15 tips for traveling and visiting Vietnam (our experience)

Vietnam It is one of the most visited countries in the world. southeast asia and fashionable destination especially for honeymoons with Thailand y Japan.

Landscapes like the Halong bay or cities full of contrasts like Hanoi, the city with the most motorcycles in the world, or its terraced rice fields give the country unique incentives to get to know it.

In this article we are going to give you all the needed information y recommendations most useful things you need to know before travel tourism y visit this wonderful and friendly country.

Tips for traveling for tourism to Vietnam

Do you need a visa to travel to Vietnam for tourism?

Several Southeast Asian countries in which you do not need apply for a visa before arriving in country like In Stock, Cambodia o Indonesia, But to enter Vietnam if you need apply for a visa before traveling.

It is requested in the vietnamese embassy in your country, and it is necessary have a valid passport and with a minimum validity of 6 months.

Additionally, to request it you must have the ticket out of the country and sufficient funds, and as in many countries, any amount greater than 3.000 euros must be declared.

Finally, on the plane before landing you will be given a form that you must fill out with information related to your trip, such as the hotel where you are staying, days of stay in the country, etc.

You will be asked for this form again when you arrive at customs control.

What vaccines do I need to travel to Vietnam?

Depending on your country of origin, the need for vaccines varies, so it is best to go to the tropical medicine unit of your community.

You detail what your trip is going to be and that is where they will inform you and, if necessary, they will provide you with the vaccines.

The normal thing is that if you are only going to move through the most touristy areas, you only need a vaccine and an antibiotic in case something happens to you there.

Keep in mind that you have to do it with plenty of time, since if a vaccine is necessary, it needs a period of time to be effective.

Buy travel insurance for Vietnam

This may be the most important tip you need to know before travel to vietnam.

It is very important take out travel insurance with good medical care for the days you are in the country.

Healthcare is not good and is very expensive, it is one of the great common problems of most Southeast Asian countries.

We think that nothing will ever happen to us on trips, but you would not be the first or the last to have an incident, so make sure you are take out good travel insurance that covers everything, including transfers and repatriations.

In our case, we always travel with a IATI annual insurance, a company that offers very good solutions.

Tours, guides and excursions to visit Vietnam

If you are one of those who likes to get to know the country on your own, here we tell you what to see and do in HanoiAs well as best tips for traveling to Halong Bay.

But if like us you like to hire tours with guide in Spanish to tour the country, here we leave you information on several Tours and excursions in Vietnam

They can also be found on this page SIM cards for mobile in case you are like us and you like to wear the google maps connected, even transfers in case you need a car to take you somewhere, either to the airport or to a particular area.

There are tours of all kinds that are contracted online directly with local companies; even multi-day tours in case you want to make the trip as if it were hired by an agency, but with the advantage of choosing the excursions yourself.

Among them we highlight the guided tour of Hanoi in a private group, and Halong Bay tour from Hanoi.

Where is it best to exchange currency in Vietnam?

La official currency of vietnam is Dong, although it is more important to have dollars because in that country they accept them without problems.

El Dong It is especially useful for small purchases in local businesses, or for street foods whose dollar value is minimal.

In most restaurants they accept t, but not if you are going to eat at the street stalls, it is advisable to bring some local currency or, at least, dollars.

To withdraw money, the most comfortable thing is to look for one of the ATMs ATM; They usually charge you a commission of around two euros every time you withdraw money.

What is the best time to travel and visit Vietnam?

El weather in vietnam is clearly conditioned by the monsoons winter and summer.

El summer monsoon It runs from April or May to October and brings with it tremendous humidity and heat; We attest to this because we traveled to Vietnam in July.

The other monsoon, that of winter, is from October to March, with cold temperatures in the north and moderate temperatures in the south.

That's why the best time to travel to vietnam It is in the months of April, May, October and November, at the beginning of the monsoons.

How to get around Vietnam by transportation?

Many times the theme of Services It is one of the things that scares us the most or worries us the most when traveling.

There are many doubts that arise since they are not always of quality, perhaps they do not speak English and of course the question of price.

If you want to avoid all kinds of problems you can always hire it in advance by Internet, whether it is transportation from the airport to the hotel or simply transfers from one place to another.

Here we leave you a page where you can hire it before traveling and thus avoid problems.

Transfers in Vietnam here

However, if you like to go on an adventure more, the best way to get around the cities is the tuk-tuks, It takes you anywhere for very little money, the only disadvantage is the speed and, of course, that you don't have air conditioning, which in hot weather we really appreciated a little fresh air.

There is another option to get around big cities like Hanoi, Hi Ann, Sapa o Ho Chi Minh what is hiring a guided excursion that takes you by car with water and air conditioning and is the best way to learn about the history of each city, told by a local person who always has a more interesting point.

Look carefully because there are excursions with guide in Spanish and others with a guide in English.

Here you can hire it

Also, if you dare, you have the option of renting a motorcycle, but be careful... in large cities it is not an easy task to drive with it.

For move between cities in Vietnam There are several means of transportation, and one of the most used is the night Train, but it must be said that communications within the country are very bad and transfers take a long time.

What to eat in Vietnam?

La gastronomy It is one of the facets that we enjoyed most in general during our trip through Southeast Asia, and in Vietnam even more.

Don't be afraid of eat at street stalls, whenever you see that there are a lot of people eating, since that is a sign of freshness, that the food is fresh.

Our advice is that you dare to try all types of foods, without prejudice, and enjoy savoring each dish.

Most of the time in these street restaurants you will have to choose the meals by sight, since not many Vietnamese speak English.

It is a great experience to eat with chopsticks sitting on those mini-chairs and with mini-tables  Full of food and different dishes.

Plus everything is very cheap, because for 3 or 4 dollars you can eat everything you want.

Another thing is the restaurants more westernized in which all the details are taken care of, which are more expensive and where the food is great.

Where to sleep in Vietnam?

Staying in Vietnam It is very cheap, especially when you leave the big cities, and there is usually no problem getting a hotel, even without a prior reservation.

In any case, with such low prices, it is a country where you can afford very good hotels at a very affordable price.

Be careful with booking very cheap rooms because the quality standards in hotels lower than 3 stars leave much to be desired.

We use to search for hotels through booking.com y tourist apartments on Airbnb.

What clothes to take to Vietnam?

The recommendable thing is wear loose, comfortable clothing, sunglasses and you must also keep in mind that even if it is hot, it is necessary to cover your shoulders and pants below the knees to enter Buddhist temples.

If you are going to wear tank tops, you should always carry a scarf or sarong with you to cover your shoulders.

Very important, if you go in very hot times, always carry sunscreen and a bottle of water with you.

Is Vietnam a safe country to travel to?

Vietnam , like almost everyone southeast asia is a very safe country, at no time did we feel insecurity; The people are very friendly and they always welcome you throughout the country with a smile.

It is only necessary to take the classic security measures that you would have in any country, since as in all cities in the world, there are always some pickpockets in tourist areas.

How to cross the streets in Vietnam?

We give you a very important tip to survive if you are a pedestrian in the old town of big cities, such as Hanoi.

Forget about the traffic rules, because in Vietnam In practice they do not exist.

Just because you see a zebra crossing does not mean that they will give way to you to go through it, the only thing that is respected, more or less, are the zebra crossings that have a traffic light.

When you want to cross, just look and start walking slowly at a steady pace, looking in the direction the motorcycles are coming from.

You will see how the motorcycles begin to go around you like a river does with the stones it finds in its path.

Some motorcycles will beep at you, but not because you are doing something wrong, but so that you know they are coming and what their trajectory is. Real madness!

Do you have to tip in Vietnam?

Es it is advisable to leave a tip, especially in restaurants and hotel trunks.

Their salaries are usually very low and they will always appreciate those tips.

Should you haggle in Vietnam?

When you go shopping at any street clothing stall, yes you have to haggle, and the ideal price is usually less than half the price they ask you originally, but it will depend on your skill.

If you are going to move in a Tuk tuk, you will also have to haggle over the price.

What are the plugs like in Vietnam? There is WIFI?

The plugs in vietnam They carry a voltage of 220V, and are common in our country, so no need for adapters.

in hotels of at least 4 stars usually always have good connection Wireless, but in city restaurants it is more difficult to find it.

Eye!! that restaurants often use the claim of Wireless and then when you enter they tell you that it doesn't work for them.