up a waterfall, and then jumping off the waterfall. There’s a number of popular waterfalls in Da Lat to go to, but it’s also a great place to just chill out for a while. The nightlife here was about as dead as I’ve ever seen in a city, but fun times could still be had at the Maze Bar/100 Roofs. It was the most elaborate bar I’ve ever been to, and well worth checking out, as well as Crazy House.

Stop 10: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Hot and musty Ho Chi Minh City is the typical kickoff point for travelers starting in the south of Vietnam. Let me just tell you that it gets better from here. Saigon isn’t a bad city, but it is your typical Southeast Asian city. For everyone interested in learning about the war, Ho Chi Minh is definitely the best city to educate yourself in. They also have tunnels from wartime that you can explore. Outside of war-related museums, a visit to the historic Ben Thanh Market is a must. You really don’t need more than two days in this city, but the nightlife is absolutely rocking here. After feeling deprived of proper nights out throughout the rest of Vietnam, I really was looking forward to the fabled nightlife of Saigon.

By now, you should have exhausted that 30-day visa that you probably applied for and are about to get kicked out of the country. There is a lot to see in Vietnam, and there isn’t a single place that I went to that I didn’t wish I had more time in. However, this itinerary should more than give you a taste of what Vietnam has to offer. From the islands of Ha Long to the caves of Phong Nha and the rice terraces of Sa Pa, Vietnam has an unbelievably diverse offering of bucket list attractions. This country is nothing short of a young, adventurous backpacker’s dream.

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