Vietnam travel checklist: what to do before you go

Three months out is when the trip stops being an idea. Check your passport first: Vietnam expects at least six months of validity beyond your arrival date and blank pages for the visa stamp, and airlines enforce this at check-in. Renewals can take weeks, so this is the one item that can cancel a trip on its own.

Then sort the visa. Most nationalities can apply for a Vietnam e-visa online, valid for up to 90 days with single or multiple entry, and approval usually takes a few working days. Apply on the official immigration portal, not a reseller, and print the approval. If you hold a passport that is not eligible for the e-visa, or you want to work remotely, read the visa page before booking anything.

Flights come next. Fares to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are usually cheapest 2–4 months ahead; after that, prices climb into the peak windows around Tết and the northern winter. Book an open-jaw ticket (into Hanoi, out of Ho Chi Minh City, or the reverse) if you plan to travel the length of the country. Travel insurance should be bought at the same time as the flights so cancellation cover starts immediately.

One month out, book the parts that sell out. Hạ Long Bay overnight cruises, the Hà Giang loop with a local driver, and popular Hội An tailors all fill in high season, and the best-value cabins go first. Book your first two nights in Vietnam and your last night before the flight home; leave the middle open so a bad weather day in Sa Pa or a good beach in Phú Quốc does not wreck a fixed schedule.

Domestic transport is cheap and easy to book a few weeks ahead. Vietnam Airlines, VietJet and Bamboo fly the long hops (Hanoi–Đà Nẵng, Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City), and the reunification railway runs the coast if you want the slow version. Overnight trains and sleeper buses between Huế, Đà Nẵng and Nha Trang sell out around holidays, so reserve those now.

Money and health sit here too. Tell your bank you are travelling so cards do not get frozen, and decide how much cash to carry: đồng is the only currency that works in markets, small towns and on buses. Check your routine vaccinations are current and ask a travel clinic about hepatitis A, typhoid and, for rural or long trips, rabies and Japanese encephalitis. Malaria tablets are only relevant for some rural areas; a clinic decides, not a forum.

The last week is admin and packing. Reprint the e-visa, save a photo of your passport page and insurance policy on your phone, and write down your embassy's address in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. Download offline maps and a translation app; Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet with tone marks, so typing place names is easier than it looks.

Pack for heat, rain and a motorbike. Light cotton or linen, one rain shell, shoes you can walk 10 km in and sandals for the beach. Bring a refillable bottle, a small padlock for hostel lockers, and a power bank for long bus days. If you plan to ride, bring or buy a proper helmet and check your licence and insurance cover before you touch a bike; the parent guide notes that motorbikes fill every lane and traffic drives on the right.

Sort the small money items: a few hundred thousand đồng in small notes for the airport taxi, a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees, and a backup card kept separately. Tipping is not expected in Vietnam; rounding up and tipping spa and tour staff is the norm.

On the day, carry the printed e-visa, your passport and the address of your first hotel in your hand luggage, not the checked bag. Arrival cards are no longer standard for most visitors, but immigration can ask where you are staying, so have the booking on your phone. Keep a pen for forms and a copy of your onward ticket if you have one.

Change a small amount of money at the airport for the taxi, then use city gold shops or banks for a better rate. Grab works in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Đà Nẵng and most tourist towns; agree a meter or a fixed price before getting into a street taxi. If you land late, the parent guide's warning stands: the night you land decides whether the old-quarter door is still open, so book a bed for the first night rather than arriving to look for one.