10 Things You Must Know Before Visiting Vietnam

My love for this country is immense, it was my first ever country long haul, and I had the best time. The scenery, people, and food all sum up and have a very special part in my heart. Here are some things to take into consideration when visiting Vietnam.

10 things you need to know before visiting Vietnam - Girl standing near traditional boats in Vietnam

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Visiting Vietnam: the basics

Language: The official language in Vietnam is Vietnamese.

Currency: The currency of Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong.

Eating price Rangers: When visiting Vietnam, you can eat on a budget for about 5 pounds, for a mid-range meal/restaurant I would say you will pay anything from £5-£15 and if you go to a top restaurant in a hotel etc you would be looking at prices from £15 but this depends on the places.

Credit Cards and ATMs: You won’t have a problem finding ATMs when visiting Vietnam’s big cities like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. Most ATMs accept Visa cards, but one thing to be aware of is that most ATMs have a limit of withdrawal of about 2,000,000d -6,000,oood (between £65 – £200) a day, so if you need more you would need to go to the local bank.

Plugs: The usual voltage is 220 volts and 50 hertz. The type of plugs are the same as in Europe.

Safety: Travelling to Vietnam is very safe. I traveled from North to South Vietnam and I never felt unsafe. Mind me this was back in 2016. Vietnamese people are very nice. Although the employees at our hostel cautioned us to be cautious when wandering around with my phone out, I didn’t feel unsafe when travelling through Vietnam. In Ho Chi Minh, it’s usual for individuals to approach you while riding their motorcycles and take your phone from your hands.

Visas: I recommend checking the latest regulations for your passport when visiting Vietnam. I only had to go to the embassy and apply for the visa. I have a Portuguese passport and my boyfriend has a British one. Our Visa although, was only for 30 days.
If you need help applying for a Visa for anywhere in the world or some advice, send me an email via contacts, I have a friend who’s job is to help travellers entering countries and can help you getting a visa and helping you visiting Vietnam.

Health and Vaccination: Everywhere you go, please please get travel insurance. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have good travel insurance. Throughout my trips, I have benefited from my travel insurance 4 times and this is not different when visiting Vietnam.

Vaccines are an important subject, especially if you are planning on going inland. It is recommended to have the following jabs for South East Asia:
– Adult diphtheria and Tetanus
– Hepatitis A and B
– Measles, Mumps and Rubella
– Typhoid
– Varicella

If you are in the UK there are travel vaccination centres. In London, there is a travel clinic (click here to find one near where you are)

I leave you here the travel insurance I research that covers you against Covid-19 in case it is important to you. It looks very good and people have been speaking about it a lot. I personally receive travel insurance as part of my bank in the UK but I would use this one if I needed: EKTA

When to go: I went to Vietnam in May and we had an amazing time, it was hot, no rain, and we also travelled the whole country with not much problem.
However, the best time to go is said to be September to avoid crowds, I also recommend June and August when it’s hot-hot-hot, but this time normally is the peak period so you would need to buy in advance hotels.

Vietnamese people and general feelings:
Travelling to Vietnam was my first long haul country and I loved everything about it. I went during the Month and I couldn’t wish to a better time to go, but what it made my trip extraordinary was its people. Far from the ordinary, Vietnamese people are filled with happiness to be around tourists and foreigners, always happy to help you with directions, food, and share traditions. When I decided to go to this country it wasn’t definitely my first choice as a country, but I am very pleased I discovered the fantastic place. Vietnamese people love good food and coffee and in my opinion have the best sea food in South East Asia!

I hope this is a great beginning for your next trip to Vietnam.

Safe travels x

Miri