Vietnam

What to see: Ha Long Bay is still the headline act, but for quiet water and cleaner swimming head next door to Lan Ha Bay. Day tours from Hanoi are exhausting, so pick a cruise with a night on board.

Ninh Binh: Worth a trip for the rowing-boat route through Trang An. Limestone towers rising straight out of the rice paddies are arguably more striking than the sea views. You can do it in a day if you take an early bus out of the capital.

Hue: The Imperial Citadel and the royal tombs are a portal into the Nguyen dynasty. The city feels sleepy after frantic Hanoi, but this is where the country's history is kept.

Cu Chi: The legendary guerrilla tunnel network sits a couple of hours from Saigon. The tunnels have been widened for visitors, but anyone claustrophobic will still find it uncomfortable inside.

Golden Bridge: Those giant stone hands at Ba Na Hills are the most photographed spot in central Vietnam. Turn up right at opening or you will share every frame with a few hundred other people.

Hai Van Pass: The best way to see this coastline is the train from Da Nang to Hue. The track runs right along the cliff edge above turquoise water for most of the journey.

Fansipan: The modern cable car gets you to the roof of Indochina in twenty minutes. The view over the cloud layer and the ranges beyond is worth every dong.

Currency: The dong trades at roughly 26,000 to the US dollar. All those zeros catch people out constantly, so check the denomination carefully every time you hand a note over.

Exchange: The best rates come from gold and jewellery shops in the tourist quarters. Airport counters are noticeably worse, so change only enough there to cover a taxi into town.

Cards: Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in cities and Amex much less so. ATMs are everywhere, though most charge a per-withdrawal fee, so take out larger amounts less often. A Wise or Revolut card keeps the conversion cost down.

Cash: In big cities you can tap a terminal even in a coffee shop. But markets, street kitchens and motorbike rental all run on cash dong only, so never let your wallet run empty.

Tipping: Not traditionally expected, though rounding up is appreciated in cafes and by drivers. Spas, tour guides and hotel porters do now count on a small tip.

Item	Price (USD)
Bowl of pho on the street	1.5
Banh mi sandwich	1.0
Vietnamese coffee	1.2
Lunch at a local cafe	4.0
Restaurant dinner	12.0
Local beer 0.33	0.8
Hostel dorm bed	7.0
Guesthouse room	18.0
SIM card, one month	10.0
Da Nang to Hue train	6.0
Ha Long Bay entry	13.0
Sleeper bus	15.0
Grab bike, 5 km	1.5
Motorbike rental per day	7.0

Getting there: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City both take long-haul flights, usually via Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Singapore or Bangkok from Europe, and via Seoul, Tokyo or Taipei from North America. Regional low-cost carriers make hopping in from Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur very cheap indeed.

Domestic flights: Flying is the fastest way between regions. Budget carriers such as VietJet often sell seats for less than a sleeper train berth costs.

Trains: The Reunification Express links Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Choose the SE3 or SE4 services, which have the newest carriages and air-conditioned four-berth soft sleepers.

Sleeper buses: Intercity sleepers are the budget option, with flat bunks instead of seats and a blanket and bottle of water handed out as you board.

Ride hailing: Install Grab before you arrive. It removes any argument about the meter and lets you order either a car or a cheap motorbike taxi.

Motorbike rental: A scooter buys real freedom but demands confidence in dense traffic. In the popular towns expect 150,000 to 200,000 dong for a full day.

Metro and ferries: Ho Chi Minh City opened its first metro line at the end of 2024, which beats the traffic out to the eastern districts. Fast passenger ferries also run from the city to Vung Tau in about ninety minutes.

Choosing an area: In Saigon, District 1 puts you next to the sights and District 3 gives you quiet. Cheap beds cluster in the alleys off Bui Vien, the main backpacker street.

Guesthouses: Family-run hotels give the best value in the country. Twenty dollars buys a clean air-conditioned room with fast internet and genuinely warm service.

Homestays: In Sapa and Ninh Binh pick something out in the countryside. A balcony over the rice terraces or the karst towers repays the extra few kilometres from the centre.

Phu Quoc: Long Beach suits anyone who wants infrastructure and sunsets. For calm water and far fewer people, go for Ong Lang beach instead.

Booking: Agoda tends to have the best inventory in Asia. It is often smarter to book only the first two nights and negotiate a longer-stay discount in person.

Standards: Air conditioning and a fridge are normal even in cheap hotels. Always read the wifi reviews if you plan to work while travelling.

Watch out for: Rooms in Hanoi's old quarter are sometimes windowless, which is a quirk of how those buildings were made. Study the photos and the room description before you confirm.

Pho: The national breakfast is at its best in Hanoi. Look for the places where Vietnamese people are eating, perched on tiny plastic stools right on the pavement.

Banh mi: A crackling baguette with pate and pork, left over from the French era. The best in the country come out of Hoi An, loaded with secret sauces and heaps of herbs.

Bun cha: Grilled pork with rice noodles and a sweet-sour dipping broth has become properly famous. It is filling, immediately likeable and perfect for a substantial lunch.

Coffee: Vietnamese coffee is very strong and comes with condensed milk as standard. In Hanoi you must try egg coffee, which tastes remarkably like a soft tiramisu.

Street food: Eat where turnover is high and ingredients are visibly fresh. Skip ice in drinks at questionable places so you do not lose days of your trip to a stomach bug.

Seafood: Coastal towns like Nha Trang have restaurants with live tanks. You pick the fish or prawns yourself and they come off the grill within minutes.

Fruit: Markets are piled with ripe mango, passionfruit and dragon fruit. Do not be shy about buying pre-cut fruit in sealed boxes, which is very handy on travel days.

Traffic: The single biggest hazard is the road. Cross slowly and predictably, because riders are used to flowing around pedestrians who do not make sudden movements.

Theft: Bag snatching from passing motorbikes does happen in Ho Chi Minh City. Wear a backpack on both straps and never hold your phone out near the kerb while navigating.

Taxis: Avoid unmarked cars touting at airports. Order through Grab, or use the green Mai Linh taxis, which run strictly on the meter.

Sun: Tropical sun is deceptive even under cloud. Use factor 50 and wear a hat, since heatstroke ruins more holidays here than anything else.

Overcharging: Market prices and tour prices quoted to foreigners can be several times the real rate. Ask the price up front and haggle with a smile rather than an argument.

Water: Never drink from the tap. Bottled water costs almost nothing, and ice in decent cafes is made commercially from filtered water.

Health: Carry a basic kit and proper travel insurance. Medical care in the big cities is genuinely good, but treatment costs for uninsured foreigners can be brutal. Check your own government's travel advisory before you go.

Shoes: Take them off before entering a private home or a Buddhist temple. They are usually left right on the threshold, and it is the most basic courtesy you can offer.

Dress: For pagodas and imperial palaces, cover shoulders and knees. Vietnamese people are conservative about religion, so dress accordingly at any sacred site.

Face: The idea of saving face runs deep across Asia. Avoid open confrontation and do not raise your voice, even if you have a genuine dispute with a driver.

Chopsticks: Never stand chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice, which mimics funeral incense and reads as a bad omen. Rest them on the edge of the plate or on the holder.

Heads: Do not touch anyone on the head, including small children. In Buddhist thinking the head is the sacred part of the body and touching it is plain rude.

Haggling: Bargaining in a market is a social game, not a fight. Smile, name your price, and be willing to walk away, which is usually what earns the discount.

Gifts: If you are invited to someone's home, bring fruit or nicely wrapped sweets. Give and receive gifts with both hands as a mark of respect.

Language: English works in hotels and tourist cafes, but in the provinces you will be miming. Download an offline translator so you are not dependent on a signal.

SIM cards: You can buy a local SIM at the airport in ten minutes. Viettel has the best coverage, including the mountains and the far corners of Phu Quoc.

eSIM: If your phone supports eSIM, load a data package before you fly. That way you can order a ride the moment you land instead of queuing at an operator counter.

Internet: Free wifi is in practically every street-side eatery, the password usually written on the wall, and the speed is fine for working remotely.

Messaging: Install Zalo, and keep Telegram or WhatsApp too. Vietnamese guides and property owners run their businesses through Zalo and reply there far faster than by email.

Gestures: Beckoning with a single finger is rude. To call a waiter, hold your palm downwards and make a light scooping motion towards yourself.

Pronunciation: Vietnamese is tonal, so your attempts will rarely be understood on the first go. Always carry the hotel address written out in Vietnamese, and note that English menus and signs thin out fast outside tourist areas.

English	Vietnamese	Pronunciation
Hello	Xin chào	sin CHOW
Thank you	Cảm ơn	gam UHN
How much is it?	Bao nhiêu tiền?	bow NYEW tyen
That's expensive!	Đắt quá!	daht KWAH
Any discount?	Giảm giá?	zam ZAH
Yes	Vâng	vung
No	Không	khome
The bill, please	Tính tiền	ting tyen
Very tasty	Ngon quá	ngon KWAH
Spicy	Cay	kai
Not spicy	Không cay	khome kai
Water	Nước	nuuk
Beer	Bia	bee-a
Ice	Đá	dah
Toilet	Nhà vệ sinh	nya ve sing
Left	Bên trái	ben chai
Right	Bên phải	ben fai
Help me!	Cứu tôi!	koo toy
Cheers! (one two three, go)	Một, hai, ba, dô!	mote hai ba yo
Handsome guy	Đẹp trai	dep chai
Pretty girl	Đẹp gái	dep gai
No problem	Không sao	khome sow

Apps: Grab for getting around and Google Maps for navigation are the essentials. 12Go Asia lets you book buses and trains without hunting down a ticket office.

Sockets: Most places take standard two-pin European plugs and run on 220V. If you are coming from the UK or North America, bring an adapter, but nothing more elaborate.

Medical kit: Alongside plasters, pack something for an upset stomach and a strong repellent. Sandflies on rural beaches are relentless and their bites last for days.

Translation: The camera mode in Google Translate handles menus surprisingly well. That saves you in non-tourist cafes where there are no pictures and no English at all.

Documents: Keep digital copies of your passport and insurance in the cloud. Motorbike rental shops often ask to hold your actual passport, so offer a cash deposit instead.

Offline maps: Download the map areas in advance. Signal drops in the mountains and at sea, and offline navigation also lets you check that a driver is going the right way.

Local messaging: Zalo is worth installing purely to reach guesthouse owners quickly. They tend to answer there much faster than through a booking platform's chat.