Asia: Vietnam
Kickstart Your Journey In Vietnam
Vietnam is a beautiful country filled with vibrant culture, delicious food, scenic cities, and so much more. Although it is a communist country, it means an extremely touristy country and is loved by many around the world. kickstart your travel journey in Vietnam by exploring the rice fields, the bustling big cities, the serene beaches, and everything else this country has to offer!
Going to Vietnam: Important FAQS
What's the Currency?
The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dồng. The Vietnamese Dồng is equivalent to 0.000042 US dollars (as of September 2022). One US Dollar is equivalent to 23864.98 Vietnamese Dồng (as of September 2022).
When is the Best Time to Visit?
Based off of internet research, the best time to visit Vietnam is March through May. May to October is the rainy season with July being the wettest season. November to April is considered the winter season in Vietnam. many people who travel during February have said that is was dark, gloomy, cold, and sometimes rainy. I went during June and July, the supposed rainy season. Out of 21 days, I think it rained five times for short periods of time. All of the locals said we were in hot season, not rainy season. From what I gathered, rainy season starts in August.
Vietnam is a great place to visit year-round due to its wide variety of things to do. If you want to go to Sa Pa and hike through the rice fields, I recommend going in June, July, or August. If you wish to go to the beach, I recommend going April to August.
My internet research also informed me that there is an increase of tourism during the summer and that you should try to book hotels and activities ahead of time. I planned my trip three weeks before I left and had no difficulties finding availability.
What Languages Are Spoken?
The national language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. English is spoken in the touristy areas and larger cities. While there, I also discovered that many of the older generations can speak French because of French influence. One of my tour guides also informed me that many Vietnamese in bigger cities, like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, will speak more than one language.
What is the Capital?
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. Hanoi is a large city and is known for having Chinese, French, and Southeast Asian influences. During the Vietnam War, Hanoi was the capital of North Vietnam and Saigon was the capital of South Vietnam. The ancient capital was Hoa Lu.
Time Difference?
Vietnam is 11 hours ahead of the Eastern Coat and 7 hours ahead of the Pacific Coast.
Pre-Trip Planning
Unfortunately, you have to get vaccines before going to Vietnam. I had to get Japanese Encephalitis and Typhoid before this trip. Unfortunately, I was unable to get my second dose of Japanese Encephalitis because I had to wait 28 days after the first dose, to get the second, which coincided with my trip. It was 4 days after I was already in Vietnam so I stuck with the one dose. As for typhoid, you have to get 1 dose at least two weeks before travel. Luckily, I had the other vaccines recommended for traveling to Vietnam. Here are the recommended vaccines you should get before traveling to Vietnam:
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Typhoid
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) also recommends you get a Rabies Vaccine, although treatment for rabies will most likely be available. They also recommend you bring malaria medication with you.
There are no quarantine requirements for Vaccinated or Not-Vaccinated travelers to Vietnam as of June 2nd, 2022. You may be require to do a Covid-19 test upon arrival in Vietnam, however, travelers are not required to show a negative Covid-19 test upon boarding. To stay updated on changing Covid-19 protocols in countries, I like to use Sherpa (see link here).
I booked my entire trip with hotels except for my trip to Sa Pa, where I stayed in a homestay. I prefer to book with hotels because I prefer my privacy and would rather not sleep in a room with other travelers. Hotels are more expensive than homestays and hostels, however, they do have more westernized amenities. As for homestays, they are often on the cheaper side and allow you to live like a local. In a homestay, you will sleep in a room or building on the property of a Vietnamese family. The family would invite you to eat dinner with them, however, you would each stay in your separate parts of the house. In hostels, they are also cheaper than hotels, they will be housing many people in one room. You will not experience a true Vietnamese lifestyle in a hostel as it is not typically run by a local Vietnamese family who also lives there.
Clean drinking water can be extremely hard to come by in Vietnam unless you are drinking out of bottled water. When in Vietnam, you should try to avoid uncooked vegetables, fruits with thin skins or no skins, and cold soups. Vegetables and fruits in Vietnam are washed with contaminated water and should only be eaten when cooked to prevent water-borne illnesses. You should also always eat cooked vegetables because many farmers will place pesticides on produce to make them appear greener, thus increasing their profits if more people purchase them. Pho is one of the most well-known dishes in Vietnam and is eaten so much because the soup is boiling hot. You will find very few cold soups, if any, in Vietnam because the bacteria and viruses in the water are only killed by boiling the water. A great rule of thumb is, if your soup isn’t steaming and extremely hot, do NOT eat it. Market stalls and local restaurants might not have clean working practices so try to stick to eating where more locals eat at. If a market stall or restaurant is abandoned, it is probably for good reason. A general rule of thumb is, if a market stall or restaurant is packed, it probably means it’s delicious and won’t get you sick.
The main use of transportation in Vietnam is via motorbike. The streets are crowded with them, so be careful when crossing the street! You can either rent a motorbike or use Grab to get around, unless you love to walk!
Vietnam is an extremely safe country. The United States State Department rated it a Level 1 Country where you should exercise caution. Common crime includes mugging and pickpocketing. Hotel staff have warned people to not have their phones out while walking in big cities (like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh) as people on motorbikes will come by and grab them. I recommend having a money belt where you place all of your important belongings or have a lanyard that has a pouch connected to it where you can store important documents and etc. Then place this lanyard into your shirt so that others cannot grab it. If absolutely necessary, place your important belongings into a purse and hold tightly to your body so that muggers/pickpocketers will have a hard time grabbing it. Violent crime in Vietnam is extremely rare, however, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use common sense and be aware of your surroundings.
Vietnam is a safe place for solo female travelers, however, many women have chosen to purchase a decoy wedding ring as Vietnamese men will come up to them asking if they are married or why they aren’t married. Women who wear revealing clothing are often looking down upon as it is disrespectful towards Vietnamese culture and their beliefs. Women wearing revealing clothing have also been approached for sexual requests by men. When entering a pagoda, temple, or religious site, make sure to cover your shoulders and knees. It is important to note that the North is more conservative than the South, which is more exposed to Western influence. If you are to wear something revealing, the South would be more accommodating.
For men, it is normal for them to wear a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. However, the attire for women is stricter than what we find in Western countries. There is no formal dress code in Vietnam, but if you want to blend in with the locals, women should wear modest clothing. As I mentioned above, the North is more conservative than the South. In the Northern parts of Vietnam, especially in the countryside, you will see women covering up more, even while swimming. I recommend bringing a few long sleeve flowy shirts that won’t cause you to get too hot. You can also bring flowy and breathable pants. Dresses are appropriate as well, however, I recommend wearing dresses that go to at least mid-thigh. When entering a pagoda, temple, or religious site, cover your shoulders and knees.
Many hotels will ask to hold onto your passport. I recommend that you request it be kept in a safe to limit the chances of it getting stolen. You should also take photocopies of all identification documents prior to your trip.
The police and military do not want pictures taken of them or their operations. If you are caught, they will ask for you to either delete the picture or for you to hand over your SIM card. It is best to not take pictures of them at all.
Many Vietnamese people do not want their pictures taken without their permission. If you are to take a picture of them, I recommend you ask for permission first.
Flights: I booked roundtrip flights from where I live to Vietnam on Expedia. I used Trip Masters for my flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. As for all of my other intercity flights, I booked them directly from the airline’s website.
Hotels: I booked all of my hotels through Trip Masters . Trip Masters will give you the option of Air or No Air (meaning do you want them to book flights for you). I clicked the No Air option and they planned all of the hotels for me.
Activities: I booked my activities and excursions on a variety of sites. My Sa Pa homestay was booked on Trip Masters whereas my Halong Bay Cruise was booked on Expedia. Some of my other activities were also booked via Trip Advisor and Viator.
