A honeymoon in Vietnam, and where the quiet is
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A Vietnam honeymoon is a good idea with one condition: pick two places and stay in them. The country rewards slowness, and the classic three-week north-to-south route is the opposite of a honeymoon.
Is Vietnam good for a honeymoon?
A Vietnam honeymoon works when the trip is built for quiet rather than for coverage. It offers island resorts at a fraction of Thai or Maldivian prices and empty beaches outside the peak weeks. There is also the kind of food that makes dinner the event.
What it does not offer is a short country. Hanoi to Phu Quoc is a two-hour flight. A couple trying to see the whole of Vietnam in ten days spends three of them in transit.
Two bases and one internal flight is the shape that works, which the two weeks itinerary sets out in a slower form.
Where should you go?
Pick one coast and one contrast. The usual pairing is an island or beach for the second week and a town or mountain for the first.
Con Dao is the quietest island in the country and the least developed; Phu Quoc has the resorts and the flights; Ninh Van Bay near Nha Trang has the boat-access hotels.
For the contrast, Hoi An for lanterns and tailoring, Ninh Binh for limestone and rice, or Sapa for mountains and cold air.
| Pairing | Why it works | Best months |
|---|---|---|
| Hoi An and Con Dao | Old town, then an empty island | February to August |
| Ninh Binh and Phu Quoc | Karst and rice, then a beach | November to March |
| Sapa and Da Nang | Mountains, then a warm coast | March to May, September |
| Hue and Lang Co | History, then a quiet lagoon | February to August |
When should you go?
Go in a month that suits one coast rather than trying to please both. March and April work almost everywhere; November to February suits the south; June and July suit the centre.
October is the month to avoid for a coastal honeymoon, because the centre takes its heaviest rain and the north, though clear, is not a beach — the October page explains the split.
The Christmas fortnight and Tet both double island prices, and the public holidays guide lists the dates.
What does a good room cost?
A boutique hotel in Hoi An or Ninh Binh runs 1.5 to 3 million dong a night, an island resort 3 to 8 million, and the boat-access hotels near Nha Trang and on Con Dao 8 to 20 million.
At about 26,000 dong to the US dollar that is 60 to 115 dollars for a boutique room and 115 to 300 for a resort, which is well under the equivalent in Thailand or Bali. The Vietnam or Thailand guide sets the two countries side by side.
Honeymoon extras — a private dinner on the sand, a room decorated on arrival — are usually free if the booking says honeymoon. Say so when reserving rather than at check-in.
What should you not do?
Do not plan a night bus. A sleeper berth is a fine way to travel and a poor way to start a marriage, and the internal flights cost 700,000 to 1,500,000 dong.
Do not book a three-city week. Two bases and a flight leaves time to do nothing, which is the point.
Do not build the trip around Ha Long Bay alone. A cruise is one night of a honeymoon rather than the shape of one, and the Ha Long page is honest about what the boats are.
What is worth booking in advance?
The room, the flight and one dinner. Everything else in Vietnam can be arranged on the day, and most of it is better arranged that way.
A cooking class, a private boat or a spa afternoon are all easy to book locally at half the price a package charges — the cooking classes guide covers the first of those.
Travel insurance is the unromantic one, and the motorbike clause matters if a scooter is in the plan. The insurance guide explains why.
So is Vietnam a honeymoon country?
Vietnam is a honeymoon country for couples who want food, quiet beaches and low prices rather than a resort bubble. The islands are emptier than their neighbours and the towns are more interesting.
The mistake is treating it as a grand tour. Two places, one flight and no night buses is the version that works, and the best time to visit guide decides which two places by month.
FAQ
Is Vietnam good for a honeymoon?
Yes, if the trip is two places rather than six. Vietnam has island resorts at a fraction of Thai prices, quiet beaches outside the peak weeks and excellent food, but it is a long country and a couple trying to see all of it spends a third of the trip in transit.
Where should you go on a honeymoon in Vietnam?
Pair one beach with one contrast: Hoi An and Con Dao, Ninh Binh and Phu Quoc, or Hue and the Lang Co lagoon. Con Dao is the quietest island, Phu Quoc has the resorts and the flights, and the boat-access hotels near Nha Trang are the splurge.
When is the best time for a honeymoon in Vietnam?
March and April work almost everywhere, November to February suits the south, and June and July suit the central coast. Avoid October for a beach honeymoon, when the centre takes its heaviest rain, and avoid the Christmas fortnight and Tet, when island prices double.
What does a honeymoon in Vietnam cost?
A boutique hotel runs 1.5 to 3 million dong a night and an island resort 3 to 8 million, which is 60 to 300 US dollars. Internal flights cost 700,000 to 1,500,000 dong, and dinner for two at a good restaurant rarely passes a million.
Should you book a Ha Long Bay cruise for a honeymoon?
As one night, yes; as the centre of the trip, no. A cruise is a fixed schedule with a shared boat and a set dinner, which suits a couple for a night and not for a week. An island or a quiet beach base does the rest of the work better.