Travel Tips

1. For good telephone/internet service make sure that you buy your sim card through an established service provider in Vietnam. You can also consider buying Tourist SIM right at the airport. There are usually some telecom booths or shops for you to choose from. The most-used brand there is Viettel, Mobifone and Vinaphone.
2. Avoid buying sim cards, tours, airport transfers etc from your hotel, they put a premium on all these services.
3. Do not drink tap water and choose only good mineral water kept away from the sun.
4. Take a cyclo ride, if you enjoy breathing traffic fumes.
5. There are three or four reliable taxi companies in the south, Mai Linh and Vinasun are the most common and the most reliable. Some more reliable taxi brand can be Taxi Group in the North, but the fare is a bit high compared to other taxi companies. Smaller companies may literally take you for a ride. Rogue taxis are known to lock their doors and refuse to let you out unless you pay an exorbitant fee. Always insist on a metered taxi. Hanoi taxis are less reliable and rip off whoever they can, including other Vietnamese. Try a small Hanoi taxi company called 'Hanoi Star' for reliability and honesty.
6. Dress modestly and appropriately when visiting local dwellings and religious sites, etc. Make an offering to the gods and put a donation into the box if you want to make a good impression.
7. Leave your valuables behind in the hotel safe box at all times.
8. When crossing the road – especially in HCMC – always keep looking to the left and right and walk slowly! Make eye contact with oncoming motorbikes and check that they see you so that they can avoid you. Be prepared for zebra crossings to be ignored and for motor vehicles to expect you as a pedestrian to give way to them.
9. At rush hour motorcyclists take to the pavements in droves in attempt to beat traffic jams, endangering the lives of pedestrians.
10. Wear a mask when walking in the cities, to avoid breathing in vehicle fumes and other noxious smells.
11. Be prepared to walk in the streets with the traffic. The pavements are for motorbikes to park on, people to sit and eat, or just lounge around on!
12. When walking be prepared for people to stroll casually into your path and expecting you to navigate around them.
13. Don't offer money directly to beggars or minority people – instead donate to a local charity or offer a small gift, such as pens.
14. However frustrated, don't lose your temper (“losing face”), as it won't get you very far!
15. By all means, sample the delicious street food but for hygiene's sake only at venues that are busy with a big turnover.
16. Diaharrea pils are cheap and readily available in Vietnamese cities. You WILL need them. Avoiding milk drinks, smoothies, dicy street food, etc will help to minimize stomach problems.
17. Do your homework about where to eat - there are some excellent reasonably priced restaurants. The best choice of choosing where to eat is to look up information in local website or mobile applications. Some reliable one can be Hi Vietnam, diadiemanuong, foody etc.
18. Always ask permission first before taking photographs, especially in minority areas.
19. Arrange for medical insurance (including the provision for emergency evacuation) prior to departure, as there is no free medical treatment available in Vietnam and the standard of local health facilities is below international standards. Choose an international facility if you need treatment - there are some excellent ones, but they are usually expensive (Victoria International Clinic in Saigon is an exception).
20. Mind your change - the 100,000 and 10,000 notes look similar; the 20,000 and the 500,000 are both blue. While most Vietnamese are honest and used to tourists fumbling for the right currency values, a few will actively try to short-change you. Take your time to count the zeroes or you'll unintentionally make someone very happy.
21. Spring is a great time to travel in Saigon, Mekong Delta, Hoi An and Hanoi, and Halong Bay.
22. If you choose to go to Halong Bay, stay 2 nights because of the road trip, poor roads, it is a long way to go for 1 night, and you see a lot more in the 2 days.
23. Be prepared to bargain, especially at markets, where you should pay about half of the asking price (except at fixed price stores).
24. Avoid very cheap excursions (e.g. to Halong Bay, the Mekong, etc), because you will get what you pay for - lots of time on the bus, few of the sights you were promised.
25. In the summer, Vietnam is hot and humid, so you can leave your jeans at home. Unlike Saigon, Hanoi has four seasons with very hot and sticky summers and rather cold and humid winters. Pack accordingly if you plan to be there from November to January.  can be extremely cold so be sure to pack a warm jacket.
26. When you go shopping, don't touch anything without deciding you will buy it, because the seller will think you want it and force you to buy it even if you don't like it.
27. When you go shopping, you should tip a Vietnamese staff at your hotel, someone have trustable face, and tell him or her to go with you. You don't need to do this, if you enjoy being overcharged.
- TripAdvisor -

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