I will be going to Vietnam in December and the beginning of January for sixteen days.
1st day arrive at night in HCMC
2nd day HCMC- city tour/Cu Chi tunnel
3rd day fly Cambodia (Siem Reap)
4th day Siem Reap
5th day Siem Reap
6th day Fly Danang drive to Hoi An
7th day Hoi An or Hue
8th day Hue
9th day Hanoi
10th day Overnight train to Sa Pa
11th day Sa Pa (night train or another day in Sa Pa)
12th day either Sa Pa or Hanoi?
13th day Hanoi
14th Halong Bay over night on boat
15th Halong Bay back to Hanoi
16th Hanoi - Night flight home
What do you think of the itinerary? How many days should I be in Sa Pa. I will plan my trip for a weekend market day.
In the luxury boats on Halong Bay which is the best? What are the differences?

Doable, but somewhat strenious.
No direct flight Siem Reap - Danang.
Sapa and Halong in December/January is likely to be freezy. I would skip one of the 2 and add another day to SR. The minimum to see the main temples there is 3 days imo.
And better do not Danang/HoiAn and Hue but or.

I do think you are trying to cover too much in too little time. It takes a full three days to see just to major temples at Angkor. If you are really interested in the temples, you'll want more time. Hanoi itself it worth at least four days.

Note that in January, Halong Bay is likely to be misty and quite cool. Sapa is likely to be downright cold. So these two locations will be much cooler/colder than anywhere else you are visiting. Decide whether the weather changes your priorities.

If you were to cut out both Sapa and Halong Bay, you'd have a much better schedule. You could add one more day to Siem Reap, another day to Hue/Hoi An, and would still have plenty of time in Hanoi.

Think about which locations/experiences are most important to you. Save the others for another trip.

I really am interested in village life and different cultures. That is why I thought of Sa Pa and the market.
Everyone on the board recommended Halong Bay for its beauty.
Is there a place instead near Siem Reap that would have minority cultures to visit?
I will be in Vietnam during New Years. Do you have any suggestions on where to be and what to do? I thought Halong Bay would be a good choice but will it be very cold and foggy?
If it is between Sa Pa or Halong Bay which would you suggest?
Between Hue or Hoi An? How long of a journey is it between these two cities if I do both?

Hi there,
I would stay see HCMC and Danang, Hoi An and Hue and then go up to Hanoi. This will give you time to adjust to the time differnces.

I would gives yourself 2-3 days to see Hanoi, and Sapa is wonderful, cold at the time of year that you want to go, so bring warm clothes.

On the night of the 3rd day go to Sapa and stay two days. I live in Hanoi and sent my sister in law and friend to Sapa and Halong Bay through Buffalo Tours. They stayed at a homestay for one night and a hotel the second night. For Halong you need 2 full days.

And then there is Siem Reap, we just returned from there at the weekend (Ap.6) it was hot but the temples are amazing. We did two days but felt we flew through them, Angkok Temple the biggest if done well takes at least 4 hours, it is truly huge. We styed at the Steung Hotel, right in the town, where there are tons of great restaurants and bars, and reasonable too.

You may want to think about what you want to see in Hoi An, Hue and Danang, as you may want to reconsider seeing them. Your itinery is doable, but you'll be spent after all the flights and travelling. Please email me if you have any questions.

Have a great trip.

there is a flight from SR to Danang on Silk Air, but it's not easy to find and only flies twice a week. But it's nonstop. Check with Singapore Airlines about it.

You asked about choosing between Hue and Hoi An. It has been a long time since I was there (1995), but I can tell you the two places are very, very different.

Hoi An = town with narrow narrow streets; Hue = small city (several times larger than Hoi An). Hoi An = famed for its Chinese influence in architecture, b/c it was once a major trading post. Hue = famed for role in specifically Vietnamese history, with imperial tombs on outskirts and a number of interesting buildings in center city.

I loved both . . . but particularly loved Hoi An, for its small-town, slower feel.

I notice your only day in HCMC is marked as "city tour / Cu Chi tunnel." Have you checked to see if you can realistically fit those in on the same day? As I recall, the Cu Chi complex is quite some distance out -- though we did combine our visit there with a stop at the very interesting Caodai temple in Tay Ninh. Anyhow, just raising the issue.