Planning a first trip to Vietnam means sorting out visas, cash vs. card, common scams, and how many days to budget per city — details that are easy to get wrong from abroad. These guides cover full destination overviews, sample itineraries, and safety tips, written for travelers coming from the US, Canada, or Australia. Coverage currently spans Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang.
Cat Ba Island is the largest island in Ha Long Bay’s karst archipelago, and the only one with real towns, hiking trails, and hotels to stay overnight. Most travelers see the bay on a single-day cruise from Hanoi, but basing yourself on Cat Ba for two or three nights gets you into Lan Ha Bay’s…
The Ha Giang Loop is a 3 to 4-day motorbike route through Vietnam’s far northern mountains, and it is widely considered the single most dramatic drive in the country — sheer limestone peaks, hairpin switchbacks, and H’mong villages that most Vietnam itineraries never reach. It is not a beginner-friendly joyride: the roads are narrow, the…
Three weeks is enough time to cover the same north-to-south route as our 10 and 14-day itineraries and still add real depth most shorter trips have to skip: mountain trekking in Sapa, cave exploration in Phong Nha, an overnight in the old imperial capital of Hue, and a beach finale in Phu Quoc before flying…
Phong Nha vs. Ninh Binh compared: which karst region to choose for your Vietnam trip, and how to visit both without backtracking.
A day-by-day Phong Nha itinerary covering Paradise Cave, Phong Nha Cave, Dark Cave, and how to extend your trip with a multi-day trek.
Everything to know before visiting Phong Nha, Vietnam’s cave country: how to get there, how many days to plan, where to stay, and what to do in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.
Vietnam is rated Level 1, “Exercise Normal Precautions,” by the US State Department — the same rating given to most of Western Europe — and violent crime against tourists is genuinely rare. The real, common risks are pickpocketing in crowded tourist areas, a long list of low-stakes tourist scams (tampered taxi meters, overcharging, fake monks),…
US, Canadian, and Australian citizens all need a visa to enter Vietnam — none of these three countries are on Vietnam’s short visa-exemption list. The standard option is a 90-day e-visa, which costs $25 for single entry or $50 for multiple entry and is applied for entirely online before you fly. Since April 2026, most…
Yes, you should buy travel insurance for a Vietnam trip. Medical care for foreigners at private international-standard hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is not covered by most home-country health plans, a single emergency-room visit or short hospital stay can run into the thousands of dollars, and standard policies typically exclude motorbike and…
Can Tho is the Mekong Delta’s biggest, most-visited base, built around its famous floating markets. Chau Doc is smaller, closer to the Cambodian border, and built more visibly around actual river life, Sam Mountain, and its own Cham community. Most travelers with the time do both rather than choosing one. Can Tho Bigger, More Touristed…
