Vietnam: Full Travel Guide for Backpackers (Must Read)

In this post we have compiled our travel guide to Vietnam , where we spent 30 days. We had read everything about Vietnam: that you get robbed in hotels, that people are very cold, that you will be disappointed… but hey! We said, if it is so touristy it must be for a reason…And the truth is that we started off on the right foot: the stay in Phu Quoc, although not entirely cheap, we liked it: super friendly people, beautiful beaches, good food. Things changed completely when in Mui Ne our motorbike was stolen! Hehe, now we laugh but it was a bad experience, although it is also true that it could have happened somewhere else and perhaps after 5 months of travelling something must have gone wrong!

Vietnam is certainly a country that has suffered a lot over the years, and the memory of the terrible war is still alive. We have loved being able to discover more things about the subject, which is really very interesting, and above all to have a more objective view than that of the typical Hollywood movies.

Perhaps we expected more from the gastronomy: really a backpacker has little choice, except Hoi An, the gastronomic capital of Vietnam, with different and wallet-proof dishes!

Here we bring you our travel guide to Vietnam on your own (backpacking plan). A complete guide to our trip through Vietnam. Visa, currency, when to go, itinerary, how much it costs, what is the best and the worst, reference prices, transportation and more.

Vietnam itinerary | Backpacking from south to north - Jill on journey

VISA

Since July 1, 2015, Spaniards do not need a visa for Vietnam , as long as the stay is for a maximum of 15 days (including the day of arrival and departure) and they enter only once. If you want to enter again, at least 30 days must pass from the date of departure.

For longer stays up to 30 days you will need to apply for an e-visa before entering the country. It costs 25 USD and can be processed through either of these two official websites: www.immigration.gov.vn or www.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn . Once your application is approved, you will receive a PDF document by email which you will need to print and present upon arrival.

For other types of visas, up to 3 months and with one or more entries, you can process them in the following ways:

At the Vietnamese embassy in Spain or at any of the Vietnamese embassies around the world (we got it in Sihanoukville), for entry through the airport or through land border crossings. The price is $45 and it takes about 3 or 4 days. You need to fill out a form and submit a photo.
At some Vietnamese travel agencies that process it online, such as myvietnamvisa , vietnam-visa or vietnam-immigration . Only for entry into the country through airports. Prices are slightly higher.

CURRENCY

The official currency of Vietnam is the Dong (VND). You can calculate the updated exchange rate in the table below.

WARNING! There have been cases of robbery in hotel rooms in Vietnam. Their modus operandi is to locate the place where the banknotes are kept and steal a few, so that you don't notice until you get hold of them, perhaps a few days after leaving the hotel and thus lose track. The best thing to do is to carry a padlock and close the two rings of your backpack with the money well hidden inside. They don't usually touch technology and valuable objects.

Another recommendation is NOT to leave your passport in hotels when you check in. Most accommodations in Vietnam require you to leave your passport for the entire duration of your stay, but remember that it is the most valuable item you have and it can be used to blackmail you. They can do this when they charge you extra for a washing machine, or when you check out they charge you an extra fee… or even when the motorbike you happened to rent from them disappears and they ask you to pay for it… It is best to leave a copy if they want to have something, or for them to make it themselves, as happens in other places.

To have local money available, we recommend not exchanging it at your bank before travelling. This is the least attractive solution in terms of fees. In fact, the best option (both for Vietnam and for other trips) is to get a special card from neobanks that offer very interesting conditions.

Which ones do we have? Right now we are using the Revolut card as the first option , one of the most reliable (they also have a €10 promo for new users!) and then the N26 card .

They have a free version and offer excellent conditions to save us a lot of money on commissions, but with certain limitations, so they complement each other perfectly. We recommend carrying both, in addition to your regular bank card, in case one fails.

Backpacking Vietnam Guide: Budget, Routes, Highlights + Travel Tips!

Things to do

WHEN TO TRAVEL

Vietnam is a very long country and the climate is somewhat different between the north and the south . In the south of the country the climate is tropical while in the mountains of the north it has a more continental climate. The monsoon season runs from May to October, during this time there is rain throughout the country and temperatures in the north are warm. Between November and April the rains stop but beware, in the mountainous areas of the north (even in Hanoi) it gets quite cool. But this would be the best time to visit Vietnam.

VACCINES

There is a risk of dengue and malaria in Vietnam, but there is no need to worry too much about the latter as it is concentrated mainly in rural areas. The most touristic and urban areas are free of malaria. In any case, take all possible precautions: always use a good mosquito repellent, sleep under a mosquito net every night, avoid the hours of greatest concentration of mosquitoes (dawn and dusk) and the areas of greatest concentration (rivers, lakes and wet areas) and wear appropriate clothing.

The recommended vaccines are: Hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, Japanese encephalitis, and tetanus and rabies (which you probably already have).

More recommendations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Vietnam

BUDGET

The daily expenditure per person per day was €12.51 , broken down into these concepts:

Accommodation : 5,470,000 Dongs (200 €). Divided over 28 days (2 nights spent on night buses). The cost was 3.57 € per person.
Food : 6,567,000 Dongs (241 €). Divided into 30 days, that's 4.02 € per person.
Transport : 4,030,000 Dongs (150 €) divided into 30 days is 2.50 € per person.
Tickets and Activities : 3,100,000 Dongs (115 €) divided into 30 days is 1.92 € per person.
Various : 841,000 Dongs (30 €) divided into 30 days is 0.50 € per person.

PLUG

There are three types of plugs available in Vietnam: type A with two flat pins; type C, the European type with two round pins; and the less common type G with three square pins, like the ones in the picture. You can buy a universal adapter or get a specific one as soon as you arrive at your destination.

ITINERARY

Our trip to Vietnam on our own lasted 40 days and took us to:

Phu Quoc Island
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mui Ne
Hoi An
Hue
Ninh Binh
Hanoi
Halong Bay
Sapa

HOW TO MOVE

Transport in Vietnam is quite easy, although there is a lot of traffic , especially around and within the big cities, where it is absolutely crazy.

There is practically a single tourist route from south to north, from Ho Cho Minh City to Hanoi (more than 1,500 km), with various stops along the way. You can travel by bus , which you can book from one day to the next (day or night), or by train , in which case reservations must be made a day in advance. Many agencies offer train reservation services and there are open bus tickets, the Open Bus , which allow you to travel around Vietnam in several stops with the same ticket. Depending on how many you include in your itinerary, the price will vary. You can see more information on the Sin Cafe Travel agency website.

You can also make reservations for trains and buses from the website 12go.asia

Fun Things to do

WHAT TO EAT

Vietnam is an ideal destination for foodie travelers. There are plenty of different and healthy dishes, and eating out is very cheap. These are the delicacies you should not miss:

Pho Bo : This is the national dish: Vietnamese people love it, and we travellers can only agree. It is a rice noodle soup with thin slices of beef (there is also a chicken version: pho ga ). But be careful! Don't think it's a boring dish: each pho is different and has the touch of the cook on duty. The soup broth is super tasty and aromatic, and you can also "personalize" your pho with the fresh ingredients that will be served: cilantro, mint, lime, nuoc man, chili, soy...
Bun rieu : This is a tomato and crab flavoured noodle soup. It is served with crab meatballs and fried tofu.
Bun cha gio thit nuong : This is a kind of combination dish consisting of rice noodles, lettuce, minced pork roll, peanuts, pork strips and vegetables. Doesn't it look good?

There are two types of rolls:

Cha gio : a rice paper roll, usually filled with minced pork, mushrooms with rice noodles and vegetables and eaten fried.
Goi cuon : in this case the roll is not fried: the rice paper is raw and filled with vegetables, shrimp and noodles. It is served at room temperature. Needless to say, I love the fried (super fried) version, the raw one is so boring, so healthy and “vegetable-y”. But most people say they are delicious… I think Rober also prefers the fried version!

The city with the most culinary personality is Hoi An, the gastronomic capital of Vietnam. It has typical and tasty dishes that can only be tried there. And best of all, you can accompany them with beers for 15 cents ! We tried:

Cau lau : a rice noodle dish with pork, bean sprouts, vegetables and croutons. All topped with soy sauce. It is super typical of Hoi An and they say that it can only be cooked with water from a well in this city…
Won ton : it's fried rice noodles, I guarantee I love it hehe, filled with pork. Mmm delicious, and the tomato, pepper and onion sauce is delicious!
White rose : it is a kind of steamed ravioli filled with shrimp. Against all odds, it left us a little indifferent…

THE BEST AND THE WORST

This is one of our favourite sections, here we tell you anecdotes from the trip, personal feelings about the place, things we loved but also things we didn't like at all... in a brief summary of our time in Vietnam.

The best

Phu Quoc seafood, we have eaten more grilled cuttlefish there than in the last 10 years.
Enjoy Chinese New Year in HCMC, a unique experience!
The dunes of Mui Ne: the feeling of being in the Sahara, surrounded by Vietnamese people and just a stone's throw from the sea.
Strolling around Hoi An, a city with a lot of atmosphere…and with jugs of beer for 15 cents!
Being able to see the continental hotel in HCMC where Tiziano Terzani spent his Vietnamese hours (the guy really lived badly!).
Sharing part of the journey with Sergey, a big but friendly Russian!
We loved the water puppet theatre!
Loteria, the Vietnamese answer to McDonald's... one of the best burgers we've ever had! And the fried chicken, mmm.
The birthday surprise that awaited me in Hue!
Of course…Halong Bay, that alone is worth a visit to this country, incredible!
The national Vietnamese dish, Pho! The soup that you can find anytime, anywhere (very good, although in Hanoi we were almost drugged at a street stall: we don't really know which ingredient was the culprit but we felt veeeery weird hehe).
Traveling by sleeping bus: comfortable and saves you a lot of time.
In general we have to say that we have felt more comfortable in the south of the country, the people are perhaps more open than in the north… it's like in Italy, and this is said by someone who couldn't have been born further north!
The landscapes of Sapa, even though Roby got lost in the hihi mountains, were definitely worth it!

Worst

Forgetting our backpacks with important things in a taxi (two cameras, mp3, mobile phone…lost).
We were left without a camera during the Chinese New Year week, when the shops are CLOSED! So we spent a few days without a camera and with a great desire to take photos.
Having lost the photos of Phu Quoc.
They stole our motorcycle, haha, for more details read the Mui Ne chapter! Phew.
Encountering bad weather for 3 days in Ninh Binh: we had to give up visiting one of the best areas of Vietnam because of the rain.
That some men have a cocky attitude just for wearing a uniform.

Is Vietnam worth it?

Without a doubt, although there are things that do not completely convince us, we cannot deny the historical and cultural importance of this corner of Southeast Asia, and the fact of visiting Halong Bay alone justifies the trip.

OUR ARTICLES

Our other posts about vietnam:

Which SIM and eSIM cards to buy in Vietnam
10 things to see and do in Vietnam
10 must-see and do things in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
15 curiosities about Vietnam that you may not know
Tips and recommendations for travelling to Vietnam on your own
2-Week Vietnam Travel Itinerary (with Map!)
10 must-see and do things in Hoi An
Halong Bay Cruise: Tips and Experience
20 things to see and do in Hanoi
7 restaurants where you can eat in Hanoi (good and cheap)
Tips for traveling to Southeast Asia (and not screwing up)
What is the best time to travel to Southeast Asia?
20 things to see and do in Southeast Asia
VISAS FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA (FOR SPANISH CITIZENS)
Backpacker's Guide to Southeast Asia
What to eat in Vietnam: typical dishes of Vietnamese cuisine
10 must-see places in Southeast Asia
THE 10 MOST COMMON SCAMS AND FRAUDS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR HAGGLING (AND NOT DIE TRYING)
Vietnam travel guide for backpackers
We went to Sapa: independent trekking in Sapa
HALONG BAY: THE DRAGON BAY
HANOI, WINTER HAS COME
HUE, THE IMPERIAL CITY OF VIETNAM
THE LITTLE LIGHTS OF HOI AN
MUI NE: THE RUSSIAN SAHARA AND FINAL FIREWORKS
TRAPPED IN SAIGON («UNWELCOMED» IN HO CHI MINH CITY)
PHU QUOC: GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!
Our route through Southeast Asia

We hope you find our Vietnam travel guide for backpackers useful. If you have any questions, queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to write to us and we will be happy to help you.

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