Before you go
Season, entry, money, a SIM, bags, and how the street works.
When to travel
Match the month to the places on the route. There is no single dry season.
Photo: Eerin25 · CC0
Vietnam visa and entry
Apply at evisa.gov.vn unless your passport is on an exemption.
Photo: Matti Blume · CC BY-SA 4.0
Money and QR payments
Carry dong, one card, and a second way to pay. A QR code is not one thing.
Photo: HuangWending18072009 · CC0
SIM cards and Wi-Fi
A local SIM if someone needs to call you. A travel eSIM if you only need maps and chat.
Photo: Vuong Tri Binh · CC BY-SA 4.0
Luggage
The hotel can hold a bag for an afternoon. Shipping a suitcase is a different job.
Photo: anjči · CC BY 2.0
Street manners
Cross at a steady pace, ask the price, and take your shoes off when the door says so.
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0
Eating manners
Meals are shared. Ask the price of seafood before it hits the pan.
Photo: Yamato Shiya · CC BY-SA 4.0
Food by region
The bowl changes with the city. Start with the food guide for the place you are actually in.
Photo: Yamato Shiya · CC BY-SA 4.0
Festival calendar
Tet moves. Hue has its own festival page for the current run. Other lunar dates are Check on arrival.
Photo: Lưu Ly · Public domain
A short history note
The history a traveler can use is the building: citadels, the Temple of Literature, Hue, and the Cham towers.
Photo: Christophe95 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Architecture
Cham brick, the citadels, the Temple of Literature, and the French quarter blocks you can still walk.
Photo: The original uploader was Chuoibk at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ethnic groups
Vietnam counts 54 ethnic groups. See the museum in Hanoi, then a valley that invites you, and ask before a portrait.
Photo: Daderot · CC0
Souvenirs
Buy the thing you can carry. Ask the price before you agree.
Photo: Chainwit. · CC BY 4.0
National parks
The parks with pages are Ba Be, Phong Nha, Bach Ma, Cat Ba, and the Pu Luong reserve. Gate fees are Check on arrival unless the sight page prints one.
Photo: Thang Nguyen · CC BY-SA 2.0
Islands
Phu Quoc, Cat Ba, Con Dao, and the Cham Islands have pages. Boat times and dive days are Check on arrival.
Photo: Trantuonglam · CC BY-SA 4.0
