16 Things To Know Before Travelling To Vietnam

Vietnam is known as one of the countries with many beautiful landscapes, wonderful beaches and the diverse cultures. These things attract many international tourists. But many foreign tourists have not yet prepared the best for the full exploration and experience before travelling to Vietnam. Understanding that limitation, 16 things to know before travelling to Vietnam will guide and provide the experiences for those who are planning to travel Vietnam in the future.

The most suitable vehicle: Motorbike

In major cities of Vietnam vehicles are mainly motorbike, car, taxi, bus … For the first time to come to Vietnam, if there is no private driver you should use taxi, grab, or bus. However, if you prefer to explore deeper here, you should rent a motorbike at the hotel or motel. Motorbike rental prices are usually not too expensive, ranging from 150,000 to 200,000VND / per day ($8-10).

It is best to use our Vietnam tour packages to be provided a private car with a driver, so it will be safer for you.

It is not necessary to change money to Vietnam dong

Traveling in Vietnam, you do not need to exchange your cash to Vietnam Dong. Almost hotels, restaurants accept USD cash. However, if you want to be convenient in many situations, you can exchange to Vietnam Dong with the exchange rate of VND 23,500/1 USD. You should distinguish colors and numbers written on the notes because most of the notes are similar.

How to withdraw money from ATM

In Vietnam, most major cities have ATMs of prestigious banks such as HSBC, ANZ, Vietcombank, City Bank…

Normally, ATM displays the types of cards that can be withdrawn. So you should carefully view the cards before putting the card in.

Should withdraw money in front of banks or crowded places to ensure safety. Each withdrawal with master card, visa or international card is charged 2% of the total withdrawn cash.

When coming to Vietnam, buy a simcard with internet connection

As soon as you arrive in Vietnam, you should buy a phone sim at the airport to keep contact with relatives and friends. If there is no sale at the airport, you can ask the guide where to buy them.

Buy a simcard with internet connection in Vietnam

The price for a simcard with internet connection is quite cheap, only about 10 usd. You can freely use the high speed internet.

Use free Wi-Fi

Most hotels, restaurants or cafes in Vietnam offer free wifi internet connection. Whenever you go to these locations, ask the staff, they will give you a password to access the internet. In hotels, wifi is everywhere from the hotel lobby to your room.

Vietnamese people often use English

Many international visitors to Vietnam think it will be very difficult to communicate with local people or simply ask for directions. In fact, many Vietnamese people can speak a few common English communication sentences. You may even meet students who show interest and want to talk to foreign tourists to improve their language, not for any reason.

Learn to speak local languages

This is one of the most important things when traveling. It is also the first thing that anyone must try to do before planning a new country. English is the language used in all Southeast Asian countries, but if you want the locals to understand what you say, it’s best to memorize some basic communication.

Learning the local language also sympathizes with local people and also helps to overcome language barriers with poor English speakers.

Try all local dishes

In Vietnam, you should not miss enjoying the Pho with the fresh vegetables and the special broth from pork or chicken. You can enjoy a bowl of hot noodles in front of small chairs at the sidewalk. In addition, you can enjoy other street food such as stir-fried noodle, fried rice, fried shrimp and fried ice cream.

Banh mi, Pho (noodle soup) or bun cha are dishes you can’t miss when exploring Hanoi. In addition, you can enjoy other street food such as stir-fried noodles, fried rice, western lake shrimp cakes… In particular, you should not miss enjoying beer, accompanied by dried squid in the old town of Hanoi.

Hint: If you are in Hanoi, you can go to “NGON” restaurant, most of Vietnamese local dishes are here.
Address: 26 Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi, Vietnam.

And don’t forget to read The 9 Best Dishes To Eat in Vietnam to explore Vietnamese cuisine.

Try to enjoy all kinds of tropical fruits

Think about what fruits you should try? Southeast Asia is not only famous for street food but also attracts tourists because of the variety of tropical fruits. Most tourists choose to enjoy mango, litchi, banana, papaya, jackfruit, salak (snake skin fruit), custard, longan, star fruite and durian. Be sure to try these fruits when traveling in Southeast Asia.

Bargain

Bid (or bargain) is a way of exchanging between buyers and sellers so that they can buy goods at affordable prices. However, the bid is not always convenient and successful.

Reference price: When you like a certain item, you should check its price at many stores. This will give you more experience and more understanding of prices to pay accordingly. However, there will be many stores that list prices and do not accept bargaining.

Don’t be afraid to bargain: You should bargain the price down to 1/2 or 1/3 of the value of product. If the seller disagrees, raise the money a bit.

Do not express your emotions: When buying goods, do not show too much interest in the item in front of the seller, so keep a cold attitude. You should show that you are ready to go to another store to buy at a better price. It will help you a good deal from sellers.

Hanoi cuisine

In fact, if you have just arrived in Hanoi within a few days, you should choose clean and famous restaurants. After staying for a while, you can explore the following pavement restaurants:

Here are some famous restaurant addresses:

Green Tagerine – 48 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Old Hanoi – 4 Ton That Thiep, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
Bobby Chinn – 77 Xuan Dieu, Tay Ho, Hanoi

For buffet dishes with many options:

Sen Tay Ho – 612 Lac Long Quan, Tay Ho, Hanoi
Sen Ha Thanh – 177 Bui Thi Xuan, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi
Ngon Restaurant – 18 Phan Boi Chau, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Ngon Restaurant – 26 Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Pavement shops

Xoi Yen – 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Egg cafe – 39 Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Snail & Gift Shop is located in Dinh Liet Street
Che (Vietnamese sweet deserts)
Lemon tea – Dao Duy Tu
Herbal tea – Old Conner 15 Luong Ngoc Quyen
Beef in vinegar hotpot – 12 Chinh street
Vermicelli fish soup – Alley Trung Yen, Dinh Liet
Cha Ca La Vong (Hanoi Grilled fish) – 14 Cha Ca street

If you go out to eat, you should choose the old town of Hanoi. It is a busy shopping center for tourists, so it is also a place where food is invested quite carefully for business. Many families have traditional recipes, eat very well.

Discover eating culture with chopsticks

Most Asian and Southeast Asian countries use chopsticks to pick up food. Some places do not use spoons and forks. This is your chance to learn about the art of using chopsticks when eating pho and rice.

Be careful when crossing the road

International visitors to Vietnam are always impressed by the flow of people on the streets. They are so surprised at how they cleverly travel to the crowded routes.

The big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh city have a lot of traffic, but they don’t follow any rules. So foreign guests are often confused how to cross the road. If you want to cross the road, you must move at a steady speed, focus on your path and do not hesitate or stop when you see the car rushing towards you.

Begging and petty theft

This is a bad thing in Vietnam. Although the Vietnamese government has taken many measures to limit this situation, it is still happening in big cities. It is extremely uncomfortable for foreigners to encounter these situations.

Ho Chi Minh city is a modern place with vibrant colors. But be careful with pickpockets – it really exists. You should divide your money into many different types and leave the change money out to be easy to pay and to avoid theft or robbery.

Bring mosquito repellent

Hot and humid weather in Southeast Asia is an ideal condition for mosquitoes to grow and develop. Therefore, when traveling Southeast Asia, you should prepare yourself mosquito repellent. All the mosquito repellent contains colorless liquid. Choose the one that suits your skin to avoid irritation with the ingredients of the medicine.

Prepare for the weather

Vietnam belongs to a tropical monsoon climate. Summer is very hot. You should prepare personal items such as umbrellas, sunscreen or sunglasses. The winter in the North is usually very cold, don’t forget to bring a thick coat. Therefore, you should bring enough costumes to match the weather here to protect your health.

Remember to check the weather at your destination before the trip. So that you can bring the appropriate outfit. Particularly in Ho Chi Minh city, morning and noon are usually sunny, but there is heavy rain in the afternoon in rainy season.

Conclusion

Vietnam is a friendly and hospitable country, always ready to welcome foreign visitors to visit the experience. Just a little knowledge as above, once you arrive in this country you will not want to leave.

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