Vietnam Travel Tips: A First-Timer's Checklist From Visa to Street Food

The most useful Vietnam travel tips are about order: sort your visa and passport first, then money and a SIM, then packing, local laws, street safety, etiquette and food. This checklist from our Vietnam travel blog follows that order and ends with what to do if something goes wrong.

Paperwork is the only item on the list that can stop you boarding the plane, so it comes first among the things to know before traveling to Vietnam. If your passport is not on the visa-free list, you can apply for a Vietnam e-visa online and have it before you fly.

First-trip checklist:

When	What to do	Why it matters
Before you book	Check visa rules and passport validity	Airlines refuse boarding without valid entry papers
1 to 2 weeks before	Get your e-visa, buy travel insurance	Leaves time to fix mistakes
A few days before	Pack for the region and season, download Grab	North and south have different weather
On arrival	Buy a SIM, withdraw dong	Cash is still king outside cities
Every day	Carry photo ID, watch your bag	Required by law; bag snatching is common

Vietnam travel tips before you book: visa and passport

Most visitors need a visa for Vietnam. As of October 2026, 39 nationalities can enter visa-free for a set number of days, and everyone else can apply for an e-visa valid for up to 90 days.

Start with Do I need a visa for Vietnam? or the visa-free list, which follows the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list. If your visa-free days are shorter than your trip, you need a visa too.

The e-visa is issued through evisa.gov.vn for every nationality, single or multiple entry. The government fee is $25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry; it depends on entries, not on how long you stay. Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months after arrival, with a blank page. Apply at least a week before you fly, and copy your passport number and dates exactly.

Money, SIM cards and insurance

Vietnam uses the dong (VND), and cash is still the default for street food, markets, taxis outside apps and anything in the countryside. Cards work in hotels, malls and chain restaurants in the big cities.

Withdraw dong from bank ATMs after you land rather than exchanging large sums at home. Notes look alike, so check the zeros before you pay: 20,000 and 200,000 are easy to confuse in the evening.

A local SIM or eSIM costs little and makes Grab, maps and translation apps work. Airport counters sell tourist SIMs and register them with your passport on the spot. Buy travel insurance that covers medical evacuation and any motorbike riding you plan; many policies exclude riding without a valid license.

What to pack for Vietnam

Pack for the region, not the country. Hanoi and the north have a cool, damp winter from December to February, while Ho Chi Minh City stays hot all year. Tropical storms can affect the coast from May to November, according to the UK government.

The short list we give friends:

• Light clothes plus one warm layer: for air-conditioned buses, northern evenings and the mountains.
• Long trousers or a scarf: to cover shoulders and knees at temples and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.
• Rain jacket and sandals: rain arrives fast and streets flood briefly.
• Printed copies: of your passport photo page and visa, kept apart from the originals.
• Sunscreen and repellent: both cost more in tourist areas.

Local laws that catch visitors out

Three rules surprise first-time visitors: you must carry photo ID, vapes are banned, and drug penalties are severe. The UK government's Vietnam advice states all three as of October 2026.

You can carry a printed copy of your passport photo page and visa instead of the original. You cannot buy vapes in Vietnam or bring them in, so leave them at home. Do not take photos near military bases.

To ride a motorbike legally you need a license valid for Vietnam, usually your home license plus an international driving permit, plus third-party insurance.

Getting around and staying safe on the street

Vietnam is safe for most visitors, and the main risks are traffic and petty theft rather than violent crime. Cross streets at a slow, steady pace so motorbikes can steer around you; do not stop or run.

Use ride-hailing apps such as Grab for fixed fares instead of hailing taxis on the street. Bag snatching by thieves on motorbikes is common, so carry your phone on the side away from the road and wear bags across your body. In busy areas like the Old Quarter covered in our Hanoi guide, keep wallets in front pockets.

Vietnam etiquette and useful phrases

Vietnam etiquette comes down to modest dress at religious sites, shoes off in homes and temple halls, and calm voices when things go wrong. Raising your voice loses respect and rarely solves anything.

Use both hands to give or receive something from an older person. Bargaining is normal at markets but not in shops with price tags or at food stalls. Tipping is not expected, though rounding up for good service is welcome.

Useful Vietnamese phrases

Vietnamese is tonal, so locals will appreciate the effort even if your pronunciation is off. These useful Vietnamese phrases cover most daily moments:

English	Vietnamese	When to use it
Hello	Xin chào	Greeting anyone
Thank you	Cảm ơn	Everywhere
How much?	Bao nhiêu?	Markets, street stalls
Not spicy	Không cay	Ordering food
No, thank you	Không, cảm ơn	Declining sellers

Food and water

Do not drink tap water in Vietnam; use bottled or filtered water, which hotels often provide free. Ice in restaurants and cafes usually comes from factory-made tubes and is safe for most travelers.

Street food is one of the best parts of a trip. Eat where locals queue, at stalls that cook to order, and start with mild dishes for the first few days. Three problems still trip up travelers who get everything else right: a lost passport, a typo on the e-visa and long immigration queues.

When something goes wrong

Most travel problems in Vietnam can be fixed quickly if you know who to contact. Here is where to start for the three most common ones.

A lost or stolen passport

Report a lost passport to the local police first, then contact your embassy for an emergency travel document. Your visa or entry stamp was in the old passport, so you also need to sort out your entry status with Vietnam's immigration authorities before you can leave. Our lost passport guide walks through each step.

A mistake on your e-visa

A wrong passport number, date of birth or entry date on the e-visa can lead to refused boarding. If you spot one before your trip, you can correct the e-visa rather than starting over.

Long queues at the airport

Immigration queues at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat can run long when several international flights land together. Filling in the free pre-arrival form online helps at participating airports, and airport fast track takes you through a priority lane.

VietnamVisa-Easy.com is a private visa service operated by H2 Global Travel JSC since 2012, not a government website, and you can apply directly at evisa.gov.vn for US$25. If you want your details checked by real people before submission, start your application with us.