ULTIMATE Travel Guide in Vietnam | Tips for Tourism Reopening 2022 🇻🇳 ✈ 🙌

Do you have plans traveling to Vietnam soon? And are you looking for some life-saving travel tips? And do you want a stress and worry-free travel? This video is for you. So before we start, I already shared the latest travel requirements here in Vietnam that is linked up here. I invite you to watch that before proceeding to this video. I also shared some useful apps that you can use while you're staying in Vietnam. These two videos can help you. And yeah, without further ado, let's jump right into it. First things first, when and where to visit Vietnam? There are three major points where you can visit. It is in Hanoi, the northern part. Ho Chi Minh City, which is in the south part. And lastly is the central part, which is in Da Nang City. So firstly, this is Hanoi, the capital city. If you're into historical vibes, Hanoi is the place to be. I also made a video for Hanoi if you're up for that. So the closest tourist places in Hanoi is Halong Bay, Sapa, Ninh Binh. Best time to visit Hanoi is in springtime, March to April. And in autumn, which is September to December. And as a tip, North Vietnam has four seasons. There is a winter season in the northern part of Vietnam. The second point is in the southern part in Ho Chi Minh City. It is the largest commercial city. It still has some historical buildings, but there are also some skyscrapers such as Landmark 81, Bitexco, and etc. Ho Chi Minh City is more tourist-friendly for the reason that there are more expats staying in here. There are more English speakers as well. Close places to visit are Mui Ne, Vung Tau, Ho Cham, and even Phu Quoc. The best time to visit Ho Chi Minh City is December to April. Lastly is central or Da Nang City. This city accepts small number of international flights. If you want a beach and mountain combination vibes, this city is for you. In Da Nang, there's this place called Bana Hills and the close places to visit. The central Vietnam is Hue, which is an imperial citadel. Hoi An, which is a UNESCO protected city. This is an old town. I also made a video about Hoi An too. That is also linked up here. You can also visit Nha Trang, Dalat, and Quang Nam province. So the best time to visit central Vietnam is from February to July annually. And just a note that the peak season in Vietnam is during February, during the Lunar New Year celebration. That is the craziest. That is the most festive month in Vietnam. And the worst or let's say not the best time to visit Vietnam is around June to August because it is wet and it is the rainiest months in Vietnam. Okay, now that you have decided when and where to visit Vietnam, what you mainly need is a visa. I know it can be really exciting to book your flights, but this is ultimately a requirement of Vietnamese government to enter Vietnam. Check your country if you're visa-exempted. Visa-exempted means visa-free. Okay, this is the list of the visa-free countries in Vietnam. There are corresponding days per country. If your country is not visa-exempted, these are the 80 countries that can apply through e-visa. This is also the link for e-visa application. I'm gonna link that down in the description. E-visa is valid for 30 days. The visa fee is around 25 U.S. dollars and the working days is around 3 to 5 days. You might be asking when is the best time to apply for e-visa? I think at least, at least one month before your flight because there are some delays. If you're not also eligible for e-visa, you can go to the embassy of Vietnam to your respective country, but you can also reach out to some travel agencies like VietTravel, Hongopha, Saigon Tourist, Taco Travel, and more travel agencies. I also made a video about that, also linked up there. Moving forward is transportation. There are three major airlines, the VietJet, the VietTravel, and the Bamboo Airways. You can use that for domestic travels here in Vietnam. So once you're in Vietnam, you are probably in the airport and looking for airport travels. There are three major transportation apps, the Grab, the Gojek, and the Be. These apps offer four or seven-seater cars. If you're not familiar with transportation of Vietnam, there are millions of motorbikes, and that is the major transportation here. You can also rent a motorbike. Here are the fees for certain days. Here is the estimate. You can also hire or book that from the three major apps that I told you. There are also taxis. Vinasun and MyLin are the most reliable taxis. You can also download their apps if you are into domestic travels. There are also buses like Futa and Cung Ho Sang Co. That's the most common bus lines. There is also a Vietnam Railway. This is the website for that. There is a water bus, Saigon, exclusive in Ho Chi Minh City. I already also made a vlog about that. There is also a metro station, only exclusive in Hanoi. Next one is money. The currency here in Vietnam is Vietnamese Dong. Here are the denominations of money in Vietnam. 10,000 Vietnamese Dong, that is 0.4 US dollars. And the largest one is 500 Vietnamese Dong. That is roughly 21 US dollars. To give you an idea, one US dollar is equivalent to 23,000 Vietnamese Dong. I'm using US dollars because this is a global standard. You can also use US dollars for some hotels or touristy places. I highly suggest for you to change your money, your currency to a few Vietnamese Dong. Even before traveling, maybe change a few bucks. Like let's say two to three days worth of expenses. Or it's really up to you if you want to change for the whole trip. But there are also some money changers in the airport and some backpacker areas nationwide. We're gonna be talking about the actual breakdown or actual budget that you need here in Vietnam when you travel. I'm gonna make a video about that real soon, so stay tuned. Okay, moving forward is where to stay or your accommodations here in Vietnam. Okay, the most common app to book an accommodation or a hotel here in Vietnam is the Airbnb and Agoda. Let's talk about how much you're gonna be spending for accommodation. The ideal range for accommodation here is around 20 US dollars to 30 US dollars. That is pretty standard. Let's say this is a three-star hotel. But there are accommodations as low as 15 US dollars. Or if you are still like on a tight budget, you can still book as low as 10 US dollars. And I'm not kidding. I'm not kidding y'all. Of course, this type of stays are like homestay or like dorm type. Meaning there's like a shared bathroom or shared dining areas. And if you want to book a more expensive high-end four to five-star hotels, that is 40 US dollars and up. And I just want to make a note that manage your expectations once you book your hotels or accommodations. Overall, we can all agree that accommodations here is cheap compared to other Southeast Asian countries. Okay, next one is language. You can speak here mainly, of course, Vietnamese language and in English. There are different accents for Vietnamese. Like there is an accent for North, Central, and South accents. But here are some helpful phrases that you can use. Come on or thank you. Xin loi or sorry. Main thing that is for bail out. Bango nyo is how much. And I am really sure I'm not saying that properly. But that will most likely help you and light up some mood of Vietnamese people. Once you try to speak their local language. I'm really sorry for my pronunciation. Next one is SIM card or internet connections. You can buy SIM cards in airports, in backpacker areas. Reliable SIM cards are Viettel and mobile phone. Top up is the term for loading your SIM cards. Or top up your SIM cards in convenience stores like Family Mart, Ministop, Winmart or Winmart. Just find some convenience stores and just say top up to load your SIM cards. Next one is what to wear and what to pack. I highly suggest for you to travel light as much as you can. Also bring a small bag where you can put your identification cards and some money. You don't really want to explore Vietnam carrying heavy backpacks. For summer season, just wear some light t-shirts or sleeveless and some shorts. From cold weathers in the northern part of Vietnam. You can bring some sweaters, some thick jeans as well. And bring your comfiest sneakers. You will be walking a lot here in Vietnam. Bring some scarf that is a lifesaver. You can use that as protection under the sun or in a cold weather. And also bring umbrellas or raincoats because it can be rainy sometimes here in Vietnam. Next up is what to eat in Vietnam. You don't really want to miss eating a hot bowl of pho. This is the national dish of Vietnam. You can eat pho ga or chicken pho ba for beef and other flavors of pho. Next one is banh mi. This is a baguette filled with different flavors and different toppings. This is good for a snack or breakfast. And lastly is the Vietnamese coffee. Vietnam is the second largest exporter of coffee. Try their egg coffee, their coconut coffee. You can try that in major cafes like The Highlands, The Kong Cafe, Phu Phuong. That's like the major cafes here in Vietnam. You will not have any problems looking for Vietnamese coffee. It's like everywhere. There are also some street food that you can try like Vietnamese pizza, banh xiang nuong, sticky rice or soy, some skewers, and there's a lot more. I made a street food video in Da Lat. I also made eating Vietnamese food in seven days. You might want to check that out to give you some idea about Vietnamese food. Next one is what to do in Vietnam. You might want to start with a hop on hop off bus. I tried both in Hanoi and in Ho Chi Minh. That is 150 Vietnamese dong. Good for an hour. You can also visit some museums, some art and historical museums. Here I visited the Vietnam War Remnants Museum. There are opera houses. You can also visit a Buddhist pagoda. You can also do a cafe hopping. As mentioned, there are many cafes like Vietnamese themed cafes, modern type cafes, coffee apartments as well. You can also spend your time in walking streets or night markets. There are night markets nationwide. I tried it in Hanoi, in Ho Chi Minh, in Hoi An. There are also night bars and sports bars. You can also visit beaches in Mui Ne and Nha Trang or in Da Nang. Go visit the red and white sand dunes in Vietnam. And lastly, you can do cloud hunting or hiking in mountainous regions of Vietnam. Okay, this is the last category. What to avoid in Vietnam. You don't really want to drink the tap water here in Vietnam. Always make sure to bring your own bottled water. Next one is avoid using your phones in public places. It is an eye candy and eye-catching when you expose your phones. I haven't experienced it personally being robbed. But there are constant use and I also heard some friends having a snatching situation. But just use it when it's needed and also for your safety as well. Next one is avoiding wearing shoes when you visit, let's say, a pagoda. It is a norm to take off your shoes or even visiting some shops. Ask them politely if you are allowed to enter with or without your shoes. Okay, next one is avoid stopping while crossing the road. This is a life skill. These motorbikes or this traffic will avoid you. It is like a weird thing. But yeah, do not stop once you cross roads here in Vietnam. The traffic, the motorbikes, the cars are the ones that will be avoiding you. I'm still trying my best and I've been here a few years and I'm still training myself to do that. Last but definitely not the least, avoid your comfort zones. Go talk to locals, try some street foods. Go out there and get the most out of it and explore more of Vietnam. Okay, that's all the life saving tips that you need here in Vietnam. I hope this video helped you in the near future. If you're planning to travel here in Vietnam, what is the most helpful or most interesting tips that I mentioned? If you are a local Vietnamese watching this or if you're someone like me, a foreigner, what travel tips did I miss? And if you have questions, more inquiries, comment down below. I'll do my best to reply to all your questions. If you find this video helpful, please give it a thumbs up. And if you want to get notified on my next upload, please hit that subscribe button. It will also help the channel. This video has been super long and I really enjoyed sharing my travel tips to you all. And again, this is Ena Fransyah and I will see you on the next one. Goodbye, my friends!