My Vietnam trip highlights and travel tips

Vietnam’s long been on my travel bucket list and I’m glad to have visited this amazing country with my partner.

Our trip was nearly perfect, but we did have a few hiccups along the way. That’s why I want to start by sharing some highlights, then dive into some Vietnam travel tips.

For your convenience, here are jump links to different parts of the article:

• Vietnam trip overview
• Destinations:
  • Saigon
  • Da Nang and Hoi An
  • Sa Pa
  • Ninh Binh
  • Hanoi
• Vietnam travel tips
• How much we spent visiting Vietnam
• What I’d try next time we visit Vietnam

Why we went to Vietnam

Why travel to Vietnam? What places in Vietnam should I visit? How should I plan an itinerary?

These are the natural follow up questions when I share about Vietnam. I’ll start with the starting motivation for this trip, which is that my partner’s brother got married in a rural area 2 hours outside of Saigon.

That dictated our itinerary—we first flew from LAX to Ho Chi Minh City, AKA Saigon. As of this writing there are NO direct flights from LAX to Vietnam, so we had a layover in Taipei airport (TPE).

Since we had 2 weeks for our trip, we decided to make our way from south Vietnam (Saigon) to north Vietnam (Sapa). We realized quickly that Vietnam is a very long country, so domestic flights were almost necessary to get from south to central Vietnam, then central to north.

Here’s a numbered map of our route working south to north (ish): Saigon > Da Nang > Hoi An > Sa Pa > Ninh Binh > Hanoi. We intentionally cut out Nha Trang, Hue, Ha Long Bay, and Phong Nha Caves.

Quick Vietnam highlights for first time travelers:

• Low cost! Most good hotels can be had under $50/night, and most good meals can be had under $15/person.
• Lot of vegan food and vegetarian friendly options. Download Happy Cow, which works internationally.
• Diverse number of nature experiences: city, beach, limestone mountains + rice paddy fields.
• Incredible coffee culture. Every restaurant serves coffee, and most of the larger cities have specialty coffee shops or even roasteries. Our favorite was Soul Specialty Coffee which has locations in the big cities of Vietnam.
• Great for digital nomads who like to work while traveling—just about every restaurant has WiFi. Internet speeds on average were quite fast.

Now let’s dive into each city’s highlights.

Ho Chi Minh AKA Saigon

We only got 1 full day in Saigon proper, as most of the time was spent 2 hours outside of the city for the wedding.

There are several districts in Saigon. Our hotel was in Tan Binh near the airport, but we spent most of our time in District 1. If we ever had to stay in Saigon again, I’d pick District 1 for convenience. Check out this district guide to Saigon.

After seeing other cities in Vietnam, I can say that Saigon was the busiest city. And you feel it. It’s very alive. The sound (and smell) of mopeds are everywhere. It’s a city of more than 9 million, or double that of Vietnam’s northern capital of Hanoi.

After a long flight to Saigon and preparing for an energy intensive 2 day wedding, our priority was to get wellness treatments. This is probably the most expensive 1 time splurge we did in Vietnam, but we absolutely don’t regret going to Aveda Herbal & Wellness. We both got an ayurvedic oil massage and facial that in total lasted 3-4 hours, and cost about $100 per person. I rarely get massages, but this was probably the best one I’ve ever had.

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Quick note about the wedding. It was how I’d describe Vietnamese traffic: chaotic and at times beautiful. I think the whole production – two days of ceremonies and banquets for hundreds of people, cost under $10,000.

To put this number in context, the average annual income in Vietnam is between $4000-$8000 USD. I just love seeing more examples of low-cost weddings.

Central Vietnam: Da Nang and Hoi An

We took a ~2 hour flight from Saigon to Da Nang airport. This would’ve taken otherwise 15 hours of driving, so don’t underestimate the distances within Vietnam.

Da Nang is a popular beach city in central Vietnam. It’s appreciably quieter than Saigon.

I have to commend Hilton Garden Inn Da Nang, which was my favorite hotel stay in all of Vietnam. As a Diamond member through the American Express Hilton Aspire card, I got free room upgrades and free breakfast buffets. All for 14,000 Hilton points per night, which was an absolute steal.

(Whereas Hilton Garden Inns of the States offer meager amenities and a paltry breakfast, the HGIs in Vietnam were 4-star hotels with restaurant-level breakfast buffets.)

While we were blessed to not get rained out during monsoon season, our short days there lined up with a gloomy day that was otherwise meant for Bana Hills, a popular tourist attraction. Instead, we went to Ling Ung Pagoda (free!) and My Son temple.

My Son Temple tips

Pronounced “mee sun,” My Son is an ancient Hindu site. The ruins are left by the Champa people who reigned from the 4th-13th century. My gf is spiritual AF so we had to visit.

At first, we thought that visiting My Son required a tour. But it’s actually easier to get there than what internet travel guides suggest.

• You can simply order get a Grab car there and back.
• If it’s not a busy time, you can go to the tour guide booth and just hire a guide for an hour there. Only 100K VND.
• This easy, self-paced method means that you don’t need to book a tour in advance, which should save you ~$40 per person.

A quick note about Hoi An, which is just a 30 minute ride south of Da Nang. It is touristy, but I’m glad we stayed one night to see the nighttime vibes and lantern. We also bought some organic cotton clothes at Gingko, so we felt accomplished.

If we return to central Vietnam, I think 1-2 additional nights would be great.

Sa Pa: Land of majestic hills and terraced rice fields

Remember how I said don’t underestimate the distances within Vietnam? We took a 1 hour flight from Da Nang to Hanoi. Getting to Sapa from Hanoi would take another 6 hours on the road. Sa Pa is far north, close to the Vietnam-China border.

Taking the train would’ve taken more time so we “splurged” for a private car that did door-to-door drop off. This saved us at least 2 hours, and it cost $110 USD. For a 6 hour drive. A 1 hour Uber in LA would’ve easily cost $100.

And it was COMPLETELY worth it! Sa Pa was our favorite destination from the entire trip. We loved the amazing greenery, mountains, rice paddies, and terraced fields.

The long journey to Sa Pa warranted a longer stay, and it became our longest at 5 days. We felt both complete about our experience, and excited to come back in the future for more.

• Sightseeing highlights: Fansipan cable car and hike up the mountain, Cat Cat Village, staying at Lady Hill Hotel
• Restaurant highlights (all vegan and great ambiance): Su restaurant, Yen, Thong Dong.

Despite multiple Reddit posts and even one hotel manager telling us that Cat Cat Village was too touristy, we absolutely loved it. Maybe we’re I’m just basic.

There are tours offering treks and homestays throughout the ethnic minority villages (Red Dao, Black Hmong). We didn’t get to do this but would consider an ethical trekking tour with Sapa Sisters if we’re ever back.

Ninh Binh: Rice paddies and dynamic karst mountains

This location was my girlfriend’s recommendation because she didn’t enjoy Ha Long Bay, and Ninh Binh showed up as “Ha Long Bay on land.” Good call because the boat tours and landscape were worthwhile sights.

Travel note: Ninh Binh is the larger region that encompasses Tam Coc and Trang An. No one really stays in the actual city of Ninh Binh, and instead stay 20 minutes south in Tam Coc. Few people stay in Trang An, known for its boat rides. Trang An is more peaceful but less convenient—not as many shops and restaurants.

My two highlights were:

1. Boat ride in Trang An: AMAZING views with a rower who took us through caves and to temples that we would dock at and walk around. The internet advice that told us to take route 3 were spot on.
2. Biking around in Tam Coc. Lot of homestays like ours offer free bike rentals. We saw buffalo bathing in the fields next to the road.

Tip for Tam Coc: I would stay near the center of town near the lake, close to restaurants like Ngo Dong. We stayed in a few areas that, despite good reviews, were out in the boonies and felt sketchy at night. I’m talking about walking through dark and weaving alleyways. (Good thing Vietnam is safe though.) Still, I’d stay center of town unless you’re staying at a really nice spot away from the city center.

Hanoi

We spent our last 2 nights in Vietnam in Hanoi due to our outgoing flight from HAN > LAX.

We found Hanoi quieter (by Vietnam standards) and more manageable than Saigon. Travelers like us stay near the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake. Again, we stayed at Hilton Garden Inn. Not as nice as the amazing Da Nang location, but this one served us well.

We did the touristy thing at Train Street, where you can sip coffee while a train comes by you ~3 feet away. It was fun and worth the gimmick. If we were to do train street again, I’d say to walk the length of it first – some areas have cafe shop owners hustling you to go to their shop. Just keep walking until you get to a street intersection so you can see the whole area and pick a spot you’d prefer to take pics from.

On the very last day in Hanoi we took a vegan cooking class and made fried spring rolls, banana leaf salad, and pho. Great way to end the trip!

Vietnam travel tips I don’t hear anyone talk about

In all my time researching Vietnam, the travel tips I’m about to share with you didn’t come up. These elements of travel were big factors that affected our trip so I want to share some advice in detail.

Triple check your documentation for first+middle names and dates
This mistake cost me $200 at the start of my trip. When filling out visa information, you need to be very careful of 2 things:

1. Make sure your name exactly matches how it shows up on your passport, including your middle name
2. Make sure you’re using Vietnam’s date format, which is DD/MM/YYYY

If you have a middle name, add it to the end of your first name across all travel documents.
I never do this and this has never been a problem when traveling to other countries.

But Vietnam authorities are exacting in their documentation, so whatever you write needs to match your passport exactly.

Example: if “Jane” is your first name and “Jill” your middle name, enter it as “Jane Jill” on the first name field.

The second thing to watch out for: dates need to be in DD/MM/YYYY format instead of the MM/DD/YYYY we’re used to.

I thought I wrote in my birth date according to this other format in my visa application, but apparently I didn’t. Eva Airlines would not allow me to board the plane before showing proof that I had paid for and corrected this mistake.

So I paid Vietnam-immi.org $200 for an emergency visa to essentially swap two numbers around. This is not a recommendation as there may be cheaper options, but even the gate agent said to me: “Oh, good that this only costs you $200. It could easily be $300 or $400.” Yikes.

Domestic flights have a 7kg carry-on maximum
I hate checking bags so I always do 2 carry-ons: backpack and roller. For flights originating in the States, this was not a problem. Once we got to Vietnam and took domestic flights, we were surprised that there’s a 7kg (~15 lbs) carry on limit per passenger. We had to check in 1 of our luggages each, even as lightweight travelers. I felt indignant AF.

Here’s a related Reddit thread complaining about the carry on limit

If you really hate checking in bags, business and first class have extra weight allowances. I know because I decided to “splurge” on a 1 hour flight flying business from Da Nang to Hanoi. The flight was on sale but the extra luggage limit and skipping lines was worth it.

Prepare face masks, ear plugs, and other sensory protection.
Vietnam is the land of mopeds that zip around everywhere. There are definitely more mopeds than there are people. Most are gas powered, meaning a lot of fumes when you’re walking on foot. I found it almost necessary to wear a face mask to make this more tolerable.

It’s not just the exhaust. In Vietnam, it’s common for people to burn trash. Even in rural areas, farmers often burn their fields. (Apparently this is so common it affects some expats quality of life in Vietnam).

To lessen the impact of breathing in exhaust and fumes, definitely bring or buy face masks.

Credit card fees and lack of Amex acceptance
Cash is still king in Vietnam! If a place accepts credit card, then be prepared to pay an extra 2-3% charges. There are some sneaky places that charge a much higher 8% fee to use a credit card.

Vietnamese merchants accepted American Express only 30% of the time, so make sure you bring a Visa backup.

As usual, Schwab Investor debit card performed well – all my cash withdrawals from ATMs were free. In total, between 2 people for two weeks, we only withdrew $400 USD worth of VND total and that worked fine.

Interested in taking the train? Beware your logistics.
If you’re interested in taking a train between cities, know that a lot of these long haul trains operate at night. AKA “sleeper trains.” This can introduce a level of complexity to your travel planning, because most of the time you’re checking out of your hotel in the morning.

If you’re interested in train-ing around Vietnam, this does require additional planning. To avoid the scenario of having to haul your stuff around all day or booking an extra hotel night so you can catch the train at night.

We ended up not taking the trains once during our trip. Because we were willing to pay to save time, we found private cars on the website 12go.

How much Vietnam travel cost us (as an American couple)

We didn’t track our expenses closely, but our estimate was that we spent about $4000 for two people for 2 weeks. That tracks to be less than cost of my Japan trip.

In reality, our trip cost $1500 more, but that was covered by travel points. Gotta love points and miles. Some of the top trip expenses:

• Flights: international roundtrip flights were $2210, but $1,075 of this was covered by points. The domestic flights cost $100 from Saigon to Da Nang, $263.31 for two from Da Nang to Hanoi (business!). We spent about $1,438.21 in total on flights for the two of us.
• Hotels: for a total of 16 nights, 8 nights were covered by points, 2 nights we stayed with family, and 6 nights we paid out of pocket about $300.
• Private car transfer: $110 USD from Hanoi to Sapa and $170 from Sapa to Tam Coc, so total $280.
• Dozens of Grab rides: we took Grab, the Uber of Vietnam, almost everyday. I spent $61.14 in total on Grab rides, whereas my partner about $30, so a total of $91.14.

To be honest, we spent about $1K more than I estimated in my head. I guess that’s the power of tracking. Part of this was probably the mindset of feeling that Vietnam was so cheap, thus encouraging us to spend more. Similar to how people spend more during Black Friday.

But I’m also glad it wasn’t too much more, because this was our first foray into Vietnam together and we covered a lot of ground. Which brings me to the next and last section…

What I’d do the next time I head to Vietnam

First I’d just say that I absolutely loved Vietnam and would gladly go back. Nice to know that flights between Southeast Asian countries are so convenient.

We spent a long time planning this trip, but something that simplified things a lot for us was to do something basic and woo-woo: getting clear on our desires.

Example: We crossed the Phong Nha caves off our list after some deliberation. First, we saw that getting there was out of the way – and our main desire getting to that area would just to be explore caves. So that made us reflect more deeply about what we wanted to do.

We asked ourselves: Do we see ourselves enjoying the caves, maybe even staying 1 night in one as an excursion? Turns out, we were more impressed by the pictures of caves than desiring trekking through one, much less staying overnight in one.

So we said “Yeah, fuck caves” 🤣

Our intuition was right because we got some cave exposure on our boat rides in Trang An, and that was sufficient for me. I’ve trekked through caves for an hour before and thought it was forgettable—can’t imagine doing an overnight stay lol.

We realized that we wanted to more green, so Sa Pa and Ninh Binh really fit the bill. We were whatever about caves and OK about beaches.

Lesson: determine what you want to do and what kind of environments you like being in, and balance that out with research insight.

Realizing this is more helpful than indexing too much on lists like “top ten places to visit in Vietnam” because people have different interests. I think a lot of Europeans in cold climates love going to Southeast Asia for the beaches, but I don’t find beaches that special as a Californian.

I also had to temper how much stock I put into Reddit comments and ChatGPT itineraries. While I’m glad to have followed Reddit’s call out that Hoi An didn’t require more than 1 night, sometimes there’s elitism on Reddit about certain places being too “touristy” — Cat Cat village was one of them, which we absolutely loved. Again, #basic.

That’s just a meta point I want to impart on the reader who might have trouble deciding on what to do in 2 weeks in Vietnam – there are simply too many different things to see (a good problem), so try to do things that YOU’RE interested in. It’s okay to skip things that you’re not into, even if the internet says it’s an “unmissable” experience.

Things I want to do the next time we visit Vietnam:

• Go during the dry season between April – August (November is in the “wet” season)
• Stay 4-5 nights in one area, move around less.
• Stay in Da Nang as the base to visit Bana Hills, the imperial city of Hue, and actually enjoy the My Khe beach.
  • Hilton fanboy: I’d gladly stay at Da Nang’s Hilton Garden Inn again and use the “5th night free” perk.
• We’d go back to Sa Pa and do a trekking tour through the villages
• Maaaybe we’d go out of our way for a wellness retreat/stay or tour coffee farms.

I hope that was helpful. Thanks for reading!