13 days on the ground. Flying into Hanoi. I have so many completely different itineraries flying around in my head... infinite options! I'm curious what others would do with that time.

Oh, and what time of year would you go? For now I'm thinking March-April, but it's not locked in.

I did this trip from south to north:
http://www.molon.de/travelogues/Vietnam/2006/

You could do it in reverse, adding perhaps a stop along the way (or not, as I've been rushing a bit).

Here are all the photos of the places I visited:
http://www.molon.de/galleries/Vietnam/

It doesn't really matter what we would do, it is what you want to see and experience that matters.

If you provide some more information on what interests you e.g. Nature, scenery, history temples, hiking beaches etc.. it will give other forum members a half decent shot at providing you with some useful suggestions.

March is pretty much the perfect month for visiting all parts of Vietnam and April is a close second.