So like I said I've been planning this 4 week solo trip to Vietnam for a couple of months now. I've been doing research and getting psyched and stuff but now I'm just feeling kind of overwhelmed and it's stopping me from actually taking the next steps like buying a plane ticket and stuff.
I'm also feeling a bit lost as to what my itinerary should look like. It's just such a big country and I feel like 4 weeks is lots of time but I feel like I have too many options to pick from.
So here's what I've got so far:
Budget is about $4000, including my flight. From what I've read, Vietnam is quite cheap so I'm hoping this will be enough for a 4 week stay. I'm planning on staying pretty much exclusively in hostels, and I'm fine with street food and regular restaurants. I might even look into couchsurfing. I'm going to be landing around the 28th or 29th of July and I need to be landing in Montreal on the 29th of August. I'm more flexible about my departure date than my return date.
Interests Where I'm having the most trouble is narrowing down an itinerary. I just feel like there's so much to do, and I want to see it all, but I know that isn't realistic. I'd like to see some coastal areas, as that is one of the big draws to Vietnam for me, but I mean that doesn't narrow it down since the coast is huge. I'm not huge on like adventure travel, diving and all of that stuff. I'm mostly happy experiencing the culture, and meeting both the locals and other travellers.
I'd like to hit both Hanoi and HCMC, maybe spend a few days in each, but again I'm not sure how long I'd need.
Outside of these cities I'm not really sure which areas I should try to hit. I wouldn't mind getting off the main tourist trail for a few days, which seems to be the Hanoi to HCMC stretch, but again that doesn't narrow it down much at all. Every time I flip through my travel guide it's like, "Oh this sounds cool I should do this. Oh so does this. And this!" and suddenly I'm planning to see every little town in Vietnam.
I also like a degree of flexibility. I'm not looking to plan every minute of my trip, but I at least want a rough itinerary to work with.
So I appreciate any suggestions. I'm not looking for someone to make an itinerary for me, more looking for tips on how I should go about making my own, as well as tips on things to see/avoid.