Your Vietnam travel guide.
Visas, weather, money, SIM cards, getting around, culture, safety, and the routes off the well-worn path — everything before you land.
Prefer the original guide? Flip through it page by page →Before you go
Visa & entry requirements
E-visa (all nationalities)
Valid for 90 days, single or multiple entry. USD 25 (single-entry) / USD 50 (multiple-entry). Apply only through Vietnam's official e-Visa portal. Processing takes about 3 working days, accepted at 80+ entry points nationwide (airports, land borders, seaports).
evisa.gov.vn →Unilateral visa exemption
Citizens of a growing list of countries (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Nordic countries, and more) can enter visa-free for 14–45 days depending on nationality. Policies change — always check before you travel.
ASEAN exemptions
Most ASEAN nationalities (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.) enjoy 14–30 days visa-free for tourism.
Phu Quoc Island exemption
All nationalities may enter visa-free for up to 30 days if staying only on Phu Quoc Island.
Visa requirements vary by nationality — check the official Vietnam e-Visa websites before traveling: thithucdientu.gov.vn (e-visa) or vietnam.travel.
Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months and have blank pages available.
Plan your dates
Weather by region
The North
Hanoi · Sa Pa · Ninh Bình · Ha Long
Best time: Mar–Apr | Sep–Nov
- Nov–Feb: cold
- Jun–Aug: hot & rain
- Jul–Aug: typhoon season
The Central
Da Nang · Hue · Hoi An
Best time: Feb–May
- Feb–Aug: dry season
- Sep–Jan: wet / typhoon season
The South
Ho Chi Minh City · Mekong Delta · Phu Quoc
Best time: Dec–Apr
- Dec–Apr: dry season
- May–Nov: wet season
Weather can be unpredictable at the edges of each season — build in a flexible day or two where you can.
Check the weather with our community here →Pack smart
What to pack
Money & currency
Currency: Vietnamese Dong (VND)
Cash
Essential for street food, local markets, and rural areas. Carry small notes for everyday purchases.
Cards & digital payments
Credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, shopping malls, and larger restaurants — small shops and street stalls are still largely cash or QR-only.
Currency exchange
Banks and licensed exchange counters offer reliable rates. Airport counters are convenient but often less competitive.
ATMs
Easy to find in cities, limited in remote destinations. Withdraw enough cash before heading to rural or mountainous areas.
Most ATMs charge 20,000–55,000 VND (~USD 0.80–2.20) per withdrawal. TPBank and VPBank are known for fee-free withdrawals on many international cards — check with your card issuer.
Card transaction fees run 1–3% for Visa/Mastercard. Apple Pay and Google Pay usually carry no extra fee where accepted.
Stay connected
SIM cards & data
Viettel
Largest network with the widest rural and mountain coverage — the safest choice for remote areas. Tourist SIMs run ~60,000–200,000 VND (USD 2–8) for 15–30 days of data.
Vinaphone & MobiFone
Reliable in cities and along main tourist routes, slightly weaker in deep rural or mountainous terrain. eSIM plans usually include a local +84 number — handy for Grab, OTP, and bookings.
Airalo / Holafly (eSIM)
Convenient if your phone supports eSIM — activate before you fly, or buy an official carrier eSIM (passport registration required) on arrival.
Where to buy
At the airport
Convenient on arrival, but prices are often higher.
Official carrier stores
Viettel, Vinaphone, MobiFone — reliable service, passport required for registration.
Online eSIM
Purchase before your trip and activate with a QR code.
On the ground
Getting around
Green SM, Grab and Be can all be booked directly from your phone — download before you land.
Grab
The most widely used ride-hailing app in Vietnam — cars, motorbikes, food delivery, airport transfers.
Download →Around the city
Motorbike taxi (app-based)
Green SM, Grab or Be — cheap and convenient, fares are fixed in-app so there is no negotiating.
Taxi
A safe, comfortable option for longer distances. Stick to reputable brands (Green SM, Mai Linh, Vinasun) or app-based booking to avoid meter tampering.
Public bus
Stations and signboards are everywhere. Search Google Maps and choose the bus option for the best route and stops.
Longer distances
Traveling between regions
Domestic airlines — an honest comparison
Train — comfortable and scenic, especially overnight
Buying tickets
Official channel: Vietnam Railways at DSVN — real-time schedules, seat selection, e-tickets. Vietnam-issued bank cards only.
For foreigners: Vexere accepts international card payment and emails your e-ticket. Or buy at any station ticket window (cash only).
Seat / berth classes
Soft seat — Cheapest option, day trips only.
Hard sleeper — 6-berth, air-conditioned.
Soft sleeper — 4-berth, air-conditioned — most comfortable, the standard choice for overnight trains.
Hue – Da Nang
2.5–3 hour journey with views of Lang Co Bay, Lap An Lagoon and the East Sea. For the best daytime scenery, choose SE1, SE2, SE4 or SE10 and book a window seat.
Hanoi – Lao Cai
Overnight train to Lào Cai is a classic way to start a trip to Sa Pa. Slower than the bus but memorable, especially in a soft sleeper cabin. Book a few days ahead in peak season (Sep–Oct, Dec–Feb).
A local ritual
Vietnamese coffee & bia hơi
Coffee culture
Coffee in Vietnam isn't just morning fuel — it's a whole vibe. Grab a tiny plastic stool, watch the world go by, and join the locals for a slow coffee break. Look out for egg coffee, coconut coffee, iced milk coffee, and phin coffee.
Bia hơi (fresh beer)
Brewed fresh daily and served at street-side beer corners — a ritual, not just a drink. Tạ Hiện Street in Hanoi and Bùi Viện Street in Ho Chi Minh City are the famous spots, but the real local experience is beyond the busy streets.
If someone raises a glass and says "Một, hai, ba, dzô!" — they're inviting the whole table to toast together.
Respect goes both ways
Culture & etiquette
Greetings
A smile and a slight nod are always appreciated. Handshakes are common in business.
Temples & pagodas
Dress modestly (cover shoulders and knees), remove your shoes when required, keep your voice low.
Homes
Remove your shoes before entering a local home. Wait to be invited before sitting down or exploring the house.
Public behavior
Avoid loud arguments or public displays of anger, and always ask permission before photographing local people — especially ethnic minority communities.
A little goes a long way
Common phrases
Side note: if someone teaches you a phrase that sounds like it could be a swear word, don't repeat it. It might sound funny in memes, but in real life it can offend people and land you in awkward situations.
Just in case
Safety & emergency information
English support on emergency lines can be limited outside major cities. If possible, ask hotel or homestay staff — or your guide — to make the call on your behalf. Save your accommodation's name, address and phone number in your phone before heading out.
Road safety
Road traffic can be busy, especially in major cities. Cross streets slowly and predictably, let traffic flow around you, and avoid sudden stops or direction changes. If renting a motorbike yourself, an international driving permit and a helmet are both required by law — riding experience is strongly recommended given local traffic conditions.
Common scams to watch for
- Use trusted taxi companies (Mai Linh, Vinasun) or ride-hailing apps like Grab, Xanh SM and Be.
- Vietnamese Dong has many zeros — always double-check your change before leaving.
- Avoid booking tours from unsolicited street offers. Choose licensed tour operators or reputable travel agencies instead.
Beyond the postcard
Off the beaten path
The routes without the souvenir stalls — where Morning Vietnam actually takes people.
Nậm Cạn
A small Red Dao community about 30km from Sa Pa town, down a road rough enough that most tour buses turn back. Trek between rice paddies still worked by hand and stay the night in a homestay with a family Morning Vietnam has worked with for years.
Y Tý
A cloud-forest village near the Chinese border where sea-of-cloud mornings roll through the valley before burning off by mid-morning. Hà Nhì communities here still build earthen "mushroom houses" with thick clay walls and thatched roofs, built to hold warmth through the mountain winters. Chase the cloud sea at sunrise from Lảo Thẩn peak, wander between hamlets on foot, or visit during the Gạ Ma Do festival if your timing lines up.
Đồng Văn Karst Plateau
The far northern edge of Ha Giang province, where jagged limestone plateau gives way to terraced buckwheat and corn fields on impossibly steep slopes. Climb Lũng Cú Flagpole, marking Vietnam's northernmost point.
Lai Châu
Famous for its breathtaking sea of clouds, where mountain peaks rise above a blanket of white mist at sunrise — a perfect destination for nature lovers and photographers.
Mù Cang Chải
Genuine family homestays and rice terraces among the most photographed in the country. La Pán Tẩn, Chế Cu Nha and Dế Xu Phình offer three distinct terrace formations within a short drive of each other.
Pù Luông
Layered rice terraces roll across the valley floor, framed by the Pù Luông Nature Reserve's forested peaks, with none of Sa Pa's crowds. Thái stilt houses dot the hillsides.
Măng Đen
A hill town in the Central Highlands often called "a second Đà Lạt," minus the crowds. Pine forests wrap around a scatter of lakes and waterfalls.
Mũi Né
A coastal town shaped by wind, sand, and endless dunes. Strong ocean winds make it one of Southeast Asia's top spots for kitesurfing.
Côn Đảo
A remote archipelago 230km off Vietnam's southern coast, kept wild by more than a century as a prison island — around 80% of the main island is still forest today. Come for quiet beaches like Đầm Trâu, or the sea turtles that nest here from May to October, among the largest nesting grounds in the country. At Hàng Dương Cemetery, locals still come at dusk to light incense for Võ Thị Sáu — the island's history never far from the surface.
Cái Răng Floating Market
Boats loaded with pineapples, watermelons and dragon fruit gather before sunrise outside Cần Thơ. The Mekong Delta's largest floating market — arrive by 6am to catch it at its busiest.
Trà Sư Cajuput Forest
A vast flooded cajuput forest in the Mekong Delta, where emerald-green duckweed blankets the waterways and birds glide quietly overhead.
Ready to see this in person?
Not through a screen. Not from a bus window.