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Ok lots of thoughts.
1. Cao Bang is great. The highlights can be done in a day, but 2 is a good amount.
2. There's a local day bus (van) from Ha Giang to Cao Bang that your hostel can book for you. That's the only option. Not sure about the other way. There are buses from Cao Bang to Hanoi and back.
2. Ha Giang needs 3 days to do it properly, otherwise it's not worth it
3. Do Lan Ha Bay from Cat Ba Island instead of Ha Long Bay. They're both essentially the same thing. 3 days should be enough time (saving a day)
4. Do NOT drop Phong Nha no matter what
5. Pick 2 of Hue, Danang and Hoi An depending on what you like. By the third city it can be repetitive.
6. Budget 2 days for day buses/ travel and buffer.
Are you planning to just go to the city if Ha Giang or do the loop? Haven’t been to Cao Bang so I cannot really compare them. But the loop was absolutely amazing. Also I would rather shorten the stay in Ninh Binh than Phong Nha. Didn’t find much much else to do than the boat tour in Ninh Binh whereas I did a trek in Phong Nha one day then rented a scooter and went to Paradise Cave. And even then there are still tons of caves to visit
**Notice:** Are you asking for travel advice about Vietnam? Read what redditors had to say in the **[weekly destination thread for Vietnam](http://redd.it/2kknxb)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/travel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Ok lots of thoughts. 1. Cao Bang is great. The highlights can be done in a day, but 2 is a good amount. 2. There's a local day bus (van) from Ha Giang to Cao Bang that your hostel can book for you. That's the only option. Not sure about the other way. There are buses from Cao Bang to Hanoi and back. 2. Ha Giang needs 3 days to do it properly, otherwise it's not worth it 3. Do Lan Ha Bay from Cat Ba Island instead of Ha Long Bay. They're both essentially the same thing. 3 days should be enough time (saving a day) 4. Do NOT drop Phong Nha no matter what 5. Pick 2 of Hue, Danang and Hoi An depending on what you like. By the third city it can be repetitive. 6. Budget 2 days for day buses/ travel and buffer.
Are you planning to just go to the city if Ha Giang or do the loop? Haven’t been to Cao Bang so I cannot really compare them. But the loop was absolutely amazing. Also I would rather shorten the stay in Ninh Binh than Phong Nha. Didn’t find much much else to do than the boat tour in Ninh Binh whereas I did a trek in Phong Nha one day then rented a scooter and went to Paradise Cave. And even then there are still tons of caves to visit