9 tips for backpacking Vietnam

21.07.2023 - 08:42 / roughguides.com

With striking landscapes, large stretches of lovely coastline, intriguing cities and excellent food, it’s no wonder the number of tourists in Vietnam has more than doubled in the last decade or so.

The country is changing at lightning speed, and with roads being improved, comfortable long-distance buses and a decent train network, it’s easy to get from top to bottom – or vice-versa – of this long country in a short space of time. Here are our top tips to help on your trip backpacking Vietnam.

Some hotels offer great tours at reasonable prices. However, in many cases – particularly if a hotel is suspiciously cheap – tour prices can be heavily hiked up and the excursions badly organized. Ask other travellers for personal recommendations and do some research before committing.

Many eating establishments – especially street kitchens – either don’t have prices on the menu, or dishes are written on a sign in Vietnamese only. Establish the price before you order, or you risk paying over the odds once it’s time to settle the bill. A bowl of noodle soup at a cheap street place starts from around 30,000đ (£1/$1.30).

Street kitchens may not look that appealing, with small tables and toddler-sized plastic chairs spilling out onto crowded streets, but these casual restaurants can offer some of the freshest meals you’ll get in Vietnam – and the cheapest.

You can often see the food being prepared in front of you, and there’s usually a buzzing atmosphere. It’s clear where to get the best quality grub from by how jam-packed the place is.

Trains are significantly more expensive than buses, and services tend to be slow. However, rail travel has its advantages: you’ll avoid the frequent near-collisions and general mayhem that pervades Vietnam’s roads, you’ll get to see much more of the rural scenery, and you might get to meet fellow travellers – and share their food, if you’re lucky.

Overnight trains, which should be booked a day or two in advance, have comfortable sleeping berths, and there’s usually a smoke-filled bar carriage to escape to if you’re struggling to get some shuteye.

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In order to cross the road and get to the other side in one piece, especially in urban areas with heavy traffic, you have to forget everything you ever learnt about road safety, go against your gut instinct. Stay calm and alert, and walk out into the road slowly but confidently; the traffic will (usually) give way to you.

Exchange rates with British pounds and US dollars are generally in the tens of thousands. Things easily escalate into the millions, so you need to have your arithmetic head screwed on tight, or at least the calculator on your phone at the ready. The 100,000đ note looks alarmingly similar to the 10,000đ, so look