Vietnam Travel Guide: The Rules That Matter, Sorted by Topic

Most Vietnam travel guides are itineraries: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, the Mekong Delta, usually in that order. This page covers the part that goes wrong once you’re there. Which visa you actually need, which banknotes look alike in a dark taxi, who expects a tip, and why “the best month to go” has three different answers in a country that runs about 1,650 km from north to south.

We sort every country on the site into the same six lines we use for Japan. Vietnam has fourteen guides so far, spread over all six of those lines. If you’re traveling to Vietnam for the first time, read them in the order below. Each one lists its official sources at the bottom, and we re-check them when the rules move.

Start here: fourteen guides for a first trip to Vietnam

Fourteen guides, and between them they answer the questions people ask before booking a flight. Read the visa one first. It’s the only one where getting it wrong can stop you at the airport.

• Vietnam e-visa: the official site, the fee, how long it takes, and which passports can skip it.
• Best time to visit Vietnam, month by month for the north, the centre and the south.
• Vietnam currency: the dong, the notes people mix up, ATMs, cards and where to change money legally.
• Tipping in Vietnam: who expects it, how much in dong, and when a service charge is already on the bill.
• Vietnam eSIM or SIM card: the three networks, airport prices, and the face check for new SIMs since April 2026.
• Grab in Vietnam: fares, airport pickups, the foreign-card fee, and when Xanh SM, Be or a metered taxi is the better call.
• Vietnam train guide: sleeper classes and fares, Hanoi to Hue, Da Nang and Saigon, the night train to Sapa, and how to book on dsvn.vn.
• Hanoi to Ha Long Bay: shuttle, bus or private car, the bay fees, day trip or overnight cruise, and the safety rules since 2025.
• Hanoi to Sapa: limousine van, sleeper bus or night train to Lao Cai, with 2026 fares, pick-up points and the ride up the mountain.
• Hanoi to Ninh Binh: train, limousine van, bus or car compared, the Trang An and Tam Coc boat tickets, and the 2025 province merger.
• What to wear in Vietnam: clothes by region and season, the pagoda and Hue dress code, Vietnamese etiquette, and the laws on vapes, drones, motorbikes and gambling.
• Da Nang to Hoi An: Grab, taxi, the LK02 bus, shared vans or a scooter compared, the airport, the return trip, the old town ticket and the autumn floods.
• Hanoi to Da Nang and Hoi An: flight, overnight train or sleeper bus compared with 2026 fares, why Hoi An has no airport or station, and the trip back to Hanoi.
• Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta: bus, limousine van or tour to My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho, the Cai Rang floating market, and one day or two.

A · When to go: three climates in one country

Hanoi in January is around 17°C and grey. On the same day, Ho Chi Minh City is in its dry season and well over 30°C. Central Vietnam, around Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An, gets most of its rain from September to December, which is the opposite of the other two regions. So the honest answer to “when should we go?” is another question: where are you going?

If the trip covers the whole length of the country, February to April is the closest thing to a nationwide sweet spot. Just watch the calendar. Tet, the lunar new year, falls on 6 February 2027. Trains and flights fill weeks ahead, and plenty of family-run restaurants close for several days around it.

• Best time to visit Vietnam, month by month and region by region, with the rainy season, typhoon risk and Tet dates.

B · Money and payments

Vietnam still runs on cash more than its neighbours, and the dong has a lot of zeros. A coffee costs tens of thousands, a hotel night can run to a million or two, and the 20,000 and 500,000 notes are both blue. People swap them by accident all the time, usually in the back of a taxi. Cards work in hotels, malls and most restaurants that cater to visitors. Street food, markets and small guesthouses want dong.

One rule surprises people: changing money anywhere other than a bank or a licensed exchange counter is an offence in Vietnam, even if the jeweller down the street offers a better rate. It’s rarely enforced against tourists, but the rate isn’t worth the argument.

• Vietnam currency guide: every note, today’s bank rate, ATM withdrawal limits and the customs declaration threshold.
• Tipping in Vietnam, with a table of amounts in dong for guides, drivers, spas and hotels.

C · Transport: getting around Vietnam

In the cities, an app does most of the work. Grab, Xanh SM and Be all show the price before you book, which settles the one argument Vietnamese taxis are known for. A 5 km GrabBike ride costs about 30,000 dong and a car two to three times that; from the airport, expect roughly 250,000 to 350,000 dong into Hanoi and 120,000 to 200,000 into Ho Chi Minh City. Xanh SM’s electric cars have overtaken Grab in market share, so compare both. For a metered taxi, stick to Vinasun or Mai Linh.

Between cities, the train is slow but good. Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City takes about 33 hours, so nobody should do it in one go, but overnight to Hue or Da Nang in a four-berth cabin, then the Hai Van Pass by day, is one of the best legs of any trip. For Sapa, the night train only goes as far as Lao Cai, and most people now take a limousine van straight from the Old Quarter: five and a half to six hours on the expressway.

Ha Long Bay is the one trip from Hanoi that has to go by road. There’s no passenger train and the seaplane stopped in April 2026, so it’s a cruise shuttle, a bus or a private car, about two and a half hours on the expressway.

Ninh Binh, about 95 km south of Hanoi, can go by train or by road: 2 hours 15 minutes on the fastest trains, or a limousine van that collects you at your Old Quarter hotel. Prices for the Trang An boats went up in 2026, and floods close them in the wet months, so check before you set out.

Going from Hanoi to the central coast, a flight to Da Nang takes about 1 hour 20 minutes, six trains a day take 15 to 17 hours overnight, and a sleeper bus takes 13 to 18 hours. Since 1 July 2026, power banks must travel in your hand baggage on Vietnamese flights.

On the central coast, Hoi An is about 30 km from Da Nang and has no station of its own. A Grab or booked car takes 35 to 60 minutes and costs roughly 200,000 to 350,000 dong, while the LK02 bus costs 35,000. Hoi An has been part of Da Nang since the July 2025 province merger, and the old town ticket is 120,000 dong.

South of Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta is a road trip, not a train ride. Buses to My Tho take about 1 hour 35 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes from Mien Tay station, and Can Tho is 2.5 to 4 hours away. A group day tour to My Tho and Ben Tre costs roughly $15 to $60, and a two-day tour that includes the Cai Rang floating market costs about $56 to $125.

• Grab in Vietnam: GrabBike and GrabCar fares, airport pickups in Hanoi, Saigon and Da Nang, the card fee, and how Xanh SM, Be and metered taxis compare.
• Vietnam train guide: routes and journey times, sleeper classes and fares, the heritage trains, the night train to Lao Cai for Sapa, and booking on dsvn.vn.
• Hanoi to Ha Long Bay: cruise shuttles, public buses and private cars compared, which port your boat leaves from, and the 2026 sightseeing fees.
• Hanoi to Sapa: limousine vans, sleeper and cabin buses, the night train and its private carriages, bus safety, and Lao Cai station to Sapa.
• Hanoi to Ninh Binh: the train, limousine vans and public buses compared, 2026 prices for Trang An, Tam Coc and Hang Mua, and when floods close the boats.
• Da Nang to Hoi An: Grab, taxi, the LK02 bus, shared vans and scooters compared, the airport, the way back to Da Nang Station, the old town ticket and the flood months.
• Hanoi to Da Nang and Hoi An: the flight, the overnight train and the sleeper bus compared, 2026 fares, baggage and ID rules, and the way back to Hanoi.
• Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta: buses from Mien Tay station, day tours and two-day trips compared, 2026 fares, the Cai Rang boat prices and the way back to Saigon.

D · Staying connected: eSIM, SIM card and Wi-Fi

Data is cheap and fast in Vietnam, with 5G on all three big networks. A travel eSIM installed at home gets you online the moment you land, but it’s data only: no Vietnamese number, and no way to dial 113, 114 or 115. A local SIM from the airport counter costs a few dollars for a month and comes with a number. Since 15 April 2026, registering one means a passport scan and a face check, so skip the pre-activated SIMs sold on the street.

• Vietnam eSIM vs SIM card: Viettel, VinaPhone and MobiFone, what a tourist SIM costs, the 2026 registration rules and the apps that want a number.

E · Local rules: dress code, vapes and motorbikes

Vietnam is relaxed about most things and strict about a few. Pagodas and Hue’s royal sites want shoulders and knees covered, and staff at Hue can refuse entry. Vapes have been banned since 1 January 2025, drones need a defense ministry permit, and a rented motorbike needs a license Vietnam recognizes. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi is closed for maintenance until 3 November 2026.

• What to wear in Vietnam: clothes by region and season, the dress code for pagodas, Hue and the mausoleum, Vietnamese etiquette, and the laws on vapes, drones, motorbikes and gambling.

F · Entry and documents: Vietnam travel requirements

Almost everyone ends up on the e-visa, including US, Canadian and Australian travelers. Since August 2023 it’s open to every nationality and valid for up to 90 days. Apply on the official portal, evisa.gov.vn, not on the lookalike agency sites that charge several times the US$25 fee. Allow three working days, more in the run-up to Tet. Your passport needs six months left on it and two blank pages.

A number of European passports, the UK, France, Germany and Italy among them, get 45 days without a visa. If you’re on that list and staying longer, or planning to leave and come back, the e-visa is still the safer choice.

• Vietnam e-visa 2026: the official site, the fee, processing time, the 45-day exemption list and the entry points that accept it.

Vietnam travel tips we’d give a friend

None of these needs a whole guide, but each one saves a small headache.

• Break big notes early. Handing a 500,000 note to a street vendor at 7 a.m. is a problem for both of you, so use it at the hotel or a supermarket.
• Crossing the road, walk at a slow, steady pace and don’t stop or run. The motorbikes are reading your speed and will flow around you.
• Install a ride-hailing app like Grab before you land. The price is fixed before you get in, which settles the one argument taxis are known for.
• Read the bill before you tip. Some restaurants and most hotels already add a service charge line.
• Keep a photo of your e-visa on your phone and a printout in your bag. Airline check-in staff sometimes ask for it before immigration does.

Vietnam travel checklist: what to do, and when

Sorted by lead time. The e-visa is the only item with a hard deadline, but Tet can make the first line just as urgent.

What’s next for Vietnam

Every line now has a Vietnam guide, and more transport guides, starting with domestic flights, are on the way. The latest addition is Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta, on the transport line. This page gets a new entry each time one goes live.

Other countries on the network

Combining Vietnam with a neighbour? Our Japan travel guide is the most complete, with guides across all six lines. The Thailand travel guide and the South Korea travel guide are built like this one. For everything we’ve published, newest first, see all guides.

Data checked: 2026-10-06