Vietnam Travel Guide
Planning a trip to Vietnam? Feeling overwhelmed and don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place! Here is my Vietnam travel guide, where you’ll find details from our recent trip — from flights and accommodation to itineraries and everything in between. My goal is to share what we learned so you can save hours of research and plan with confidence. Also, I get a small commission when you book with some of the links at no cost to you.
How I Planned Our Vietnam Trip
Planning your first trip to Vietnam can be overwhelming — there are so many amazing places to visit! I faced the same problem while planning our trip. Two weeks might seem like a lot of time, but once you’re in Vietnam, the days fly by 🙃
1. Decide when and where
We booked our trip based on two things – it was on sale, and the sale period was during our first wedding anniversary 😂.
Vietnam has 3 main regions: North, Central and South.
We only had 2 weeks, but I made the executive decision to visit all three of these regions to make the most of the trip.
North Region: Hanoi & Sapa
Central Region: Da Nang & Hoi An
South Region: Ho Chi Minh City
We visited Vietnam between August 27 – September 10. The weather was humid, and there were periods of rain, but overall the rainfall wasn’t heavy, so we could still walk outside.
Even though their national day is celebrated on September 2, expect major cities to have preparations already starting from August 29. In Hanoi Old Quarter, some streets were blocked off, making it hard to find a Grab driver.
➡️ Weather in Vietnam by Month
➡️ Skip the Planning Stress – Here’s the Typical First Itinerary for Most Tourists (coming soon!)
2. Check entry requirements
Now that you know when and where you want to visit in Vietnam, you can make sure you have the requirements you need to enter!
Make sure that your passport is valid on the days of your travel. Some countries also require an eVisa to enter the country.
➡️ Vietnam eVisa – Everything You Need to Know
3. Set Budget
One of the most important part of travel planning! Even though Vietnam is an affordable travel destination, it’s always good to have a budget!
Sign up below and get our budget breakdown for our 2 week trip in Vietnam FREE. This can be a good guide to figure out how much to save up for flights, accommodation, food and shopping!
4. Book Flights (International)
Flights was one of our largest expenses, so make sure you budget for it!
➡️ Check flights on Booking.com
➡️ Which Jetstar Meals and Snacks are Worth it?
5. Sort accommodation
Accommodation is pretty affordable in Vietnam, especially compared to Australia. We booked all our accommodation through Booking.com. I love using their website because I always filter hotels with ‘Free Cancellation’ and ‘Breakfast Buffet’ (haha).
➡️ Here’s my reviews on our accommodation in Vietnam
6. Organise transport
At this point, you should start looking at domestic flights within Vietnam, as well as airport transfers, sleeper buses and trains.
➡️ Flying Domestic? VietJet vs Vietravel vs Vietnam Airlines
➡️ Private Airport Transfers – Should You Get It?
7. Create itinerary
It’s time to get the full nitty-gritty of planning your trip! This is my favourite part! Depending on your travel style, you can make your trip as busy or as relaxed as you want!
➡️ Check out our full 2-week Vietnam itinerary
➡️ We tried ‘viral’ attractions on TikTok and Instagram – are they worth the hype?
8. Prep and Pack!
Between now and your trip, you may still have things to go and prepare!
➡️ What apps should you download for your Vietnam Trip?
➡️ Do You Need to Get the Airport Fast Track?
Check out my other helpful guides
🌍 Need inspo for your itinerary? Read our 2-week itinerary here
✨ We tried the ‘viral’ things in Vietnam, and here’s my verdict if they’re worth the hype!
✈️ Vietnam eVisa – Everything You Need to Know
