Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh CityFlight · 4h 30m · Fly to Da Nang (DAD) + 45 min to Hoi An
Ho Chi Minh City → Can Tho (Mekong Delta)Bus · 3h 45m · Phuong Trang / limousine from Mien Tay terminal
Can Tho (Mekong Delta) → DelhiFlight via Ho Chi Minh City · 14h 6m · Bus to Ho Chi Minh City, then Air India (daily) / VietJet / Vietnam Airlines (3 weekly)
About this circuit
The length of the country in twelve days: Hanoi's Old Quarter, the overnight train to Hue for the emperors' citadel and tombs on the Perfume River, a shuttle down the coast to lantern-lit Hoi An, a flight from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, and three and a half hours on to Can Tho for the Cai Rang floating market at dawn.
Why it matters
Hue was Vietnam's imperial capital from 1802 to 1945 and is its richest heritage city; Hoi An is a trading port preserved almost whole from the 17th to 19th centuries and listed by UNESCO. Hue's Buddhist tradition also makes it the easiest place in the country to eat vegetarian.
Stop by stop
How the 12 days split across the 5 stops, and what each one costs on the ground for two.
Vietnam's capital and the arrival city for most flights from India (IndiGo, Air India, VietJet, Vietnam Airlines and Akasa Air). The 36 streets of the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and the Hoa Lo prison museum are all within a short ride; evenings are for water puppets, egg coffee and street food on low plastic stools. The base for Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh and the northern mountains. Indian and vegetarian ("chay") restaurants are easy to find around the Old Quarter.
Don't miss: Hoan Kiem Lake at dawn · Old Quarter street-food walk.
How long: 3 days, which is the recommended stay.
Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), 28 km
3 days for two from ₹15,126 · ₹36,288 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
Vietnam's imperial capital from 1802 to 1945. The walled Imperial City and its Forbidden Purple City, the emperors' tombs of Tu Duc, Minh Mang and Khai Dinh in the hills, and the Thien Mu pagoda on the Perfume River make it the country's richest heritage city. Hue's Buddhist tradition makes it the easiest place in Vietnam to eat vegetarian. Heavy rains and floods come from October to December.
Don't miss: Imperial City and Forbidden Purple City · Tomb of Tu Duc.
How long: 1 day here; on its own Hue is worth 2 — add a day if you can.
Phu Bai International Airport (HUI), 15 km
1 day for two from ₹4,152 · ₹7,895 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
A trading port preserved almost whole from the 17th to 19th centuries (UNESCO): Chinese assembly halls, merchants' houses, the Japanese Covered Bridge and a river lit by lanterns every evening. Tailors make clothes in a day, An Bang beach is a bicycle ride away, and the Cham temples of My Son are an hour inland. The old town floods most years in October and November. Several Indian restaurants and plenty of vegetarian dishes.
Don't miss: Old town lanterns at dusk · Japanese Covered Bridge.
How long: 3 days, which is the recommended stay.
Da Nang International Airport (DAD), 30 km
3 days for two from ₹14,386 · ₹33,950 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
Vietnam's largest city, still called Saigon by most. The War Remnants Museum, the Independence Palace, the French-era Central Post Office and Ben Thanh market are in District 1, Cholon is the old Chinese quarter, and the first metro line runs east from Ben Thanh. Direct flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad land here. District 1 has many Indian restaurants and the Sri Thenday Yutthapani and Mariamman Hindu temples.
Don't miss: War Remnants Museum · Independence Palace.
How long: 3 days, which is the recommended stay.
Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN), 7 km
3 days for two from ₹15,122 · ₹37,906 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
The largest city of the Mekong Delta, three and a half hours from Saigon. Boats leave Ninh Kieu pier before dawn for the Cai Rang floating market (much smaller than it was, but still trading), then wind through canals to fruit orchards and rice-noodle workshops. Bicycle the river islands, stay in a garden homestay, and eat the delta's fruit. From September to November the river is at its highest.
Don't miss: Cai Rang floating market at dawn · Canal boat to fruit orchards.
How long: 2 days, which is the recommended stay.
Can Tho International Airport (VCA), 10 km
2 days for two from ₹6,931 · ₹16,805 mid-range — stay, food, local travel and entry; the journey here is extra
What it costs
from ₹62,268 a person
The whole 12-day trip as the planner prices it in February, for two sharing at budget stays: flights from India and back, travel between the stops, stays, food, getting around, entry fees and the planner's buffer.
The visa for an Indian passport, about ₹2,380 a person, is on top.
When to go
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February to April suits the whole length; from September to December typhoons and floods hit the central coast, and Hoi An's old town floods most years
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹2,380
At least a week before you fly, apply for the e-visa on the official portal, evisa.gov.vn: passport scan, a recent photo, your entry date and the airport you will land at. The fee is US$25 single entry or US$50 multiple entry (for a side trip to Cambodia or Laos), paid by card and not refunded if refused.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Make it yours
Opens in the planner with all 5 stops, suggested days and your home city pre-filled, in February. Swap anything.
