Traveling to Vietnam and need ideas for our itinerary for7 to 8 days

Vietnam is quite long, north to south, so plan on focusing on either north or south, or flying in between. For your amount of time, I'd choose two locations in which to stay/sleep, such as Ho Chi Minh city and Hanoi, or Hoi An/Danang and Hanoi (if visiting both north and south). At that time of year, the weather will likely be cool in Hanoi, but the southern part (Danang and Ho Chi Minh) will be warm, just FYI.

What are your interests? Are you interested in Vietnam/American war history? Focus on Ho Chi Minh. Are you interested in old culture? Hoi An, My Son, and Hue ( all accessible from Danang) might appeal to you. Are you interested in karsht landscapes? Hanoi, with it's proximity to Ninh Binh and Halong Bay would work for that.

My husband and I visited Vietnam last year, along with Taiwan and Cambodia. Here is my trip report, in case you might find it helpful: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-taipei-vietnam-and-cambodia

Vietnam is not a small country! The distance from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is about the same as from Seattle to Los Angeles. So with such a short timeframe, I would definitely just choose one, or maximum two, cities. (Does 7-8 days include air travel days?) Day trips can be taken from any major city.

I spent a full five weeks in Vietnam, and would be glad to return. I liked Hanoi more than HCM City, but each place has plenty to do. From Hanoi, you can take any number of day trips, or possibly an overnight on Halong Bay. The city itself has many sights - museums, temples, historic buildings. The old part of town is exciting and there’s also a lovely lake to stroll around. A street food tour was a lot of fun and, if you’re a bit adventurous, you can take a tour in the back of a motorcycle.

If you choose HCM City, you can visit many museums and historic buildings as well. Day trips to the Mekong Delta or the Viet Kong tunnels are possible.

In February, the north of Vietnam should have reasonably comfortable weather. The south is almost always hot and humid (I was there in December, and it was quite hot then).

The food in Vietnam was amazing!

Have fun!

I agree with the posters, above. With such a short amount of time, I would NOT try to hit the "highlights," but concentrate on north, central and south. Choose one of those, not more than one UNLESS you want to visit only Saigon and Hanoi.

Hanoi might be drizzly in February; check weather history before deciding on onen of the Halong Bay cruises because I can tell you from my own,regrettable experience, this is NOT a good thing to do in rainy and misty weather.
I'd actually skip this entirely....no matter what the season.

If it is in early February, the Southern part of Vietnam will have nice weather.
You can fly into Saigon and fly out from there.

Welcome to the forum. I don't know what "early February" means, but if you happen to be traveling February 14 - February 22, it is the Tet (lunar new year) and that can cause a lot of closures for the holiday. Best to avoid it.

I also would focus on the mid to southern part at that time of year, as it can be cold in the north. Hoi An was my favorite spot. 7-8 days (especially if that includes travel) is not very much time. Pick one or two spots max.