Have you been to Vietnam? Please show some light
Is it necessary to carry cash? Wouldn’t cards take you al along? Places to visit in Hanoi - the usual touristy place look expensive, scammy Any precautions or heads up P.S. Female travelling alone
Yea I have travelled multiple times. Both for work and leisure. Lovely place. Some tips:
1. I usually carry cash worth 5k. Nowadays, most places have card machines so you are good. But carry some cash if in case you plan to explore some remote attractions / islands.
2. For transportation / Taxi, use Grab. Hassle free, excellent and seamless service. Set up your credit card on it.
3. Remember that the dot “.” You see in prices is equivalent to a comma here. So don’t misread 1.000 as 1, it is thousand.
Enjoy your time there
BiryaniEnthu
Stealth
a year ago
Thanks this is great.
That dot one freaks out for starters, the visa was 6L VND which roughly got 2.1K.
6L in our currency is definitely lot 😂
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Great choice of holiday destination. As a solo female traveller asking questions on how to carry money, you're in luck - the name of the Vietnamese currency is the cause of unending hilarity.
The country is super safe all throughout and has loads to do.
Hanoi is great for a relaxed holiday - french quarters, walkabouts, etc.
HCMC is the place with things to do. Would strongly recommend the CuChi tunnels (take the fastboat tours only. Avoid the bus tours), the War Museum and the nightlife - the clubs and the street life. Avoid the Mekong Delta if its your first visit.
Don't miss trying out a different coffee every 3 hours.
Also a great place to shop for women's clothes - plenty of big stores which are on-point on global trends. Vietnam exports apparel and you get great bargains.
Happy travelling.
BiryaniEnthu
Stealth
a year ago
Thank you this is wonderful
Gervais_Loser
Stealth
a year ago
Better to take USD from here and convert it there.
For transportation, you can use grab and gojek app. You can buy a data sim at the airport.
Forex cards and credit cards will work there
BiryaniEnthu
Stealth
a year ago
I was thinking of activating international roaming on my Indian number. Is that a bad plan?
Don't. Buy a local sim. I'm planning to buy Viettel from outside the airport. I've heard it's around ~1000INR for 30 days which gives around 4gb of data everyday.
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Larger cities - restos and hotels accept card. But you’ll need lots of cash. Best to exchange approx 100 USD at a time. Bring fresh crisp 100 USD notes that will give you the best exchange rate.
For transport in cities, use Grab. For card payments , Fi Niyo or HDFC forex
Just made an account on Fi. So it's just as simple as getting the Fi debit card and using it for payments? Or do I've to get VND from the debit card and use that cash?
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When are you travelling? I'm also going to vietnam this October, solo traveller.
BiryaniEnthu
Stealth
a year ago
September
Ohh September ! Safe travels!
Have you already made an itinerary ? I'm considering carrying $200 in cash and using a forex card for the rest, but idk if it's a good choice. It would be great if you could share your experiences with me so I can plan my October trip more effectively! 😄
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notsure
Stealth
a year ago
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvjSRekp9V-/?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ==
This scam reel I saw for Thailand, might help a bit
BiryaniEnthu
Stealth
a year ago
Wow thanks.
MatureSurge
Stealth
a year ago
I traveled to Vietnam in 2016-17 with my girlfriend, visiting all the hotspots - Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, and Hoi An - before the recent influx of Indian tourists. Having lived and worked across Asia for many years, I was eager to experience Vietnam's culture and cuisine.
While the banh mi sandwiches were just as delicious as I'd heard, I was disappointed by the rampant poverty and scamming in the major cities. As tourists, we constantly felt targeted.
The highlight was getting off the beaten path in Sapa, a misty village of barely 2,000 friendly locals, mostly from ethnic minority groups. We loved wandering the lush rice terraces and staying in a local homestay. With marijuana and hashish grown in the surrounding hills and widely available, we were able to relax and unwind with the villagers.
I'd recommend trying Indonesia or Malaysia over Vietnam. The infrastructure is better developed and you'll find cleaner cities, friendlier people, and less aggressive hustling. Though nothing quite compares to those fresh Vietnamese banh mi!
And please carry USD.
I carried around 30k INR worth or Dong for a 15 day trip and used them only when required. Used card mainly. If you're visiting Hanoi - definitely spend few days in Ninh Binh - you'll not be disappointed. If you have enough budget, it's good to splurge a bit on 2-3D Halong bay cruise (instead of the usual day trip). There's also Ha Giang to the north where you can do a guided bike trip on the Ha Giang loop. Takes minimum two days but I recommend doing atleast 3-4 days. In Hanoi itself - it's the usual. Visit main spots and try egg cream coffee in Giang cafe.
Vietnam is beautiful. The people are just amazingly friendly. I travelled in December 2022 with 3 other friends. Things to note:
1. Grab works almost everywhere, setup your CC and you're good to go
2. If you're vegetarian i truly wish you good luck
3. If you're a meat eater, the food is just mindblowing. Make sure to try the pho and banhmi any chance you get
4. Carrying cash helps
5. Skip bana hills. It's only ok. I thought it was an entire day just wasted
6. Ninh Binh is freaking amazing
7. Overnight cruise at Halong Bay is a waste of a night. You'd rather do a day cruise and get it over with
BiryaniEnthu
Stealth
a year ago
Non vegetarian 🤞
I have booked only Hanoi, not trying to get adventurous
I dont think cards are accepted everywhere.
We are travelling this thursday, starting from hanoi. Although a friend is carrying scapia card, card usage is not looking promising enough in vietnam especially in local street foods and shopping areas.
Will try card whenever possible but mainly we are carrying cash (USD).
BiryaniEnthu
Stealth
a year ago
Do you recommend a good exchange platform?
I have seen videos on Western Union, Thomas Cook, Bookmyforex
We did through a western union branch here in bangalore. Good experience overall.
Traveled to Vietnam for 4 weeks back in 2017. But we were two dudes travelling so won’t be able to answer female specific questions. Overall, it was a great experience. The overnight buses are good. Used those frequently to optimise travel and reduce one night in a hotel. Vegetarian food is extremely hard to find so be prepared if you’re one. Internet is great and cheap. Get a local sim asap.
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