Know before you go: Vietnam

Quick answer: Most Western passport holders need either a 90-day e-visa (apply online in advance) or fall under a 30–45 day visa-exemption scheme depending on nationality; Vietnam runs on the Vietnamese dong, cash plus a Visa/Mastercard combo works best, and the shoulder seasons (Feb–April or Sep–Nov) offer the most reliable weather across the country.

Visa & entry

Entry rules depend heavily on your passport, so treat the summary below as a starting point, not a guarantee.

• E-visa (all nationalities): the 90-day Vietnam e-visa is available to all nationalities at evisa.gov.vn for USD 25. This is the standard route for most non-exempt travelers, including US, Canadian, and Australian citizens.
• Visa exemption (select nationalities): as of 2026, 39 nationalities can arrive visa-free, with maximum stays ranging from 14 to 90 days depending on your passport. Europe accounts for 23 of the 39 exempt nationalities in 2026 — twenty-two receive 45-day stays, with Belarus on a separate 30-day allowance. Being part of the Schengen Area does not automatically qualify you for visa-free entry to Vietnam, so citizens of some Schengen countries (e.g., Austria, Ireland, Portugal) still need an e-visa. Several ASEAN neighbors also get visa-free entry, and of the nine non-Vietnamese ASEAN members, seven receive 30 days, the Philippines receives 21 days, and Brunei receives 14 days.
• Special cases: APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) holders with valid passports are exempt from Vietnam visa requirements for stays of no longer than 60 days, and British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders are not eligible for the visa exemption and must obtain a valid visa.
• Passport validity & onward travel: Immigration is strict on passport validity — some travelers have been turned around at Noi Bai for passports with 5 months 25 days remaining, as the rule is strictly enforced. Airlines (especially budget carriers) may also ask for proof of onward travel at check-in even if Vietnamese immigration doesn’t.
• Border runs: If you need to reset an exemption clock, Cambodia via Bavet/Moc Bai is the most common route, with daily buses running Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, and Vietnam re-stamps you at the Moc Bai border on return.

Always confirm your specific requirements on the official Vietnam Immigration e-visa portal and Ministry of Foreign Affairs before booking — visa policy can change without warning; the August 2025 expansion was announced just two weeks before its effective date.

Getting around

• Hanoi: Metro Line 2A (Cat Linh–Yen Nghia) stretches 13km with 12 stations, connecting to major attractions such as President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature, and Royal City shopping mall. One-way tickets range from 8,000–15,000 VND depending on distance, day tickets cost 30,000 VND, and monthly tickets are 200,000 VND. A second Hanoi metro line is partially operational, with a much larger network planned.
• Ho Chi Minh City: Metro Line 1 (Bến Thành – Suối Tiên) is fully operational and serves major tourist and residential areas, running nearly 20 kilometres from Bến Thành in the city centre due northeast to Suối Tiên and the new Eastern Bus Terminal. A second line is under construction but not expected to open until around 2030.
• Taxis & ride-hailing: Use metered taxis from reputable companies or the Grab app to avoid meter manipulation — use Grab or reputable taxi companies like Mai Linh and Vinasun to avoid meter manipulation.
• Buses & motorbikes: City buses are cheap but can be confusing for first-timers; motorbike taxis (Grab or Xanh SM) are a fast way to beat traffic. Domestic flights and sleeper trains/buses are the standard ways to cover long distances between Hanoi, Da Nang/Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Money & costs

• Currency: The Vietnamese dong (VND) is the only legal tender for most transactions; you should mostly pay in VND, as some hotels or souvenir shops quote in USD but still convert to Dong.
• ATMs: ATMs are widely available, with more than 21,000 machines across the country, found in malls, tourist streets, and markets. Typical withdrawal limits range from 3 to 5 million VND per transaction, though some banks like VPBank offer higher limits with lower fees.
• Cards & contactless: in main tourist areas, card payments are widely accepted and often preferred — most hotels, restaurants and larger businesses take cards. However, street food, small cafes, markets, salons, and smaller independent shops frequently use QR or cash only. A practical daily strategy: carry 500,000–1,000,000 VND in cash daily and keep a card as backup.
• QR payments: Local VietQR-based apps (like MoMo) are increasingly used even by tourists; you can link an international Visa or Mastercard to MoMo and use it for payments across the country.
• Safety tip: When an ATM asks whether to convert to your home currency (Dynamic Currency Conversion), always decline and withdraw in VND for the best rate.
• Overall costs: Vietnam remains one of the more budget-friendly destinations in Southeast Asia, with street food, local transport, and guesthouses priced well below Western equivalents, though cards are increasingly viable in cities.

Best time to visit

Vietnam’s long, narrow shape means no single month suits the whole country.

• North (Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Sapa): the north experiences cold dry winters from December to February, with the best time to visit being spring (March–April) and autumn (September–November), when days are generally warm and sunny.
• Central (Hue, Hoi An, Da Nang): best February–August, when it’s dry and beach-ready; avoid September–December, the storm and flood season. The central coast is often battered with typhoons, generally running from August to November.
• South (Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc): best in the dry season, December–April; the wet season (May–November) brings short afternoon downpours rather than all-day rain.
• Best all-round window: if you want one window that works almost everywhere, aim for March–April, though shoulder months (September–November) also work well for a north-to-central itinerary. Avoid planning a beach-focused central coast trip in autumn/early winter due to storm risk.

Emergencies & safety

• National emergency numbers: Vietnam operates three official emergency hotlines accessible 24/7 nationwide: 113 for police, 114 for fire emergencies, and 115 for ambulance services.
• Language note: the official 113, 114, and 115 lines operate exclusively in Vietnamese, according to UK Foreign Office travel advice. For English-language medical response, *9999 is a 911-style emergency medical response service available in English and Vietnamese (primarily in Ho Chi Minh City).
• Tourist police: Keep the tourist police hotline handy — store your embassy’s emergency contact and the tourist police hotline (1800 1091) in your phone.
• Other useful numbers: 112 is the nationwide search and rescue request line, used for large-scale rescue efforts.
• General safety: Vietnam is comparatively low for violent crime against tourists; the realistic risk is opportunistic phone and bag snatching from passing motorbikes, most cited in Ho Chi Minh City. Keep only a day’s cash accessible, split valuables, and avoid displaying large amounts of money at markets.
• Health: no COVID-19 testing or vaccination is required as of 2026; general travel vaccinations such as Hepatitis A/B, Typhoid, and Japanese encephalitis are recommended but not mandatory. Comprehensive travel insurance covering medical evacuation is strongly advised, as rural facilities can be basic compared to major-city hospitals.
• Cultural etiquette: when visiting religious sites such as the Temple of Literature in Hanoi or Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue, shoulders and knees should be covered; many temples provide sarongs if needed.

Official sources

• Vietnam National Administration of Tourism – Visa Requirements
• Vietnam Immigration Department – Official E-Visa Portal
• Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Vietnamese Government Portal
• Hanoi Metro – Official Site
• State Bank of Vietnam (currency & exchange regulations)

Rules on visas, fares, and entry requirements change without much notice — always verify details on the official portals above within a few days of departure.