Vietnam for 3 weeks in March: your recommendations

Hi fellow travelers! I’m planning a little 3-week trip to Vietnam in mid-to-late March. It’ll probably be the only time I can go. I enjoyed Thailand but clearly preferred Laos—it was calmer. For Vietnam, I don’t have a precise idea of what I want to see yet, and I’m the type to improvise a bit once I’m there. I’m not super adventurous but I’m curious, and I prefer street food over restaurants, markets and off-the-beaten-path villages over big attractions. But I don’t want to miss the must-sees either. So, given that I’ll only be there for 3 weeks, I’m wondering: should I absolutely stick to either the north or the south? Or is it possible to have a nice, not-too-hectic trip by spending, say, one week in the south and two in the north?... (I’d take a multi-city flight for arrival and departure) What do you think? Thanks! 🙂

Hi Isabelle, Three weeks is both long and short for an entire country. First, check the weather—Vietnam is very long, and there can be big climate differences between the North and the South.

I spent a month there in 2018, and we had time to cross the country from North to South. Highlights: Hanoi, the Chinese border (Ha Giang), Halong/Lan Ha Bay, Ninh Binh, Hue, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City with the Mekong Delta. Plus a bit of beach time on Phu Quoc. But it’s impossible to fit all that into 3 weeks…

If the weather’s good, I’d focus on the North after arriving in Hanoi, then Da Nang and Hoi An, and fly back from HCMC. But that’s just my take…

PS: I much preferred Laos to Vietnam 😉

Hi Bruno

It’s a bit of a pain, honestly... the weather’s less favorable in the north in mid-March, but several people seem to find the north way more interesting. I’ll see how I handle all this. Thanks so much for taking the time.

That’s what I thought too... I can also confirm that the North is more interesting than the South, in my opinion. We went in December/January and also cut short our stay in the center, tired of the unpredictable weather, so we took refuge on Phu Quoc... The weather isn’t a big deal, but when you’ve been soaked for 8 or 10 days straight, it wears you down...

What about a combo of Southern Vietnam and Cambodia—maybe better weather-wise?

What about a combined South Vietnam/Cambodia trip—maybe better weather-wise?

I’m not ruling out any options... 😉

If the weather is favorable, arriving in Hanoi, I’d focus on the North, then Da Nang and Hoi An, and return from HCMC.

Da Nang is awful, right 😉. Hoi An, on the other hand, is full of charm 🙂

Don’t forget Hue in the center either. The Imperial City is a gem.

For our friend planning their trip, I’d prepared some weather stats when planning mine. It turned out that in March, the North is less bad than in July. And yet, I went in July and it was still a bit rainy due to a typhoon passing through, but totally manageable. So in March, no worries about heading north.

Actually, the real factor for the North, in my opinion, is more about the rice terrace seasonality than the weather. In mountainous areas with a single crop, the rice terraces are flooded in March. You’d be better off heading to Pu Luong.

This site helped me: https://www.asiatica-travel.fr/blog/quand-voir-rizieres-terrasses-nord-vietnam.html

Da Nang is awful, right 😉. Hoi An, on the other hand, is full of charm 🙂

We agree, it was just to set the scene

Thanks so much!!

Hello! Everything’s possible in this country, but it’s huge, so you’ll have to make choices, as you’ve noticed. It’s faster than in Laos, though—not as speedy as Thailand.

Your plan of two weeks in the North (great choice) and one week in the South makes sense; you can save the center for next time. To mix the "must-sees" with remote markets and isolated villages in the North, you’ll need to plan ahead or rely on a guide/translator. Remote villages organize their rural life around the lunar calendar, not the solar one like we do. So, markets happen every 5 days—watch out when the lunar month has 29 days occasionally. Others use the 12 zodiac signs, so, for example, markets on the Day of the Buffalo and Day of the Goat, meaning every 6 days. Some fairs take place every 10 days. That’s when you’ll really get off the beaten path to meet very minority ethnic groups—hence the guide/translator, since not everyone speaks Vietnamese but their own dialect. You’re in for a fantastic trip!

Thanks for all this valuable info. I’m taking note of everyone’s recommendations here to get a better idea. With 23 full travel days, I should be able to plan an amazing trip.