Vietnam Pre-Travel Checklist: All You Need Before Travelling

As interesting as it may be to learn about the cities, food and landscapes, some of the basics are worth getting right first. Vietnam is a very tourist-friendly country but that little bit of preparation can prove to be rather useful. Well, this is everything I wish I knew before reaching there.

Choosing Your Airline

If you are flying into Vietnam from Asia like me, two of the most popular choices are Vietnam Airlines and VietJet.
If coming from US or EU you have Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways.

Vietnam Airlines, the national carrier, operates as a full-service airline usually with 23 kg check-in baggage and 10 kg hand baggage per passenger included. This is the easier of the two options if convenience is important to you.

VietJet is the low-cost alternative. It typically comes with only 7 kg cabin baggage, while check-in luggage is sold independently. They certainly do enforce baggage restrictions and while you may be ok being a little over, dont rely on it. They charge once you cross this threshold in a meaningful way.
We shared 1 x 20 kg check-in bag among our group of four, as well as hand luggage on board. It worked well.

Picking Your Arrival City

If you are looking for a big city Vietnam vibe the two main contenders are Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Both cities have fantastic night-life, energy and cuisine. I picked Hanoi because I purposely intended to stay in the old French colonial buildings and a more storied environment. If architecture and old-world charm is important to you, Hanoi is the better first-stop.

Transportation: Grab and Xanh

Vietnam does not use Uber. The two apps you need are:

Grab the primary ride hailing platform. Xanh consists of an EV fleet, mostly smaller Hatchbacks.

Grab has both cars and bikes. In congested areas, such as in the city center, a bike taxi is often the fastest and cheapest way to get around when backpacking or traveling with little luggage.

The Average ride costs were around $8–12 depending on the length of distance travelled. Although this may be somewhat pricey in terms of Indian commute pricing, the standard of vehicles would likely improve considerably too with many rides using an SUV/Sedan/newer vehicle.

Get one of these apps before you start running around.

Buying a Local SIM

As soon as you touch down at the airport, there will be pushy vendors trying to sell tourist SIM cards. Avoid them.

Although, once you reach the city buy a SIM from an actual telecom shop. In my experience, Viettel had the best plans.

My package:
16-day validity
6 GB daily data
325,000 VND
That was plenty for a long-haul travel trip with heavy use.

Money: Cash Heavy Vietnam

If you are arriving from a very digital-payments country, you might think that Vietnam would be something of a shock.

Cash is still king, and many businesses include 2-4% surcharge for card payments.

My advice: Take out cash directly at ATMs with your debit card.. Avoid conversions unless absolutely required.

Best ATMs in my experience:

VP Bank - Overall best rates, but ATMs are usually very busy.
ACB Bank – This is a very good alternative with shorter queues.

DONT convert your currency to USD and than into Dong unless you really need. You lose heavily in spreads.

BUT if you are from US, it may make sense to retain some dollars. High-end outlets, Cruises accept USD.

Booking Hotels Smartly

Yes, Vietnam is cheap in terms of accommodation but you have to play it smart. Use platforms like Booking. com or Airbnb.

Always verify the place you plan to stay. Check out the pictures. Not just interiors but also exterior. If they have no pics of exterior then the place is likely in a congested place.

Also if you are booking via AirBNB verify the exact location. Vietnam has a lot of isolated urban developments or “ghost city” projects. Pics will look good but they will likely be in the middle of nowhere.

If you're in Hanoi the best area to base yourself around is Hoàn Kiếm Lake. It places you in the center of the action, where many of the attractions are within walking distance.

Footwear Matters

Bring comfortable walking footwear. Seriously!

In many cities in Vietnam, walking is more of an expectation than vocable. Good choices include Crocs, walking sandals or well-broken in sneakers.

Visa Tips

For most travelers, Vietnam’s visa process is easy and inexpensive. So even if visiting a special exemption area such as Phu Quoc getting a visa might be warranted just in case your itinerary changes and you need mainland flexibility. It is inexpensive, simple, and accessible online.

Final Thoughts

Now that you have your flights, hotel, local SIM, transport apps, cash strategy and walking shoes in place, you are ready.

A Little Preparation Goes a Long Way If You Prepare, Vietnam is One of the Easiest and Most Rewarding Countries to Travel Through in Asia.

Now the fun part begins. City and Location guides in the next post.