Ha Giang
Hanoi
Ho Chi Minh City
Ha Long
Sapa
Mekong Delta
Da Nang
Hue
Hoi An
Ninh Binh
Da Lat
Nha Trang
Phan Thiet
Phu Quoc
Quang Binh
Quy Nhon
Vung Tau
Thai Nguyen
Hi All,My fiancé and I are looking to travel to Northern Vietnam in late April/May 2027. He has never been out of the United States. We are leaning more towards “adventure” with a little bit of relaxing. We got engaged on a 10 mile hike in Glacier National Park! We have about 10-14 days max to include travel time from the United States. He does not seem very keen on doing the Ha Giang loop and being on the back of a motorbike for multiple days. Would this be a huge miss for us to not experience? I put together a very rough itinerary below and would love feedback! Hanoi : 25-30 hour flight (3 days)Train streetObama bun cha (food recommendation from friend)Sapa: 3 days Fanispan (mountain and rice patties) Cat cat village (waterfalls, rivers, live music)Viettrekking Sapa Hotel? Pool overlooking townHalong Bay: 3 days Cat Ba Island Quan Lan BeachKayak in Luon CavesFly from Halong to Da Nang Da Nang/Hoi An: 3 days Golden Hand bridge Cho dem son night marketCoconut boats
DiscussionHi All, My fiancé and I are looking to travel to Northern Vietnam in late April/May 2027.
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Hi All,My fiancé and I are looking to travel to Northern Vietnam...
Hi All, My fiancé and I are looking to travel to Northern Vietnam in late April/May 2027.
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You can stay on a homestay tour with locals in Sapa, go on a mountain climbing tour in Cat Ba, explore Hanoi’s culinary scene, or take a cycling tour in Hoi An.
I was advised “don’t bother with the hand bridge. It’s not worth it. It’s nothing spectacular, it’s inside some type of amusement park, and it’s expensive.” A local told me to “enjoy ACTUAL Vietnam.” I haven’t been yet, but it was good advice to spend my time, and money, on “actual Vietnam.” Enjoy!
I would consider Ha Giang loop instead of Sapa and do a 1 night, 2 day ha Long bay cruise, then a couple of days in Ninh Binh and fly to Da Nang from Hanoi.
I wouldn’t skip Ninh Binh if you have time to go there, I stayed 3 nights in Tam Coc and it was one of my fave places in the north for sure 👍🏻
Congratulations on your engagement!
I loved the ha giang loop! You could just do the 2 night package instead of 3 if there are worries about being on the back of a bike. The bikes also stop a ton throughout the day at viewpoints so you are off them quite a bit as well. I personally would swap Halong bay out for either Ha Giang or Ninh binh.
Agree with Lana Vy – thats alot of travelling and it really eats into your enjoyment and time at the actual places. Sapa is quite a long way to travel so I would be choosing that OR Halong rather than both on this trip to do either place justice.
Just see if you can survive the airport food before you try to get too adventerous, 🤣 VN is a very rough place for first timers, good luck.
Hi Miranda, the itinerary that you have sounds great and travel in April and May are the best time of the year. You will have a lot of sunny days and it is not to warm yet. There are something you should consider: Add a day or 2 days trip to NinhBinh would be nice. Like Tori said Cat Cat is very touristy, skip that and do a hiking day to Ta Phin Village if you like the unique trek with a homestay there will be very special. Viet Trekking Hotel is ok, but some other are even have much better view to Muong Hoa Valley for the same price. Other parts of your plan sounds great!
Hi! 2027 sounds like an amazing trip.Since you only have 10-14 days, fitting in the Ha Giang Loop might feel a bit rushed as it usually takes 3-4 days to enjoy fully. Sapa is a fantastic alternative for hiking and culture without the intense travel time.