Are you planning to go to Vietnam on your next vacation? Are you looking at getting the best travel tips for planning a trip to Vietnam? In this article, I will provide some useful tips – travel tips for Vietnam to plan your Vietnam trip and discover amazing Vietnam. This Vietnam travel guide will help you know the things you should know while traveling to Vietnam, the available street food in Vietnam, camping in Vietnam, and other essential travel tips for Vietnam.
Table of Contents
Travel Tips For Vietnam From A Local – Vietnam Travel Guide
These travel tips for Vietnam from a local are sure to help you travel like a local when visiting Vietnam. These will stand you in good stead and ensure you have a really immersive experience in Vietnam.
I Travel Tips For Vietnam – Requirements for visiting Vietnam
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Visa
Vietnam visa is the most important thing for the whole trip. If you have an ASEAN citizenship, then you do not need a visa. Most Westerners need a visa to visit Viet Nam. Make sure you check the regulations regarding your own citizenship and stay up to date about the visa fee, which can change from time to time.
There are two ways to order a visa for Vietnam.
- Order a visa through the internet. You can very easily and conveniently order one at vietnam-visa.com.The authorities will send you the approval letter and you only need to carry that letter along with you to the airport and pay some fees once you land at the airport.
2. You can also apply for a Vietnam visa taking the help of a travel agency.
Tip: Here is one of the most important tips for Vietnam travel. At the airport, the procedure could take hours! Be patient with the officer. Paperwork takes time in Vietnam. Be prepared for the ‘slow work pace’ which is common in Vietnam.
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Money
Another important thing that you need is foreign exchange. The local currency in Vietnam is Vietnam dong. Goods in Viet Nam is a lot cheaper than any Western countries; you only need to pay about $1 for a delicious banh mi (a bread with meats, herb, eggs, pate, etc inside).
But it does not mean you can buy everything. Always double-check the price of everything if you do not want to spend too much money and want to optimize your travel costs.
II Vietnam Travel Tips
- You should always take off your shoes when you enter someone’s house. It is extremely impolite to walk into anyone’s house/room with your shoes on
- If you want to enjoy your meals as much as you can and in a real local way, learn how to eat with chopsticks before going to Vietnam. Some local restaurants and food stalls do not provide forks
- Before venturing out from your hotel, ensure you have a hotel business card from the reception desk. This will help your return to your hotel in a taxi or cyclo ( a three-wheel cycle taxi) with ease
- When you walk around the parks or lakes in the cities of Vietnam, young students may approach you and ask if you are ready to talk a bit in English with them. Do not be scared. Spend some time with them and talk about your travels, your life in your home country, or ask them about their studies or about Vietnam. They will be very happy. You then will get a chance to know more about local life in Vietnam and in the process can make more friends
- If you are a solo traveller, do not venture away from your tour group. Keep the number of your tour agency, hotel and/or guide and keep up with your group. Also, have at least, one person from the group account for you.
III Travel Tips For Vietnam – Vietnam Street food you must try
While in Hanoi, one must try out Vietnamese street food.
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Fried steamed wheat flour cake: Fried steam flour
Fried steamed wheat flour cake price is about 4000 – 6000 VND. This food is often eaten as a meal in the afternoon. Enjoy this dish with a sour-sweet sauce or chilli sauce.
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Grilled meat by stick: Grilled meat
Grilled meat by stick has many lovers especially kids. The price is about 6000 – 10000 VND, you will need to pay 2000 VND more to have a bread with the grilled meat stick. Walking on the streets of Hanoi in the afternoon, you can see these shops near the sidewalk with a great aroma in the air!
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Banana cake, Yam cake
You can buy this cake for 5000 VND. The main ingredients are the banana, yam, flour and cooking oil. These cakes are rich in calories. If you are health conscious then you can have just 1 – 2 cakes.
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Eat the Pho
Vietnam is a country with rice lovers! As such, you will find a lot of rice-based dishes from meals with rice, rice paper spring rolls, and pho. Pho is a highly popular noodle in Vietnam. They are thin rice noodles cooked in a meat broth, occasionally served with some vegetable garnishes on the side. You can add the veggies to your bowl when your broth is still steaming and that’s how the veggies are cooked.
Vegetarian travellers will be hard-pressed to find a pho broth that is not meat-based when hitting food stalls on the streets, but some international cafes directed more towards European tastes, may have vegetarian options.
IV Travel Tips For Vietnam – Camping in Vietnam
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Location:
If you are a big fan of camping, there is no reason for missing out Vietnam National Parks. The most popular camping sites are:
- Cuc Phuong National Park
- Ba Be National Park
- Bach Ma National Park
Besides, when hiking or trekking through the jungle or through hill tribal villages in mountainous areas, it is highly recommended that you camp to experience adventurous nights in these natural beauties. Hiking trips to Fansipan Peak, which is dubbed “the Roof of Indochina”, also promises once in a lifetime camping experience.
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Camping equipment
If you book a hiking tour accompanied by camping with your travel agents, they certainly will let you know in advance the camping places in Vietnam. The local travel agents or tour operators generally provide the tents and camping equipment.
What you should not forget to pack in your hiking bag are food, water, first aid kit and suitable clothes. To be more careful, it is advisable to bring a reflector, a whistle, high-energy food, raincoats, hats, mittens and extra socks.
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Places to buy equipment
If you are an independent traveller, you should prepare well and pack all the necessary things for camping in Vietnam. You would find it hard to buy camping equipment and other essential things while in Vietnam. Here are some places where you could find essential camping equipment:
- Ho Chi Minh City: Dan Sinh Market, District 1; Saigon Square 77-89 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, District 1
- Hanoi: Pham Ngu Lao Street; Hang Khay Street
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Clothing
If you are wondering what to wear in Vietnam, cotton is not an ideal material for camping in Vietnam as it takes a long time to dry. You could easily get sick if you wear wet clothes. It is important to note that Vietnam is a tropical country and it is generally hard to avoid rains in Vietnam.
It is better to avoid travelling to Vietnam or camping in Vietnam during the monsoon season. During the rainy season, the weather in Vietnam is humid and heavy rains could play a spoilsport on your travel plans.
Vietnam does not have harsh winters. But it should be noted that the bitter cold and chilly winds could easily dampen the enthusiasm of many travellers coming from sunny countries. Always remember to check weather forecasts and overviews about destination weather before you plan a visit to Vietnam.
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Insects
One of the important things to know before travelling to Vietnam is how to protect yourself against mosquitoes and the ilk, when it comes to insects, you need to safeguard yourself from mosquitoes, leeches, and snakes. The easiest way to cope with these matters is to wear long-sleeves shirts and pants instead of shirts with short sleeves and shorts. Besides, insect repellent should be brought with you and it is obligatory to bring medical kit.
Tip: Visit ‘Get camping wild’ to learn how to clean a tent in 5 amazing ways
Getting To Vietnam
- Vietnam is a country in South East Asia bordered by China, Cambodia, and Laos
- Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam
- One can choose to fly into Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City
- Ho Chi Minh is served by the Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport
- Hanoi is served by the Nội Bài International Airport
Are you thinking of travelling to Vietnam? You can book a flight right here through TripAdvisor or Agoda or CheapAir or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline.
Where To Stay In Vietnam
Whether you are visiting Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi or any other place in Vietnam, you can book your stay at any hotel of your choice in Vietnam right here through TripAdvisor or Cleartrip or Agoda or Makemytrip or Priceline and get awesome deals and savings.
| Click here to book the best hotel/resort in Vietnam |
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Vietnam Tours & Activities
There is much to explore in the cities and countryside of Vietnam, you can book Vietnam attractions tours online or book some of the best and most recommended Vietnam tours. You can also book activities in Vietnam right here.
| Click to know more about Best Attractions and Activities in Vietnam. |
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Hope this post – Travel Tips For Vietnam will help you plan your trip to Vietnam. Be safe and enjoy Viet Nam!
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Vietnam sounds like such a beautiful place. I have always wanted to go visit that area of the world.
I love all your photos! I’ve never been to Vietnam before but I always hear how lovely it is. Maybe one day I’ll make it over there.
It’s important to do your research before you go and be respectful of customs while visiting other countries. Thanks for including the safety tip for solo travelers” advising them not to “venture away from your tour group”.
Not a place I feel comfortable travel too. Did enjoy reading and looking at all your photos. It is a unique country.
My husband just visited Japan and the company that he traveled with sent him a list of customs that he should know about. I think it’s important that when you travel somewhere new, you should know about the culture. Not just to make your trip easier, but to be respectful when you’re in someone else’s country. I think that this is very helpful to someone who might be wanting to travel to Vietnam. It looks absolutely beautiful. And the food! I’m all about trying different food!
Beautiful pictures! Wow! I’d live to visit…and that food….YUM!!!!!
Vietnam is on my bucket list of places to visit. The food looks amazing and the photos are so inviting that I’m sure it would be a great place to immerse myself in.
What a great guide. Vietnam looks like an incredible place to visit with so much to see. I would love to visit some time!
I would love to see Vietnam! The pictures you’ve posted shows the simplicity and beauty of the country, and it’s appealing.
Vietnam sounds like such an amazing place to stay I love the tip of picking up a hotel business card, that is really a useful tip no matter where you are heading off to.
What enticing photos! I would very much like to visit Vietnam in the years to come. They grow some excellent and make some amazing chocolate there. 🙂
This is a good overview for people wanting to travel to Vietnam. I would love to get pho in Vietnam someday.
By the looks of your photos, Vietnam is a beautiful place to visit. Thanks for your travel tips.
I have several friends who have visited there and absolutely loved it. The landscape and food were highly spoke of. I think it would be interesting to visit.
These are some really good recommendations! I think I’d like trying out some Pho dishes a lot.
beautiful location amazing pictures
It looks absolutely amazing, such beautiful country there and I really want to try more Pho dishes. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
What a visually stunning destination to visit! I have cousins who retired and are traveling out of their suitcases who fell in love with Vietnam and the sheer beauty!
Vietnam has been on my mind since long. I am happy to hear that one can find vegetarian options. You have shared really useful information. I liked the bit on the currency. Hope to visit most of Vietnam for at least a month.
I haven’tt been to Vietnam yet but it’s one of the places I would like to visit. I wanna be able to try authentic Pho.
I would love to visit Vietnam one day. Hopefully I’ll be able to take a break someday and go explore it.
Vietnam sounds like a great place to visit. Thank you for your tips. I think they are very helpful.
Awesome guide! I’m interested in visiting Vietnam for both the scenery and the food. I’m not usually a foodie, but it looks too good to resist!
I heard that traveling to Vietnam is really affordable since, yes, cost of living is quite cheap there and you get all the good stuff! Thanks for the travel tips and I also looked at your other post, how to optimize your budget.
Visited Vietnam from Thailand last year. Loved the country, particularly the Ha Long Bay. Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures. The tips will help many people plan their visit.
This post made me miss traveling in Vietnam so much. All the yummy street food and everything being so cheap – not to mention the absolutely gorgeous landscape. I hope to go back soon!
Thanks for the very insightful insider tips! It is always nice to get the local’s perspective on travelling within their country. We often learn much more about the culture and discover some hidden jewels off of the usual touristic beaten paths.
Vietnam seems to be very beautiful. The food looks really good. I’ve always wondered how it is over there. Maybe one day I’ll get to know.
There are a lot of good tips here…for safety, for enjoyable outings, and for finding great food! Also, thanks for explaining how to get visas for traveling to Vietnam. So sad that the paperwork process is so lengthy!
I would love to go to Vietnam. My grandpa served in the war and always talked about how beautiful the country was.
I have written many travel posts. Being from Austria I find my posts on Austria are so much more beneficial writing as a local than for places I visited. Your insight is immense!
This has made me want to be in Vietnam right now! These photos are BEAUTIFUL! You’ve reignited my wanderlust with this! Thank you so much for sharing!
These are such great tips for visiting Vietnam. I have always wanted to go. It looks so beautiful. The food looks so good there, especially the fried steamed wheat flour cake.
Such great tips on Vietnam! I love the first few pictures which gives a nice image of the country. Visa and money are the most important things during a trip, same as your passport of course. Really helpful for people who’re planning on going to Vietnam soon! 🙂
Vietnam is definitely one country that is blessed with enormous natural beauty. This travel guide is really useful for visiting there. As some of the information like the preparation and packing with respect to a Vietnam trip, I have not seen elsewhere.
I just got back from Vietnam in August and my partner and I miss it so much! We did almost two weeks over there and absolutely loved our time in Halong Bay and Hoi An!!
Our airport experience in HCM was terrible though.. the VISA too stupidly long to get!
Helen xx
Some great tips here for ist time visitors to Nam. We have never been but its good to know about the visa situation. Some of the food looks like great can’t wait to try some of these great eats
Vietnam is at the top of my list for destinations to visit next year and I would definitely want to hear from a local for tips on the best places to eat and what to do. Thanks for sharing – this is so helpful.
I hope that I get to visit Vietnam someday. Thank you for including a few of the socially accepted customs for the area, as well as the tips for solo travel. I especially love the camping info. Here in the USA we camp often, but for some reason I am more intimidated to do it in other countries. This is perfect.
This is a great travel guide! Vietnam is on my list of places I want to travel. Thank you for including some food recommendations. I am already drooling thinking of the banana cake!
I love reading travel guides! The food in Vietnam looks soooo good. I need to try the meat on a stick! I’ll be on that side of the world next year, so we’ll see if I make it over there.
Thanks to Lucy for the very valuable insider tips. Vietnam will happen soon to us and I am going rifer this piece for my future travel. She has nailed it with all details. Good to know about most important visa processing which sometimes kills the excitement. The food looks so good with your amazing click, especially the fried steamed wheat flour cake. I am a vegetarian and always find ASEAN countires hard on me, but so far I have survived.
I am planning to go to Vietnam so this post is especially helpful! Thank you for recommending some street food. I’d love to try fried steamed wheat flour cake!
As a national park junkie, I am always up for visiting national parks. Hiking to Fansipan Peak is really high on my South Asia Bucket list.
I would definitely recommend your post to all of my foreign friends, who are planning to go to Vietnam and visit me. I particularly love your tips on where to buy equipments, since as a Vietnamese, I am still unaware of those places. Other tips on food and insects are also helpful. Thanks so much!
Great tip about taking the hotel business card, I do that wherever I am in case I get lost! Interesting point about not leaving the tour group – so you not recommend travelling to Vietnam alone?
Vietnam has always been at the top of my list. This is such a detailed and practical guide, thanks for creating it! I am definitely bookmarking this for the future <3
Love the fact that you always come up with such detailed guides. Don’t know when, but whenever I manage to get there, this will come handy. Good to know that Vietnam is not very expensive. I guess I can spend a few months there.
I will be back to Vietnam hopefully next year. I would want to write more and explore many places in Vietnam. Thank you for this post. It really helps me in planning for that trip.
Yay, I love Vietnam! Admittedly, I only visited just very few places in that country. Hoping that I can make it again.Thank you for this post.
The bit about paperwork and visa is the most useful as there are such conflicting posts on the internet. Good to know from someone who has been there. Thanks for the same.
This is such a helpful guide! Vietnam looks like such a beautiful country. I hope to visit in the near future! Will come back to your guide for help planning!
beautiful photos, great information, and wonderful tips to bookmark for when we plan our trip to Vietnam! thank you
Very nice! Thank you for these tips; these will be very useful. We plan to visit Thailand and Vietnam next year to do some rock climbing. 🙂
Vietnam is a beautiful country. I enjoyed the food and nature. Hopefully, someday soon I will be back.
I haven’t been to Vietnam. On my last trip to Asia, I went to India. But Vietnam seems very beautiful and interesting. Must go there. Thanks for sharing.