A week in Vietnam is a real trip, provided you accept the arithmetic early: the country is about a thousand miles long, and seven days on the ground is enough to do two regions properly. Trying for three is the mistake that turns a good week into a transit log.
What a week actually means from the US
Seven days in Vietnam is not seven days away from home. The outbound crossing eats a calendar day and the return takes most of another, so count the travel separately when you work out your leave. Door to door from the East Coast is commonly twenty-two to twenty-six hours each way with one connection.
The arrival day should be treated as a write-off. Plan a slow first afternoon and an early night rather than a sunrise departure the next morning.
The two-region rule
Pick north plus centre, or centre plus south. The north plus south combination skips the middle of the country, which is where Hoi An and Hue are, and tends to be the one people regret. Within a week, each additional region costs most of a day in transfers.
One week, north and centre: Hanoi → Ha Long & Lan Ha Bay → Da Nang → Hoi An. (Enable JavaScript for the interactive map.)
The week that works: north and centre
Day 1 — Land in Hanoi. Transfer to the Old Quarter, stay awake, walk Hoan Kiem slowly, eat bun cha, sleep early.
Day 2 — Hanoi properly. Temple of Literature, the Ho Chi Minh complex in the morning while it is open, and one of the museums in the afternoon. Egg coffee somewhere with a balcony.
Day 3 — Transfer to Ha Long or Lan Ha for an overnight cruise. Kayaking, a cave, dinner on the water. (This article contains affiliate links — if you book through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Day 4 — Cruise morning, disembark, return to Hanoi, and fly to Da Nang on the last useful departure of the day. Transfer to Hoi An, about forty-five minutes. This is the one leg where a late flight is unavoidable, so build in the possibility of a delay rather than booking anything in Hoi An that evening.
Day 5 — Hoi An. The Ancient Town early before the crowds, a tailor fitting if you want one, An Bang beach or a cycle through the paddies in the afternoon, lanterns after nine.
Day 6 — My Son Sanctuary at opening, back to Hoi An for a second fitting, Marble Mountains if there is time.
Day 7 — A slow morning, then Da Nang airport and out.
What this version gives up
Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta and Sapa. That is a real loss and worth being honest about: you are not seeing the south at all. The compensation is that nothing in the week is rushed and only one internal flight is needed.
The alternative: centre and south
If you want Ho Chi Minh City and the war history, invert it. Two days in Ho Chi Minh City with the War Remnants Museum and Reunification Palace, a Cu Chi or Cho Lon day, then fly to Da Nang for three days in Hoi An and Hue. Same shape, same single internal flight, different half of the country. The Mekong is deliberately not in this version; see below.
This version is warmer year-round and less weather-dependent, which makes it the safer choice for a trip in the northern winter.
