Vietnam is a country with no comparable historic past.  And given Vietnams spectacular landscapes, you cannot visit the country without acquiring a grand perspective about the people, places and the culture. In a single day, you can venture around in sand dunes, discover the biggest cave in the world, drink some of the most delicious coffee the planet has to offer and get a relaxing head and shoulders massage before feasting on the most diverse street food you can imagine.

Vietnam can easily be a substitute travel destination instead of Thailand if you aren’t another “sunny beach dweller”. Even though Vietnam rivals many other’s tourist attractions by some counts, there are a few things that may turn your trip into a nightmare if you are not completely prepared.

Here in this article, I shall personally give some tips that will definitely make your travel, communication easier and also give you an idea about the things you better avoid in order to turn your trip into the most rewarding exploration that any South East Asian country can offer.

Planning and arrival

The Vietnamese government has very strict VISA laws and regulations and these regulations are changed very often, way more than any other South East Asian country you can think of. So make sure you have all documents done good and proper before you even board the flight to Vietnam. Have your visa on arrival papers/approval papers printed and ready. Vietnamese immigration officers will send you back from the airport and you will miss your flight. With a little bit of patience for the process and respect for the personnel stamping your grant visa, you can begin your journey with peace.

­­Money

 Currency rate:  in Vietnam 1 USD= 22,780 VND (dong) so if you ever had the dream of becoming a millionaire someday this is your chance to have all that money in your pocket at once.

Money Exchange: Vietnamese retailers are not allowed to accept USD/Euro or any currency that’s not VND. So make sure you have enough local dongs with you before heading for the street markets. You may choose to exchange money at jewelry shops for a better rate than visa or master card exchange booths.

MONEY Withdrawals:

The regulation in Vietnam may limit you from wiredrawing more than 100 USD at once. But if you are a client of HSBC or CITIBANK you can collect from 250-400 USD depending on the bank.

NO tips:

One is not expected to give or receive tips in Vietnam.  Good for the travelers, right!!!

Transportation

Avoid taxis:

Beware of fraud taxi drivers in the city who will ask you to pay radically overcharged fares and even there have been reports of robbing tourists or leaving them stranded on a place where passengers ended up lost. I’d advise you to grab an UBER/GRAB instead. UBER/GRAB is very much cost and time efficient if you have access to the internet.

*UBER is currently no longer available in Southeast Asia, so you better use GRAB instead.

Avoid BUS:

You may be thinking that taking a local bus will be the best way to sightsee but unless it’s a coach it’s better to avoid buses. The Vietnamese Local bus journey is not safe or comfortable at all.

Avoid Trains:               

It’s a huge waste of time and energy to take the train cause they are too slow to effectively move around the cities.

Look for motorbikes:

You will find countless traditional motorbike taxis called “XE OM” in the streets. These bikers cater to lots of tourists and they know the city like the back of their hands. It’s the fastest and cheapest way to move around.

Best time to travel

Tet Holiday (End of January/ Beginning of February)30th April:

Tết ([tet˧˥] or [təːt˧˥]), or Vietnamese New Year, is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. The word is a shortened form of Tết Nguyên Đán, which is Sino-Vietnamese for “Feast of the First Morning of the First Day”. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar, which usually has the date falling in January or February.

Vietnamese people usually return to their families during Tết. Some return to worship at the family altar or visit the graves of their ancestors in their homeland. They also clean the graves of their family as a sign of respect. Although Tết is a national holiday among all Vietnamese, each region and religion has its own customs.

Tết in the three Vietnamese regions can be divided into three periods, known as Tất Niên (penultimate New Year’s Eve), Giao Thừa (New Year’s Eve), and Tân Niên (the New Year), representing the preparation before Tết, the eve of Tết, and the days of and following Tết, respectively.

Reunification Day:

Reunification Day (Ngày Thống nhất), Victory Day (Ngày Chiến thắng) or Liberation Day (Ngày Giải phóng or Ngày Giải phóng miền Nam) or the official name of Day of liberating the South for national reunification (Giải phóng miền Nam, thống nhất đất nước) is a public holiday in Vietnam that marks the event when Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) on April 30, 1975. This signaled the end of the Vietnam War.

The anniversary is marked by several festivals around the date.

In the Overseas Vietnamese community, the day is remembered as the “Fall of Saigon”, “Black April” (Tháng Tư Đen) National Day of Shame (Ngày Quốc Nhục) or National Day of Resentment (Ngày Quốc Hận). This is a commemorative day for exiled Vietnamese who served, were affected, and displaced in those overseas communities, and as such is a day of reflection. Many Americans of multiple ethnicities observe the day for remembrance and solidarity.

Rainy season:

Do not be afraid to get a bit soaked if you are planning to travel in the rainy season. In such economy and culture, nothing is stalled during the rain and locals will carry on with their day like no difference is made. So if you are going there for the first time packing some light summer garb is suggested.

Knowing about overrated and underrated spots:

Vietnam has now become such a hot travel destination that every traveler includes this country in the comparison list when planning their next trip. Obviously, there are many “must see” tourist spots. But the thing is that now a day’s adventure seekers are intending to rate, scored and shared everything in the social media they’ve experienced in the way of their trip.

Based on the ratings, I’ve found few destinations that are underrated but must deserve more reputation than these have and vice versa.

Overrated destination:  If you see the snaps of Phu Quoc, you’ll be amazed at the turquoise and crystal clear waters, stunning landscapes, and epic limestone crags. An island paradise!

But actually, Phu Quoc isn’t a piece of the pie anymore. While I travel in last year I have seen there are many high-rises, hotels and resorts are being constructed at a massive rate. I’m afraid this mismanagement might be the end of an island of paradise!

Even some of the expert travelers recently have been spoken about soulless towns, dirty beaches and awful trashes by the side of the road. These are enough reasons why I’ve planned not to go back there again.

Same way Ninh Binh is underrated. There are quite a few reasons why I had to say like this. When I was fixing destinations for my last trip, I wasn’t sure how I would spend my last day in Vietnam. My flight was at midnight at 2 AM, so I had to add at least one destination to my itinerary list. Since I was near to Hanoi (Capital of Vietnam), I decided to visit Ninh Binh, the “Halong Bay inland”.

I was overwhelmed after reaching there. Besides beautiful scenery, I enjoyed delicious cuisine made from goat, stunning Phat Diem church, ancient pagodas, Limestone Mountains, boat peddler journey to the cave, peaceful and tranquil panorama at Van Long, rice fields and many more.

Though it was a tight schedule, I climbed Hang Mua Peak. It took 400 steps! But after reaching the top, it was a rewarded opportunity to view stunning scenery around. Make sure you carry a pair of long-range observation binoculars or else you might miss the opportunity to view the outstanding natural landscape.

The trip made me think why travelers visit Ninh Binh on a day trip? I mean there are so many interesting things to do in this destination that would take you at least 2 days to cover the 60%! Let it surprise you at the end of the day!

Food

(Street food, coffee, wine)

Vietnam has the most delicious and cheap street food around the world. You can get soup, spring rolls, bun cha, great coffee, meat/veggie lovers sandwiches along with a number of traditional hot beverages. if you are one to try new and exotic wines, the local wine has a particular bite to it.

Shopping and relaxation

Make sure you dress appropriately when in Vietnam; the rule of thumb is to observe the locals. Bring your nice clothes; avoid looking like a hippie if you don’t want to offend the locals. If you want to shop out in the street markets, turn on your haggling skill. be sure not to put your iPhone or purse on the counters or tables when you are browsing for your favorite sporting gear.

Another tip is to get your clothing tailored for cheap while you are there. Also, the local hair salons and spas offer many luxurious and cost-efficient head and full body massages. after your day-long adventures, you can just grab a massage and relax.

All stocked photos are found by the Author

Author Bio: 

Maria August

I’m a freelance writer, outdoor enthusiast, traveler, and coffee addict! My passion is to explore new places, discover hidden gems across the globe, photograph them and have an adventurous spirit as well. I choose to be a writer by day and reader by night. If you wanna get in touch with me- follow me on facebook and twitter. Currently, I’m working with https://huntingfrog.com/best-binoculars/