Vietnam

Prior to my trip I was scouring the internet to see if I needed to avoid certain activities due to rainy season. Most online sources that going during June and July was great because it avoided the tourists because of rainy season. I’d say my trip had an average amount of tourists and rained very little. It all depends on what type of weather you want. Typically in December, January, and February, the weather is cooler (especially in the mountainous areas) while it is hottest in the summer months. 

According to online sources, monsoon season occurs from around June to November. However, many of the locals told me that monsoon/rainy season occurred between September to December and that January to August was hot/dry season. During my trip, which took place during June and July, it rained four times over a course of twenty-one days.

Unfortunately, there are many mosquitos in Vietnam with malaria, dengue fever, and Japanese encephalitis present. I used BugNo tags and I received very few mosquito bites. However, I was bit. by a large amount of no-see-ums so I recommend using all the tags they sell.

You cannot drink tap water in Vietnam unless you wish to get a terrible sickness. On the bright side, brushing your teeth and taking showers/baths are safe. In Vietnam, people only use water in water bottles which makes it safe to drink as it is purified.

There is very little crime in Vietnam, however, bag snatching, petty theft, scamming, and fraud are quite common in bigger cities.

Bring your wet wipes as not all bathrooms will have toilet paper or soap.

Inspect your silverware. This is a MUST! In Vietnam, they reuse silverware and straws after someone used it. I recommend wiping it with a napkin or using a wet wipe to clean it.

Check out my blog post on Pre-Trip Planning here!