Best Vietnam Tours & Holiday Packages

The best time to visit Vietnam is from March to late April and from October to December. During this time, the whole country has amazingly nice weather which is very cool and has less rain, suitable for enjoying every activity here from sightseeing to adventure.

On the other hand, each part of Vietnam has its own most wonderful time to visit:

• North: There are 4 seasons including spring (Feb – Apr), summer (May – Aug), fall (Sep – Nov), and winter (Dec – Jan). Particularly, it is hot and humid with high rainfall from May to October, while November to April is cooler and dry.
• Central: The typical tropical monsoon climate brings hot temperatures almost over the year in the central region. The hot season occurs from January to August with average temperatures of mid-30s°C. The months from September to November receive the highest rainfall which results in heavy storms and floods.
• South: There are only two seasons including the dry and wet seasons with remaining high temperatures all over the year. The dry season lasts from November to April and the wet season from May to October with the highest precipitation between June and August.

Top 3 must-visit destinations in Vietnam:

Hanoi

As the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi is one of the most ancient cities here, over 1000 years old. For visitors who are passionate about culture and history, Hanoi is the exact place with a huge number of temples & pagodas, relics, museums, and cultural shows:

The Temple of Literature

• Address: 58 Quoc Tu Giam St., Van Mieu Wd., Dong Da Dist.
• Opening hours: 8.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
• Ticket price: 30,000 VND/person (~ $1.2)

The first university in Vietnam is one of the most well-preserved big relics in Hanoi, which is over 54,000 m2. This place includes many structures that became the symbol of Hanoi such as Khue Van Cac, Litterature Well, Doctor’s Stone (in Turtle shape), etc. In the present age, this attraction is still a symbol of Vietnamese education.

One Pillar Pagoda

• Address: Chua Mot Cot St., Doi Can Wd., Ba Dinh Dist.,
• Opening hours: 7.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.
• Ticket price: 25,000 VND/person (~ $1)

There is no temple in Vietnam that can be as small as the One Pillar Pagoda which is only around 9m2. Due to its unique architecture and structure, this place became one of the most famous symbols of Hanoi. The pagoda was built in 1049 with a shape of an elegant lotus growing in the middle of the little pond and has been preserved pretty well till present.

Hoa Lo Prison

• Address: 1 Hoa Lo St., Tran Hung Dao Wd., Hoan Kiem Dist.
• Opening hours: 8.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
• Ticket price: 30,000 VND/person (~ $1.2)

There is no doubt that Hoa Lo Prison is now the top viral place to visit in Hanoi. More than a historical relic for sightseeing, this attraction now not only allows visiting in the daytime but also has night tours with many interesting activities that are usually fully booked. The cost for a night tour is around $25 - 30 and you have to book in advance at least 2 months before.

Ho Chi Minh City

This is the most crowded and populated area in Vietnam. For anyone who seeks all-night excitement, the unsleeping city is the ideal destination for a Vietnam trip. This city is a mix of traditional culture with fast-paced nightlife where you can visit relics, museums, pagodas, and also get drunk at bars and pubs overnight:

Bui Vien Walking Street

• Address: Bui Vien Street
• Opening hours: 7.00 p.m. - 2.00 a.m. (Weekend)

For “night owls” - Bui Vien St. is the top must-visit in Ho Chi Minh City. In fact, although the “walking street” is open only on Saturday and Sunday, Bui Vien is busy all night throughout the week gathering most of the foreign tourists and expats in the city here. Vibrant bars, cheap drinks, and delightful foods, this small street combines all you need for a sleepless night. 

Thien Hau Temple

• Address: 710 Nguyen Trai St., Dist. 5, HCMC
• Opening hours: 6.30 a.m. - 4.30 p.m.
• Ticket price: Free

Ho Chi Minh City is the only place in Vietnam that has the biggest Chinese community in the country with the largest Chinatown area covering districts 5 and 6, owning a history of nearly 400 - 500 years. Thien Hau Temple is the most important pagoda in the spiritual life of the Chinese people here that worships one of the most important gods who protects the lives of all overseas Chinese people in Saigon up until now.

Cu Chi Tunnels

• Address: Phu Hiep, Cu Chi, HCMC
• Opening hours: 7.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.
• Ticket price: 30,000 VND/person (~ $1.2)

Cu Chi Tunnels is the top-searched relic in Ho Chi Minh City. This attraction is not only the right place for those who are interested in the history of the Vietnam War, but also curious tourists who just simply want to explore the complicated man-made tunnels and try to get into the tiny gate of this amazing system.

Top 5 must-do in Vietnam:

• Taste Hanoi Street food

Do you know that Hanoi is the city that owns 2 over 3 1-star Michelin selected restaurants in Vietnam and owns most of the Bib Gourmand list with many of them are local street vendors? Good foods can be found everywhere at any time on Hanoi Street at super cheap prices that can fill your stomach with only $1 - $2 for a meal, which means you may need only $5 for a day of enjoying delightful foods here.

Also, the choice is varied with a long list of local dishes different from ingredients to cooking ways. There are hundreds of types of Banh Mi, Pho, Noodles, Fried dishes, and traditional desserts that can be easily found in the Old Quarter that can guarantee you can have different meals each day exploring this city.

• Stay overnight with Halong Bay Cruise

This is another top search for must-do in Vietnam, some tourists even enjoy this activity every time they return to this country. Cruising through Halong Bay overnight is worth trying for every type of tourist as there are many routes to choose from whether for leisure or adventure purposes with different travel time from 2 to 3 days. Also, the price range for this outstanding service is only from $120/person which is not expensive for a 2-day cruise including about 4 meals and also many other interesting activities during the trip.

• Trek in North Vietnam

North Vietnam is famous for its special terrain with a complicated system of hills and mountains of different heights. This fact helps to create many amazing trekking routes from easy to difficult with stunning views covering the mountainous area here. The most popular places for trekking in North Vietnam are Mai Chau, Sapa, and Ha Giang where you can choose the trekking route due to your preference for the scenery, experience, and ability.

• Check-in at Golden Bridge

The Golden Bridge is absolutely the most trending attraction in Vietnam at present! This place has been requested by most tourists since its opening in 2018 and the heat is still unstoppable. People flock here to observe the beauty of this man-made masterpiece awarded by many reputable worldwide architecture contests and have an Insta time inspired by movie scenery.

• Experience Mekong floating markets

Visiting floating markets in Mekong is not just a way of experiencing this area's local life but also how you can help preserve a traditional culture that might disappear one day. In fact, there are not many floating markets still exist in the Mekong Delta, the biggest and most famous one that you can visit at present is Cai Rang - a floating market in Can Tho which is still a place for trading among fruits and vegetable wholesalers here.

Visa Exemption

Vietnam exempt visa for citizens from 25 countries and territories including citizens from 9 countries in Southeast Asia and below:

E-Visa

Tourists who are not citizens from countries in the “Vietnam Visa Exemption” list must apply for a visa to enter this country. There are 80 countries and territories that citizens can apply for E-Visa to Vietnam:

For applying E-Visa, please send the below documents to your travel consultant:

• A photo of your passport, for example:

• Your 4x6 passport photo, for example:

Note: If your citizenship is not on the above list, and also not in the Visa Exemption list below, please contact the Vietnam Embassy /Consulate in your country for detailed directions on applying for a Vietnam Visa.

Exchange rate 

For reference only, the rate changes every day, please check the daily exchange rate with your travel consultant or bank.

Denominations of money

Tipping

Please note that tipping is not a part of Vietnamese culture; therefore, no one has to tip if they are not totally happy with the service. Just tip when you feel like you want to do, not when someone persuades or asks you for that.

Below are some general amounts for tipping in Vietnam:

• For hotel bellman: $2 or $1/suitcase
• For housekeeper: $1 - $2
• For waiter /waitress: $1 - $3
• For driver: $3 - $5 or just round up the bill
• For tour guide: $7 - $10/day or $3 - $5/person (for a big group)

Learn more about Tipping in Vietnam

Travel tips

• Change the money before your trip or at the airport for the best exchange rate and avoid scams
• Bring along as much cash as you can as ATMs are only available widely in big cities and you can be charged 3-5% for using your cash internationally.
• Separate your cash and put it in some hidden places on your clothes and a bag that never leaves you, don’t leave any in the hotel room.
• Asking for tipping money directly is considered rude in Vietnam, just leave or send a claim for that bad behavior. 

• Clothes & accessories: waterproof jacket, sport shoes (better if waterproof), hat, small umbrella
• Cosmetics & cosmeceuticals: sunscreen, personal insect repellent spray
• Medicines: bring along your own ones, especially if there’s any requested prescription sale
• Money: prepare as much cash as you can (to avoid using credit cards with 3-5% fee) and separate into small amounts.
• Travel document: passport, visa, travel insurance and any receipt/booking code of book-in-advance services with photocopy of each above document.
• Switch: popular sockets in Vietnam are the 2-prong type with round or flat pins (or both). If you use the 3-prong type, bring 1-2 adapters.

Vietnam owns many thousands of years of developing cuisine which mainly focus on balancing all the taste. In general, Vietnamese foods are easy to eat with most tourists and that is the reason why the cuisine here is so famous. Also, usually, sellers in restaurants and vendors here are friendly enough to help diners customize their dishes by adding or removing ingredients due to orders and abilities.

Top 5 must-try Vietnamese dishes:

• Vietnamese Noodles

Many tourists know about Vietnamese Noodles through “Pho” (with beef or chicken) which is sold in most of Vietnam restaurants all over the world. However, in the home country of “Pho”, you will find out that noodles in Vietnam also include Bun Cha (noodles with grilled meat), Bun Thang (noodles with mixed ingredients), Bun Bo Hue (noodles soup with beef and pork leg), Banh Canh (noodles with crab meat), etc. all are made with different types of noodles, spices, ingredients, and also the way to cook.

Price from: 35,000 VND (~ $1.4)

• Banh Mi

This dish is as famous as the word “Banh Mi” is now available in Oxford Dictionary. Since the day “baguette” followed French to Vietnam, the Vietnamese Baguette has been developed for hundreds of years to become the world-known “Banh Mi”. There are many types of toppings that can be put into this dish in Vietnam such as: pate, cold cuts, char siu pork, French fries, beef jerky, fried egg, etc. combined with traditional fermented vegetables, cucumber, and herbs.

Price from: 15,000 VND (~ $0.6)

• Fried Dishes

If you come to Vietnam in Winter or rainy season, don’t miss your chance to try any fried dishes in this country. They are sold all year round but the taste is better during this time. As the North is colder, there are more choices for fried foods here from sweet to savory such as Vietnamese donuts, fried buns, Quay (yau ja kwai), Banh Goi (Pillow Cake), etc. And in the South, you shouldn’t miss Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancake) and Banh Trang Nuong (Vietnamese Pizza).

Price from: 10,000 VND (~ $0.4)

• Rice Dishes

Rice is the main ingredient for local meals in Vietnam. You shouldn’t leave this country without trying at least 1 - 2 meals with rice here. Restaurants that serve rice like a local family's daily meals can be found anywhere in Vietnam from budget to luxury options. One restaurant like that even received 1-star Michelin: Tam Vi - a deluxe traditional style restaurant located in Hanoi. On the other hand, far in the South, there is a super famous rice dish that is loved by both locals and foreigners - Com Tam (rice with grilled pork rib cutlet) - a dish that can give you a fulfilling meal on 1 plate.

Price from: 35,000 VND (~ $1.4)

• Sweet Soup

The most popular dessert in Vietnam is absolutely sweet soup - a dish that can be found in every corner of this country. The ingredients to create this dish are varied and they are different in each region of the country, some most popular ones are all types of beans (black/ green/ red/ white/ etc.), sesame, fruits, rice cakes, sweet potatoes, eggs, etc. There are also hot and iced versions of sweet soup specifically for the Winter menu and Summer menu in North Vietnam; in the South, the recipes for this dish are affected strongly by Chinese and Khmer culture.

Price from: 15,000 VND (~ $0.6)