admin If you are organizing a trip to Vietnam, you have surely spent a great deal of time looking for specific information to travel to this Southeast Asian country. There are many doubts that you may have, sometimes the amount of data we find on the internet ends up stressing us instead of helping us.
You may ask yourself things like: Is it safe? Will I have problems with the language? How expensive is it? How easy is it to move?
Precisely for this reason, I decided to write a series of tips for traveling to Vietnam. I hope these tips help you better plan your trip and deny many myths around this country. Additionally, I recommend this site Vietnam Visa For Canadians for the visa application process.
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Tips for traveling to Vietnam
Tip 1 for traveling to Vietnam – Take advantage of the diversity
Vietnam has become one of the most visited in Asia, currently, the amount of tourism that comes to this country is huge. You can meet, therefore, with people from all over the world, take the opportunity to meet them and talk to them.
Tip 2 for traveling to Vietnam – Be careful of the weather
Vietnam is one of the countries in Southeast Asia with more climate diversity. Although it is very hot, in northern areas (where there are mountains) it is usually very cold and rainy. You must consider this, to prevent and wear the right clothes.
Tip 3 for traveling to Vietnam – The distances are huge
It is a geographically very large country and you must consider it. Transfers from one city to another can be distances of about 24 full hours.
Despite these distances, it is very easy to move around the country with various means of transport.
Tip 4 for traveling to Vietnam – Flying is a very good option
Being the distances from one place to another very long, the most convenient option in case you have little travel time is to take a plane. There are many low-cost airlines, with which you can fly at very cheap prices and travel throughout much of the country.
Tip 5 to travel to Vietnam – Use the night buses
If you travel with a very limited budget, and you want to travel very long distances, I recommend night buses. These are buses that are adapted with a kind of “beds”, where you can rest while you arrive at your destination.
It is a very good option to save a hotel night and arrive at a new destination during the day. The beds are adapted so that you go practically stretched and comfortable.
Buying tickets for these buses is very simple, each travel agency that you find in the country will sell them to you and the price will not be very different from if you buy it on your own at the station.
Tip 6 for traveling to Vietnam – There are MANY motorbikes
Vietnam is a country plagued by motorcycles. For the locals, it is much cheaper and simple to buy a motorcycle, than a car. Virtually anyone, drive a motorcycle in Vietnam, get used to the noise.
Tip 7 for traveling to Vietnam – You can rent a motorcycle
A very common option to travel the country is to be able to do it by motorcycle (so I talked to you at the last point). If you have never driven one, I recommend that if you are going to do it, do it with VERY careful not to have accidents.
If you don’t feel very sure about renting one, another thing you can do is hire someone to take you on your motorcycle. The service is well known throughout Vietnam and is called “Easy Rider” and consists of hiring a driver to take you around the country on your motorcycle. I highly recommend the experience, it is well worth it and the landscapes of the roads are impressive.
Tip 8 to travel to Vietnam – Don’t try to see everything
This is a tip I always give, and more with a country as big as Vietnam: Do not want to see everything in a short time, it is better to see some places well, than any of many.
Try to assemble your tour being aware of this, choose those places that you would like to know based on your preferences, but watch them calmly. Running from side to side will not leave you the same experiences, believe me.
Tip 9 for traveling to Vietnam – Leave space for improvisation
There are many alternatives to visit Vietnam, but many people only stay with the classic route of some cities to visit, and that’s it. Allow yourself to get out of the structured route a little, and take an alternative.
Many places are not in the guides, and it is worthwhile to know. Let improvisation play a little, and I assure you that this country will surprise you.
Tip 10 to travel to Vietnam – It will cost you to adapt to the chaos
In the main cities of the country, you will find a peculiar mixture of chaos, much like Vietnam. Many people, motorcycles, movement, pollution, people wanting to sell you everything, etc. It likely takes you a couple of days to get used to it, take it easy.
Tip 11 for traveling to Vietnam – There are no traffic lights in many places
Do you remember that I told you that there are many motorcycles in Vietnam? Add to that there are not many traffic lights, and you will have chaos. In addition to adapting to it, as I told you above, you will have to adapt to something as simple as walking and crossing streets.
At first, it will surely cost you a lot of work to do that last, you will see thousands of motorcycles approaching you without a break, and it will seem impossible.
Tip 12 for traveling to Vietnam – Beware of scams
The Vietnamese are usually very tricky to get more money, that you can see in practically the whole country and all situations.
People will approach you to sell you tours, to offer you to take you to your destination, to find that you buy them anything, and in many of those times, they will want to scam you to “steal” your money.
They do it in various ways, the most common is to offer you a poor service for a high price. For example, when you buy a tour, take special care, check the company beforehand ( because the Vietnamese like to copy a lot of names ), and everything that includes the service.
Be especially careful with taxi drivers. Once one of them scammed me as follows: I climbed on and put his meter normally, but it was altered. I was running too fast and I didn’t realize, in the end, I ended up charging triple.
Be careful with this. Pay close attention to your surroundings, it is difficult for someone in Vietnam to do something for you without waiting for money in return.
Tip 13 for traveling to Vietnam – Organize what you spend
The official currency is the Vietnamese Dong, a dong equals approximately USD 0.00004 (and there are no coins, only bills).
That is, it may cost you a bit of work to adapt to the number of zeros of the currency, I recommend that every time you go to buy something, look for the conversion to your local currency and use a calculator to know how much is actually what you are spending Write down everything you spend, so you won’t get any surprises.
Tip 14 for traveling to Vietnam – Cash use predominates
In almost all stores in the country, they will only accept cash. This one can be used by virtually any ATM you find.
Acceptance of cards is low, and in places where they are accepted, they usually charge a commission for use. So it is usually better to always pay with cash.
Tip 15 for traveling to Vietnam – Don’t worry too much about the language
Vietnam is such a tourist country, that practically everyone will speak at least a little English, the signs and menus in restaurants are always translated. I hope these tips for traveling to Vietnam, have helped you to give you a better idea to plan your trip.
