Budget·9 min read·
Vietnam 3-Week Itinerary & Budget for 2026
Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh in 21 days — route, transport, daily costs, best time to go, and what to skip.
Published March 5, 2026
Daily budget
- Backpacker: $28/day
- Mid-range: $70/day
- Comfort: $160/day
The classic North → South route
- Hanoi (3 nights) — Old Quarter, egg coffee, day trip Ninh Binh
- Ha Long Bay / Cat Ba (2 nights) — cruise or kayak
- Sapa (2 nights) — homestay trek
- Hue (2 nights) — imperial city, DMZ tour
- Hoi An (3 nights) — tailored clothes, lantern town
- Da Nang (1 night) — Marble Mountains, beach
- Da Lat (2 nights) — waterfalls, canyoning
- Mui Ne (2 nights) — sand dunes, kitesurf
- Ho Chi Minh (3 nights) — Cu Chi tunnels, Mekong
Transport
- Overnight sleeper train Hanoi → Hue: $30
- Sleeper bus Hue → Hoi An: $9
- Domestic flight (Vietjet, Bamboo): $35–60
- Grab everywhere (Uber equivalent)
When to go
- North: Oct–Apr (cool, dry)
- Central: Feb–Aug (avoid Sep–Nov typhoons)
- South: Dec–Apr (dry season) A March trip hits all three well.
Visa
Most nationalities now get e-visa, 90 days, multiple entry for $25.
Before you go
Two things we never travel without: a medical policy that actually pays abroad, and a way to claim cash back when an airline ruins the plan.
health_and_safetyTravel insurance · EKTA
Travel medical insurance from ~$1.20/day
Schengen-compliant policies with up to €100,000 medical cover, issued online in about two minutes — no medical exam, instant PDF for your visa file.
- Covers emergency treatment, hospitalisation and repatriation
- Add-ons for sports, ski, diving and long stays
- Accepted for Schengen, UAE and most visa applications
flight_landFlight compensation · Compensair
Claim up to €600 for a delayed or cancelled flight
Under EU261 and UK261 you can be owed up to €600 per passenger. Compensair checks eligibility free and handles the airline paperwork on a no-win, no-fee basis.
- Delay over 3 hours, cancellation or denied boarding
- Claims valid up to 3 years back (6 in some countries)
- No upfront cost — fee only if the claim pays out
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