Plan Your Trip
Returning to Vietnam as a Vietnamese American: Papers, Family and the First Trip Back
A first trip back has questions the tourist articles do not answer: which visa, which passport, what Vietnam considers your children to be, and how to stay with family. Here is the practical layer under the emotional one.
Vietnam Customs and Duty-Free Rules
What you can bring into Vietnam duty-free, the cash you must declare, and the one rule that works in your favour at the red channel.
Vietnam Visa Extension Guide
There is no such thing as extending a Vietnamese e-visa from inside the country. That single fact reshapes how you should fill in the application.
Vietnam E-Visa: How to Apply Step by Step
The official Vietnamese e-visa costs $25, takes 3 to 5 working days, and has four ways to fail at the border. Here is the whole process.
Do Americans Need a Visa for Vietnam?
Yes — US passport holders need a visa for Vietnam, and the widely repeated 45-day visa-free rule does not apply to you. Here is what you actually need.
Tipping in Vietnam: A Practical Guide
Tipping is not customary in Vietnam and leaving nothing is normal. Here are the few situations where it genuinely is expected.
Vietnam Money and Costs for Americans
Vietnam is cheap, but the dong has three extra zeros and cards stop working sooner than you expect. Here is how the money actually behaves.
What to Pack for Vietnam
Pack for three climates, two dress codes and a lot of walking. The list that matters is short, and most of it is about rain, feet and temples.
Vietnam Festivals Calendar Beyond Tet
Tet dominates the calendar, but a dozen other dates will shape what you see — and two of them will fill every beach and flight you wanted.
Traveling Vietnam During Tet (Lunar New Year)
Tet is not a festival you attend as a tourist — it is the country going home. Here is what actually closes, what sells out, and when it is worth it anyway.
Vietnam Weather by Region and Month
A month-by-month read of Vietnam's three climate zones, so you can see where the good weather actually is when you want to travel.
Best Time to Visit Vietnam
There is no single best month for Vietnam. The country spans three climates at once, and the right answer depends on which third you are visiting.
SIM Card or eSIM in Vietnam?
Buy a local SIM at the airport if your phone is unlocked and takes one. Otherwise an eSIM. Here is the full comparison.
eSIM and Connectivity in Vietnam
Vietnam has fast, cheap mobile data and wifi almost everywhere. The main decision is whether to buy an eSIM before you fly or a SIM on arrival.
Vietnam with Limited Mobility: Where It Works and Where It Does Not
Vietnam's pavements, boats and old towns are hard on anyone who walks with difficulty. The trip is still possible, and the way to make it work is to choose the places and the transport that fit.
Counterfeit Spirits in Vietnam: How to Drink Safely
Methanol in fake spirits has killed travellers in Vietnam, and the bottles have come from ordinary bars and shops. The rules for avoiding it are simple and they are not the ones you have heard.
Vietnam for Solo Female Travelers
Vietnam is widely regarded as one of the easier countries in the region to travel alone. Here is what is actually worth planning for.
Vietnam Health and Vaccines for Travelers
No vaccines are required to enter Vietnam, several are recommended, and most travelers do not need the antimalarials they are told to buy.
Is Vietnam Safe for Americans?
Vietnam sits at the State Department's lowest advisory level. The risk Americans worry about and the risk that actually hurts them are not the same thing.
Funeral Tents, Altars and Ghost Money: What You Are Seeing on a Vietnamese Street
A tent across the lane, music at four in the morning, paper money burning in a bin on the pavement. These are the most visible pieces of Vietnamese religious life, and here is what each one means and how to behave around it.
Vietnamese Language: Useful Phrases for Travelers
Vietnamese is tonal and hard to pronounce from spelling. Six phrases will carry you a long way — here they are, plus how to say them.
Vietnam Etiquette for Americans
Shoes off, both hands, and keep your voice down. The short list of things that are genuinely noticed.