16 days in Vietnam and Thailand gives you enough time to move from Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Ha Long Bay’s limestone islands to Bangkok’s golden temples and Thailand’s beaches, without the rushed one-night stops that shorter trips need. This guide breaks down four real, bookable itineraries covering every version of a 2 week in Vietnam and Thailand trip, from a broad north-to-south classic to a food-focused route built entirely around cooking classes and street markets.
Vietnam & Thailand at a Glance: What to Expect
Vietnam and Thailand share a similar tropical climate but very different personalities. Whether you’re planning 16 days in Thailand and Vietnam or the reverse order, Vietnam rewards curiosity with layered history, UNESCO heritage towns, and a food culture built around fresh herbs and river life. Thailand balances that intensity with grand temples, northern hill-tribe culture, and easy-access island escapes. Any Vietnam Thailand 16 days itinerary has to account for both countries’ geography, since Vietnam stretches nearly 1,600 km north to south while Thailand is more compact but spans jungle north to beach south.
The dry season, November to April, is the best window for both countries, with temperatures generally sitting between 21-28°C (70-82°F) across most of the trip, warmer in southern Vietnam and southern Thailand year-round. Most nationalities can get a Vietnam e-visa online before arrival and enter Thailand visa-free for a set number of days; requirements vary by passport, so check both before booking flights. For deeper planning help, see our Vietnam Travel Guide and Thailand Travel Guide.
4 Best 16-Day Vietnam and Thailand Itineraries You Can Book
Every 16-day itinerary Vietnam and Thailand route below is a real, bookable IDC Travel tour, not a theoretical route pieced together for this post. Whether you’re searching for Thailand Vietnam 16 days or Vietnam Thailand 16 days, pick based on what you want more of: broad highlights, beach time, food, or Thailand’s less-visited history.
Itinerary 1: Discover the Best of Vietnam and Thailand in 16 Days
Route: Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Hue → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City → Mekong Delta → Bangkok → Chiang Mai
Best for: First-time visitors who want the broadest single-loop overview of both countries, Vietnam’s full north-to-south spine before Thailand’s cultural north.
Strengths: Covers Vietnam’s complete geography, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, and the Mekong Delta, before adding Bangkok, Ayutthaya, and Chiang Mai; more comprehensive single-country-then-single-country coverage than any other route here.
Weaknesses: The most flight-heavy itinerary of the four, with domestic legs on both the Vietnam and Thailand sides, and finishing in Chiang Mai means no time on a Thai beach.
Day-by-day:
Day 1 – Arrive in Hanoi.
Day 2 – Take a Hanoi city tour through the Old Quarter, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum area, and the Temple of Literature.
Day 3 – Transfer to Ha Long Bay and board an overnight cruise, visiting islands and caves along the way.
Day 4 – Continue cruising Ha Long Bay in the morning, then return to Hanoi and fly to Hue.
Day 5 – Take a full Hue city tour: the Imperial Citadel, royal tombs, and Thien Mu Pagoda.
Day 6 – Transfer to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass, stopping at Marble Mountain and the Cham Museum.
Day 7 – Walking tour of Hoi An’s Old Town, the Japanese Covered Bridge, and the local market.
Day 8 – Free day in Hoi An; explore the countryside by bicycle or relax at the beach.
Day 9 – Fly to Ho Chi Minh City and take a city tour covering Notre Dame Cathedral and the Reunification Palace.
Day 10 – Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels, a stark reminder of the Vietnam War.
Day 11 – Take a Mekong Delta day trip, including the Cai Be floating market.
Day 12 – Fly to Bangkok, with free time to settle in.
Day 13 – Bangkok city tour: the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and a cruise on the Chao Phraya River.
Day 14 – Day trip to Ayutthaya, the ruined former capital of the Siamese kingdom.
Day 15 – Fly to Chiang Mai; free time to explore or visit a temple.
Day 16 – Depart Chiang Mai.
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Itinerary 2: Wonderful Beaches of Vietnam and Thailand in 16 Days
Route: Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Hoi An → Nha Trang → Ho Chi Minh City → Bangkok → Phuket
Best for: Travelers who want culture up front and real beach time on both ends of the trip, not just a rushed coastal stop.
Strengths: The only one of the four routes to add Nha Trang, giving three distinct beach stops, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An’s An Bang Beach, and Nha Trang, before finishing in Phuket, more coastal variety than any other route here.
Weaknesses: Skips Hue and central Vietnam’s imperial history entirely, and the Nha Trang-Ho Chi Minh City-Bangkok-Phuket stretch means four flights packed into the back half of the trip.
Day-by-day:
Day 1 – Arrive in Hanoi.
Day 2 – Take a Hanoi city tour through the Old Quarter and its lakes.
Day 3 – Transfer to Ha Long Bay and board an overnight cruise.
Day 4 – Continue exploring Ha Long Bay in the morning, then return to Hanoi and fly to Da Nang.
Day 5 – Transfer to Hoi An, with free time on arrival.
Day 6 – Walking tour of Hoi An’s Old Town.
Day 7 – Free beach day at An Bang Beach.
Day 8 – Fly to Nha Trang.
Day 9 – Beach day in Nha Trang, or an optional boat trip out to the offshore islands.
Day 10 – Free day in Nha Trang to relax or explore Vinpearl.
Day 11 – Fly to Ho Chi Minh City and take a city tour.
Day 12 – Mekong Delta day trip.
Day 13 – Fly to Bangkok, with free time to settle in.
Day 14 – Bangkok city tour: the Grand Palace and Wat Pho.
Day 15 – Fly to Phuket; free time on the beach.
Day 16 – Depart Phuket.
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Itinerary 3: Foodie Adventure to Vietnam and Thailand in 16 Days
Route: Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Hanoi → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City → Mekong Delta
Best for: Food-focused travelers who want hands-on cooking classes, market tours, and street food crawls woven into every stop rather than treated as a side activity.
Strengths: Genuinely built around food, a Bangkok cooking class and local market visits, a Chiang Mai evening biking food tour, a Hanoi beer crawl, a Hoi An herb farm and cooking demonstration, and a Ho Chi Minh City flower market and food-alley crawl, unlike the other three routes where meals are incidental to sightseeing.
Weaknesses: Lighter on major landmark sightseeing, no Ha Long Bay, no Hue, no dedicated temple-focused day in Bangkok, so travelers chasing classic bucket-list sights may find it thin on the icons.
Day-by-day:
Day 1 – Arrive in Bangkok and transfer to the hotel.
Day 2 – Visit the Grand Palace and Wat Pho Temple.
Day 3 – Explore local markets, join a cooking class, and visit Si Racha town’s produce market and traditional grocery shops.
Day 4 – Foodie tour of Thonburi, with visits to local markets, street vendors, and small eateries.
Day 5 – Fly to Chiang Mai, try the famous Khao Soi noodle dish, and join an evening biking foodie tour.
Day 6 – Visit Doi Suthep temple and Warorot Market, learn the art of Thai-style Chinese crullers, then join a village cooking class.
Day 7 – Full-day excursion around Chiang Mai with additional activities.
Day 8 – Fly to Hanoi and join an evening beer crawl.
Day 9 – Morning exploration of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, colonial buildings, and a war photography museum.
Day 10 – Fly to Da Nang and drive to Hoi An; in the evening, explore the Old Town’s iconic dishes.
Day 11 – Cycling tour around Kim Bong Village, visiting carpenters and traditional handicraft makers.
Day 12 – Visit a local organic herb farm and join a cooking demonstration of traditional Central Vietnamese dishes.
Day 13 – Fly to Ho Chi Minh City and join a city tour.
Day 14 – Travel to the Mekong Delta, explore Ben Tre province by trishaw, boat, and sampan, with a riverside lunch.
Day 15 – Visit a wholesale flower market and sample local foods through the market alleys.
Day 16 – Depart Ho Chi Minh City.
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Itinerary 4: Incredible Luxury Thailand Vietnam 16 Days Tour
Route: Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Hue → Hoi An → Bangkok → Kanchanaburi → Ayutthaya → Phitsanulok → Chiang Rai → Chiang Mai
Best for: Travelers who want the deepest dive into Thailand’s history and northern culture, paired with Vietnam’s classic central heritage sites.
Strengths: The only one of the four routes to reach Thailand’s less-visited historical stops, Kanchanaburi’s bridge over the River Kwai, Ayutthaya’s ruins, Sukhothai’s temples via Phitsanulok, and Chiang Rai’s Wat Rong Khun, a genuinely different Thailand experience than a Bangkok-Chiang Mai shortcut.
Weaknesses: Skips Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta entirely, so travelers wanting southern Vietnam will need a different tour, and the Thailand leg has several consecutive travel days back to back (Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya to Phitsanulok to Chiang Rai).
Day-by-day:
Day 1 – Arrive in Hanoi; explore the street food culture and night market in the Old Quarter.
Day 2 – Hanoi city tour, visiting famous historical sites, with an afternoon in the Old Quarter sampling local delicacies.
Day 3 – Travel to Ha Long Bay for a two-day cruise, including activities, a sunset view, and dinner on board.
Day 4 – Morning exploration of Ha Long Bay, then return to Hanoi and fly to Hue.
Day 5 – Full day in Hue, visiting Dong Ba Market, the Imperial City, and royal tombs.
Day 6 – Transfer to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass, with stops at Marble Mountain and the Cham Sculpture Museum.
Day 7 – Half-day walking tour of Hoi An’s iconic sites.
Day 8 – Transfer to Da Nang and fly to Bangkok; begin exploring the city.
Day 9 – Full day exploring Bangkok’s iconic sites, including Wat Pho, the Grand Palace, and a cruise on the Chao Phraya River.
Day 10 – Visit the historic bridge over the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi and its related museums.
Day 11 – Explore Ayutthaya’s historical relics and Ang Thong’s Wat Muang before settling in Phitsanulok.
Day 12 – Visit Sukhothai’s ancient temples and continue to Chiang Rai.
Day 13 – Explore Chiang Rai’s unique temples, Wat Rong Suea Ten and Wat Rong Khun.
Day 14 – Visit Chiang Mai’s Elephant Eco Valley and join animal-friendly activities.
Day 15 – Free leisure day in Chiang Mai.
Day 16 – Depart Chiang Mai.
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What Will 16 Days in Vietnam and Thailand Cost You?
Whatever your Vietnam Thailand 16 day itinerary looks like, costs vary depending on travel style and how many domestic flights your route includes. The table below covers a full 16-day/15-night trip, per person, with figures shown in USD (~VND), since Vietnam anchors most of these routes.
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range | Luxury |
| Accommodation (15 Nights) | $220 – $300 | $600 – $850 | $2,000 – $2,900 |
| Inter-Country & Domestic Flights | $130 – $190 | $200 – $300 | $320 – $450 |
| Ground Transport & Trains | $70 – $110 | $190 – $280 | $500 – $700 |
| Key Activities & Cruises | $190 – $270 | $330 – $480 | $700 – $950 |
| Meals & Dining | $130 – $180 | $320 – $450 | $800 – $1,050 |
| Estimated Total | $740 – $1,050 | $1,640 – $2,360 | $4,320 – $6,050 |
Figures are per person estimates and will vary with season, booking lead time, and hotel choices.
Budget travel means guesthouses, street food and local eateries, public transport, and budget airline flights booked in advance.
Mid-range covers 3- to 4-star hotels, a mix of local and Western restaurants, private cars, and the guided tours described above.
Luxury opens up boutique and 5-star properties, private guides, premium Ha Long Bay cruise cabins, and first-class domestic and cross-border flights, closer to what the Incredible Luxury Thailand Vietnam 16 Days Tour delivers throughout.
Unmissable Things to Do in Vietnam and Thailand
| Attraction | Location | Hours | Getting There | Time Needed |
| Ha Long Bay Cruise | Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh province | Overnight cruises depart daily | About 2.5-3 hours by car or bus from Hanoi | 1-2 days (overnight cruise) |
| Hoi An Ancient Town | Hoi An old town, central Vietnam | Ticketed sites open roughly 7:00 AM-9:00 PM; walking the streets is free anytime | Walkable within the old town; 30 minutes by taxi from Da Nang | Half a day to a full day |
| Cu Chi Tunnels | About 70 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City | 7:00 AM-5:00 PM daily (last entry 4:00 PM) | Half-day tour or taxi from Ho Chi Minh City | Half a day, including transport |
| Grand Palace, Bangkok | Na Phra Lan Road, central Bangkok | 8:30 AM-3:30 PM (ticket sales), complex open until 4:30 PM | Walkable from the Chao Phraya riverside piers | 3-4 hours |
| Phi Phi Islands & Maya Bay | Accessible by boat from Phuket or Krabi | 7:00 AM-6:00 PM daily; closed for conservation roughly August-September | Speedboat day tour from Phuket or Krabi | Full day |
| Big Buddha, Phuket | Nakkerd Hill, between Chalong and Kata | 6:00 AM-7:00 PM daily | Taxi, Grab, or scooter, about 30 minutes from Patong | About an hour |
What to Eat in Vietnam and Thailand: Best Food & Where to Eat
- Pho. Vietnam’s signature noodle soup, a fragrant beef or chicken broth simmered for hours, served over flat rice noodles with fresh herbs, lime, and chili.
- Banh Mi. A crusty baguette sandwich layered with pate, cold cuts or grilled meat, pickled vegetables, cilantro, and chili.
- Pad Thai. Thailand’s best-known noodle dish, stir-fried rice noodles with egg, tofu or shrimp, bean sprouts, and tamarind sauce, finished with crushed peanuts and lime.
- Tom Yum Goong. A hot and sour prawn soup built on lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaf, and chili.
- Massaman Curry. A rich, mild curry with roots in southern Thailand’s Muslim communities, simmered with coconut milk, potatoes, peanuts, and warm spices.
Where to eat:
- In Hanoi, Cau Go Vietnamese Cuisine Restaurant overlooks Hoan Kiem Lake from the Old Quarter and has been recognized in the Michelin Guide for two consecutive years.
- In Hoi An, Morning Glory Restaurant is chef Ms. Vy’s flagship, built around rediscovered Hoi An street-food recipes.
- In Bangkok, Thipsamai has been serving its signature egg-wrapped pad thai since 1939.
- In Phuket Town, Suay Restaurant serves modern Thai-fusion dishes in a converted house with a garden setting.
Plan Your Trip With Us
However you want to spend your 16 days in Vietnam and Thailand, broad highlights, beach-focused, food-first, or Thailand’s deep-cut history, our local specialists can tailor any Vietnam and Thailand tour on this page to your pace, budget, and interests. Browse all Vietnam & Thailand tours or create your trip to build a private itinerary from scratch.
We are here to help you. Start planning your tailor-made tour with 1-1 help from our specialists.
Wrapping Up
Sixteen days is enough to do both Vietnam and Thailand justice without rushing either country, temple mornings in Hanoi, boat afternoons in Ha Long Bay, and still time left over for Bangkok’s palaces or Phuket’s beaches. Whichever of these four routes fits how you travel, a 2-week itinerary Vietnam Thailand trip built around any of them will leave you with a lot more than photos of a golden stupa. For more planning help, browse our full Vietnam Travel Guide and Thailand Travel Guide, or reach out for a private consultation.
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Can I do Vietnam and Thailand (and/or Cambodia) in 16 days? I am still wondering whether to visit Cambodia or not. I have about 15 days, and can extend to 20 days as maximum.
Hi Hugh,
With a smart itinerary, you can visit all highlights of Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia in 15 – 20 days. However, if you want to travel at a leisure pace or want to get a deep glimpse of a region, it is better to visit two countries.
For a suggested tour program, you can refer to our list of Indochina tours here. Or, contact us for a private consultation.
Thank you so much!
Best regards,
IDC Travel Team.