The idea behind these basic tips is to help you prepare and plan your trip around the country. The idea is to help you avoid committing to the first-time traveler mistakes in the country. So without further ado, we started with our tips to travel to Vietnam for the first time.
The first thing you should keep in mind when traveling to the country is the duration of your visa depending on nationality. A very common mistake is not knowing that these visas are of a single entry.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE WELL
Another very common mistake is to avoid the planning the route badly. One thing that must be understood is that Vietnam is a very large country, with long distances between the north and south of the country. When moving around the country you can choose between doing it by bus , train or plane. These buses and trains are an ideal option because in many cases they allow you to travel at night, so apart from gaining time on the trip you also save money on accommodation. When choosing your route, avoid making crazy connections. Always try to make the route easier and with better connections. Ideally, focus on knowing a specific area of the country, such as the north, south or center and in case you do not have time to try to cross from one area to another by plane , making a domestic flight with some of the airlines that operate in the country. Remember that one of the biggest expenses that every budget has is that of travel. The less you do, the better for your economy.
AVOID WANTING TO SEE EVERYTHING
If you plan your route well and know the time you are going to invest in travel, you can also avoid the second big mistake in every trip is want to see everything. It is impossible to see all the destinations on a trip, even if 30 days are available. Take the opportunity to meet few destinations and with calm. Avoid jumping from one destination to another without giving you days to get to know it well.
CHOOSE THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL
Another of the things you should know before traveling to the country is what time you are traveling and how the weather affects your trip . Being such a large country, the climate during the year does not affect the north of the country in the same way as in the south, nor in the north to the high mountain areas that the area of Hanoi and the coast. Although the climate is governed by dry times and rainy seasons this does not affect all of Vietnam equally.
That is why it is important to check during the trip what time you will find in each destination and before traveling to the country be aware of the weather you can find and depending on it, bring appropriate clothing with you both for the cold (if you visit the mountain areas in the north of the country) or rain.
It is also important to know the time when you are traveling to Vietnam to know if you agree with some of the most important festivals in the country, especially during the Tet that during the days that the country practically paralyzes, or know if you can have problems accommodation reservations when traveling in high season.
SECURITY IN VIETNAM
The general line, Vietnam is a very safe country. It is rare to suffer some kind of robbery with violence and much more sexual aggressions.
Another thing is the typical scams, so common in other parts of Southeast Asia. These scams are usually more related to taxi prices, abusive prices with tickets to many attractions, poor service on the tours (especially in the Halong Bay area ) and more picaresque cases such as playing with currency exchange and return the change badly or recommend not to visit a place because it is closed and want to take you to another place. Simply by being aware you will avoid many of them.
DO NOT TRAVEL WITHOUT MEDICAL INSURANCE
Although nothing should happen, another thing to avoid is to travel to Vietnam without good medical insurance . Although in the country you can find a public health service, it has 2 big problems. They do not usually speak English and may not have all the means. If you have to use private healthcare, as in the rest of the world, it will be expensive and you will have to pay a high cost for its use. That is why to avoid problems, it is always advisable to travel with good insurance.
Although there are no compulsory vaccines to travel to the country (unless they come from a country where yellow fever is endemic) it is always best to travel to Vietnam with the most recommended vaccines per day.
INTERNET AND TELEPHONE
When you are connected during the trip you can do it using the Wi-Fi network that you will find in any hotel or restaurant or buying your own Vietnam Sim Card . If you decide to do the latter, you can buy your cards upon arrival in the country at any of Vietnam’s international airports. Once on the trip, you can recharge your balance without problems in the many mobile phone stores that you will find throughout the country during your trip.
MONEY EXCHANGE
Changing money or using your card at ATMs will not be a problem. In all major cities you can find ATMs or ATMs where you can withdraw your money as well as exchange houses or banks where you can change your dollars or euros. A trick to change money is to look for jewelry stores and selling gold. In these places (especially in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh ) the changes are usually very good. One thing you should always keep in mind .. you should be aware of the changes and the tickets you are using, since the VDN (Dong) has certain similar bills (such as 10,000 VND or 100,000 VND) and it is easy to confuse them during the first days of the trip.
ENJOY THE FOOD
One of the biggest attractions of the country is its incredible cuisine , considered one of the best in all of Southeast Asia. Throughout the country, you will find different types of food and regional specialties. Do not miss the opportunity to try all kinds of dishes. Try to leave your prejudices at home and take the opportunity to at least try everything you can.
DARE TO TRAVEL VIETNAM BY MOTORCYCLE
If you like motorcycles and you are looking for an authentic adventure, Vietnam is without a doubt your country. Apart from being able to rent it anywhere, in Vietnam you will have the option of being able to buy it, travel with it and end up selling the motorcycle easily and quickly. Now, either because you want it to travel on a budget throughout the country or to travel around the destinations you visit.
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