Asia’s beautiful, cheap, and less touristy destination. Compact, easy to get around, lots of fun and amazing places to explore.
Culturally and geographically, Vietnam is closest to Thailand. But still distinctly different in many ways and most certainly a unique and worthwhile place to visit. Many people do fall in love with the place and settle down here. It’s a small country with so many amazing and unique destinations. Many different types of terrain and landscapes. Rich in culture and authentic places where people don’t speak English yet. The way everyone gets around is by motorbike (and most likely so will you), leading to a very fun and adventurous experience.
People usually say November to March is the best time since it’s off-season and less busy, less hot. But I’d say avoid Dec to Jan as yes, it’s cooler and less hot…but it’s still cloudy and photos don’t look as nice. Also, the less touristy places feel kind of dead. I feel February or March is better. However late January is nice if you want to be there for Tet Festival (their new year’s). So perhaps late Jan to late Feb would be a good time range for first timers.
Vietnam can be done in 2 weeks to 4 weeks. 4 weeks is probably the ideal time for you to see all the different areas and visit major attractions. Vietnam is rich in diversity of terrain and culture.
Vietnam is a rapidly developing country and yet in many ways, also modernized. The vibe is free and carefree. Not so much government rules, things are cheap, less developed yet many modern amenities. A fun, raw, natural haven for off-the-beaten-road type of travelers and expats. The government has plans to make everyone speak English by 2025. Cheaper and less touristy than Thailand, China, yet more developed than Cambodia and Laos. Vietnam is a really good mix of west meets east, old meets new, past meets present.
Another good way to put it is that Vietnam is a good mix of a developed and also undeveloped country. Undeveloped in that it’s still raw, still authentic, still super cheap, many things are still done the old way and you feel like you’re going far off the beaten path. But it’s also developed in that they have many 1st-world conveniences, and it’s easy to get around, things are much more organized than you think (at least for tourism). I guess you could say it’s like the “glamping” version of an undeveloped country. You can enjoy creature comforts from your off-grid backpacking tour.
General tips for traveling in Vietnam:
- Main airports – Ho Chi Minh City aka “Saigon” (south), and Hanoi (north). Between the 2…Hanoi is considered the better destination (closer to more tourist locations). But usually, you will fly into one and fly out of the other.
- Get your E-VISA – most visitors will probably need this. Look up the info and do it ASAP. I heard you should do it 30 days before arrival (but actually can be approved in 3-5 days). If you need even faster, please contact different VISA agencies asap. Some of them can get it done faster for you than others. Dzung Phu Pham helped me get mines last minute when I was worried the official one wouldn’t approve in time.
- Rideshare app – use Grab for ridehare, food delivery, etc. It’s especially useful in the main cities. You can also open up your Grab app on the streets and a nearby mototaxi guy will come over to steal you from the app. You haggle with him on the price and he takes you.
- Homestays – a homestay is basically a local family who owns the building and has many rooms available for you to rent. They also use the ground floor (street-facing) space as a restaurant or market. And sometimes they have “family dinners” where you and other guests along with the family can all eat together and meet each other. It’s similar to other countries, like “pousada” in Brazil, or mountain guesthomes in certain countries. It’s a nice alternative and sometimes the only cheap option to stay other than hotel.
- Agoda – best website for booking places to stay.
- SIM card – phone and data plans are so cheap in Vietnam, like $10 covers you for the whole month. It doesn’t make sense to go without one. I generally feel Viettel is usually considered the best one with the best service range throughout. I used it throughout from north to south and in some remote places and it still worked well. Always try to buy from an official shop. 3rd-party shops rip you off. They’ll claim to sell you X amount of GB, and then you somehow always end up having much less than what you paid for.
- BusMap – useful app to help you find local buses and save money getting from airport to city center.
Miscellaneous tips:
- Tap water – most people don’t recommend it. Especially not for foreigners who’s bodies aren’t adapted to it yet. Foreigners also tend to ask for “no ice” when ordering drinks. Although I’ve had the ice and didn’t have any stomach issues or the runs yet.
- Flight delays – flights are almost always late by an hour if not more (it’s not common to be late even up to 4-12hrs). But still, you have to check-in on time even if the flight is delayed. But you should always count on the flight being 1-2 hours late. VietJet is typically considered the worst one and everybody jokes about them.
- Exchanging money – you can do it at any jewelry store or travel agencies (I think these give better rates). NOTE: they may offer you a lower rate for worn/damaged bills. I think USD, AUD, EUR are most common. I don’t know about the other currencies.
- Last minute flights – Vietnam is usually cheap enough that last minute (domestic) flights can be bought very cheap. Good to know in case you wanna randomly reroute yourself to somewhere else.
- BusMap – great app to help see routes and time schedules of public transportation system. Currently only for the bigger cities. Super helpful for getting around inexpensively.
Safety tips:
- Bike thieves – careful of bikers passing by and grabbing your phone out of your hand before speeding off.
- Lots of overprice scams – where they charge foreigners super high amounts. Look around to see what locals are paying. Don’t immediately respond to anyone speaking English to you when they run straight up to you. Look past them for menus and cues, signs. Quite often there’s a sign right there showing the actual prices (which are cheaper than the ones they give you verbally). Haggling is almost everywhere and with everything.
- Motorbike/scooter – check the brakes before you go fast. Make sure they don’t stick and you fall hard like I did on my first time!
Foods to try:
- Banh mi
- Pho
- Bun
- Banh xeo
- Street food
Vietnam cities (* = recommended, ** = must see):
- North – considered the best region by tourists (foreign and national), has more beautiful things to see. Generally more relaxed peaceful vibe, compared to South (with busy Saigon and touristy beaches).
- Hanoi** – lovely city. Considered a big city but still cozy and vibrant by European standards. Full of culture and local vibes. Nice water area in city center.
- Ha Long Bay** (Lan Ha Bay, Cat Ba island) – famous bay with rocky landscapes that you typically see in Vietnam tourism photos. You can come here as a simple 1 or multiple-day boat tour/cruise. Or stay on a nearby island like Cat Ba. I enjoyed the chill vibes of Cat Ba island, riding bikes around it when we weren’t exploring the bay via boat. I suggest researching tours carefully before picking one as there are many shady ones (over-priced and lame experience). Ha Long Bay can easily be a 1-day tour just to take nice pictures. It’s not really a place to stay IMO.
- Ninh Binh** – considered the Ha Long Bay on land. Also beautiful rocky landscapes but more land instead of just water. I (and many people) say it’s more beautiful and also more unique than Ha Long Bay, Ninh Binh is my favorite tourist place in Vietnam and most unique terrain to Vietnam. Ha Long Bay is a touristy, crowded, beach place full of engine -noise from boats. Then when you’re not in the bay, you’re on land in tourist restaurants. Ninh Binh has a much more local vibe, you stay in homestay and have many locals all around you. If you’re staying in the remote parts (outside of town), it’s a beautiful connection with nature. And then when you do the boat tour, it’s a paddleboat…so super peaceful and zen, no noise, just you and nature! I would easily recommend Ninh Binh over Ha Long Bay any day.
- Sapa Valley** – famous hilly landscapes of rice fields. Great scenery for hiking and riding a motorbike. Staying at homestays and checking out the Vietnamese mountain people, who have their own culture and way of dress. Can be cold! Many people choose either Sapa Valley or Ha Giang, but not both since they both have mountain terrain and mountain people cultures. Ha Giang if you want to do the motorbike tour, Sa Pa if you want to hike and see mountain Vietnamese culture.
- Ha Giang** – similar to Sapa Valley (with some green hill-field landscapes and mountain people), but also has the famous Ha Giang Loop which is known its iconic motorbike tours (3 or 4 days). For (usually young) people, it’s their most favorite memory of Vietnam. Just be careful when you ride and check for good weather so you have beautiful visibility/photos of the hills. It can also get very cold in some seasons.
- Central – huge area
- Hoi An** – iconic lantern city on the water. 2 days is enough. Even to cover the many nearby attractions, My Son temple (awesome), Marble Mountains (tourist-trap kinda), beaches.
- Hue* – small but awesome modern city. Not as much unique historical value (outside of the Historical City and pagodas) or as picturesque as other cities but still a really awesome spot in my opinion. It reminds me a bit of Istanbul and Naples.
- Da Nang – clean, less touristy beach city. Super close to Hoi An. It’s a nice place, but more for living than for visiting (not so many tourist things to do). Most people know the Da Nang tourist photo of the Ba Na Hills theme park with the Golden Bridge (with the hands). Just FYI: that theme park costs like $40usd and not worth it. Everybody’s there only for the Golden Bridge photo op. Can check out Nam O Reef. I feel (white) Westerners will like it because it’s clean and has a beach. Whereas Asians, especially ones who don’t care for beach or skin-tanning, will see it as empty and boring.
- Phong Nha – famous caves, the largest caves in the world. There are many cave options, each with their own details (size, things to see, type of tour, cost, etc). I skipped this as it took too many days and is out of our way to reach.
- South – many locals will recommend saving your time for the north but the biggest city, Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) is where the big busy city and nightlife is. Perhaps more popular for young people who don’t want to be a small town, also older people running businesses here. And then you also have the popular islands. South also has consistently hotter temperatures making it very favorable for foreigners who want a hot sunny place.
- Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)** – Vietnam’s busiest city, also biggest foreigner and expat community. Although it isn’t Vietnam’s most geographically beautiful destination, it’s the most popular for a reason. Lively and lots to do. Come here for the big city life.
- Da Lat (mountain town)* – nice chill weather all year round (good break from Vietnam’s usual heat), can be slightly chilly during colder months. Well liked as a nice, small, charmy, and beautiful super clean (Vietnam’s cleanest) city. Has its own unique vibe and some interesting IG photo ops. Both native Vietnamese and foreigners enjoyed it more than they thought they would. The more I learn about it, the more I wish I went. See guides 1 & 2. (There are also some people who feel Da Lat is boring and nothing to do.)
- Phu Quoc (island)* – developed island town with many hotels, restaurants, bars. Lots of tourists and things to do. Despite being more developed, you can find places for all types of vibes…where it be fancy resort, busy town center, or remote peace.
- Con Dao (island) – smaller less developed island town. More locals and undeveloped nature. Opposite vibe of Phu Quoc. Can feel like a really dead ghost town during off season, where many restaurants are empty.
- Nha Trang – popular beach town with tons of Russians and Chinese expats/foreigners. Beautiful, many shops and restaurants. Much more things to do than Da Nang.
- Can Tho – main town to visit the Mekong Delta and see the floating (boat) markets on the river. Many people say it’s too touristy and trashy now and not worth the hassle of getting here. You should visit if you’re curious as this culture will soon disappear in a few years if not already.
- Mui Ne – the small fishing village with sand dunes and beaches. Some feel it’s a fun small lively town with fun sand activities for tourists. Others feel it’s boring, dirty (trash everywhere), and especially dead during off-season.
You can do 5-6 main highlight stops in 2 weeks, a full tour in 1 month (hitting 85% of major stops), and a relaxed comprehensive tour (hitting all major stops PLUS relaxing) in 6 weeks. However many people also get stuck and find themselves for many months or even years in Vietnam.
The 3 regions are north, central, and south. The north is considered the best, more natural beauty and cultural things, more destinations in the north, and more time should be allotted there than in central & south. With that said, central and south are still absolutely worth visiting even if you’re on a short trip.
Typically, people are recommended to start in the north (flying into Hanoi) and then work their way south (leaving from Ho Chi Minh aka “Saigon”), since those are the 2 major airport destinations. Of course you can go from south to north but that runs the risk of you losing time for the nicer things in the north.
Other places I heard but don’t know about:
- Quy Nhon – nicest beaches, they say.
- Binh Chanh – someone said is the best.
Nearby countries:
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Laos