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Welcome traveler!

We're Andre & Lisa, adventurers and experienced budget travelers.

We have over two decades of travel experience and since 2018 have led a full-time nomadic lifestyle.

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Thank you for visiting and we hope you find value in our destination pages! ​We thoroughly research and curate all content ourselves and everything you find on this site is put together by only the two of us.

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VIETNAM TRAVEL GUIDE

Vietnam is one of those countries that bring mixed emotions to travellers. Some experience only the coastal resorts and tourist hotspots and miss out on another side of Vietnam that most tourists skip - one with friendly locals and gorgeous landscape. Given its historic past, Vietnam is a country that offers a unique perspective for travellers. Blessed with a wonderfully diverse landscape, you could slip down sand dunes in the morning, take a stroll on the beach by noon and walk around a UNESCO heritage town by afternoon. During 2013 we did a 4-week cross-country trip on a small motorcycle from Ho Chi Min City to Hanoi and it proved to be a life-changing experience.

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  • Currency: Vietnamese Dong (VND) - current conversion rate here.

  • Electricity: 220V AC electricity. Power outlets are usually two-prong round or flat sockets. Be sure to carry a universal travel adaptor so you can still use all your electronic devices. If you are from a country with 110V as a standard be aware that you will need a voltage converter.

  • Safety: Generally speaking, Vietnam should be a pretty safe country visit and to travel around. There are the usual scams to watch out for, with the most common accident being motorbike related. While driving a motorbike in Vietnam is something that we recommend you do, make sure that you at least have the proper license to do so from your home country. If you plan on renting a motorcycle make sure to read our guide here first. What most people don’t realize is that even if you have travel insurance, if you don’t have a valid motorcycle license, most policies won’t cover you so make sure you look into this before your trip. You should take note that it is illegal for foreigners to ride a motorbike in Vietnam unless they are in possession of a temporary Vietnamese motorcycle license, which in turn requires you to have a current license issued by your home country/country of residence or an International Driving Permit. The major snag is that to convert your license or IDP into a temporary Vietnamese license you must hold a Vietnamese residence permit of at least three months' validity or a three-month tourist visa. This might not be possible for most visitors. Whatever you do, don’t travel without travel insurance! We would suggest checking out World Nomads or SafetyWing, for travel insurance as they have the best coverage for active travellers.

  • Language: In larger cities like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, heaps of people speak a reasonable level of English making it an easy place to travel. However, as with most foreign destinations, as soon as you venture towards smaller towns and rural regions, the level of English spoken decreases radically. Having a good grasp of a few basic Vietnamese words can go a long way, although it is not the easiest language to get to grips with. You should at least have the most common words handy such as petrol, hotel, and bathroom.

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SEASONS AT A GLANCE

Most destinations have different times of the year when they’re more or less popular with tourists. 

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Peak Season

Shoulder Season

Off Peak Season

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Climate Chart with avergae monthly temperatues and rainfall

BEST TIME TO VISIT VIETNAM

The climate of Vietnam can be a somewhat complicated matter due to its stretched geography of over 1600km and exposure to the Gulf of Thailand, the Gulf of Tonkin as well as the South China Sea. Overall the whole country has a tropical monsoon climate with a number of monsoon seasons in different parts of the country year-round.

 

May through September (summer) sees the south or south-westerly monsoon which brings rain to the two delta areas and westward-facing mountain slopes. October through April (winter) sees the north-eastern monsoon picking up moisture over the Gulf of Tonkin then dumping it along the central coast and the eastern parts of the central highlands.

 

There are some marked differences within this basic pattern which would be due to altitudes and attitude of the region. The north is prone to more distinct seasonal variation whereas the south has more constant temperatures all year round. With such a complicated weather pattern, there’s, unfortunately, no one particular time of the year to recommend as the best time for visiting Vietnam as a whole. Overall, the shoulder periods of autumn (September to December) and again spring (March to April) will probably be the most favourable if you plan on covering the whole country. During our 4-week motorcycle trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi in March 2013, we experience virtually no rain at all!

BEST TIME FOR:

The climate in Vietnam depends on where in the country you are: North, South, Coastal or Inland. The best time to go hiking in South Vietnam is from October to February when it is drier and cooler. The hottest months are March to May. The rainy season is from May to November.

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VIETNAM TRAVEL COSTS

Travelling to Vietnam can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. If you stick to just street food and hostels, travelling to Vietnam is incredibly cheap with a reasonable budget of around $25-30 being adequate. While the conversions can get a bit tricky (you’re always a millionaire in Vietnam), you will eventually get used to it. Excluding our flights to Vietnam, we averaged $76 per day for the two of us - which included buying a bike and staying in mid-range accommodation. If you want to learn more about what we spent during our 26-day motorcycle trip have a look at our Vietnam Budget Report.

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TRAVEL TIPS FOR VIETNAM

Vietnam is a long skinny country, and if sitting on a bus or train for 11 hours is not your idea of a fun time, you may well want to consider domestic flights. Skyscanner.com or Kiwi.com are handy tools for finding great flight deals. However, transport from one place to the next is fairly easy in Vietnam and is quite efficient. We recommend using BookAway or 12Go website to view bus and boat schedules ahead of time as these are often sold out well in advance, particularly in the busier seasons.

REGIONS & HIGHLIGHTS OF VIETNAM

Seeing that Vietnam is such a big and diverse country, there are heaps of incredible things to do, making it a one-stop-shop country for both culture and adventure.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN VIETNAM

Go on a Vietnamese Food Tour

Next to Thailand, Vietnam is on the top of the list of favorite places for street food in Southeast Asia. The best thing about it is the street food is dirt cheap with a bowl of authentic Pho starting at a mere $1.

 

If you’re unsure about what to eat while in the country, we highly recommend going on a food tour to get you introduced to all the local Vietnamese delicacies. Listed below are a few of our top food tour recommendations in most of the cities.

  • Hanoi Guided Street Food Tour - If you’re looking for an authentic guide to take you around some of the best street eats in Hanoi, we highly recommend this tour. It’s fun, interactive, and really takes you to some pretty unique places.
  • Ho Chi Minh Scooter Food Tour - If you want to do as the locals do, travel around on a scooter to 5 local food joints with a local guide as they take you to sample the best of Saigon’s street food and beer.
  • Hoi An Night Food Tour - Hoi An is a beautiful city with tons of delicious food. Discover them all with a local guide as you sample your way to some of Hoi An’s specialty cuisine.

 

Take a Vietnamese Cooking Class

Vietnamese cuisine is remarkably diverse and one of the many highlights of a visit to this incredible country. There are lots of cooking class options in Hanoi, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh. Make sure to pick a class with a market-visit so that you can experience the local market as part of the process.

 

Buy a Motorbike and Travel from North to South Vietnam

The best part about buying a motorbike was being able to stop in smaller, less touristy towns and really interact with locals. In 2013 we bought Jerry for around $400 and sold it for almost the same price a month later. If you’re an avid motorbike person or if you simply want to take on this once in a lifetime adventure, check out our posts on travelling around Vietnam on a motorbike.

If you don’t know how to drive a motorbike (or are not properly licensed or insured), you can opt for a motorbike tour along some of the best routes. Listed below are a few of our recommendations.

 

  • Dalat City Easy Rider Tours – If you’re in the area, we highly recommend going on one of these motorcycle tours. Not only are the guides amazing (old Vietnamese veterans) but the roads around the area are top-notch! This tour is best booked ahead as they do fill up.
  • Discover Saigon with a Local – If you want to see Ho Chi Minh City through the eyes of a local, hop on a motorcycle and zip around some of the best places in the city.
  • Hai Van Pass Motorcycle Tour – If you want to experience some of the most scenic roads in Vietnam, then this tour is a must. Featured in Top gear and other popular shows, this tour allows you to enjoy the scenery while being safely driven by experienced riders.
  • Hai Van Pass Jeep Tour – Alternatively, if you’re not comfortable on a motorcycle, you can also do this tour on an open-air jeepney which just adds to the fun of it.

 

Explore Hoi An

Hoi An in Vietnam is one of our favourite towns in Vietnam, mainly due to its incredible food and atmosphere. The best way to explore is by renting a bicycle and make your way around the old town and to the nearby beaches. If you have room in your bag you can have quality garments custom-tailored in a day or two. Hoi An can be a bit overwhelming as the town is almost a theme-park like and some sellers can be a bit pushy but it is an incredible place to experience first-hand.

Explore the City of Hanoi

Hanoi feels a little bit more relaxed compared to Ho Chi Minh. Some of the best things to do in Hanoi is just to stroll around the scenic Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter. From Hanoi, you can easily arrange trips to Halong Bay, Ninh Binh, and Sapa. In Hanoi, beer is cheaper than water which makes can for some fun evenings. Although Hanoi has loads of trendy clubs and restaurants, if you want a more authentic experience, grab a stool at one of the many curbside local Vietnamese eateries and wash your food down with some cold local beer on tap. There’s absolutely nothing like it and it's what locals do on a daily basis.

 

Hike in Sapa

By far, one of the best things to do in the north of Vietnam is to go hiking in Sapa. You can opt for a 2-day trek with a homestay experience or a bus/trekking combination tour which also takes care of your transport - making the entire experience easy and convenient.

 

Go on a Halong Bay Cruise

Although we really enjoyed our trip to Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island, next time we would opt to go to other locations a bit further as the immediate Halong Bay area can be very busy. Alternatives would be to rather opt for a cruise aboard a ship that heads to Cat Ba Island, Lan Ha Bay, and Bai Tu Long Bay. As these parts are much further away from the busy ports, waters are much less crowded and dirty, actually allowing you time to take in the beauty of the incredible limestone cliffs.

 

Explore Ho Chi Minh City

If you can get over the chaos, the hooting and the constant barrage of motorbikes coming from every direction, the metropolitan city of Ho Chi Minh can be pretty interesting. It sports some lassy rooftop bars, an emerging craft beer movement, and an incredible array of food options.

In Ho Chi Minh you can visit the War Remnants Museum, the Reunification Palace, and the Notre Dame Cathedral for a taste of local history and culture. Take your time, explore on foot, and seek out Pham Ngu Lao (the Vietnam version of Khao San Road), for some cheap street food and even cheaper beer! The best part about Ho Chi Minh is its accessibility to day trips to the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong River.