– Introduction to Vietnam | Vietnam travel tips
From a country with a turbulent past, to one of Asia’s most visited countries, Vietnam is a country that is now extremely popular with tourists. Going there don’t be surprised to find that most of the people you see will be tourists. From backpackers to large groups, the country is packed with tourists. This is our guide including some Vietnam travel tips to help you while planning your trip there.
Vietnam has a large history associated with it, most widely known for the years between 1965 and 1975 due to the American involvement. With a host of temples and myths, the country is a fascinating place to visit.
The rural areas are green and full of rice paddies. The coastline is famous for its rocky outcrops making up Halong Bay. The cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh are bustling and often chaotic in comparison to the rural areas.
With street restaurants and bars in abundance in the cities, Vietnamese cuisine is something you have to try while there. Eating on the street with chopsticks will make you feel you are really stepping into the culture of this amazing country.
Vietnam is a stunning country, its people are friendly and schoolkids will always interact with you. The older population who has been through many hard times will be pleasant and welcoming. Do not miss this country if planning a trip to Asia.
– What can you expect from Vietnam?
A country that has been through a lot of war in its history, yet still has some of the nicest people you could meet. Beautiful countryside and scenery, bustling cities, amazing street food, and crowds of tourists!
– How we got to Vietnam
Our flight was from Singapore to Hanoi which took about three and a half hours. On arriving we had already pre-booked the visa stamping and fast track service so we handed over our passports to the representative that met us and they dealt with it. Our family was with us and they had to hand in their application with a stamping fee of US$25 and wait to be called to collect it from the desk. After collecting it was pretty simple to go through the immigration counters.
A taxi ride from the airport in Hanoi will cost you roughly US$20 from a regular cab. When coming back to the airport see if your hotel will get you a cheaper rate as ours cost us US$11.
With the visa process, the visa for Europeans was straight forward. Apply through one of the companies online and in a matter of a few days they send an approval paper which you show to the authorities in Vietnam and they stamp your passport.
Visa Issues
However, for the Lebanese, the first issue was the cost. It was ten times more expensive than the European passport! $200 for the visa! Not only that but then they wanted to see the visa from the country we were coming from! This doesn’t make sense as they should be concerned about you being able to get out of Vietnam after your time is up!
Eventually the visa was issued and then we noticed that it expired on the day before our flight out of Vietnam! When we contacted them they said it’s as per the air ticket we sent, which it wasn’t as our flight was early in the morning of the following day! They had been following the airline check-in time not the flight time!
They refused to change it saying there would be no issue, even after we asked what happens if there’s queues or any other delays. It meant we had to make sure to be at emigration before midnight to avoid being in the country past the visa date. As it was we had to be rushed through after check-in due to a crazy long queue even though we arrived early! We explained the case to the airline staff and we made the deadline by 1 minute!
Apparently the fine is only $20 so maybe this is a way to force an extra bit of cash out of travelers we don’t know. It’s not a good system and there were a lot of things that didn’t seem right like asking for the visa of the country we were coming from and refusing to not change the visa date even though it was totally their mistake.
For visa information about other countries please click here;
https://visa.mofa.gov.vn/Homepage.aspx
– Map of Vietnam & places we were
Places we visited;
- Halong Bay
- Hanoi
– Where to stay
Vietnam has plenty of hotels to choose from, ranging from budget to high end.
If planning a trip to Halong Bay then you should definitely consider doing an overnighter on a cruise boat which is like a large Chinese junk. The cabins on these are comfortable and the experience is well worth it.
– Getting Around in Vietnam
First things first, beware of the traffic as a pedestrian! It can be extremely un-nerving and difficult to cross a street if you aren’t confident or careful! The traffic does not stop for anything! Not red lights, not people, nothing! You need to watch both sides and cross slowly; the traffic will make its way around you. But only go when you know you can make it safely. At the start of our trip it was a novelty, but soon became very annoying.
In the cities, there are taxis, scooters that you can book through the app ‘Grab’, bicycle tuk-tuks, and buses. We walked most places, but on one day we booked a ticket for the Hop On Hop Off bus in Hanoi and this was a great way to get around and go to the various landmarks in the city.
If you are getting a bus to another part of the country, as we did to Halong Bay, the driving is also quite erratic. They will overtake in what seems like a dangerous place and will swerve often to avoid something. For us, being used to Middle Eastern driving it wasn’t so bad. But for everybody else on the bus it was a nightmare and there were a good few yells and shouts of fear!
Another way to get around Vietnam is to hire a bike and travel around. If doing this you need to be extremely mindful of the constant danger of the traffic. The people in the country have grown up with it so know how to maneuver around it, as foreigners we may think we can do it but should not get complacent or too confident.
– Activities and sights
The following items are some of the things that are recommended to see and do in Vietnam;
- Take an overnight cruise in Halong Bay
- Go underground in the cave and grotto systems in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
- Visit Vietnam’s largest island of Phu Quoc
- Travel on a hydrofoil to the archipelago of Con Dao
- Travel to the biosphere reserve in the islands of Cu Lao Cham
- Ascend the 1,320 steps to the Ho Chi Minh Temple in Ba Vi National Park
- Climb the highest mountain in the Indochinese Peninsula Mount Fansipan
- Visit the Buddhist and Hindu grottos in The Marble Mountains
- Take a boat trip and see the floating markets on The Mekong Delta
- Walk through the old town of Hoi An
- See the many historical monuments in Hue
- Ride the cable car to the pagodas on the Black Virgin Mountain in Tay Ninh
- Crawl through the famous tunnel system of the Viet Cong in Cu Chi
- Experience the hustle and bustle of Hanoi Old Quarter
- Go for a hike in Sapa and the Tankinese Alps and see the terraced fields
- Take a hot air balloon ride over the white sand dunes of Mui Ne
- Go scuba diving in Nha Trang
– Food and drink
A lot of people when they go to Vietnam will try the local street foods; it’s something not to be missed! Whether it’s Vietnamese rice and noodle soup or just sitting having a beer you should definitely experience it.
Foods to try
– Bun Bo Hue is a Vietnamese beef and rice noodle soup and is one of the dishes you will see a lot in the street restaurants. It is quite an experience sitting at the low seats eating this dish with chopsticks.
– Spring rolls are famous in Vietnam and can come in either unfried or fried versions. Both are worth trying. In some places they will teach you how to make them.
– Banh Xeo is a large crispy rice crepe filled with pork, shrimp, beans, and bean sprouts.
– Bun Cha is another common food in street restaurants and is made of barbecued sliced pork served with thin rice vermicelli, fresh herbs and green vegetables, and a bowl of nuoc mam.
– Com hen is a room temperature dish created with clams, their broth, and myriad garnishes.
– Pho Bo is a dish from the north and is like a beef noodle soup. Commonly eaten for breakfast it is mixed with shallot, ginger, cardamom, anise, and cassia.
Drinks to try
– Egg coffee is unique to Hanoi and you should try it once. The egg gives a frothy and quite thick texture to the coffee but is surprisingly nice.
– For the beer drinkers, the local beers are Hanoi and Saigon.
– During your walks around Hanoi you may see women with kegs selling street beer. This is extremely cheap and is actually very nice. If you see these ladies, definitely pay them a visit!
– Additional information
Plugs and electricity: The outlets we came across were all Type C and Type F; these are the round two pin sockets.
Vaccines: It is recommended to have your Hep A, Hep B, Typhoid, and Rabies vaccines still in date before traveling. If in Vietnam for more than a month you may require a Japanese Encephalitis vaccine depending on where you are going and what time of year. You should also bring some malaria tablets.
COVID: Vietnam has currently suspended travel to the country until further notice.
Currency: The currency is the Vietnamese Dong (VND). For current conversion rates check http://www.xe.com/ before you go. You will ATMs in the cities no problem but for the local areas it’s better to have cash. Most of the stores will have credit card facilities but check with them before purchasing anything.
Language: The main language of the country is Vietnamese. In the touristy areas especially a lot will be able to communicate in English. A lot of the young people will also speak it. However if you go off the beaten track you may find it hard to find English speakers. It’s polite to learn a few basic phrases such as “hello”, “thank you”, “goodbye”. You may find yourself using a lot of hand signals in the more rural areas.
Security: Vietnam is safe and we didn’t experience any issues. However according to some people we spoke to pickpockets can be a problem in Ho Chi Minh and the Southern areas, but not so much in Hanoi. Still though it’s best not to carry anything in your pockets that could be picked. The main safety concern in Vietnam is crossing the street! Be aware that Vietnam has a great pride in its history and you need to be respectful of this and of their previous leader Ho Chi Minh.