Vietnam Travel Guide - Things to Know Before Traveling to Vietnam

Vietnam is a beautiful country to visit. Rich in culture and history, with stunning landscapes and busy cities, Vietnam will impress you from beginning to end.

Keep on reading to discover everything you need to know before traveling to Vietnam, from useful information to funny facts!

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Planning your Vietnam itinerary

Vietnam probably is the easiest country when it comes to planning your itinerary. You’ll just have to decide where you start, either Hanoi, and then, make your way south, or Ho Chi Minh, and go the other way around.

If you want to visit all of Vietnam, you’ll need at least 6 weeks. One month is doable but you’ll have to hurry.

If you have less than 2 weeks, I would advise focusing on either the north or the south part of Vietnam (I preferred the north). In the north, there are plenty of things to do in Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Sapa, Ha Giang, and Ninh Binh.

In the south, you can explore Ho Chi Minh and its surroundings, spend a couple of days around the Mekong Delta, visit the sand dunes in Mui Né and the beach in Nha Trang and finally enjoy a cooler climate in the hill station of Dalat.

If you have time, you can add Hué and Hoi An to your itinerary, both are stunning Unesco Vietnamese landmarks.

There are also many gorgeous beaches in Vietnam you can add to your itinerary if you want to relax for a few days.

Getting out-of-the-beaten-path

Vietnam is a touristy country, and some places can really feel crowded. But don’t worry, if you like less-visited places, Vietnam is a gold mine.

Most tourists only visit the Mekong Delta as a day trip from Ho Chi Minh. Don’t hesitate to go deeper into the area and stay for a couple of days. You’ll be able to witness traditional living and learn about the local culture.

There’s also a less-known aspect of Vietnam: its ethnic minorities. You can meet the tribes and learn about their culture in places like Kon Tum and Ha Giang. Most tourists skip these places as it’s harder to reach and not well-known. Ha Giang is getting more and more visitors each year though, but it’s still reasonable.

Another great site looked over by tourists, is the ancient capital of the Cham people: My Son. You can easily take a day trip from Hoi An or Danang to visit the ruins and be practically alone there.

Discovering Caodaism is also a “special” experience. This religion, specific to Vietnam, is a mix of all the religions that exist. There are a couple of temples in Vietnam you can visit, the most frequented is in Tay Ninh, not far from Saigon. You can also visit the one in Danang.

Vietnamese Food

The food in Vietnam is just amazing, so fresh, so tasty, with a lot of veggies and herbs, perfect for me.

The most famous dish is the Pho, a noodle soup, each place has its own twist of the original recipe. Also, try the Banh Mi, the tastiest sandwich I’ve ever had. The spring rolls are delicious as well.

The list of tasty food would be too long to enumerate so just go ahead and try.

Keep in mind that Vietnamese people eat a lot of different types of meat (such as dogs for instance) so beware of what you order, especially outside of the big cities. If you’re allergic to seafood, be careful, they tend to add shrimp paste/squid sauce… to most dishes.

Getting around Vietnam – Best ways to travel around Vietnam

If you are wondering how to travel around Vietnam, getting around in Vietnam is actually pretty easy.

To get from city to city you can either take the bus or go by train. The buses are comfortable, all with AC, in the night ones, you will get a bed (a bit small if you’re more than 170 cm or 5,6).

You can buy a ticket going from Hanoi to HCMC (and vice versa) including all the stops you want to make and with open dates. It’s actually cheaper than buying the tickets each time. Bus companies as well as the train offer this service.

In Hanoi and HCMC you’ll find good public transportation, just use Google Maps, all the lines are in it. In other major cities, you can use Grab or Uber, they either have cars or motorbikes. In smaller cities, you’ll need to take a cab or a moto-taxi.

Hitchhiking in Vietnam is not really a thing, you can try but most people won’t understand what you’re doing.

Many backpackers choose to buy a motorbike to visit Vietnam, it’s quite common. You can either buy it from a backpacker who finished his trip (check the Facebook groups) or from a mechanic.

If you know nothing about mechanics it’s a gamble. There’s no way to tell how many kilometers the bike has done as they always unplug the counter, so you can check the basics but you can never be sure.

The prices are usually around 250 USD, insurance is not mandatory and doesn’t cover much anyway, you’re allowed to own the motorbike but you can’t put it under your name.

Weather in Vietnam

When traveling in the North, keep in mind that they have a cold winter there. Although it sometimes snows, Hanoi is usually ok but if you go to the mountains, it gets really cold. You should pack accordingly if you’re planning to visit North Vietnam between November and March. The rainy season in the North is from May to October.

In Central Vietnam, the weather is dry between January and August. The heaviest rainfalls are recorded from September to November. (I was there in October and it almost never rained)

In the South, the dry season is between November and April, then it starts to get really humid. The heaviest rainfalls are recorded between July and August.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the rainy season, because nowadays the weather is really changing. You can be there during the official dry season and experience a lot of rain and almost none during the rainy season. If the rainy season comes as scheduled, it will usually be short heavy rains in the evening.