Backpacking in Vietnam: Everything You Need to Know
I’ve been backpacking in Vietnam twice. Once for two weeks, and then a few years later for five. It’s one of my most favourite countries I’ve ever been to, mainly because backpacking through Vietnam is just so easy.
I mean, don’t get me wrong. You’ll need to do your research on what backpacking Vietnam is really like but as a total advocate for all things Vietnam, this ultimate guide will help you with everything you need to know.
Basics of backpacking through Vietnam
Vietnam is super backpacker friendly. There’s cheap accommodation in every city, the 7/11 shops will be your food friend, there’s lots of beautiful things and places to see that you don’t have to pay for, and the exchange rate is great.
Vietnam is a great starter country for anyone who’s off backpacking on their own for the first time.
Where to backpack in Vietnam
With the country being so long and thin there’s a definite route that most travellers tend to follow when they’re backpacking Vietnam. It’s all pretty straight forward – you can go from top to bottom quite easily, checking in to all the main hot spots as you go.
So, from the top:
Backpacking Halong Bay
Backpackers normally visit Halong Bay from Hanoi, to spend some time on opackingne of the amazing junk boats there. I spent a night, but would definitely recommend two, just to make the most of it.
In Halong Bay you can expect stunning big cliffs overlooking emerald waters, with junk boats bobbing around to complete the scene. Definitely a must recommend, and you can check out the cool Junk Boats in Halong Bay here.
READ MORE: Is Halong Bay the Most Beautiful Place in the World?
Backpacking Sapa
Sapa is one of the best places to go hiking in Vietnam thanks to all the rice paddies and beautiful scenery. Unfortunately I’ve never been able to make it thanks to the rain, even after booking a then cancelled trip a few years ago. I have it on good authority that the homestays and rice paddies are well worth the physical exertion though.
If you have the time a hike in Sapa is well worth it.
Backpacking Hanoi
Hanoi is well known for two big day trips – the beautiful Halong Bay with all it’s limestone cliffs and junk boats, and Sapa.
It’s a great city – all ancient architecture and shops, restaurants, street stalls and beauty parlours in a labyrinth of an Old Quarter. Top things to do include Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum – yes you can actually see the old president’s body – the Hoan Kiem Lake and Hoa Lo Prison. Don’t leave without exploring the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre: it’s bonkers.
Check out all the cool day trips you can take, backpacking in Hanoi.
READ MORE: Just a Few of the Crazy Things I Saw in Hanoi
Backpacking Hue
Hue is surrounded by impressive citadel walls. It was once the main royal residence of the most important families in Vietnam. The rooms were once at the centre of all the decision making in Vietnam, and are now home to a museum.
History buffs will love it here. And for everyone else it’s still definitely worth a look around. It’s the most royal city in all of Vietnam and thanks to all the monuments, tombs and pagodas it’s now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
If you can’t be bothered to walk round then you can always call over one of the tuk tuk drivers to take you round and enjoy watching it unfold from the comfort of your seat. Totally worth including in your Vietnam itinerary.
Backpacking Hoi An
Hoi An is my favourite place in all of Vietnam. The quaint town is built around the pretty waterfront. You’ll need to stay at least 2-3 days to enjoy sitting outside as many as possible, to drink Vietnamese coffee.
Make sure to visit the waterfront at night to try one of the boat restaurants, and to set off your own candle on the canal.
By day in Hoi An you can rent mopeds or cycles and go down to An Bang Beach, or pay one of the boat peddlers to take you out on a trip.
Hoi An is where everyone gets their suits tailored, and bespoke shoes made for next to nothing. It’s also where you can check out one of the country’s best markets.
If you have time see if you can get out to the Hai Van Pass. It’s a high mountain road famously featured on Top Gear and even more famously cycled by me. Thought I was having an asthma attack on the way up, but the many km of downhill on the way back made it totally worth it.
Go for the easy option and just get a taxi out.
Backpacking Qui Nhon
Quy Nhon, or Qui Nhon, isn’t quite as popular as most of the other places on this list with tourists, but it’s interesting. I went along to check it out and joined a tour to a local village. We went out in one of the little circular boats and saw how they managed to keep up with demand using the traditional means they have.
Quy Nhon felt really rural compared to much of the rest of Vietnam that I saw. Visit here and you’re really out in the sticks – all the more reason!
Don’t leave without having a delicious lunch at one of the waterside restaurants. You can pick your live seafood, and they’ll cook it up for you.
Backpacking Nha Trang
Nha Trang is one of Vietnam’s most popular beach destinations. There’s plenty of history around but also lots to entertain the modern traveller too.
Book on the Funky Monkey Snorkelling Tour and it’ll take you out to see the coastline from the water, and to have a look under it. I did a little write up in my two-week Vietnam itinerary.
Nha Trang is also known for its egg baths. Basically, you sit in an egg shaped bath and they pour mud on you. Seriously. Check out my review of the Nha Trang egg baths I visited back in 2013.
Backpacking Mui Ne
Mui Ne is Vietnam’s surfer town. If you’re travelling Asia for a while it’s easy to get stuck in the laid back vibes here, and the ease of being right by a beautiful beach. Expect a typical surf town, but with Vietnamese food. Yep, I can totally understand why the backpackers love it here so much.
Unfortunately I’ve only ever passed through and haven’t quite had the chance to stay for anything more than a few hours, but I totally would. Surf by morning, Bahn Mi for lunch and chill on the beach all afternoon? Yep, yep and yep.
Backpacking Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is the business capital of Vietnam. Here you’ll find a cosmopolitan vibe where old buildings stand next to the super modern skyscrapers.
There are definitely a few must dos in Ho Chi Minh City. Haggle some bargains at the Ben Thanh Market, check out the king’s digs at Reunification Palace, go and see the old post office and take a look round Notre Dame Cathedral too.
Make sure to book on a Mekong Delta tour while you’re in Ho Chi Minh City. Go and chat to one of the many tourist information offices to get a good deal. Remember, never accept the first price. Nothing should be more than a few quid in Vietnam – one of the may reasons to love the country so much!
READ MORE: Where to Go in Vietnam
Backpacking Phu Quoc
I spent a week on Phu Quoc island when I was there one February – loved it. The island is a quick plane ride from Ho Chi Minh City, or a bus ride if you’re on a budget.
I rented a moped for the week and had a great time exploring the island from top to bottom. There are beautiful beaches, night markets, snorkelling, scuba diving and a great beach vibe for you to relax into. You can find out more with my post on everything you need to know about Phu Quoc.
Absolutely definitely include a few days or a week in Phu Quoc, if you can!
READ MORE: All the Travel Advice for Phu Quoc You Could Need
Arriving in Vietnam
Chances are you’ll arrive in either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City – the two main cities of Vietnam. Knowing what to expect when you arrive into Vietnam is hard – the country is definitely an assault on the sense.
There’s probably a window, a small window, of about half an hour when most visitors are at ease with Vietnam and may think their ideas of the hustle and bustle were wrong. This half an hour usually happens on the drive from the airport into Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, and then quickly disappears once in the heart of the cities.
Once safely tucked inside the city’s folds, there’s no holding back the madness and sheer energy the country’s cities have. If you’ve just arrived in on a long flight you need to make sure you’re emotionally ready for the challenge. Prepare yourself for a wide spectrum of noise and excitement, it’ll definitely be entertaining.
Big billboards, shanty towns, endless waves of people, sweaty sun, street markets and no order whatsoever seems to sum up the arrival for backpackers into Vietnam. Add to that some of the friendliest people and best service, and this South Asian gem will soon become a favourite, as it did for me, although there are a few things you should be prepared for… the first being the traffic.
How to Get to Vietnam
The first time I went backpacking in Vietnam I flew with Qatar Airways and did a stopover in Qatar. We had 9 hours in Doha, and managed a little look around, and a sleep. It was definitely an adventure and a cool way to fit in a new place too.
The second time backpacking Vietnam I flew with Etihad and had a 13-hour stopover in Abu Dhabi, which meant I could get out and see the incredible Grand Mosque. Absolutely, totally worth it.
I’d definitely recommend breaking up the journey with a little visit to the Middle East somewhere. I mean, why not?
I always check for flights on Skyscanner. They compare all the best deals for free, with no obligation to buy.
Read more on travel to Vietnam
Interesting Facts About Vietnam to Know Before You Go
11 Great Festivals in Vietnam to Time Your Trip By
Top Tips for Travelling Vietnam Solo
Perfect Week Itinerary for Vietnam
Best travel itineraries for Vietnam
One week itinerary for Vietnam
It’s not unusual to go to Vietnam for one week. It’s a popular stop off on the South East Asia route via Laos and Cambodia. If you’ve just got one week in Vietnam here are a few of the best weeklong itineraries around, from my fellow travel bloggers.
If you’ve only got a week to play with it’s definitely still worth going to Vietnam, but obviously you’re going to have to limit what you do. Don’t spend too long travelling around, make sure you have the time to actually go deep down in a destination, rather than spending all your time on transport.
– My friend Mark Stratton, a National Geographic journalist, wrote this breathless week in non-stop Vietnam itinerary for The Independent.
– Jason and Stacey went to Hue, Hanoi and Hoi An on a hectic week in Vietnam. Take a look and see what they got up to. They managed to fit in cycling, motorbikes and trains – good going for just a week in the country.
– And then here’s a super quick day by day weeklong Vietnam itinerary from TravelHappy. They go to Hanoi, Nha Trang, Halong Bay and Ho Chi Minh City.
Take a look at their Vietnam itineraries, and then come back and check out my two week itinerary to see how you can adapt and change to fit in what you’d like to see in Vietnam.
Two week itinerary for Vietnam
Honestly, my itinerary for two weeks in Vietnam is the best you’ll find. In short you start in Hanoi, go for an overnight tour in Halong Bay, fly down to Hoi An, then train to Da Nang and onto Ho Chi Minh City. Perfect distance in two weeks.
READ MORE: The BEST Two-Week Vietnam Itinerary on the Internet
It’s pretty much the top two-week Vietnam itinerary on the internet, as proven by the Google search results. I know of quite a few people IRL who’ve followed the itinerary over two weeks and had a brilliant time. Also, many, many more who’ve emailed or commented and said they had a great time following the two weeks.
Four week itinerary for Vietnam
And if you’ve got four weeks in Vietnam, you can have a brilliant time!
Follow the two-week itinerary I set out and then add some time in Hue and Mui Ne along the way, and go to Phu Quoc for a week at the end. That’s it, that’s all you need to do to enjoy a brilliant four weeks in Vietnam.
10 best activities for backpackers in Vietnam
Some backpackers fly to Vietnam to see how it is doing after the war, while others want to experience the blood-pumping classic outdoor activities and extreme sports.
On the quieter side, Vietnam has ancient temples and yoga retreats for those looking for a retreat to refresh their body and mind. Do you want to dance until your brains and legs shut down or want to taste soul-pleasing authentic Vietnamese delicacies? Vietnam has all that!
CLICK to see all the COOLEST ACTIVITIES IN VIETNAM
Vietnam is a relatively inexpensive country to explore and one of the safest destinations in Southeast Asia. Now, here are top 10 activities backpackers can do in Vietnam to make the most out of their trip.
1. Conquer the Mount Fansipan
Looking for a heart-racing activity when backpacking in Vietnam?
Try and conquer Fansipan, the highest peak in the country. Often dubbed ‘the Roof of Indochina’, this tough challenge takes three days to claim your victory. The trek takes you through many stunning remote sites and ends with the most rewarding charismatic view of Vietnam from the top.
As of October 2017, backpackers have to climb the Mount Fansipan with a guide that you can arrange at one of the many agencies in Hanoi or Sapa.
2. Sandboarding in Mui Ne
Known as the adventure sports capital of Vietnam,