I did Vietnam in 2024, solo, ten days, three regions, mostly because I wanted to do an Asian country that was further than Thailand or Bali but did not yet want to commit to a full multi-week Japan trip. Ten days felt long when I was planning, then felt short when I came back. Vietnam packs a lot into a small budget and a short flight, and as a solo trip it is one of the more rewarding options I have done. The full cost ex-Bangalore including flights, three domestic Vietnamese flights, a Ha Long cruise, all meals, and all activities came to about seventy-two thousand. That is the cost of a four-day Maldives stay.
Visa first. Indians need a Vietnam e-Visa, apply online via the Vietnam Immigration Department website, around twenty-five US dollars (two thousand two hundred rupees) for the single-entry thirty-day visa, processing takes three to five working days, apply two weeks before travel.
The route. Hanoi (two nights), Ha Long Bay cruise (one night on the boat), Hanoi again (one night), fly to Da Nang for Hoi An (three nights), fly to Ho Chi Minh City (two nights), Mekong Delta day trip, fly back. Flying within Vietnam is cheap on VietJet or Bamboo Airways, around three and a half to six thousand per domestic flight.
Hanoi for three nights, split around the Ha Long cruise. Stay in the Old Quarter, narrow lanes, motorbike chaos, cafes on every corner, mid-range hotels two to four thousand a night. The first evening I walked the Old Quarter and had an egg coffee at Cafe Giang, one of the original places (it tastes exactly like tiramisu in a cup, which sounds wrong but is right). Dinner that night was pho at a small place run by an old lady who pointed me to the only empty stool. Two dollars for a bowl that I have been trying to find a match for in Bangalore for over a year.
Day two in Hanoi was the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Museum in the morning (the embalmed body of the founding leader, a solemn place), the Temple of Literature (Vietnam's first university, eleventh century, peaceful courtyards), the Train Street (yes, the lane where a freight train passes between buildings twice a day, the cafes pull out chairs for tourists right before the train comes, the train passes six inches from your face, the cafes pull the chairs back in, the tourists scream, the cafe owner waves a flag). Sunset at Hoan Kiem Lake, the small lake in the middle of the city with its red bridge.
Day three was the Ha Long Bay cruise. The limestone karst lagoon you have seen in every Vietnam photo, best experienced on a 2-day-1-night junk boat cruise from Hanoi. Five and a half to twelve thousand per person depending on the boat category. Includes meals on board, kayaking through limestone arches, a beach stop, a cave visit, sunset cocktails on the upper deck. Choose a cruise that operates in the less-crowded Lan Ha Bay (south of Ha Long) for fewer boats and clearer water. I did. The cruise was the second-most-photographed experience of my trip.
Hoi An for three nights. Fly Hanoi to Da Nang (one hour), then a thirty-minute drive to Hoi An. Stay in Hoi An town for the atmosphere or An Bang Beach for the quiet, both work fine for solo, two to four and a half thousand a night. Hoi An is the cultural highlight of Vietnam. UNESCO old town, lit by silk lanterns every evening, tailor shops on every corner, a beach four kilometres away.
Day five was the arrival evening walk through the Old Town. The lantern-lit lanes and the river with the floating candles is the trip's most photographed scene, and it is genuinely beautiful in a way that does not photograph cheaply. Day six was a tailor visit in the morning (a custom shirt in twenty-four hours, four thousand rupees), a bicycle ride through the rice paddies outside town, a cooking class in the afternoon (Hoi An is famous for these, around eighteen hundred rupees, I made cao lau noodles which the chef said I would not be able to replicate at home because of the specific Hoi An water, and he was right). Day seven was a half-day to My Son Sanctuary (ancient Cham temples, eighth to thirteenth century) and then a long beach afternoon at An Bang.
Ho Chi Minh City for two nights. Fly Da Nang to HCMC (one hour). HCMC is much busier than Hanoi, younger, more chaotic, slightly less charming but more energetic. Stay in District 1 (the central tourist area). Day eight was the arrival, a rooftop bar in the evening on Dong Khoi street.
Day nine was the War Remnants Museum (intense, important, you should go), the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Central Post Office (a Saigon classic from the French era). Lunch at Pho 2000 where Bill Clinton ate. Afternoon at the Cu Chi Tunnels half-day trip (the underground tunnel network from the war, you crawl through a section of the original tunnels, my back hurt for a day). Day ten was the Mekong Delta day trip (full day, the river network south of HCMC, sampan boat through coconut canals, a floating market visit, lunch at a riverside restaurant on stilts). Evening flight back.
Food. Vietnamese food is one of Asia's greats. Pho (the national dish, beef or chicken noodle soup, Hanoi style is the clearer broth, Saigon is the more herbaceous). Bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli noodles, Hanoi specialty, the dish Anthony Bourdain ate with President Obama). Banh mi (the French baguette sandwich, often the best eighty-rupee meal of your life). Cao lau (the Hoi An noodles, you can only get it there). Egg coffee (Hanoi original, the one that tastes like tiramisu). Strong, sweet Vietnamese coffee dripped through a metal filter.
Vegetarian is harder. Pho and most Vietnamese dishes contain meat. Vegetarian versions exist at the tourist-friendly restaurants but not at the small local places. Strict vegetarian and Jain travellers should plan around Indian restaurants in Hanoi and HCMC (they exist) and accept that the smaller towns will require ordering off the standard menu.
Solo safety. Vietnam is generally safe for solo travellers including women. Hanoi and HCMC have petty theft, mostly bag snatching from motorbikes that drive past you on a quiet street. Hold the bag on the wall side when walking. Use Grab (the ride app) instead of random motorbike taxis. Do not accept drinks from strangers at bars. Standard sense applies.
When to go. Vietnam is a north-south long country, weather varies dramatically. North (Hanoi, Ha Long) is best October to April, hot and humid May to September. Central (Hoi An, Da Nang) is best February to August, with the wet season September to January. South (HCMC) is dry December to April. For a country-length trip covering all three, February-March or November is the right balance.
Vietnam is in the sweet spot for a second solo international trip. More interesting than Thailand for a return visitor, less expensive than Japan, easier than China. The food alone is worth the ticket. The Hoi An lantern-lit Old Town walk on the second evening is one of those memories that goes onto the small list of "I will think about this when I am eighty."