Five days in Vietnam (베트남 / 越南 / ベトナム) isn't long, but it's enough to touch the two largest cities and eat properly. This itinerary assumes you land in Hanoi and leave from Saigon—the most common routing. You'll stay 3 nights in Hanoi, 2 in Saigon, with a 1-hour flight in between. Costs are per person; budget hotels run 200–400k VND/night, street meals 30–50k VND, mid-range dinners 100–150k VND.
Day 1 — Hanoi arrival & Old Quarter
Arrive any time, get to your hotel, and settle. Most people fly into Noi Bai, 30 km north; grab a metered taxi (250–300k VND) or book a ride via Grab (150–200k VND, cheaper and transparent).
Stay in Hanoi (하노이 / 河内 / ハノイ) Old Quarter (Hoan Kiem ward)—it's touristy but the most walkable and food-rich neighborhood for first-timers. Budget hotels cluster on Ta Hien and Hang Manh streets; try Hanoi Fantastic Homestay or Old Quarter View Hanoi (250–350k VND/night, breakfast included).
Lunch: eat "pho" at a local spot. Pho Thin (Hang Gai street, no English sign, look for the queue at 11 am) is famous among locals; bowl is 35k VND. Arrive by 11:30 am or wait 20 minutes.
Afternoon: walk to Hoan Kiem Lake (it's 5 min from Ta Hien). Circle the lake, visit Ngoc Son Temple (paid entry, 30k VND). The walk is the point—you'll see street vendors, locals, the pulse of the city.
Dinner: "banh mi" and "goi cuon" (spring rolls) at Banh Mi 25 (Hang Be street, near the market). Banh mi is 15k VND, goi cuon 20k. Or sit at a plastic stool at any pho stand in Old Quarter and order "[com tam](/posts/com-tam-saigon (사이공 / 西贡 / サイゴン)-broken-rice)" (broken rice with grilled pork, 30k VND).
Cost for Day 1: hotel 300k VND, meals ~100k VND, temple 30k VND. Total: ~430k VND (~$18 USD).
Day 2 — Hanoi temples & imperial citadel
Early morning: go to the "Temple of Literature" (Van Mieu, west side of Hanoi). Built in 1070, it's the oldest university in Vietnam and a peaceful escape from the Old Quarter noise. Entry is 30k VND. Spend 90 minutes there—read the stone stelae, walk the courtyards. Take a Grab there (30–40k VND, 3 km, 15 min).
Breakfast on the way: stop at a local banh mi stall near the temple (15k VND) or grab "ca phe sua da (연유커피 / 越南冰咖啡 / ベトナムアイスコーヒー)" (Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk, 20k VND) at any cafe.
Mid-morning: take a Grab to "Imperial Citadel of Thang Long" (Thanh Lo citadel, 2 km, 30 min with traffic, 40–50k VND). This is the medieval seat of power. Entry is 30k VND. You'll see ramparts, tunnels, and old administrative buildings. Plan 2 hours. It's less touristy than the Temple of Literature and worth it if you have time.
Lunch: grab "hu tieu" (clear soup with pork, shrimp, and thin noodles, 35k VND) at a pho shop near Hang Ngang street. Or try "bun rieu (분지에우 / 蟹肉米粉汤 / ブンリュウ)" (crab-tomato broth with vermicelli, 30k VND).
Afternoon: back to Old Quarter. Buy souvenirs—conical hats (non la), lacquered boxes, coffee. Shops on Hang Gai and Hang Bong streets. Or skip and rest—5 days is fast.
Evening: sunset drink at a rooftop bar. Polite Hanoi (Hang Be street, 3rd floor, no sign) has cheap beer and views of Old Quarter. Bia Hoi (비아호이 / 鲜啤 / ビアホイ) (local beer, ~15k VND per glass).
Dinner: "cha gio (짜조 / 炸春卷 / チャーゾー)" (fried spring rolls, 20k VND per plate of 3) and more pho or rice dishes. Or book a table at Quan An Ngon (Phan Boi Chau street)—it's a mini food court inside a colonial villa, good for sampling multiple regional dishes in one meal. Expect 150–200k VND per person with drinks.
Cost for Day 2: temple/citadel entry 60k VND, meals ~150k VND, drinks 50k VND, Grabs 100k VND. Total: ~360k VND (~$15 USD).
Photo by Thien Le Duy on Pexels
Day 3 — Day trip to Ha Long Bay or stay-and-explore Hanoi
Option A: Ha Long Bay (하롱베이 / 下龙湾 / ハロン湾) (1 night/2 days cruise) If you book ahead, an overnight cruise to Ha Long Bay (160 km northeast, 3 hours by car) gives you limestone karsts and a night on water. Most budget cruises include hotel pickup, transport, meals, and a cave visit; expect 800k–1.2M VND per person. You'd sleep on the boat and return to Hanoi Day 4 morning. This eats into your Saigon time but is a classic Vietnam experience.
Option B: Stay in Hanoi Visit Tran Quoc Pagoda (oldest pagoda in Hanoi, 11th century, on the Red River; 30 min Grab, 50k VND). Walk the path around the pagoda and the water. Light entry (~0k VND). Lunch at a local com tam stall (30k VND). Afternoon: walk Long Bien Bridge (historic 1902 French cantilever bridge, free, 1 km walk, views of the Red River).
We recommend Option B if your budget is tight or you're jet-lagged. Ha Long is great but adds cost and time.
Dinner: "banh canh" (tapioca-pearl soup with pork or shrimp, 25k VND) or return to a favorite pho spot.
Cost for Day 3 (Option B): meals ~80k VND, Grabs ~100k VND, pagoda entry ~0k VND. Total: ~180k VND (~$7.50 USD).
Day 4 — Fly to Saigon
Morning: pack, eat breakfast at your hotel or a banh mi stall (20k VND).
Flight: Hanoi Noi Bai to Saigon Tan Son Nhat, 1 hour. Flights run 300–500k VND one-way with budget carriers (VietJet, Bamboo Airways). Book 2–3 days ahead for good rates. Grab to airport ~100k VND, arrive 2 hours early.
Arrive Saigon ~2 pm. Tan Son Nhat is 7 km from the city center. Grab or metered taxi to District 1 (central Saigon): 100–150k VND, 20 min depending on traffic.
Stay in District 1 (Saigon's downtown): Thu Huong Hotel or Thao Dien area boutique hotels, 250–400k VND/night. Pham Ngu Lao street has budget guesthouses too.
Afternoon: rest, or walk to Saigon Notre-Dame Cathedral (1880s French colonial, free to visit outside, beautiful architecture). It's 2 km from Pham Ngu Lao.
Lunch/early dinner: "banh xeo" (sizzling crepe with shrimp and pork, eaten with lettuce, 25k VND) at Banh Xeo 46A (Dien Bien Phu street) or any street vendor.
Evening: Ben Thanh Market (central, iconic 1914 building). It's touristy but worth 1 hour. Grab snacks: fruit, "nem chua" (fermented pork spring rolls, 20k VND per piece).
Dinner: "hu tieu" or rice dishes at a local spot, or splurge on seafood at a riverside restaurant in District 4 (Nguyen Hue walking street, 100–200k VND). Or try a "mi quang" stall (Quang-style noodles, 25k VND).
Cost for Day 4: flight 400k VND, Grabs 200k VND, meals ~150k VND. Total: ~750k VND (~$32 USD).
Photo by Nguyễn Văn Quý Ngọc on Pexels
Day 5 — Saigon temples & departure
Morning: Binh Tay Market (District 5, Chinatown). Older and less touristy than Ben Thanh. Grab a breakfast of "banh chung" (sticky rice cake with pork, 15k VND) at a stall. Walk the market 1 hour.
Mid-morning: visit Jade Emperor Pagoda (Phuoc Hai Temple, District 10, 5 km from central Saigon). Small, ornate, free entry. 45 min there.
Late morning: Reunification Palace (also called Independence Palace, historic 1960s building where the Vietnam War ended; 30k VND entry). It's air-conditioned and a good mid-day retreat. Plan 90 min.
Lunch: "com tam" (broken rice with fried egg and meatballs, 30k VND) at a local com tam spot near the palace, or a "banh mi" from any street vendor.
Afternoon: if you have time, take a day trip to the Mekong Delta (Cu Chi Tunnels are 30 km northwest, but 2+ hours of driving; only worth it if your flight is evening and you have the time). Otherwise, shop or rest at your hotel.
Dinner: "bun bo Hue" (spicy beef noodle soup, 30k VND) or a final Vietnamese meal at a sit-down restaurant. Try Com Suon restaurant (Nguyen Trai street, grilled pork chop over rice, 50k VND).
Evening: head to the airport. Tan Son Nhat is 20 min from District 1 by Grab (100–150k VND).
Cost for Day 5: meals ~130k VND, entry fees 30k VND, Grabs 150k VND. Total: ~310k VND (~$13 USD).
Practical notes
Total budget per person (accommodation, food, transport, entry fees, excludes flights): approximately 2–2.5M VND (~$85–110 USD) for 5 days. International flights and travel insurance are extra. Book hotels 2–3 weeks ahead if traveling during October–March (peak season). Download Grab (Uber equivalent), Google Maps offline, and have a translation app ready. ATMs are plentiful; Vietnamese Dong only (no dynamic currency conversion or you'll be gouged). Most tourists come through Hanoi or Saigon; if you're flying into one and out of another, adjust the itinerary—swap the cities or add a domestic bus/train leg instead of a flight.
Last updated · May 24, 2026 · independently researched, never sponsored.
