Vietnam Travel Guide

You are recommended to apply for Vietnam visa at your nearest Vietnam embassy or consulate before your travel to Vietnam. The visa processing can take anything between three weeks and usually costs between US $60 and US $100 for a single-entry with stay of 30 days. However, the prices and processing times  are subject to change without prior notice. Please check with your embassy or consulate for more information about application requirements.

You need to open the official website for Vietnam’s e-Visa Application then upload images of your passport data page and passport photo. The next step is to fill up all required info from your passport data page and  all required info regarding your trip, and then pay  the e-Visa fee using any of the payment methods offered. Later on, you  will receive your registration code and save the number.

Currently, foreigners and Vietnamese people holding foreign passports are allowed to stay in Phu Quoc Island for no more than 30 days without a visa. In addition, foreigners who transit via an international entry point into Vietnam (by air or sea) and then directly onwards to Phu Quoc Island can also take advantage of this 30-day visa-free policy.

Currently, foreigners and Vietnamese people holding foreign passports are allowed to stay in Phu Quoc Island for no more than 30 days without a visa. In addition, foreigners who transit via an international entry point into Vietnam (by air or sea) and then directly onwards to Phu Quoc Island can also take advantage of this 30-day visa-free policy.

Coming from temperate countries, many travellers get shock because of hot sunny days and high humidity, especially in summer season. The weather affection may cause heat-related illnesses such as heatstroke and dehydration, which you could prevent by staying vigilant about hydration and applying sunblock.

The imminent risk is mostly persistent in highland region or secluded countryside so if travelling there, you need to consider  taking anti-malarial medication. More frequent in Vietnam than malaria, dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease, which is quite common not only in countryside but also  in city area. To prevent this disease, you should  wear bug spray at all times and cover your ankles and arms early in the evening, around sunset.

Nowadays, internet access is widely available in tourist areas and big cities of Vietnam so you can get Wifi access in almost all hotels, cafeterias, pizzerias, and even food stores. However, it’s less frequent or rather week in rural and remote areas. You may be capped at 4G but the rollout of fibre has been phenomenal and the land based wifi units are usually both reliable and fast.

Mostly possible. You can use your mobile phone in the majority of urban areas in Vietnam, though network coverage may be limited in remote and mountainous areas. Before departing from home, you need to make sure that your mobile service provider has activated global roaming for your mobile phone if you intend to use it in Vietnam.

The most common credit cards honored in Vietnam are Visa, Master Card, JBC and American Express, which are widely accepted in many restaurants, hotels, and shops in  big cities of Vietnam. However, they may not be accepted by smaller vendors such as small family restaurants, market stalls or in remote towns or countryside. To travel in remote or rural areas of Vietnam, you need to bring  enough cash for expenses since credit cards may not be used in places. 

Widely available throughout Vietnam,  ATMs are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,  in big cities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang… and even in small urban centers, allowing you to a cash machine at any time. In small villages or remote areas, ATMs are rarely found so you need to prepare enough cash before your venture into these areas.

The major festivals celebrated in Vietnam are Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year, February), Reunification Day (30 April), National Day (2 September) and Tet Trung Thu (Mid-Autumn Festival, late September).