50+ Essential Vietnam Travel Tips You NEED Before You Go

ByVictoria Philpott Last Updated:

I decided to sweat it out on a beach on the island of Phu Quoc to pass on my top Vietnam Travel Tips, via video.

My travel tips for Vietnam haven’t come lightly though. I’ve spent over six weeks there, have written 15 posts on this blog, and right now Google deems my two-week Vietnam itinerary so good I’m at number one if you search ‘two-weeks in Vietnam’ or similar. I’m also pretty high for my post on things to do in Vietnam – thanks to the bloggers I’ve featured.

So yeah, I like to think I know Vietnam, as much as you can after cycling through it from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, and visiting twice.

I’ve had a think about everything you need to know before you travel Vietnam and it’s all here, with links to some of my other Vietnam advice from the last three years too. Honestly? One of my favourite countries.

Let’s do this…

My Vietnam Travel Tips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xysIPQYnzvEu0026t=569s

(Just hover over the bar and move the player to get to where you want to go)

  • Airports (0:32)
  • Money (1:37)
  • Costs (2:07, bit more at 14:20)
  • Hotels (2:45)
  • Traffic (3:10)
  • Overnight Trains (3:48)
  • Mopeds (4:06)
  • People (4:49)
  • Westerners (6:00)
  • Women (6:34)
  • Family Life (7:28)
  • Karaoke (7:56)
  • Language (8:35)
  • Tourism (9:44)
  • Food (10:23)
  • Booze (11:54)
  • Shopping (12:47)
  • Beauty (13:26)
  • Where to Go (14:57)
  • Wi-Fi (17:00)

Vietnam travel tips: airports

1. Sort your visa before you arrive for the quickest exit. You can spend 15 days in Vietnam visa free if you’re from the UK, any longer and you need to get a visa.

READ MORE VIETNAM ADVICE

Click here to read all my advice on travelling to Vietnam. I’ve got over 30 posts, so you’ll be well prepared! 

Interesting Facts About Vietnam to Know Before You Go

2. Make sure to use a Mia Linh or Vinasun taxi when you exit the airport. They’re the most recommended and they’re reliable. You can just hail them off the street – anyone who does it for you will charge.

3. If you’re coming into Hanoi, a taxi will be about 300,000 Dong into the Old Quarter and will take 45 minutes. It’ll probably feel like a really long way.

4. Coming into Ho Chi Minh City? It’ll be about 150,000 and 15 minutes to Pham Ngu Lao – the main backpacker area.

5. I found getting in and out of the airports I used – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc – very easy. Arriving two hours before was fine.

Vietnam travel tips: money

6. You need to get to know the colours and value of the notes… money in Vietnam comes in thousands. Right now it’s about 40,000 dong to the pound, meaning you’re a millionaire with just £40. This is VERY confusing when it comes to paying and working out which notes to hand over.

7. Vietnam can be SO cheap, but of course you’re trading off time and comfort for that. How much you’re willing to sacrifice totally depends where you are in your travel life.

8. If the price you’re given, for anything, isn’t written down then it’s negotiable. Get your haggle on!

Accommodation in Vietnam

9. You can get hostel beds in the cities for around $5 – I can’t vouch for how good they are seeing as I’ve stayed in hotels, where a room starts at $13. Time to treat yourself right?

Vietnam advice

10. There are some incredible hotels in Vietnam – if you’re willing and able to spend £20 each a night, if there are two of you, your can live it up! Check out this post on some of the most unique places to stay in Vietnam to suit your budget. 

11. If it’s important to you, make sure to check your hotel has a lift. Most of the places I stayed in didn’t. Cue me wheezing as I climbed up six flights of stairs with my 20kg bag.   

Travelling Vietnam advice

12. One of the first things you’ll notice in travelling Vietnam is that the traffic is crazy, it’s tough to cross the road. In the cities you just need to go and trust that the motorbikes will go around you. Practice will give you confidence.

Vietnam advice

13. Overnight trains run up and down the country and they’re a fun way to get around. I’d definitely recommend you give one a try but please make sure you take your own pillow case. I was horrified to see that they don’t change them in between people – after I’d slept there for 12 hours, with a terrible cold.

Sorry next person.

READ MORE VIETNAM ADVICE

‘Sleeping’ on the Overnight Trains in Vietnam

14. Seems like everyone in Vietnam has a motorbike and you can rent one too. Personally I wouldn’t recommend them in the cities, but Hoi An would be fun and if you go to Phu Quoc you definitely should. So much fun.

15. The roads in Vietnam are crazy with cows and all sorts. Don’t be surprised if you have to divert round an ox as you try to get from A to B.

Vietnamese people (travel tips )

16. I’ve seen a few comments on blogs and sites about ‘scammy’ Vietnamese people and I absolutely wholeheartedly disagree. In my experience, everyone I met was so friendly. I’ve just done a two-week cycle ride with Intrepid through the Vietnamese countryside and people would come out with their children to say hi to us, absolutely no strings attached.

vietnam advice

17. Generally, Vietnamese people are much smaller than Westerners, in fact they’re the smallest in South East Asia. So don’t be offended if you hear people refer to ‘Western size’.