{"id":298842,"date":"2025-06-17T12:32:42","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T12:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/som2nynetwork.com\/uncategorized\/beginners-guide-to-vietnam-for-first-time-travellers\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T12:32:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T12:32:42","slug":"beginners-guide-to-vietnam-for-first-time-travellers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/som2nynetwork.com\/?p=298842","title":{"rendered":"Beginners Guide to Vietnam for First-Time Travellers"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Beginners Guide to Vietnam for First-Time Travellers<\/h2>\n

Vietnam is on many travel lists these days. It is becoming one of the most popular countries to visit in Asia as it is developed enough to be comfortable for tourists, but still retains its authentic culture. The Beginners Guide to Vietnam for first-time travellers will cover everything you need to know \u2013 from getting a visa to where to go, and from learning about safety, scams and money to food, language, and culture. This guest post is by Dustin Kemp, a long-time resident of Vietnam who is sharing his best tips, advice, and recommendations for visiting Vietnam.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been living happily in Vietnam for a decade and have seen many tourists fall in love with the country during their time here. Unfortunately, I\u2019ve also seen that a lot of first-time visitors, especially those who are not experienced travelers, have trouble navigating the country. They are often intimidated by the language barrier and the cultural differences, and it prevents them from fully enjoying the country\u2019s beauty despite its great tourist infrastructure.<\/p>\n

In this guide, I\u2019ll go through every aspect of traveling in Vietnam that beginners need to know, from getting a visa to making your way around the country to avoiding scams. Of course, I\u2019ll also convey a bit of why I love Vietnam so much and why you will too.<\/p>\n

Guest writer Dustin Kemp <\/a>is a culture aficionado who fell in love with Vietnam 10 years ago and has been living there and writing about Southeast Asia ever since.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Street\"Street
Street in Hanoi, Vietnam with train tracks running through. Photo credit iStock.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What makes Vietnam a unique travel destination for cultural experiences?<\/h3>\n

Vietnam is one of the most exciting and underrated travel destinations on earth. The population of 100 million people including 52 officially-recognized minority tribes makes the country very culturally diverse.<\/p>\n

Adding to the ethnic diversity is Vietnam\u2019s history of interaction with other cultures. The Chinese, the Japanese, the French, and the Americans all occupied Vietnam at one time, and their influences flavored the traditional culture to create utterly unique foods, customs, and experiences.<\/p>\n

The diverse nation has three distinct regions: the misty and mountainous Northern Vietnam, the rustic and unexplored Central Vietnam, and the tropical and sunny Southern Vietnam. All three regions have their own variation on the intoxicating cultural cocktail of the country. If you\u2019re anything like me (and I\u2019d guess you are if you\u2019re reading this blog), the result will likely be a collection of unique memories and rich cultural experiences you\u2019ll carry with you forever.<\/p>\n

Getting Your Vietnam Visa<\/h3>\n

The very first thing you\u2019ll need to consider is getting your Vietnam visa. Luckily, it\u2019s a fairly straightforward process. As long as you can follow directions to a T, you don\u2019t need to deal with visa agents, embassies, or any other third parties to get your Vietnam visa. Instead, just start up your internet browser and follow these steps:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Go to Vietnam\u2019s evisa application platform<\/a>. There are lots of visa scam sites that either charge inflated prices for visas or just steal your money, so be sure to use this link.<\/li>\n
  2. Continue to the application form, where you\u2019ll need to upload a passport picture and a scan of your passport page in addition to filling in personal information. The most important info is your full name, passport number, entry and exit dates, and other dates printed on your passport. If any of it is entered incorrectly, you\u2019ll have to reapply for the visa. NOTE: If you have a middle name, it needs to be entered in the \u201cgiven name\u201d field. For example, John Henry Doe would enter \u201cDoe\u201d as his surname and \u201cJohn Henry\u201d as his given name.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. On the next page, double- and triple-check the information you entered to make sure it\u2019s correct.<\/li>\n
  4. On the final page of the immigration portal, select your credit card type and enter in your card info. Agree to the payment terms and the page will process your payment. You sometimes need to click the \u201cpay now\u201d button twice \u2013 the page will display a \u201cprocessing\u201d animation to let you know when it\u2019s working on the payment.<\/li>\n
  5. Immediately after the payment is made, you\u2019ll receive an email to the address you entered on the application. The email will include, among other things, a confirmation code and a link to the Vietnam visa database page.<\/li>\n
  6. After 3\u20135 business days, go to the Vietnam visa database linked in the email and enter the confirmation code you got in your email along with your birth date and email to look up the status of your e-visa. If you entered everything correctly, the visa should have been processed successfully and you can download the file. Just to be safe, make sure all the info on the issued visa is correct.<\/li>\n
  7. Print your e-visa and have a copy handy to present to both the check-in attendant at your departure airport and the immigration officer at the Vietnam airport.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Note that there are a few countries with Vietnam visa exemptions<\/a>. Most visitors, though, including ones from India, Canada, and the USA, need to apply for an e-visa following the steps above.<\/p>\n

    \"Ha\"Ha
    Beautiful Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. Photo credit iStock.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Flying into Vietnam<\/h3>\n

    Vietnam has two major international airports: Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi<\/strong> and Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City<\/strong>. Fly into Hanoi if you\u2019re starting your journey in the north of the country and fly into HCMC if you\u2019re beginning in southern Vietnam. You can take a domestic flight directly from either of these airports to another big city in Vietnam if you want to begin your trip elsewhere.<\/p>\n

    Vietnam also has several other airports that are technically international, like those in Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Phu Quoc. However, they generally only offer more expensive flights to and from a small selection of nearby foreign countries like China and South Korea.<\/p>\n

    Getting Around Vietnam<\/h3>\n

    This is one of my favourite parts about traveling in Vietnam: it\u2019s so easy to get around, whether you\u2019re traveling a few kilometres or from one city to another.<\/p>\n

    In the city<\/h4>\n

    My two recommendations for traveling within the cities in Vietnam are Grab and public bus.<\/p>\n

    When traveling in the city, the app \u201cGrab\u201d<\/strong> is your best friend. It\u2019s essentially the Southeast Asian equivalent of Uber. Like Uber, you enter your destination and it detects your current location via GPS. It then tells you the price for a car or a cheaper motorbike taxi to the destination.<\/p>\n

    The motorbike taxi option can only accommodate 1 passenger and no luggage, but I\u2019d recommend trying it out if you are riding solo. Feeling the wind whip through your hair as you cruise the city is lots of fun, and Grab bikes are actually very safe.<\/p>\n

    Grab cars or bikes are usually cheaper than taxis and are a good way to avoid taxi scams, which are extremely common (more on that in the \u201cavoiding scams\u201d section later on).<\/p>\n

    For a more adventurous and immersive cultural experience, public buses in Vietnam<\/strong> are great too. Google Maps provides accurate bus routes to get to any location you enter. Vietnamese buses don\u2019t generally abide by their scheduled arrival times, but the routes usually run every few minutes so it\u2019s not an issue.<\/p>\n

    When your bus gets to your stop, step on and pay the fare, which is always less than 10,000 Vietnamese dong (VND). Your fellow riders will often be a diverse sampling of Vietnamese city life, from young students with backpacks and books to old ladies carrying home their street food yokes after a day of selling. The experience won\u2019t be as comfortable or convenient as Grab, but some of my most culturally rich memories of urban Vietnam were formed on public buses.<\/p>\n

    In between cities<\/h4>\n

    The four best options for traveling between cities are plane, bus, train, and private car.<\/p>\n

    Domestic flights<\/strong> in between cities are obviously the fastest option, but also the most expensive. The best part, though, is that domestic air travel in Vietnam is hassle-free, much like it was in the USA before TSA existed. I\u2019d recommend Vietnam Airlines<\/a> for domestic travel if cost isn\u2019t an issue and Vietjet<\/a> for budget flights.<\/p>\n

    The cross-country bus system<\/strong> in Vietnam is incredible. Tickets are a fraction of the price of planes and most people can fully recline in the sleeper seats provided. The highways the buses take are pretty smooth, too, so you\u2019ll likely be able to sleep for most of the ride. The journey will of course take longer than a plane, but you can just buy a ticket on a night bus and save money on a hotel for the night. 12Go<\/a> is my favorite site for finding inter-city bus tickets in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

    I love Vietnam\u2019s national railway system<\/strong>, too. It has only one line: the North-South railroad, which runs through almost every city you might want to visit. Riding the train takes almost the same amount of time as driving across Vietnam, but the landscapes that fly by the window are some of the most beautiful you\u2019re likely to encounter in the country. 12Go is also great for Vietnam train tickets, as is the official site of Vietnam Railways<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Private car<\/strong> is the most convenient way to get from city to city in Vietnam and it may also be cost-efficient if you\u2019re traveling in a large group. The best option for finding a private car is generally the Grab ride-hailing app mentioned above.<\/p>\n

    \"Street\"Street
    Street market in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo credit iStock.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Dealing With Money In Vietnam<\/h3>\n

    Vietnam\u2019s currency is the Vietnamese Dong, abbreviated as VND. It\u2019s gone through a lot of inflation over the last 50 years and is now used only in denominations divisible by 1000. The different denominations of VND bill, the colour of the bill, and each bill\u2019s approximate value in USD are:<\/p>\n

    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Bill Denomination<\/strong><\/td>\nBill Colour<\/strong><\/td>\nBill Value (USD)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    1K<\/td>\nPaper White<\/td>\n0.04<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    2K<\/td>\nPaper White<\/td>\n0.08<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    5K<\/td>\nWhite and Blue<\/td>\n0.20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    10K<\/td>\nYellow , Red, Green<\/td>\n0.40<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    20K<\/td>\nBlue<\/td>\n0.80<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    50K<\/td>\nPale Red<\/td>\n2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    100K<\/td>\nGreen<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    200K<\/td>\nGolden, Blue, Red<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    500K<\/td>\nTeal<\/td>\n20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

    Vietnam is a largely cash-based economy. Credit cards are still only accepted in a few businesses like hotels, nice restaurants, and convenience stores, and most vendors will only accept cash. Because of that, you will need to get hold of local currency either by withdrawing at an ATM or by exchanging your local currency.<\/p>\n

    Vietnamese cities have ATMS on almost every street, and even rural towns will probably have a few scattered about. However, you should avoid using ATMs at locations not attached to a bank so as to avoid the ATM card-skimming scam.<\/p>\n

    Most Vietnamese ATMs<\/strong> accept any Visa or Mastercard. Unfortunately, many banks that issue them charge large fees for withdrawing from a foreign ATM. If you are lucky enough to have a card that does not charge withdrawal fees, like a card at Charles Schwab Bank in the US or the Niyo Global Card in India, it\u2019s a fantastic option.<\/p>\n

    You can also apply for a Wise ATM Card<\/a> before you leave home and top it up with your local currency. You can then switch to VND once you\u2019re in Vietnam to use it like a Vietnamese ATM card. You can even switch back to your home currency after your trip, which lets you spend all of your leftover money on the card. This is my favourite method for using ATMs abroad.<\/p>\n

    You\u2019ll get the best exchange rates if you exchange cash for VND<\/strong> before you leave home. If you are already in Vietnam and need to exchange cash, though, use Google Maps to locate the best-rated money exchange location in your area. Make sure the shop you choose has a good number of ratings (at least 50) and not just a high rating based on a few reviews.<\/p>\n

    I\u2019d recommend the equivalent of 65 USD per day per person<\/strong> as a good amount to exchange. This fee should cover hotels, food, transport and activities for a mid-range traveler. Of course, you might spend more or less depending on your tastes.<\/p>\n

    \"Hue,\"Hue,
    Hue, Vietnam. Photo credit iStock.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Finding Tours in Vietnam<\/h3>\n

    My #1 tip for people finding tours in Vietnam is this: don\u2019t use international booking sites like Tripadvisor. <\/strong>That kind of site will present you with activity options that are overpriced and largely inauthentic. This advice is especially applicable to Vietnam tours, because fake reviews are a fairly large problem in the Vietnamese travel industry.<\/p>\n

    Instead, look for tours from local operators<\/strong> who are still large enough to have an online presence. You\u2019ll probably have to comb through a few Google results to find tour pages that fit that description, but it should only take a few minutes after searching for \u201c[your destination] tours\u201d to find several great non-corporate options.<\/p>\n

    The best Vietnam tours will have positive reviews from third parties with no obvious financial incentive to plug the tour. For example, it is a great sign if an international travel blog by someone who visited Vietnam reviews a tour positively. A positive testimonial for a tour on the site of the tour company is nice to see, but understand that it is quite possibly fake or at least coerced.<\/p>\n

    Exploring Vietnam Without A Tour<\/h3>\n

    If you feel up to it, I\u2019d recommend exploring Vietnam sans tour for at least part of your trip. You can start with a tour, and then when you are comfortable, travel on your own. This is a good option for countries like India, too, where a beginners tour<\/a> can get you started. The beauty of the country and the extraordinarily friendly locals make it a great place to form memories even without a tour guide.<\/p>\n

    In my experience, Vietnam\u2019s cities are easier to explore without a tour than any other cities in Southeast Asia. There are a few reasons for that, including:<\/p>\n