8 Things We Wish We Knew Before Travelling to Vietnam!
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We recently finished up 6 weeks budget travelling through Vietnam and during that time we've learnt some things we wish we knew before getting there. In this article, we are going to share 8 lessons we learnt in this amazing country, and our top 3 experiences that you don’t want you to miss! We’ve also included a bonus tip that is relevant for content creators at the end of the article!
Riding in a basket boat through the coconut forests in Hoi An, Vietnam
A boat tour through Van Long Lagoon in Ninh Binh, Vietnam
Vietnam Travel Resources
Flights: Search for the best flight deals to Vietnam with Skyscanner!
Accommodation: Book all your accommodation in Vietnam with Booking.com! We booked almost all our accommodation through Booking.com and got some great deals!
Transport: We use 12Go to book all our transport around Asia!
Activities: Klook is a great website for booking all your activities in Vietnam! Plus, you can use code “GOFORLAUNCHKLOOK” to get a discount on your bookings!
Our Videos: Check out our FULL playlist of videos from our six weeks in Vietnam here!
Other Vietnam Blog Posts: Check out our other articles we have on Vietnam here!
1) Coffee culture
Sipping on some Vietnamese egg coffee in Hanoi, Vietnam
To start off our list of things we wish we knew before coming to Vietnam, we’re going to talk about coffee. If you didn’t know, Vietnam is the world’s second largest coffee producer. We started our time in Vietnam in Hanoi, where it’s near impossible to walk five metres without stumbling across a cafe. Now coming from a place with a huge coffee culture in itself, in Melbourne, Australia, Hanoi immediately kicked Melbourne out of the park. Prior to coming to Hanoi, we knew it had a lot of cafes, but even we couldn’t believe JUST how many there were! Something we were also unprepared for was how strong the coffee actually is… and we learnt this the hard way.
Vietnamese coffee is notoriously strong, and we probably should have kept this in mind before we participated in a coffee making class. We each made, and ultimately drank, an egg coffee, a brown coffee and a white coffee, and don’t get us wrong, they were delicious, but we were so shaky and anxious afterwards! So, if you’re like us and can’t handle your coffee, maybe limit yourself to one.
Plus, on the topic of cafes in Hanoi, we visited some of the quirkiest ones we could find, and you check out our full video here, or otherwise check out our article on one of our favourites, Always Cafe (Harry Potter themed cafe)!
USEFUL LINKS
—-> Coffee Making Class, Hanoi (use code ‘GOFORLAUNCH’ for 10% off your first booking with Klook!)
2) THE WEATHER
Moving on to the second thing we wish we knew before travelling to Vietnam and this one is weather-related! If you’re like us, this might come as a surprise, but… it’s not hot everywhere in Vietnam all year round. We were in Vietnam from late February through to early April, and while late February was still technically winter for Vietnam, we still naively went into Vietnam expecting it to be hot everywhere for the full 6 weeks - perhaps this is because it was hot our whole time travelling through Thailand and Laos. We were very surprised to find when we arrived in Hanoi that it was actually not hot at all. In fact, we had multiple days where we were in pants and puffer jackets. Fortunately, we had only a few months earlier been in the USA during winter, so we had some warmer weather gear on us, but had we headed straight to Asia from Australia, we might have been a little stuck.
Trekking through the rice fields in Sa Pa, Vietnam.
We definitely weren’t the only ones who were caught by surprise because we saw SO many tourists repping some jackets and jumpers picked up from the local markets. While Hanoi was a surprise, we probably should have expected a bit of cooler weather in Sa Pa. We travelled up to the mountains for a 3-night stay in Sa Pa, and it was freezing. We’re talking, jumper, jacket, beanie weather. However, we at least were right about the rest of Vietnam, because once we left Hanoi, it just got warmer and warmer the further south we headed, and by the time we reached Mui Ne and Ho Chi Minh City, we were begging to have the cooler weather back.
So the key tip here, is to check the time of year you are travelling and the locations you’re travelling, because depending on when and where this is, you may have to pack for more than one season!
3) CASH IS KING
Going for a small hike in Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh, Vietnam
Next up, let’s talk about money. Out of the 10 cities we visited in Vietnam, we were only able to pay by card relatively easily at in one, being Ho Chi Minh City. Suffice to say… cash is king. Generally the ATM will give you a maximum of 2-3 million Vietnamese Dong, which is about $120-180 AUD, which is obviously not enough is you’re planning a long-term trip, especially considering a lot of the budget accommodation will require you to pay wish cash. Fortunately, the ATM fee is generally only a few dollars in Vietnam - a lot cheaper than in Thailand - however, if you want to avoid having to constantly pay this fee, we’d suggest exchanging cash in your home country before travelling to Vietnam.
While you can use card pretty freely in some locations, cash is always handy to have if you’re doing tours so you can give a little tip at the end. While tipping isn’t expected, it is welcomed. We generally liked to tip around 100,000 Vietnamese Dong per person when we’ve enjoyed our tour.
4) COMMON SCAMS
Before travelling to many countries around the world, not just in Asia, you’ll be warned - “Beware of Scams”. Unfortunately, Vietnam is no exception. While we didn’t find scams to be as prevalent as they were made out to be on social media, we did encounter one of the most common scams in Vietnam, which is to do with the rideshare app Grab.
We experienced this at both the airport, and when waiting for a Grab at a shopping centre. Essentially, in certain busy locations, you’ll be approached by people claiming to work for Grab and offering to help you get a ride. In our experience, they’ll present to you “proof” they work for Grab, which might be their phone background containing the Grab logo, or a t-shirt. While we didn’t experience this, many on social media have noted that this person has grabbed their phone to help them, but instead have cancelled their pre-booked Grab ride, to leave you in the position where it is “easiest” to just go with them. While they’ll generally do the drive for the same price on Grab, it is always best to re-book through the app, particularly for the ride tracking. Moral of the story is to ignore these people claiming to be from Grab and continue to go through the app, even if it turns out they do actually work for Grab.
Another common scam which we didn’t experience, but have read about, is being short changed. The 10,000 and 100,000 Vietnamese Dong notes are very similar in colour, so a common scam is to provide 10,000 Dong notes instead of the 100,000 Dong notes as change, in hope that you don’t check the change given. Again, we didn’t experience this, but have heard of this occurring.
As always when travelling, stay alert, and if the situation doesn’t feel right, stick to your gut!
5) DOWNLOAD GRAB
While on the topic of Grab, we definitely recommend downloading the Grab app for your trip. It might be best to do this before arriving in Vietnam, as more often than not, apps like this will require a phone number for authentication.
Grab is essentially a merge of Uber and Uber Eats, and is prevalent through most of South East Asia, including Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. It is generally a really affordable way to get around Vietnam, with the option of both cars or bikes, and we found it to be widely available in most cities we visited. If you’re travelling solo, it’s also a great option, as similar to Uber, it will track your ride, and you can also follow along with the directions, for extra added safety.
Mega Grand World in Hanoi, Vietnam
We also used Grab quite extensively for food delivery, when we had our work days and didn’t feel like going out, and were often able to stack a bunch of coupon codes to get it a lot cheaper.
We were also able to nab a free trial of Grab Unlimited, which also gave us reduced delivery costs, as well as a bunch of coupon codes each time we ordered food delivery, reducing our costs even further. All in all, it is a great option for day-to-day transport in Vietnam, and you can even quite easily do some longer journeys with Grab, including between Da Nang and Hoi An.
6) WORK OUT YOUR TRANSPORT, BEFORE YOUR ACCOMMODATION
This might sound a bit bizarre, but we’d actually suggest working out your transport around Vietnam, before booking your accommodation. Reason for this is that Vietnam has a lot of overnight transport options, particularly buses, and if you’re travelling on a budget, this is a great way to save some money as you’re getting transport and a nights accommodation in one.
While we didn’t end up doing an overnight bus (hence why we wish we knew this!), as we had booked most of our accommodation before our transport, we did get to travel in a sleeper bus during the day for a long 8-hour bus journey from Ninh Binh to Phong Nha, and we found it to be surprisingly comfortable! We were able to lie completely flat, had our own little cubby, and generally think this is a great way to travel through the country.
7) DON’T DO A HA LONG BAY CRUISE
This is definitely a controversial one but something we wish we knew before travelling to Vietnam was to SKIP a Ha Long Bay cruise. Now, we did a one night cruise, and came out with mixed feelings. Rosh liked it and was happy we did it, whereas I felt it was not worth the money at all and would have preferred to skip it.
Admiring the view in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Coming to Vietnam, we knew that there was controversy online about whether or not visiting Ha Long Bay is worth visiting in 2024. In fact, every cruise we looked at had very mixed reviews, no matter whether it was a budget cruise, or a high end cruise. While we recommend not doing a cruise, this doesn’t mean we recommend skipping Ha Long Bay altogether. We met with so many travellers during our time in Vietnam, and a lot of them opted to stay on Cat Ba Island, and do day trips out into the bay instead. They all raved about their time and absolutely loved it.
So if we had our time again, we would opt for this option. We actually have an entire video of our time on our Ha Long bay cruise, where we give our honest thoughts on this topic, plus, we also have a video comparing the experience with our time in Ninh Binh, as people often pick between doing one or the other.
8) CROSSING THE ROAD IS… HARD
Vietnam is known for it’s busy roads and traffic rules, however, nothing prepared us for just how hard it can be to get around and cross the road, especially in Hanoi. The traffic in Hanoi’s Old Quarter isn’t like anything we’ve experienced before. In fact, it’s actually quite scary. There are no side walks, so you’re forced to walk on the side of the road, and the bikes and the cars don’t stop for anything. There are also barely any pedestrian street crossings, and even where there are markings for a crossing on the ground, cars and bikes don’t stop.
Taking in the view from a cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam!
Early on in our time in Hanoi we did a street food tour, and our guide gave us this advice: do not hesitate, just keep walking, and hope the bikes and cars avoid you. While this sounds super dangerous, all the locals will tell you it’s actually more dangerous for you to stop, or back step, as the bikes will see you and plan to move around you, and if you suddenly stop or back step, they’re more likely to hit you.
While there’s not a lot you can actually do to prepare for this, it’s definitely something worth mentally preparing for, especially if you’re travelling with children, as unfortunately, there’s no way around it!
** BONUS TIP **
Tam Coc in Ninh Binh, Vietnam
Now is the time for your bonus tip, and this one is a little more focused on content creators, or those with a particular interest in videography. Before coming to Vietnam, something we wish we knew more about was the strict drone rules and regulations. Fortunately for us, we got up to speed before flying our drone, but it’s definitely something to be prepared for. To put it simply, do NOT fly your drone here. In fact, if you can avoid bringing your drone into the country, you probably should, as we’ve heard stories of drones even being confiscated at airports on arrival!
Obviously, if you do bring your drone in and fly it, you’ll cop a hefty fine, and for this reason, while we did bring our drone into Vietnam without any issues, we obviously opted to never fly it while in Vietnam.
If you’re like us, and still wanting to use epic aerial footage to add to your content, then we’d recommend using some form of subscription service that contains stock footage that you can use under licence. We personally use Artlist and HIGHLY recommend it! All of our music, sounds effects and plugins, including a bunch of stock footage, comes from Artlist, allowing us to still use awesome aerial footage in our videos. If you want to check out Artlist, you can use this link to sign up and you’ll get two months free on your annual subscription!
AND… HERE ARE OUR TOP THREE MUST-DO ACTIVITIES IN VIETNAM!
1) BOAT TOUR IN TRANG AN
One of our favourite things we did during our time in Vietnam was during our three days spent in Ninh Binh, and this was a boat tour in Trang An! While slightly less well known than boat tours in Tam Coc, Trang An is much less crowded and has some pretty cool options! You’ll pick from three different routes, and we suggest opting for Route 3, as this will take you through a 1km long cave, which was such an amazing experience!
You can check out our full video of our time in Ninh Binh here!
2) EXPLORING THE SAND DUNES IN MUI NE
The second activity we consider a must-do in Vietnam is exploring the sand dunes in Mui Ne. Vietnam is full of SO many unique landscapes, and this has to be one of the most unique.
The famous white sand dunes in Mui Ne, Vietnam
We suggest doing a sunrise tour of the dunes, mostly to avoid the heat. Most tours will take you to both the white sand dunes and the red dunes, as well as a few other smaller stops. The white sand dunes are definitely the highlight, with quad bikes and sand boarding on offer!
You can check out our full video of our time in Mui Ne here!
3) TOUR OF DARK CAVE IN PHONG NHA
Our final activity you can not miss in Vietnam is a tour to Dark Cave in Phong Nha. Visiting Dark Cave is one of the best day tours you can do during your time in Phong Nha, and it was actually one of our favourite things we did in all of Vietnam! While there are hundreds of caves in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, not all are accessible to tourists, and certainly not all are able to be visited on a day trip. While some are more attracted to a more peaceful, relaxing cave experience, a visit to Dark Cave is more for those seeking a little adventure.
Exploring Dark Cave in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam
First you drive about 30 minutes out of the town to Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, then you zip line 400m across the river, to then swim to the mouth of the cave. From here you walk 1km in complete darkness, before arriving at a mud bath deep in the cave! It was like nothing we’ve ever done before and we highly recommend it.
You can check out our full article on our experience at Dark Cave here, or our full video of our time in Phong Nha here!
