7 Things I Didn't Know Before Planning A Month-Long Trip To Vietnam

Vietnam is a beautiful (and affordable) country to visit if you have enough time to experience the beaches, mountains, and cities. If you're just starting to plan a trip to Vietnam or dreaming about future trips you'll take,  here are 7 things I didn't know before planning a month-long trip to Vietnam! 

1. BUDGET FOR EVERYTHING!

Budget for every single place you stay, food you eat, way you travel, and activity you do if you want an accurate representation of how much money you'll be spending. Even after budgeting in a Google Sheet for 3 months, you can still run into situations when you thought something would cost one price and it turns out you greatly underestimated that cost. For your wallet's sake, do extensive research from sources like backpacker's blogs to actual company websites so you have the most accurate price listed in your budget. 

I used backpacker's websites like this one to read up on other people's experiences: https://www.itchyfeetonthecheap.com/2015/10/27/travel-1-month-in-vietnam/

2. Apply for a Travel Visa BEFORE you go to Vietnam if you plan on visiting for more than 15 days.

There are three ways to apply for a Travel Visa for Vietnam; online, at an embassy in your home country, or in the airport upon arrival in Vietnam. For the cheapest and most convenient option, I chose to apply for a Travel Visa online BEFORE my trip. This gives you time to secure the Travel Visa and Letter of Permission before leaving for Vietnam and it ensures you don't have to wait in a Travel Visa line after taking a very long flight. For Canadians, it's safest to apply for your Travel Visa through The Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Canada's website (to avoid any scam websites).

3. To be most protected from diseases in Vietnam, prepare to spend approximately 600CAD on vaccines and medications.

Vaccinations are one of the most important expenses when travelling to another country and they're typically one of the most expensive costs. After meeting with my local travel doctor's clinic, it was recommended to get vaccines such as Hepatitis A, Japanese Encephalitis, and a booster shot for Polio. Additionally, I needed Typhoid and Malaria pills for before and during my stay in Vietnam. When budgeting for this, I thought all the prices listed would come up to approximately $300 but was soon surprised that Japanese Encephalitis (which is to protect against night time mosquitos) ended up requiring two doses, equaling 490CAD on its own. My word of advice is to do extensive research on which vaccines you'll need before your trip and to visit a travel doctor as soon as you can so you're not blindsided with this news!

My travel doctor used websites like this one to determine which vaccines and medications I needed, as well to give me more information on other health concerns and important information when travelling to Vietnam: https://tripprep.com/destinations/vietnam

4. There are several ways to travel across Vietnam so you need to decide whether affordability, comfort, or travel time are most important to you.

When first researching how to travel through Vietnam, busses sounded like the easiest and most inexpensive method of travel. Depending on where you plan to visit and in what order, busses may not be the best option! As an example, for my trip I planned to visit Nha Trang, then Da Nang. Busses from Nha Trang to Da Nang would be 26CAD with 13 hours of travel, whereas flying costs 46CAD and is only 1 hour of travel. Some might see 46CAD as too expensive, but others may see 13 hours of travel in a bus as too long and uncomfortable. 

I used this website to compare prices for busses, trains, and flights across Vietnam: https://12go.asia/en

5. Hotels rooms in Vietnam are comparable quality to hotel rooms in Canada but cost a fraction of the price.

Affordable (and luxury) stays in Vietnam are around every corner and they aren't always just for the upper-middle class. There are a number of luxury rooms and apartments for 30CAD - 60CAD per night. Whether you're looking for beachfront bungalows, 1-bedroom apartments with ocean view, or a corner suite with mountain view, there's always a beautiful room available that everyone can afford!

6. Vietnam has an abundance of WIFI across the country, so you don't have to worry about not staying connected.

If you're worried you're not going to be able to contact your loved ones, or that you'll be paying a steep fee for a one month phone plan, then worry no more! Vietnam is known for being extremely connected with fast WIFI speeds and hotspots on almost every corner in city centres. You can buy inexpensive SIM cards so you have a local phone number with the option to include data in your plan (should you be travelling to more rural areas). Have some piece of mind knowing that you can stay in contact with your travelling buddies or friends from home without breaking the bank!

7. Check the weather for all the regions you plan to visit when planning your trip to Vietnam.

The weather in some areas of Vietnam can be very sunny, and others can be very rainy. Dependent on the time of year and whether you're in the North or South, this could change the route you take or which places you plan to visit at all. Sa Pa is known for being a beautiful, mountainous, culture-filled region but during July they receive an average of 467mm of rain (4 times the amount of rain Ottawa gets in July). This may change the month you visit Vietnam or whether you want to chance possible mudslides and heavy fog hiding Sa Pa's picturesque landscapes. 

Are you planning a trip to Vietnam? Do you feel more prepared after reading this blog post? Tell me what you think about it and if you want another post with more insights about Vietnam!