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Vietnam
🇻🇳 Vietnam
Grab for motorbikes, cash for everything, and an e-visa you must not forget.
Ready-made routes
Know before you go
The practical facts for Vietnam, at a glance.
Currency
Vietnamese Dong (VND)
roughly ₫25,000 to US$1 — drop three zeros and divide by 25
Tap to pay
Bring cash. Taps work in the cities; much of the country is cash or a local QR code.
Power
Type A / C / F — two flat or two round pins
220V, 50Hz
Tap water
Do not drink the tap water. Bottled water is everywhere and costs almost nothing.
Tipping
Not traditional but increasingly common in tourist areas. ₫20,000–50,000 is generous.
Emergency
Police 113 · Ambulance 115
112 · Works with no SIM, no signal
Best months
Varies enormously by region — the country is 1,600 km long. March–April and October–November are the safest nationwide bets.
Entry requirements
Most nationalities need an e-visa, applied for online at least 5–7 working days before travel. Use only the official government portal — there are many convincing paid imitations that charge several times the real fee.
Paying in Vietnam
Bring cash. Taps work in the cities; much of the country is cash or a local QR code.
Tap to pay works
Hotels and malls
Chain cafés like Highlands and Phuc Long
Larger restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
Supermarkets
Carry another way to pay
Street food, which is most of the good food
Markets
Xe om motorbike riders
Small towns and the countryside
Buses and the metro are cash or a local card. In practice you will use Grab, and paying inside the app avoids the cash question entirely.
Apps to download
The apps people in Vietnam actually use, in the order to set them up.
Grab
Free app; rides ₫25,000–120,000
Critical
Fixed prices, no negotiation, and GrabBike is how most of Vietnam actually moves.
Before you fly
Google Maps
Free
Critical
Works well in Vietnam, including motorbike routing that avoids roads bikes cannot use.
Before you fly
Vietnam e-visa (official portal)
₫600,000 (about US$25) on the official portal
Critical
Most visitors need it, it takes up to a week, and the scam sites charging five times the price are convincing.
Before you fly
Viettel / Vinaphone tourist SIM
₫150,000–250,000 for generous data
Critical
Vietnamese mobile data is among the cheapest in the world and far better value than an eSIM here.
Wise / Revolut
Free account; ~0.4–0.6% conversion
Important
Vietnamese ATM fees are high and withdrawal caps are low, so fee-free withdrawals matter.
Before you fly
Google Translate
Free
Important
Vietnamese tones make spoken attempts hard; showing written text works far better.
Before you fly
Baolau / 12Go
Free app; small booking fee
Important
Books Vietnamese trains, sleeper buses and ferries in English, which the operators themselves rarely offer.
Agoda / Booking.com
Free app
Important
Vietnamese family-run guesthouses are excellent value and mostly listed on these two.
Step-by-step setup for each app is in the iPhone app.
First 60 minutes after landing
1
Have your e-visa approval printed and on your phone
Immigration will ask for it. Apply only through the official government portal — the lookalike sites charge many times the ₫600,000 real fee.
2
Use Grab from the airport, never an unmetered taxi
Airport taxi overcharging is the single most common visitor complaint. Grab gives a fixed price before you get in. Vinasun and Mai Linh are the reputable metered taxi companies.
3
Withdraw a large amount at once
ATM fees are ₫22,000–55,000 per withdrawal and many machines cap at ₫2–3 million. TPBank and VPBank allow larger withdrawals with lower fees.
4
Get a SIM at the airport — they are extremely cheap
Viettel or Vinaphone counters sell tourist SIMs with generous data for around ₫150,000–250,000. Cheaper and better value than most eSIMs here.
Where to stay in Vietnam
3 cities
Hanoi
Dense old quarter, relentless motorbike traffic, and the best street food in the country. Walking is the main mode and crossing the road is a learned skill.
Watch out for
Crossing the road: walk slowly and predictably, do not stop or run. Traffic flows around you.
Old Quarter street names change every block — pin your hotel before you wander.
Winter (Dec–Feb) is genuinely cold and damp. Most guesthouses have no heating.
Ho Chi Minh City
Bigger, hotter and more spread out than Hanoi. District 1 covers most visitor needs and Grab bridges the rest.
Watch out for
Bag snatching from passing motorbikes is a real and specific risk. Do not walk with your phone in your hand near the kerb.
The new metro line covers one corridor only — Grab is still the default.
Da Nang & Hoi An
Beach city plus a lantern-lit old town 45 minutes south. Easiest region in Vietnam for a first visit.
Watch out for
Hoi An floods most years between September and November. Check before booking those weeks.
Tailors in Hoi An need 2–3 days for good work. Do not order on your last afternoon.
Getting around
Airport → city (Hanoi / HCMC)
The one place where getting it wrong costs real money.
Grab
Book from the designated ride-hail pickup area, which is signposted and away from the taxi rank.
₫250,000–400,000
40–60 min
Vinasun / Mai Linh metered taxi
Official ranks in arrivals. These two companies are reputable and use the meter.
₫300,000–450,000
40–60 min
Airport bus (86 in Hanoi, 109 in HCMC)
Board outside arrivals, pay the conductor in cash.
₫35,000–45,000
50–70 min
Getting around Hanoi and HCMC
Motorbikes are the circulatory system. Everything else adapts around them.
GrabBike
Book in the app; the driver brings a helmet.
₫20,000–50,000
Fastest across town
GrabCar
Same app, air conditioning, and a door between you and the road.
₫60,000–150,000
Slower in traffic
Walking
Pavements are often occupied by parked bikes, so you will walk in the road. Walk predictably.
Free
Good within a district
Staying connected
Yes — a carrier-locked phone cannot use a local SIM or eSIM
Viettel
Tourist SIM (physical)
120 GB · 30 days · US$8
Best value in this guide by a wide margin. Includes a Vietnamese number and the widest rural coverage. Buy at the airport counter with your passport.
Airalo
Xin Chao — Vietnam
5 GB · 30 days · US$9.5
Convenient if you want data the second you land, but poor value against the local SIM.
Vinaphone
Tourist SIM (physical)
90 GB · 30 days · US$7
Slightly cheaper than Viettel with marginally weaker rural coverage.
When to go
Best months
Varies enormously by region — the country is 1,600 km long. March–April and October–November are the safest nationwide bets.
Hardest months
Central Vietnam floods September–November; the north is cold and grey December–February
Languages
Vietnamese, English in tourist areas, limited elsewhere
Getting it right socially
Remove shoes when entering homes and many guesthouses.
Pass and receive with two hands, especially with older people.
Dress modestly at pagodas — shoulders and knees covered.
Bargaining is expected at markets but not in shops or restaurants.
Do not touch anyone on the head, including children.
Ready-made routes
Vietnam end to end in 9 days
9 days · about US$55 a day
Hanoi’s old quarter, the central coast at Hoi An, and Saigon’s energy — the whole country, north to south.
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