Planning budget
≈ €920(₫28,000,000 original)Rate snapshot 2026-08-26This is the southern counterpart to a northern loop, and the two combine into a month if you have it. It leans on two short domestic flights, Saigon to Da Nang and Hue to Phu Quoc, so you spend your days in places rather than on the road between them. The budget shown is a mid-range figure for the twelve days on the ground, excluding international flights.
The centre is the part to protect. Give Hoi An three nights so the tailoring has time for fittings and the old town has time to change character between afternoon and evening. Do not schedule the island first: Phu Quoc is where you want to be tired, not fresh.
The route
Day-by-day route
- Day 01
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City
Land in the south, settle in District 1 or District 3, and keep the first evening to a local street.
Ho Chi Minh City
- Day 02
Saigon history and food
Pair the war history museums with a long lunch and an iced coffee a few streets off the tourist run.
Ho Chi Minh City
- Day 03
Cu Chi and the Mekong
Take a full-day trip to the tunnels and a Mekong Delta boat, back in the city by evening.
Ho Chi Minh City
- Day 04
Fly to Da Nang and on to Hoi An
Fly north to the centre and transfer forty-five minutes to Hoi An for the first lantern-lit evening.
Da Nang · Hoi An
- Day 05
Hoi An old town
Buy the heritage ticket once, order any tailoring early, and let the lanes fill with light after dark.
Hoi An
- Day 06
Hoi An beach day
Cycle to An Bang beach through the paddies and return for a fitting and a quiet riverside dinner.
Hoi An
- Day 07
My Son and Da Nang
See the My Son ruins early, then choose Da Nang's beach or the Marble Mountains for the afternoon.
Da Nang
- Day 08
Train to Hue
Take the coastal train over the Hai Van Pass, one of the best rail hours in Asia, into Hue.
Hue
- Day 09
Hue citadel and tombs
Walk the imperial citadel, then reach two royal tombs by bike or boat rather than on foot.
Hue
- Day 10
Fly to Phu Quoc
Fly south to the island and pick a base away from the built-up resort strip for the last stretch.
Phu Quoc
- Day 11
Phu Quoc beaches
Spend the day on the southern white sand or a snorkel boat, and the evening at the night market.
Phu Quoc
- Day 12
Depart Phu Quoc
Take a final slow morning on the sand before the island flight out that connects to your route home.
Phu Quoc
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Where to sleep
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Getting there
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Sources
- Vietnam travel guide, Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism, accessed
- Vietnam Railways timetables and fares, Vietnam Railways Corporation, accessed