Vietnam is one of the most popular backpacking destinations in Asia — and with good reason.
Its epic locales, mouth-watering food, insanely bustling cities, distinct culture and low cost have drawn backpackers and holidayers alike for decades.
But it’s worth planning your Vietnam trip well, especially if you want to have a more authentic experience.
The honest truth is that Vietnam has a bit of a reputation for tourist traps and a few overcommercialized attractions. How you travel will hugely affect your impressions of this beautiful country.
I went backpacking in Vietnam from north-to-south for a month. A few years later, I did it again! But this time I focused on visiting different places and knew better how to avoid the tourist trappy parts. I loved my second trip even more than the first.
In this guide, I’ll share my best tips after backpacking Vietnam twice.
How to plan a route
There are a lot of places to explore in Vietnam. In this map below, I sketched out a few of the most common travel destinations:
By the way, Vietnam is bigger than you might realize!
Its length is actually similar to that of Japan or nearly the whole West Coast of the USA. Driving from the north to south tip in Vietnam would take at least 40 hours combined.
Keep these distances in mind when planning your trip. Night buses and overnight trains are a common way to efficiently cover more ground, something I’ll talk more about later.
Despite its size, many travelers try to cover the whole length of the country in one trip. To do such an itinerary justice I think you need at least 3 weeks (but ideally 4 weeks).
Popular stops on such a grand backpacking tour of Vietnam include the capital Hanoi, the karst archipelago of Ha Long Bay, the cute riverside town of Hoi An, the imperial city of Hue, and the cosmopolitan southern city of Ho Chi Minh City.
Even if you have 3 or 4 weeks to spend, you will probably have some tough decisions to make on what to include in your route.
Places to visit in Vietnam
Vietnam has several places that are very popular and that most people end up including in their itinerary.
Destinations
There’s Halong Bay, a collection of thousands off small limestone islands of the coast that you can see as part of a sailing trip. The town of Sapa in the north is famous for its rice terraces and mountain treks. Hoi An is a touristy but very atmospheric town with many things to do and that a lot of backpackers rate as their favorite. And finally, in the south is the Mekong Delta region, where you can see floating markets on the river, where loads of little boats converge to sell fruits and vegetables.
Besides these, you’ll probably also want to visit one or both of the major cities (Hanoi and Saigon).
Many backpackers stop by the seaside resorts of Nha Trang or Mui Ne. These places sometimes get mixed reviews, but they can be fun unpretentious places to party or hang by a swimming pool. Want something quieter? Then I quite like the seaside town of Qui Nhon.
My own personal favorite places include Hue, a city with many pagodas and temples, Ninh Binh (sometimes called the Ha Long Bay on land), Phong Nha (home to the world’s largest caves) and Ha Giang Province (an amazing mountain region).
Because Vietnam has so much to see, I created a separate post with the top places to see in Vietnam.
Planning a shorter trip
If you have only one or two weeks in Vietnam, then consider focusing on just the north + center, or the center + south.
There’s no shame in doing fewer things but doing them properly! Not everyone has infinite time available, or maybe you’re visiting Vietnam as part of a larger Southeast Asia trip and have many other countries to visit.
On my first one-month backpacking trip in Vietnam, I actually didn’t see much in the north. It was still very cold and misty there in December, so I skipped entirely over some popular places like Sapa.
On my second visit a few years later, I skipped a lot in the south instead. I just felt more like seeing the northern mountains than the southern beaches. In both cases I had an amazing time.
All I’m saying is that you don’t necessarily need to cover the whole works to have an incredible trip. It can make sense to focus on just a part of Vietnam.
Heading north or south?
When you meet backpackers in Vietnam, one of the first questions you’ll surely hear is “are you going north or south?”.
Because of its elongated shape, it just makes sense to travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (a.k.a. Saigon) or the other way around.
Personally, I prefer going north-to-south. That’s in part because the north is just a great place to start. But the weather will also get more tropical as you go south, so you can reward yourself with some beach time towards the end of your trip.
By the way, the topography of Vietnam makes it a great place for a solo traveller. Since people move in only one of two directions, roughly speaking, it’s easy to make friends and continue to see familiar faces as you move either north or south.
Getting your Vietnam visa
To enter Vietnam you need an approved tourist visa. Unfortunately, Vietnam has one of the most convoluted tourist visa systems in Southeast Asia. It’s honestly a bit of a mess at the moment.
I wouldn’t blame you for getting a bit confused! But let me try to clear things up.
I put together a step-by-step guide to getting your Vietnam visa that has all of the gnarly details. You can follow the flowchart in that guide to see which visa is right for you.
But in a nutshell, there are two common options:
Entering Vietnam overland: if you want to cross the border into Vietnam, for example from Cambodia or Laos, then you need to get a visa from a Vietnamese embassy. This could be an embassy in your home country or in a nearby capital like Bangkok. Important: you will need to pre-select your entry date for Vietnam, so you need to know in advance on what date you want to start travelling in Vietnam.
Entering Vietnam by flying: if you’ll enter Vietnam at any of its international airports, then it’s easier to get a visa on arrival. But this also works differently from visas-on-arrival in other countries! You need to be pre-approved and hand over some forms at immigration when you arrive. The easiest way to get this paperwork done is via Vietnam-Visa.com.
Vietnam Visa Pre-Approval
It's easy to get your visa-on-arrival online!
Avoiding the tourist traps
Okay, time for some brutal honesty: Vietnam can sometimes feel a bit like a tour factory.
At least, that’s if you travel Vietnam in a totally standard way. I did this the first time and Vietnam sort of subjectively felt like a 7/10 destination. Not the worst, but not really amazing. Then I did it in different ways on my second visit and it easily became a 9/10.
Some of the popular experiences in Vietnam have been packaged for the masses, focusing on quantity over quality. These local tours can be disappointing as you get shuffled around like cattle, mixed in with other groups, or led around by impatient and humorless guides.
Luckily, by exploring independently or taking alternative tours, you will often have a much better time.
And chances are, you’ll get to know a way more welcoming and friendly side of Vietnam.
The following tips can help you avoid Vietnam’s main tourist traps. I think these might actually be the most important travel tips I can share!
Mekong Delta tours
The Mekong Delta region is a vast maze of rivers, rice paddies and riverine islands in southern Vietnam. Loads of organized tours can take you around there.
These tours usually include a brief visit to the floating markets of Can Tho, a staged photo opportunity where you wear a conical hat while paddling through a bit of bamboo forest, as well as a few other touristy sights. It’s fun, but not that authentic. If you do them as a day-trip, they also involve a ton of driving.
A better way to do it: make your way to the city of Can Tho and stay a night in the Enjoy Mekong Hostel or Victory Coffee & Hostel or find other accommodation there). The hostels can arrange early morning boat tours (starting at 5 AM) just for the floating markets. This way, you’ll beat all the daytrippers and will experience the true hustle and bustle of the market during the early hours.
In the afternoon, you can rent a motorbike or bicycle and explore the rice fields by yourself. You’ll get a true taste of rural life in Vietnam and the riverine landscapes of the Mekong Delta!
Tam Coc boat rides
The karst landscapes of Ninh Binh are sometimes called the ‘Ha Long Bay on land’. While the mountains are a bit smaller (and, obviously, on land) I think the area here is one of the real highlights of Vietnam. That said, the popular riverboat ride in Tam Coc is known to be a bad tourist trap with a lot of scammy behaviour from the boat drivers.
A better way to do it: ignore the Tam Coc tourist trap and go for the better but less known Trang An boat ride. This one starts about 20 minutes further north (and not inside the town), but it’s worth getting there. Choose the longer Route 1 and with some luck you may have the whole place to yourself, as most day-trippers and groups take the shorter Route 2 or Route 3.
Halong Bay cruises
Nearly everyone on their first visit to Vietnam wants to see Halong Bay, so there are tons of companies running tours there of varying quality. The location is magnificent and definitely worth it, but know that the experience will be very touristy. Since it’s on the water you also can’t do it independently; you have to go on an organized boat tour or cruise. This limits your options a bit, but there are still some cool ways to see Ha Long Bay that will avoid some of the crowds.
A better way to do it: Inform yourself about the tour options and their routes. Consider tours that include Bai Tu Long Bay or Lan Ha Bay. These bays are a bit further out so they don’t have as many boats. You could also choose to stay on Cat Ba Island (the big island near Halong Bay) and take a day-trip from there in the morning — you might beat the rush of tourists coming in from further away like Hanoi.
Most travelers agree that Halong Bay is worth seeing, but know that it’s getting busier every year. As long as you don’t expect to be alone, you’ll surely enjoy the experience.
How to get around in Vietnam
Getting around in Vietnam usually isn’t too difficult. It has a great bus network and the Reunification Express railway running from Hanoi to Saigon also lets you easily cover a lot of miles.
That’s not to say your journeys will always be comfortable though; local buses can be slow and most night-buses have awkward bunk beds with not much leg space. Sometimes it’s worth spending a bit more on a 1st class train ticket or ‘VIP’ bus service for a bit more comfort if you have the budget.
How to book buses or minivans
Bus services in Vietnam are run by hundreds of different companies. This means timetables are not always complete and not every bus can be booked online.
You can usually book transportation easily via your hotel or hostel reception (who will make a call for you) or at any of the small ticket agents that you’ll inevitably find in any place that any tourists go.
Some sites have made booking online easier in recent years, such as 12Go Asia, Baolau.com and the Vietnamese startup VeXeRe.com, which all accept international payment methods such as PayPal or credit cards.
Do keep in mind there is no centralized booking system in Vietnam. The sites offering online booking basically have to set up lots of separate partnerships with some of the hundreds of bus operators. When you book on their sites, they often still have to manually call the bus operators to confirm. Unless it specifically says ‘instant confirmation’, you may have to wait a few hours to receive the actual ticket.
The best booking sites for buses, trains, ferries, or minivans are:
How to book trains
The trains in Vietnam do have a central booking system these days, making it very easy to book them. In fact, you can now only book trains online.
Trains are slower and somewhat more expensive than buses but, if you ask me, they’re also much more comfortable. I’ve caught far more sleep on night trains than on any of the buses. They’re also a cool way to travel!
After booking your ticket you’ll be sent a PDF document with a QR code and your carriage and seat number. You can simply show this on your phone to the attendant. Every carriage has its own attendant, so there’s always someone to help you find your seat.
Note that you can’t book trains directly with Vietnam Railway as they still only accept Vietnamese payment methods, so you have to book with 12Go Asia or Baolao (which charge a 40,000 dong commission).
It’s best to book trains at least one or two days ahead of time, as they do fill up pretty quickly. While 12Go Asia doesn’t let you book trains departing within the next 24 hours, Baolao might still let you make such late bookings.
There are no hop-on-hop-off tickets for the train. If you’re going south to north or the other way around, you’ll have to buy individual tickets for each part of your journey.
The excellent site Seat61 has a wealth more information about trains in Vietnam.
Traveling at night – is it worth it?
Yes, I think it’s often it’s worth it. It’s common for backpackers in Vietnam to travel overnight, which makes sense given some of the distances involved. There are many night buses and the Reunification Express running from Hanoi to Saigon offers a range of sleeper carriages.
Night travel can save you time and money: you’ll spend fewer waking hours in transit and you get to save a night’s accommodation. But not all night travel will be that comfortable.
Normal night buses: Vietnamese night buses typically have 3 rows of bunk beds stacked two levels high. The beds have a plastic casing around them which is quite restrictive especially if you are tall. There are usually no toilets, so the bus has to take regular toilet breaks that interrupt the journey. At the back there is usually a large flat bed space that will accommodate about four people. These may seem like prized spots at first, but the lack of barriers will make you move constantly and may lead to involuntary spooning of some unwashed stranger.
What I’m saying here is that the regular night buses aren’t all that great. But… they’ll get you there.
VIP/luxury night buses: Unless you’re traveling on a tight budget, be sure to keep an eye out for any upgraded ‘VIP’ buses, which operate between only some destinations. I took one of these from Hanoi to Ha Giang, for example. For just $8 more I got myself a private cabin with a comfy massage bed, USB chargers, snacks, A/C, and more. I thought this was totally worth it.
Night trains: There is a choice from various classes of seats and beds on the Reunification Express. The 2nd class berths have 6 beds in them. They’re quite cramped and there’s not enough room to sit upright. They also might have people sleeping on stretchers in the hallway outside and I’ve also seen certain six-legged insects crawling around the 2nd class carriages (sorry… I thought you should know). The 1st class (soft sleeper) carriages have 4 beds and are a lot more comfortable and clean. 2nd class is probably fine for a budget backpacker, but the 1st class upgrade is worth it if you can spare just a bit of extra dong.
Hop-on-hop-off buses – are they worth it?
There are several operators selling hop-on-hop-off bus passes for Vietnam. This means you can travel the full length of the country (between Hanoi and Saigon) on one ticket and going in one direction.
Sounds convenient, right? Well, keep in mind it reduces your flexibility a lot!
Friends of mine did this but felt constantly restricted in which buses they could use. They were also unable to switch to trains or minivans for particular legs of the journey where these would have been more convenient.
I’ve always booked my transportation one step at a time. Even if the hop-on-hop-off ticket is slightly cheaper overall, it’s not so great to have to lock yourself in. In my opinion, this makes them not really worth it.
Motorbiking in Vietnam
Arguably the best way to explore Vietnam is by motorbike. The feeling of freedom you’ll get is amazing. You’ll also be able to go off the usual travel circuit, getting you much closer to the real country of Vietnam.
There is an active second-hand market with travelers (and locals) buying and selling motorbikes. It’s not too difficult to find one in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, the common starting points for a journey.
Some companies even specifically target motorbike travelers with rental or tour services. One of the first companies to do this was Easy Rider (and there are now many copycats with similar names). If you don’t know how to drive, you can rent motorbikes with drivers.
Even if you’re not doing a grand tour of Vietnam, it’s great to rent motorbikes for a few days here and there in each location. Scooters (by which I mean small motorbikes) are the most common mode of transportation in Vietnam and so you can rent them pretty much everywhere. This usually costs around 100,000 VND per day, but it depends on the type of bike.
Several scenic routes are especially popular with self-drive travelers. Consider for example the incredible Ha Giang loop in the north, or the Hai Van pass in central Vietnam. The local blog Vietnam Coracle is a fantastic resource describing many more alternative routes. You’ll also find many tips in our guide to motorbiking in Vietnam.
Taxis & local transportation
Local taxis are inexpensive by Western standards — but do keep an eye on the meter, as not all drivers are honest! An easy way to book taxis or motorbikes is the Grab app. It will also help with the language barrier as you can simply type in your destination. With Grab you still pay in cash, but hail taxis via the app in a manner similar to Uber or Lyft.
Finding hostels & hotels
Accommodation is very cheap in Vietnam. You can already get a great private room for around $20 per night, or a dorm bed for $10. And if you’re not too picky, you can get budget options for even half those amounts.
Hostelworld is always the best site to check if you’re intending to stay in backpacker hostels. The best hotel booking sites, in my opinion, are Booking.com and Agoda, as they list a lot of smaller and cheaper places.
One important thing: words like ‘homestay’ or ‘eco resort’ are used pretty liberally in Vietnam. Often this is just empty marketing used by regular hotels or guesthouses. For example, while there are real family-style homestay experiences, some ‘homestays’ are just commercial hotels or bungalows. And nothing might be particularly ‘eco’ about a place except that it’s just near some nature. Check the descriptions so you know what to expect.
Recommended hostels in Vietnam
$$ Hanoi
Old Quarter Hostel
Cheap & super central hostel with hotel-like beds and amenities
Best time to go to Vietnam
You can’t go to Vietnam expecting the weather conditions to be ‘perfect’ if you’re going to travel all of it.
There’s no way getting around the fact that the climate is just very different in the north, center, and south, which are very geographically separated.
While much of the country is tropical, keep in mind the north is in a temperate zone. Expect the mountainous north to be a little cold in winter. Even in autumn or spring it can be a bit cold at night. Pack a hoodie, and maybe a jacket for winter. If you’re going in summer, expect it to be very hot and humid.
The north also tends to be quite cloudy and misty for much of the year (because of both weather and smog). The best chance of clear skies in Halong Bay is in April to June, and September/October.
For central and south Vietnam, the wet season is something to keep in mind. For central Vietnam (e.g. Hoi An, Hue, Da Nang) this is in October / November. In the south (e.g. Ho Chi Minh City) it’s May until October.
Best beaches in Vietnam
If you’re hoping for super dreamy beaches that look straight out of a travel magazine, then Vietnam is maybe not the first place to look. While the beaches are good, in my opinion they’re nothing like the unspoiled and beautiful beaches you can find in Malaysia, Indonesia, or The Philippines.
Not too sound negative, but it’s just my honest opinion. If you’re coming for Vietnam just for beaches maybe it’s not the ideal place to go, but if you just want to add some relaxing beach time to a cultural trip in Vietnam, then there are many great beaches to choose from.
The top beach destinations tend to focus a lot on mass tourism. Phu Quoc Island is a large-scale resort island (with big hotels, golf courses, its own airport, etc.) which isn’t the vibe you might want as an independent traveller. Mui Ne has only a thin strip of a beach, much of it paved with concrete blocks to prevent erosion. Nha Trang meanwhile mainly targets Russian and Chinese package tourists, though it can be a fun place to party.
I really like the beaches of Qui Nhon, which have more of a laidback vibe. Other travellers have recommended to me the island of Con Dao. The beaches near Hoi An are also rather pleasant, albeit rather crowded.
If you’re an intrepid traveller, you can find hundreds of beaches throughout Vietnam where you can relax and get away from it all. In my opinion, they lack some of those funky beach hostels or the kind of Balinese touch that make the coasts in Indonesia or Thailand so charming, but you can still find some really nice spots in Vietnam.
As far as snorkelling or scuba diving goes, in Vietnam it’s sadly just OK. There’s not a lot of life due to overfishing and visibility can leave a lot to be desired, at least compared to other spots around Southeast Asia. Keep your scuba diving money for other countries, unless you’re just doing your training.
Food in Vietnam
Vietnamese food is simply amazing, so I wanted to say at least a few words on this subject. You’d be wrong to assume it’s all about pho noodle soup or spring rolls! Yes, these are probably the things you’re already familiar with from Vietnamese restaurants, but there is a whole other world of Vietnamese food to taste.
Don’t be like those backpackers who only order bland ‘chicken stir fry’ or generic ‘noodle soups’. There’s loads to try in Vietnam if you dare to order something different.
Different parts of the country also have rather different specialities. One of the best things you can in Vietnam is to take a guided street food tour in Saigon or Hanoi, as this will give you an incredible crash course in all that’s there on offer. You might also want to check out our very own guide to the best Vietnamese street food.
Everyone has their own favourites. Instead of regular pho noodle soup, I now tend to order Bun Bo Hue, which is spicier and comes from the city of Hue. I also love Bun Cha, which is grilled fatty pork that you can wrap in some herbs and leaves and white rice noodles, then dip into a lovely sauce.
Backpacking Vietnam: my impressions
My first backpacking trip to Vietnam was great, especially because I was travelling with some awesome people, but I also didn’t always get a totally positive impression of the country. I think it was because I had to deal with a lot of scam and unfriendliness at the time.
I went to Ha Long Bay in December when it was all misty and drab — and my tour guide seemed really disrespectful to foreigners. I got scammed in numerous locations, even a bit aggressively at times (like a taxi driver shutting the doors and basically holding me hostage). Some of the tours were disappointing and seemed mostly designed for package tourists wanting to do a bit of standard sightseeing in as little time as possible.
My conclusion, back then, was that Vietnam has some cool stuff in it, but it was ‘too commercial’. This was basically the opinion I shared in backpacker hostels around Southeast Asia. I’ve seen other travel bloggers write opinion pieces on why they wouldn’t return to Vietnam.
I returned in 2019 anyway — and I loved it to bits! I think it’s partly that the attitude of Vietnamese towards tourists has mellowed out a bit over the years. The economy of Vietnam is booming now, which must have reduced some of the scams and short-term mindset. Technology has helped too: if you use apps like Grab, drivers will no longer be able to overcharge you.
I also really loved going to places not yet touched by mass tourism, like the Ha Giang region, Phong-Nha, and the beaches around Qui Nhon. I now got to see Vietnam as an amazing destination that’s filled with helpful and kind people.
When you’re planning your backpacking route, I highly recommend adding one or two places (such as the ones I just mentioned) that aren’t in the typical itinerary.
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Czesc Marek.
Liest sich super Dein Artikel. Im August 2019 geht’s bei mir und einer Freundin los.
Dzieki für die tollen Tipps 🙂
Czesc Kasia. Ich bin froh dass meine Tipps hilfreich fur dich waren! 🙂 Viel spass in Vietnam!
Great post mate, love your writing style. Keep it up!
Thanks Liam!
My understanding is that you wouldn’t need this if you get a pre-approved visa on arrival or a proper visa from an embassy. I’m doing the former right now and not being asked about this. Perhaps you need it if you make use of certain visa free options (some nationalities can stay visa free for 15 days but then maybe they’d want to see onward travel, not 100% sure though).
Found this post just in time!
I’m planning a trip to Vietnam and you definitely making things more clear.
I heard a lot about the local’s attitude toward tourists, I really hope it’s not much aggressive than other East-Asia destinations.
Tourists need to remember in that Vietnam they look like a bucket of cash. Tourist also need to judge character and negative blanket assumptions will rule out having any positive engagements with locals. When I was there quite a few people introduced themselves because they just wanted have a chat, some even showed me around. None of those people ever asked for anything of me, except once marriage. I was there for a month and all over and did not get ripped off with the exception of motor bike taxi drivers who never had change. If you are worried about loosing a dollar or two you should probably stay home.
Great post about Vietnam, however, I didn’t think much of Hoi An, although the town was beautiful, the amount of hassle I received while there made my time there miserable. Other than that I loved it in Vietnam.. One of my favorite countries to date! The Top Gear Experience from Hue to Hoi An was on of the most amazing things I’ve ever did in all my travels abroad..
Hi Marek,
Me and my friend are planning to have a backpacking trip to vietnam this coming march of 2017. Can anyone please help me if you have any idea how much would it cost us if we go from vietnam to cambodia and from cambodia to bangkok thailand. What are the cheapest transportation to go to cambodia from ho chi minh vietnam? Thanks a lot.
Hi Marek
thanks for sharing your experience of Vietnam, a friend and I are planning a visit there in Nov this year and was wondering if you could help with some advice we want to visit the main places starting from Ho Chi Minh and work our way north we have 10 day in Vietnam and plan only 4dyas in Laos
Is 10days enough? what are the must see/visit places you can recommend?
Thanks
Hi! My name is Michalah and I’m trying to plan a backpacking trip through Vietnam. I’m thinking summer 2018 because plane ticket prices are just so expensive! What was the best way to fly? What season did you go in? I’m a college student in Philly (hence the need for cheap flights haha) so I was thinking if I study abroad in Europe my sophmore year (my school lets me study abroad any year I want so it”s possible), I can find a cheaper flight from that country to Vietnam than from the US to Vietnam. Do you think that is plausible?
Also about how much did it cost to rent a motorbike in Vietnam? I’m planning this trip with some of my friends from Japan and Malaysia so I want to make sure I have everything good to go, or so, before I tell them the whole plan.
I loved your post! Thank you (:
Also! How did you work out your visa? Did you get the VOA or did you apply before you traveled?
I applied for one in Laos as I was travelling overland. You could go for a VOA if you fly direct into Vietnam, though these are not your typical VOAs – they’re offered by different companies at the airport, and you have to apply for them online in advance. Be sure to do a bit of googling if you decide to use one of these services to make sure they’re reputable (I’ve heard a few stories of scams and other issues). The other option is to get your visa via an embassy.
Hey Michalah. For plane ticket prices, I’m not sure! Check on sites like http://www.skyscanner.net or http://www.momondo.com and compare prices. Based on distance, it does seem likely you’ll be able to fly from Europe more cheaply. I’ve rented motorbikes for about $5/day in Vietnam.
Not all free guides are bad Marek. Check out the “Hanoi Kids”. They are an organization founded by a university lecturer where you can get students to guide you around Hanoi. Everything is on your own: tickets, taxi, your drinks, and food…they are even not allowed to accept tips but you can buy them drinks and food.
And rather than that I doubt. I’ve been a Vietnam tour guide for 15 years now and believe me no one have time to give you “free tours”.
Just posting to give people some perspective, as mentioned, everyone has different experiences of Vietnam.
I bought a motorbike off a Vietnamese man, Bao ‘Storm’ Nguyen. Due to the logistics of my journey, I passed through HCMC three times and he effectively gave me a free service each time I went buy. He was checking oil, chain and any issues, taking time to ask about our journey. He even took my friend to get medical assistance and translate the medicinal instructions for us. Upon leaving for the final time, he took me and my three companions to his home in the rural countryside where children had never met a foreign person. His mother, who spoke no English, cooked for us and taught us Vietnamese card games without any formal communication. The experience of that will live with me forever and I plan to return to Vietnam in January and meet up with Bao again for a few games of ‘bullsh*t.’
With regards to tourists being targeted for money – tourism is the main income for many people in Vietnam. It happens. Everyone is trying to make a living. Street vendors selling sunglasses, people selling $1 noodles, tour guides taking to you to targeted shops. It happens in Vietnam, it happens in the UK. Get over it. I find that being polite, and taking the time to learn “No thank you” in Vietnamese is the best way for this. Anytime I didn’t want anything being thrown at me, a simple Vietnamese reply got the person smiling and they were happily on their way.
Sidenote: the one time I needed to purchase sunglasses off of a street vendor, I had to wait 30 minutes for one to randomly appear. The usual bartering and getting the price down occurs. But thats part of the fun.
The main point I’ve got is, don’t rule a place out based on one persons bad experience. Likewise, don’t go based on my own good experience. Trust your gut. But just to throw some defence the way the Vietnamese people: despite their tough recent history, they have a simpler way of life, a happier way of life. Some of the most relaxing, enjoyable nights were spent sitting on the kerb of HCMC with a family having a few beers outside their shop, singing songs, exchanging stories in broken english, and watching the world go past.
Thanks for your perspective. I’m late to reply to this, but I just wanted to clarify that I wouldn’t ever object to people trying to make money. Some hassle is fine and expected. Like you say, this happens.
What soured my experience at times wasn’t people trying to sell sunglasses, but some people being extremely deceptive or unethical. For example, when someone comes to you pretending to be collecting money for the Red Cross, and you think you’re making a donation to help the disabled, but instead that person is actually just pocketing the money, that’s not okay no matter what country it is or how poor people are. I probably could expand on this a bit within the page itself, as I don’t want people to think that I’m merely complaining about pushy salesmen, which are to be expected everywhere. My issue is with the predatory scams that I encountered and of which I’ve heard other examples in Vietnam.
Needless to say I love the picture you’ve painted of the local experiences you’ve had! It’s important for people to know that this is the other side of travelling in Vietnam. The further you get away from the most touristy places, I think the more likely you are to have such experiences.
Totally agree with you Ryan! To travel to one place is to be ready for difference. Travel with an open mind and heart and take things easy. That’s the best way to help people enjoy their time in Vietnam- a developing country!
Hey Mark,
Iam from India and wanted to travel bagpack Europe this year,but visa didn’t happen, one of my friend strongly recommended Veitnam, I went through all the posts, i just want to know what about the language? How to interact with locals?
People who deal with tourists will generally understand at least basic English phrases. In other cases, non verbal communication works pretty well (such as pointing at an item on the menu to order it)
Hi Marek,
Can you help me on the people being rude aspect of locals in reference to type of plans I am making,
I am more of a peace seeker tourist than a traveler, I generally prefer to go somewhere and spend all the days at one or max two places, my trips are generally not more than 7 days, that is maximum me and my wife can afford at one time due to our jobs, I want to visit a cool, hilly areas, stay in a direct hill view room, walk or jog in nearby areas, for few days and return to Singapore, I am Indian, have you met any Indians there? Basically I want to avoid any kind of hassles that may arise due to interaction with rude and scamming locals,
Can you recommend something, where I can go, stay and come back without having to interact with locals much.
I would actually encourage you to interact with the locals! Despite some people taking advantage of tourists, I’ve met wonderful people in Vietnam. 🙂 Perhaps you’d like Sapa in the north, which is among green hills and rice terraces and pretty chilled out.
Fantastic post! We followed a fairly similar route in our 3 week backpacking trip to Vietnam… I would definitely recommend Tam Coc, it was one of our absolute favorties 🙂
Check out our blog for more inspiration and tips:
http://bonatravels.com/2015/09/28/country-summary-vietnam/
Hi Marek,
I am planning to meet a friend of mine in Vietnam soon. She is coming from Laos and I am coming from Bangkok. I thought it would be the easiest to meet with her in Hanoi and start from there our tour down and end up in Ho Chi Minh.
Do you think that’s doable in two weeks time without rush? Even if we can’t see everything I still hope its enough time to get a good impression about Vietnam (Hanoi – Ninh Binh with Tam Coc and Hoa Lu- Hue or Hoi An – Nah Trang and Ho Chi Minh)
The other problem I see right now is, I havent found a fast way to travel from Vientiane to Hanoi. Could you recommend sth? I only read about very long and a bit crazy bus tour with a lot of changes and stops between the two countries.
Thank you for your help!
Best,
Maren
Do you mean is it doable to see a lot of Vietnam in 2 weeks? Sure. Just fill your time with whatever you can or want to see.
The only fast way from Vientiane to Hanoi is to fly.
It’s funny that while you clearly warned everybody about the scamming culture of Vietnam, there are still Vietnamese people trying to scam people on your article by offering a ‘free’ tour for them to ‘improve their english’ 🙂
Or am I just paranoid?
Anyway, you wrote a very informative article!
I’m still doubting between Vietnam and Nepal
Hah you are probably right. I often have to skim through comments as there’s so many to moderate every day. I want to be open to genuine local guides, though I’d probably be sceptical of the ‘free’ ones too. 🙂
Scams are only in the big tourist places (Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa, Mui Ne, Hoi An..)
You need to go also to another places. When are you traveling to northern Vietnam check my website about this beautiful and interesting area: http://www.north-vietnam.com
I travel to VN every year or so. Im a solo traveller, female in my 60s. I agree with you, there are scams to be aware of – especially on the well trodden tourist route, VInasun and Mailinh taxis are not all they are cracked up to be, especially in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Always record the drivers number when you get into a cab. If you get into difficulty with a cab and have that number most hotels will take action on your behalf. However, having said that I find Vietnamese people extremely hospitable and helpful as soon as you get off the tourist trail. Last year I spend 6 weeks in the Mekong Delta, in areas where I didnt see another European face for a week or two, and had few opportunities to speak English. No English was no barrier and I have had the most delightful experiences – and cant wait to get back!
Couldn’t recommend Vietnam enough. Just got back, visited Sa Pa, Hanoi, Saigon, and Da Lat. Here’s the GoOro video from the trip (watch in 720p)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EqGsewWU5eo
Hi, what was the rafting/gorge-walking thing you did in Dalat?
Hello everyone! My name’s Hoang Minh Nguyen. I’m from Vietnam and livin’ in Ho Chi Minh City. I’m very pleasure if you guys wanna travel to my wonderful country. If you’re backpacking tourist(s), i’ll be very happy to help you have a memorial trip. contact me for more information ’bout destination, hotel, VN converting currency and so on. mail me at: snowbaby.1805@gmail.com. I do this FOR FREE cuz I wanna improve my English :lmao: see ya soon
Thanks for including me in your post! Lots of good info here. I was fortunate not to have any problems with scammers or unfriendly Vietnamese people – phew! I’ve read a lot of stories though. Also, I love the photo of the fishing boats in Mui Ne =)
Hello all, im travelling Vietnam South to North in December and am wondering whether to pay £600 to STA Travel for their tour of 12 days. This includes hotels, sleeper trains, meals etc and it may be advantageous in respect of me being an English traveller and they can show me the best places to go etc. I will be travelling by myself and as of yet have not made a decision whether to go alone or to join the tour group. The tour is 12 days long, however I have 19 days in Vietnam before my next flight to Bali. Any thoughts/advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated! 🙂 Jordan
Vietnam is easy to navigate independently and I’d say the language barrier is not a huge issue. I suppose your answer depends on how much you want this to be your own adventure. Do you want to meet people serendipitously in backpacker hostels, determine your own pace, and always decide what you want to see and do? Then doing it yourself is a better way to go. Going solo can feel a little scary but can be ultimately very rewarding.
Tours in my experience don’t really give you an ‘in’ on best places to go. They usually go to all the standard places that you can research yourself with a travel guide. Tours are primarily for convenience: you don’t have to worry about any trip planning, and you’re guaranteed to meet other people in your tour group which can give you peace of mind (although I’ve found that I actually meet more people when travelling on my own).
$10 per day is actually possible, except that you’ll have to go basic to the extreme level. I’ve noted every penny i spent every day and noted them here, hoping for more people into meeting in the road 🙂
http://www.limbonis.com/2014/05/my-limbonisasia-trip-365days-challenge.html
At times, Vietnam struck me as being “bi-polar”. In Hanoi, I got into a similar loud disagreement with taxi driver gouging me for a 5 minute trip. In other places, people went out of their way to help me and would not let me pay them for their help. A hotel in Dalat made 9 phone calls to Mui Ne looking for an available room for me. Spur or the moment, I found a mountain bike trip leaving the next day that might not go for another week. It happened to be leaving Christmas Eve. After all those calls, the woman who helped me wouldn’t let me pay. Similar act of kindness happened in Mui Ne. All in all, I really enjoyed Vietnam!
Sama sama, I really enjoyed Hanoi. And an interesting perspective popped up while I was there. I met a family from Singapore while sipping coffee in the old quarter. They told their children that Hanoi what Singapore was like 20 years ago! If that’s true, Singapore has REALLY come a long way from those chaotic days!
Hi mate, i agree with you that in Vietnam many scams againts tourists and it’s not unusual , i live in Vietnam and i’m 100 % vietnamese but when i go out of my house, alway i have to be aware of being cheated by someone like xe om driver or a vendor of flowers any where so it’s really a daily life game and i’m forced to play this game, but i’m very good player now -))) don’t be shocked ! Just try to understand the game rule then play their game, just bargain any where to any one then you feel better in Vietnam
Are you still living in Vietnam? I am now here visiting and would like to get some travel information. please email me at mikebrown0076@gmail.com
I’ve got the same feelings towards Vietnam! I’m currently travelling through (South to North) and in Hoi An at the moment (the scamming seems exaggerated here). But I agree, visiting is recommended, just beware.
And by exaggerated I mean it’s worse than other cities.
Thanks for your comment Lloyd. It’s kinda risky on a blog not to go “whoo! everything is magical!” about every destination as everyone has a different experience, but I think it’s good for people to be aware.
Enjoy Vietnam. BTW, if you want to have some great food in Hoi An, try Fish ‘n Chips ‘n Stuff. Weird name I know, but me and my travel buddies went there 5 times once we’d discovered it, and I’ve since sworn to tell everyone about it.