Vietnam

Vietnam is a backpacker’s heaven and traveling here is an experience that one simply cannot forget. Adventure seeker, food lover and someone who has an undying love for everything historic and ethnic, Vietnam is the place to be. In This Blog You Will Know About a budgeted trip to Vietnam when you are visiting it for the first time

Vietnam is in southeast Asia and shares its border with China in the north, also to the west and Cambodia in south west. The official language of Vietnam is Vietnamese. The official currency of Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong, abbreviated as VND.  

1 USD = 24,385 VND

1 Rs = 293 VND
Why Malaysia is now going popular tourist destination among Indians.

History Of Vietnam

Vietnam has a rich and complex history which is thousands of years old. 

Vietnam experienced a long period of Chinese domination, starting in 111 BCE This period lasted for over a thousand years, with varying degrees of Chinese influence and control.In the 1st century CE, the Trung sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, led a rebellion against the Chinese rulers.

Vietnam regained independence from Chinese rule in the 10th century, leading to the formation of the first Vietnamese dynasty, the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225), followed by the Tran and Le Dynasties.

The division between North and South Vietnam led to the Vietnam War (1955-1975), a conflict between communist forces in the North, supported by the Soviet Union and China, and the anti-communist government in the South, supported by the United States. The war ended with the reunification of Vietnam in 1975 under communist rule.

After the war, Vietnam underwent a period of reconstruction and reunification. It also faced economic challenges, including isolation from the West during the Cold War.

In recent years, Vietnam has experienced rapid economic development and improved living standards. It has become a popular tourist destination and a key player in Southeast Asian politics and economics.

The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi with Population of 10 crore. 80% of vietnamese don’t follow any religion  12% are buddhist and remaining are christians and other religions ke log hai. 

How To reach Vietnam

Noi Bai International Airport (Hanoi)

Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City)

Da Nang International Airport (Da Nang)

These 3 are the major airports in Vietnam. You can reach any of these airports and start your trip.

If you are from india like us you can take a flight from kolkata as it is the cheaptest.

Visa Of Vietnam

A Vietnam visa is very easy to get and is not too expensive but here there is no facility like visa on arrival for Indians and you have to apply for the visa online. 

The link of the official vietnam visa website : Vietnam Visa

For a visa, on this website you have to fill in the scanned copy of your passport, your photo and basic details like name, address, mail ID, hotel address, date of arrival, after which you have to make payment of visa fees which is almost 25 $. Which will cost Rs 2200-2300 for indians. After payment you will get a tracking ID, you should click a photo of this tracking id because sometimes you don’t receive mail, now you have to wait for 3-4 working days after which your Visa is available to download and is valid for 30 days.

Sim Card 

When you reach Vietnam, you get a SIM card at the airport, but if you do not need an immediate SIM, then use wifi at the airport and don’t buy a sim from there as its very expensive. You can buy  cheap SIM cards from any normal SIM card shop in the local market. You will get a SIM with good data and validity for 4-5 $ or Rs 300-400, If you are visiting abroad for the first time, you have to buy the SIM from the airport because not having the SIM can trouble you, but you will get the facility of WiFi in hotels or hostels.

Itinerary For Vietnam 

If You are visiting Vietnam You can follow my itinerary for 10 days, you can plan 8 days too and do the same itinerary. I kept slow travel you can do in fast mode.

The main places to visit in Vietnam are Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Da Nang city and to cover all the places you must have  9-10 days. Most of the flights from India are for Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Considering you are landing in Ho Chi Minh here is the itinerary, in case you are landing to Hanoi you can do the reverse.

Day-1 Reach Ho Chi Minh City 
Day-2 Ho Chi Minh City Explore
Day-3 Ho Chi Minh to Evening train to Da Nang City
Day-4 Reach Da Nang City
Day-5 Da Nang City
Day-6 Da Nang City
Day-7 Da Nang City to Hanoi by bus
Day-8 Reach Hanoi
Day-9 Explore Hanoi
Day-10 Hanoi to India Flight

Ho Chi Minh 

I am considering you are reaching early morning and you have full day

1. War Remnants Museum : Start Your Day with this place where you need to buy an entry ticket for 40000 VND and explore and this place will tell you complete history of vietnam and this is must visit place for everyone.

2. Independence palace : This government building has a long history, it opens Daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entrance fee of VND 40,000 (about US$ 2), to be purchased at the main gate before entry. Inside the Independence Palace presidential office, receiving room, and bedroom are there.

3. Book street : Variety of books available with friendly faces.Even If you don’t like to read books you can walk and the vibes are amazing here, The entry is free of cost.

4. Ban Thanh Market : Famous destination for many local and foreign tourists from all around the world. The market operates all year round. You can shop for all branded clothes 1st copy products from here.

5. Cu chi tunnel  : Cu Chi Tunnels of Sai Gon are honored in the TOP 7 most adventurous destinations in Southeast Asia and TOP 12 most attractive underground wonders in the globe, the cost of this is  $4.90 / 110000 VND.

Da Nang

1. Dragon Bridge : Vietnam Dragon Bridge is located on the beautiful Han River of Da Nang. Aside from astonishing architecture, this bridge is also well known for its exciting water and fire performances

2. Ba Na Hills : It will be a day trip so you need to keep 1 extra day for this tour. It’s a French village with a beautiful cable ride.

3. Marble Mountains : The Marble Mountains are five mountains made of limestone and marble, about 9 kilometers (5 miles) south of Da Nang city proper. The cluster of hills is a well-known pilgrimage site with beautiful peaks, vast networks of tunnels, gorgeous caves, and impressive temples making for a wonderful place to explore.

4. Hoi An :  Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site.

Hanoi 

1. Train Street : Drinking Coffee in this street is one of the most beautiful experiences you can have, located in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, is the famous Train Street or the Đường Phùng Hưng railway street. It is a narrow residential street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, where you get to have one of the most unique experiences in Vietnam.
   
2. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum : This Place is located in the middle of Ba Dinh.
   
3. Imperial Citadel : Hanoi is a city of history and heart. And the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, also known as Hanoi Citadel Visitors should pay attention to the dress code as an act of respect at historical sites. No hats, shorts, miniskirts, tank-top… are allowed.
   
4.  Vietnam Military History Museum :   The Vietnam Military History Museum opened in 1956 and is home to the Flag Tower of Hanoi. There are many different facts museum worth viewing that will help you dive further into the history of Vietnam, of Military history is very important.
   
5. St. Joseph’s Cathedral : St. Joseph’s Cathedralis a famous historical site that is always included in any Hanoi travel itinerary. It is one of the first architectural works built by the French colonial government in Indochina.
   
6. Ngoc Son Temple : If you are looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is the ideal destination and here you will see a temple in the lake.
   
7. Water Puppet Theater :   This show is very entertaining and you can see this 1 hour show in hanoi as well as ho chi minh city.
   
8. Dong Xuan Market : This is the branded copy of products market and you can do shopping in cheap price.

Halong bay

This is the most popular trip which is 1 or 2 days depending on your preferences. You get pick up from hotel reach to the port in 3 hours and board the cruise followed by lunch and cave visit, this day trip includes kayaking and many other activities. 

Food In Vietnam

I have named 3 main cities where all the places have pure Indian vegetarian/Vegan restaurants One full course meal will cost you 19$ i.e. Rs 1500. By the way, if you want to try Vietnamese food, which is mainly street food then you can definitely give it a try.

Shopping In Vietnam

If you are fond of branded clothes, you can easily get copies of branded clothes in every market in Vietnam as mentioned in the blog and they are also quite cheap. By the way, even in the normal market, clothes here are cheaper than in India. So here you can take an empty suitcase which you can fill with cheap clothes and take it from here.

Scams In Vietnam

You will not find adult nightlife in Vietnam like Thailand’s Nightlife and Vietnam adult nightlife is unsafe so try to avoid adult nightlife here but bar, clubs is safe for hangouts.

Gold

White gold is very much in trend in Vietnam and is also available at high prices. You can find it in many shops in the market outside your city but it is difficult to verify it so that you can avoid shopping for it.

Best time to visit Vietnam-

 You can visit Vietnam all year round but the monsoon here is between July to September. The temperature remains the same throughout the year which generally hovers around 25-35 degrees. In Northern Vietnam, You may feel cold.

Local Transportation

Scooty- Scooty is available on rent in Vietnam and for this you have to pay 500 rupees / 7$ per day and for this you have to deposit your passport but I would not recommend you to buy a scooty at all because Challan system is aggressive here and if caught you must have an international driving license for the scooty. Those who do not inform you at the time of scooty rental and give you the scooty, you have to pay the money after getting the challan. It is better to travel from one place to another by cab, which is 3-4 times cheaper and you can use the grab app for cabs. And by the way, there are many places nearby for local transportation.  Local Bus is also a good option but for this you should know the bus time table.

Budget For Vietnam

Hotel- 2000 rupees per night for 2 adults.
Hostel- 500-700 Rs Per Night
Meals- Every time you will spend around Rs 1200-2000 because if you sit for lunch or dinner then the cost of food for someone can be different every day, I have given an average idea.

Transportation- So your expenses can be divided into two parts, one for local transportation and the other for going from one city to another which can be by bus, flight or train. For local transportation you can save Rs 500-1000 per day as you travel from one city to another as per your itinerary.

So first of all we go to the city every day.
By train- 3500 rupees
By bus- 1500 rupees
Flight se- 2500 Me without Baggage and 5000-6000 Me with baggage

In Vietnam, you can do train or bus booking online but there is no authentic website so main contact details are given in the description box where you can do your bookings.

Total Budget for Vietnam from India

Flight- 30000 Round Trip
Visa- 2500
Hotel- 10000
Meals- 10000
Transportation- 10000
Activities- 12000
Other- 5000
Total Budget- 79500

Cheap Budget

Flight- 20000 Round Trip
Visa- 2500
Hostel- 4000 2 Night in bus or train
Meals- 6000
Transportation- 7000
Activities- ???
Total Cheap Budget- 39500

Tips- Some things you should pay attention to

1. Offline Maps
2. Google Translate
3. Umbrella
4. Packaged food
5. Passport
6. Documents
7. Passport Photos
8. Currency
9. Forex card
10. Sim Ejecter
11. Take Vat Refund at Airport
12. Power Bank
13. Mobile waterproof packet
14. Grab App
15. Medical Kit & Prescriptions