10 days in Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh: city-pair itinerary
Five Bangkok nights, then Tan Son Nhat. File the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) before you fly, and read the Vietnam e-visa portal for your passport. Keep Phuket and Phu Quoc off the same calendar.
Five Bangkok nights and a hop to Ho Chi Minh City make a two-capital trip with no beach. Sleep five nights using where to stay near a BTS exit so the old-city river temples sit on a full morning (BTS 17 to 62 THB) and the 90-minute hop is not the same dawn. File the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) before you fly.
The hop to Ho Chi Minh is about 90 minutes from BKK to SGN. Book the BKK to SGN hop on Trip.com or with your airline. City notes sit on Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam TravelGuide. Keep Phuket and Samui off this pair.
Day by day
1 Bangkok tickets
Palace 500 THB, Wat Pho 300 THB, Wat Arun 200 THB plus 5 THB ferry.
2 Market night
Chatuchak or Or Tor Kor, then Yaowarat.
3 River and roof
Talat Noi, then one roof at Soi 57 if dress code wins.
4 Ayutthaya optional
Train about one hour. 80 THB per site or 300 THB combo. Or a spa day.
5 Bangkok buffer
Pack. Confirm TDAC and the SGN ticket.
6 Hop to Ho Chi Minh
About 90 minutes BKK to SGN. Sleep District 1 or a quieter ward.
7 City walk
Walk District 1 past Notre-Dame and Nguyen Hue. Metro Line 1 now stops at Ben Thanh. Ho Chi Minh City walking notes.
8 Day trip or museum
Cu Chi or a museum block. Confirm official tickets.
9 Second HCMC day
Food walk. Pack for the long-haul or the return hop.
10 Exit SGN or BKK
If you return through Bangkok, keep a buffer night.
Bangkok tickets, then a 90-minute hop
Read visas and TDAC and the official Vietnam e-visa or exemption pages. For more Vietnam days see Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam TravelGuide.
| Block | Sleep | Move |
|---|---|---|
| Nights 1 to 5 | Bangkok | BTS 17 to 62 THB; palace morning |
| Hop | BKK to SGN | About 90 minutes; Trip.com or your airline |
| Nights 6 to 9 | Ho Chi Minh | District 1 walk; Ho Chi Minh City |
Keep going
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Search flights Chiang Mai to HanoiCommon questions
- Do you need a Vietnam visa?
- Use the Vietnam e-visa portal for your passport. File TDAC and read Thai Immigration for the Thai half.
- How do I book Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh?
- Search BKK to SGN on Trip.com, or book the same codes with your airline. The hop is about 90 minutes.
- Add a beach?
- Not on this city pair. Ten days already spend a hop day.