I thought that as our second trip to Vietnam comes to a close, I would try writing something slightly different. I know that some people who read this blog are planning their own trips to Vietnam, so a few tips that I’ve picked up on the road may be of use. Please note, I can’t guarantee the advice and information provided is 100% accurate – it is purely based on my experiences.

WEATHER

In central Vietnam (Hue and Hoi An) it was pouring with rain when we visited in February, but lovely beach weather at the end of May (albeit a bit too hot). According to travel advice sites February should be an ‘ideal’ month to visit central Vietnam, so with the climate in tropical areas of the world being subject to so much change at the moment you are never one hundred per cent guaranteed the conditions you want. November to April is probably best for the south (Ho Chi Minh/ Mekong Delta). In the north it can get quite cold in winter so September/ October/November/April/ May is an ideal time.

We were planning to visit the north of Vietnam and Thailand in January/ February/ March but then we found out about the ‘burning season’. Farmers in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China burn off the remains of the crops on their land. Although attempts are being made to phase this out, it currently still causes widespread pollution.

Having said all that, we were not anywhere at ‘perfect’ times of year, more shoulder seasons, which meant it was cheaper and quieter. For example, although we were in Ho Chi Minh at a very hot time of year, the hotels gave good discounts. I wouldn’t want to be in the deep south from May onwards though – it’s much too hot.

Bear in mind the dates of Vietnamese holidays (you can look them up online) as at these times places will be packed with Vietnamese tourists, so it’s worth booking further in advance to get better deals. We were in Hanoi on the 25th anniversary of Reunification day and it was fine – but if we had booked to go to Trang An or Sapa then it would have been a lot more expensive and crowded than usual. Weekends countryside or seaside destinations also tend to be busier, especially if they are easily accessible from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh city. Vietnamese people like to spend holiday time in the same locations as foreign tourists, although their preferences tend towards the modern and concrete rather than the rustic.

MY FAVOURITE DESTINATIONS

Ko Muong village Pu Luong

My favourite destination was Pu Luong. It helped that we stayed at the (to us) luxurious Pu Luong Jungle Lodge.

If I visited again I might split my time between Jungle Lodge and one of the simple homestays in Ko Muong village near the Bat Cave (google Bat Cave Pu Luong and look for the closest homestays to it). I advise packing a small bag and leaving your big bag in a hotel on the main road in Pu Luong for safekeeping (unless you are travelling very light). Then you can walk down the path to Ko Muong (Bat Cave) village. Alternatively you can get a motorcycle taxi with your big bag all the way down, but the walk is lovely and you would miss a lot on a motorbike (see blog entry on Pu Luong for more details).

My second favourite place was Trang An – the river boat/caves trip was unmissable. Make sure you stay in Trang An rather than Tam Coc or Ninh Binh as Trang An is much more relaxing and rural.

I enjoyed our trek in Sapa – I would recommend going with Sapa Sisters or Ethos – you can turn up at their offices and book once you arrive. Our guide confirmed that they pay their workers fairly and offer the best conditions. Sapa is a place to plan treks and visits to surrounding villages from rather than a destination in itself. It is quite over touristed, but the climate is pleasant and it isn’t the worst town I have ever visited.

Vietnam isn’t a place to go to for pristine beaches (my first choice would be Greece followed by Thailand) but if you fancy a few days by the sea I recommend An Bang beach near Hoi An – you can base yourself there, go to the beach during the day and visit Hoi An in the afternoon/ evening. If you have time though, Hoi An old town does merit at least two nights in its own right, even though it is quite touristy.

We didn’t go to Nha Trang but it is meant to be the glitzy beach capital of Vietnam and I am sure if you were staying in a posh resort you would have a relaxing and fun time there. Hot springs are located nearby and there are a number of ancient sights to see.

There is a lot of beach between Hoi An and Nha Trang which we missed – the best of which is not accessible unless you have your own motorbike or a driver. I think Paddy Doyle covers this area on his You Tube channel so it would be worth watching if you are interested.

Beware of the heat on the beaches – it is best to visit early and/or late in the day. See the blogpost on An Bang Beach and Hoi An for more details (bear in mind that we were there at a very hot time, but I have heard that Hoi An is very hot pretty much all year ). I highly recommend a ‘Get Your Guide’ early morning tour (ideally with Mr Van if you can get him) to My Son (near Hoi An and An Bang) – see blogpost about this excursion.

Hanoi is definitely worth spending time in although it is a busy hectic city. If possible I recommend splitting your time there into a couple of separate two or three day trips and going to countryside destinations in between. The citadel, temple of literature and museum of ethnography are all must sees. The old town and Hoan Kiem lake are lovely to wander around. The Truch Bach area is very chilled. See my blogposts on Hanoi for more details.

Ho Chi Minh isn’t as attractive as Hanoi on first glance, but it’s interesting to admire Vietnam’s ambitious development. There are many interesting museums, art galleries and markets to see. It is also a good base to visit sites in the south.

If you get to central Vietnam/ are visiting An Bang Beach and Hoi An, don’t miss out Hue. The citadel and the tombs are amazing and I also recommend the Zen Buddhist monastery of Bach Ma. I wouldn’t bother with the Marble Mountains though, although you might want to take a trip up to the Bana hills – and they are often combined with the Marble Mountains on tours. The train trip from Hue to Danang (for An Bang Beach and Hoi An) is very scenic.

We saw Danang from the bus. It didn’t look too enthralling unless you like concrete high end holiday resorts.

The Bai Tu Long cruise wouldn’t be top of my list and don’t be tempted to book on to a Halong bay cruise – you will be disappointed unless you are into large scale tourism. See blogpost for more details.

WHERE WE MISSED AND WOULD STILL LIKE TO VISIT SOME DAY….

There are loads of interesting places in the mountains of the north we didn’t get to. These can be accessed from the Sapa or Ha Giang areas, but I believe transport can be challenging so you would need time. Apparently you can go across into Laos and travel down to Nong Khiaw (Laos) by boat (see Loren’s wanderlust travel blog). It was too hot for us to contemplate this trip when we were there, but if you timed it right I think it would be amazing. You may have to get a special permit for some areas in the north, so it is worth doing research prior to leaving. From Nong Khiaw you could head for Luang Prabang, Vientiane, southern Laos and Cambodia or head to Thailand via the northern route (via Chiang Rai) or the southern route via Pakse.

You could also go from Vietnam into China from the north. Or from Vietnam into northern Laos and then into China (we did the trip the other way, from China to Laos 30 years ago after entering China via the Karakoram Highway, Pakistan – not sure how that trip would work now).

SUGGESTED ITINERARIES

Short trips ( 3 – 4 weeks)

North and middle Vietnam

Hanoi 3 nights, mix of Sapa, Pu Luong, Trang An (pick 2), then fly from Hanoi to Danang and visit Hue (2 or 3 nights) and Hoi An/An Bang beach (2 – 3 nights). Fly back to Hanoi and home or down to Ho Chi Minh City and home

North Vietnam

Hanoi 3 nights, Sapa overnight train and trek 1 or 2 nights (4 – 5 nights total in Sapa), Hanoi 1 night or get overnight train or fly back from Sapa to Hanoi, Pu Luong 3 – 5 nights, Trang An 2 – 3 nights (it is possible to get from Pu Luong to Trang An which we didn’t realise via transport organised by the place we stayed in Pu Luong – Pu Luong Jungle Lodge. This would save a bit of time as you wouldn’t need to go back to Hanoi like we did), Hanoi 2 – 3 nights

Middle and South Vietnam

Fly to Ho Chi Minh – 3 days Ho Chi Minh, fly to Danang and visit Hue and Sapa, fly to Dalat for 2 – 3 days, fly back to Ho Chi Minh, visit Mekong delta area before flying home

MORE IDEAS FOR LONGER TRIPS

I have heard great things about Ko Rong Salolem island, Cambodia. A possible route would be Ho Chi Minh, Can Tho, Pnomh Penh, Kep and Kampot and on to Ko Rong Salolem. Chinese developers have got their eyes on Ko Rong Salolem so time may be short…You could then go on to Angkor Wat and into Thailand to visit Ko Mak/ Ko Kood/ Ko Samet and back to Bangkok. A lot of less visited Cambodia (north and east) also looks interesting, but hard travelling.

I have heard positive things about the Con Dao islands – you can get a boat there from Ho Chi Minh. I spoke to a couple of English girls who had visited Pu Quoc though and unless you like concrete and tourists it’s probably not worth visiting.

FOOD

Food is incredibly cheap, although western style/ traveller restaurants in the towns can get pricey if you are a longer term traveller. In places like Trang An and Pu Luong the place you are staying will generally do set evening menus at a reasonable price.

It is surprisingly hard to get good vegetarian food compared to India. There are lots of Indian tourists and therefore Indian restaurants though – I didn’t try any but that may be an option.

You can use the Grab App to order food to your hotel room if you are too tired or can’t be bothered to go out.

Overall I prefer the food in Thailand to that anywhere else in south east Asia. But it is better than the UK everywhere. There are loads of food tours and cookery courses available everywhere. I didn’t do any, but lots of people I met swear by them.

TRAVELLING AROUND

Your best friend is the Grab App – you can use this to get motorbike or car taxis in a local area. Generally it is cheaper to do this than book a tour – although sometimes a tour is just as cheap and worthwhile – we were really glad we booked an organised tour of the My Son ruins near An Bang beach/ Hoi An for example. But in Hue it was easy to get a Grab to the citadel and the tombs.

Note that you can’t use grab on the Thai islands we visited (Ko Phayam, Ko Phangan) where the taxi mafia dominates. It is best to book transport from the port via your guest house. On Ko Phayam you can get reasonably cheap transport direct from the port to wherever you are staying (we did this but I think it might have been cheaper to book via Mr Lek/ Rabbit bungalow) but don’t even think about it on Ko Phangan.

The Vietnamese make it very easy to travel. It is also very easy to stay on the same well worn track as everyone else. It is worth making the effort (which is not that great) to go a bit off piste. Generally I would not advise booking tours through hotels or agents in the street. If you plan to, at least compare with Grab or an app like makemytrip first. Taking tours and doing adventure zip lining/ canyoning/ other activities beloved of young people with under developed frontal cortexes will massively increase your expenses.

I used the 12go app to book all longer journeys e.g. train journeys from Hanoi to Danang and Sapa, bus journeys from Hanoi to everywhere in the north. This is not the best choice in Laos though – small travel agencies like Miss Noi in Pakse or booking via your hotel is most reliable.

Overnight train journeys in Vietnam are ok but not the height of luxury. They are much nicer in Thailand, but as expensive as the plane (if you aren’t travelling third class). I personally avoid bus journeys whenever possible because of the high risk of road accidents all over south east Asia. Although the train journeys are more expensive they are a lot safer. It is easy and relatively cheap to fly – you can book via 12go or via skyscanner (sky scanner seem to have more choice in terms of flights). Your choice will be determined by your budget. If you are in a taxi or bus use a seatbelt if they have it!

If you are an experienced biker and have a death wish, Vietnam by motorbike would be brilliant. I wish I had the courage and skill.

People rave about the Ha Giang loop and I can’t comment as I didn’t go but I suspect it may be best off the beaten track on your own bike or in a smaller more specialist group. ‘Easy riders’ ie somebody riding a motorbike with you on the back) are available all over Vietnam. I spoke to a tour guide in Hue who used to be an Easy Rider but he stopped doing it as his mum didn’t like him taking the risks involved.

COSTS

You can get a good budget room for between £15 – £20. Dorms go from around £5 – £10. It is worth checking reviews on both google maps and booking.com. The rooms on booking.com tend to look a bit better than the reality, but not always. If you are on a short trip I would recommend upping your standards to the £30 – £50 range – you get proper luxury at that level. Bear in mind we were not there in peak season – so the prices may be more then.

HEALTH

You will need to bring sun cream and mozzie repellent with a high percentage of deet (e.g. the roll ons from Boots). You can buy mozzie repellent in Vietnam but I am not convinced it is as effective (for me anyway). The stuff you buy in Seven-Eleven in Thailand is effective. Same goes for suncream – you can get reputable brands in Thailand tourist areas but it is harder in Vietnam/ Laos/ Cambodia particularly out of the cities. Top Mozzie time is dawn and dusk. I would recommend applying at that point as a minimum.

You need to get hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid jabs as standard at your GP (free but book at least 8 – 10 weeks in advance). Malaria is rare in south east Asia (highest risk is Cambodia and Laos but only in remote rural areas e.g. if you are sleeping in the jungle in the rainy season). Meds are not recommended on the health advice apps that I checked. Dogs are fairly chilled in south east Asia so I didn’t get the rabies vaccine (which involves 3 jabs). You can access this across south east Asia if you are bitten.

Dengue fever is much more widespread than malaria and the mosquitos that spread this bite day and night, whereas the malaria ones just bite at night, so if you are going on a day trek or lots of mozzies are about slap on the repellent.

Covid is still around, in fact there is currently an epidemic in Thailand, so if you qualify for jabs get them as well as getting your flu jab. I recommend wearing a mask in planes/ busy public transport. Lots of South- East Asian people do.

We were travelling on our second trip at the end of May and it was VERY hot. You will need a wide brimmed hat not just a cap. Take it slowly, drink lots of water and retreat to air con or fan cooled cafes when you need to. It’s not a good idea to spend time on the beach or by the swimming pool between the hours of 10 and 4. We saw lots of badly burned young travellers on An Bang beach!

If you get any cuts, grazes, insect bites etc buy some povidine/ iodine liquid. Dab it on with a cotton pad. This prevents infection and is more effective than cream in tropical environments.

Tiger balm which you can buy easily is good on mozzie bites.

It is easy to get pain relief tablets etc in pharmacies

Lonely planet gives advice on medical facilities – it is best to go to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh or Danang if you think you have anything serious (or even better head to Thailand). I don’t think the hospitals are great in Laos – best option would probably be Vientiane – or ideally Thailand.

The pollution is very bad all over South-East Asia particularly in the cities and during the burning season. It is worth checking the AQI index for the areas you are planning to visit. If I had any sort of lung or heart condition I would think twice about visiting.

VISAS

If you are a UK national you don’t need a visa. As long as you have a passport that is valid for the next six months you can get your passport stamped for 42 days on arrival in Vietnam. The same goes for Laos and Cambodia. For Thailand you need to download a form. Access this via the link on the FCO website as there are dodgy versions online that ask for money.

FCO UPDATES

It is always worth registering for these on social media wherever you travel in the world so you are updated on any emerging threats or impending disasters

SIM CARDS

Tim bought SIM cards on arrival – go to an official Vietnamese company phone shop (like Viettel) and they will sell you a SIM and fit it for you – this is the cheapest option. However that means you don’t have immediate connectivity on arrival, which I like to have. So I downloaded the Airalo app which is more expensive but I prefer the reassurance of immediate connectivity. It is very easy to install, you just follow the instructions. You can install it prior to travelling but don’t activate it until you arrive. Remember you can download google maps onto your phone so you can look at them offline on arrival in emergency.

There are also SIM card booths in the airports of all the south East Asian countries – Tim got his Thai sim installed at Bangkok airport. It is probably slightly more expensive to do that instead of waiting until you are in town if you are on a very tight budget. However you buy your data it’s a lot cheaper than it is in the UK.

There is good WiFi almost everywhere including at the airport when you arrive so you could initially just connect to that.

TRANSPORT FROM HANOI AIRPORT

From Hanoi airport there is a bus that you can easily catch to the Old Town. This is probably the safest, cheapest and easiest option. Just turn left and look for the bus as you come out of the terminal – they go regularly. A lot of hotels can also arrange you a taxi from the airport.

TRANSPORT FROM HO CHI MINH CITY AIRPORT

We got a Grab – but the Grab collect area is across the road immediately in front of you as you leave the airport. You enter another area where there are numbered pillars. The Grab App will tell you which pillar your driver will be waiting at. The app information includes your driver’s numberplate so look out for that. A lot of hotels in Ho Chi Minh will organise pick ups for you for a fee – try messaging them via booking.com if they offer this service. There are also airport taxis but they are more expensive.

There’s probably a bus but we didn’t find out about it.

TRANSPORT FROM BANGKOK SUVARNABHUMI AIRPORT

There is a bus that goes regularly to Khaosan Road from immediately outside the terminal – that’s probably the cheapest and safest option if you are staying in the Khaosan area. You can also try a grab, airport taxi or taxi via your hotel – but we didn’t try any of those options.

MONEY

The XE app is worth to downloading for currency exchange info. I got a Barclays credit card as that doesn’t charge commission and had my nationwide credit card as backup. Tim used Revolut which worked well (you keep transferring money from your main account to the Revolut card) and his nationwide credit card as backup.

You can generally only get 3 million dong max out at a time in Vietnam, but you can do two transactions at the same machine one after the other. We used Vientin bank, vietcom bank and Military Bank (MB) without issues. Cover the pad and be aware of whether skimming equipment has been installed as apparently it is widespread. Keep an eye on your account – I had an issue with a Hong Kong based scammer who had somehow got my card details, initially taking small amounts from my Barclays account which were refunded to me. I spotted this in good time and changed my card (did this in UK). It is worth taking more than one card in case you have any issues.

Everywhere we went except Pu Luong and Trang An had easy access to cash machines.

Never opt to convert the money when the machine prompts you – it is a scam.

Some hotels and restaurants will take credit card, generally for 3% commission

LANGUAGE

The google translate app is very useful

Packing for Vietnam

You will need long trousers/ a sarong to wrap round shorts while looking in temples

At least one pair of long trousers and one long sleeve top is a good idea as it can get cold in air con transport

Everywhere provides towels so don’t bother with them. If you go to the beach you can bring your sarong

Toiletries except for small pots of conditioner are widely available. I wouldn’t bother with shampoo as that is usually provided as is soap, but bring conditioner if you use it.

Small plastic food bags are useful to put stuff in in case it leaks.

Laundry services are available everywhere and are good. I brought a small tube of travel wash and used it to put on really bad stains before handing laundry in.

A pair of trainers as well as sandals for walking in are useful.

Don’t bring too many clothes as you can buy everything you need in Vietnam. Uniqlo and Muji are much cheaper than in the UK. They also sell very good money belt bags.

A refillable water bottle is a good idea (though you can buy this in Vietnam). Most places provide filtered water. You can buy lifestraw filter bottles on Amazon which are expensive but I think worth it. They also filter microplastics so are useful to use in the UK as well.

A power bank for your phone is a good idea – remember you have to carry it in your hand luggage.

RECOMMENDED BLOGS AND OTHER TRAVEL RESOURCES

Loren’s wanderlust – has info about border crossings between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Lots of Laos info.

Lonely planet is still worth looking at. If you have kindle unlimited you can download a number of relevant books for free. Although I like reading proper books while travelling kindle saves a lot of room in your bag and sadly ‘book swap’ opportunities are not what they used to be in south east Asia

For motorbiking Vietnam/ Vietnam in general see Paddy Doyle on you tube. He’s good on Thailand too.

See the Vietnam Coracle site for lots of interesting articles and tips about Vietnam – google Vietnam Coracle

Staying healthy when you travel by Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth (previously had the much better title Bugs Bites and Bowels) may be useful to have downloaded if you have a kindle.

My all time favourite Travel You Tuber is Gabriel Traveler but I don’t think he has much on Vietnam. He is worth having a look at though.