13 days, 1 continent, 3 new countries, crazy adventures. In June/July this year I had the chance to take 2 weeks off from my job as a flight attendant and decided to dedicate my next trip to Southeast Asia.
In the next (I don’t know how many) articles you can learn how to survive backpacking in Vietnam, what are the best itineraries, what are the stupidest things you shouldn’t do but if you do it you are guaranteed to have a lot of fun, where to sleep, what to eat, how to travel on a budget and many more useless but funny facts that will make your day brighter. Let’s start from the…
If you follow my stories you probably already know that this word doesn’t exist in my vocabulary. All I wanted to do in that trip was to explore Southeast Asia. Vietnam was definitely a place I’ve wanted to visit long time ago.
Then one day, a friend of mine named Emanuele, a crazy Italian guy that I’ve met a few years ago in Rome through Couchsurfing asked me: “Hey do you want to travel together in Southeast Asia?”
I replied: “Sure, when are we going?”
The only one confirmed thing was the dates and the tickets (of course I mean only the entry tickets).
We were planning to hit Vietnam and then go to Cambodia. Instead of that we ended up in Hong Kong , but that’s another story ;)
This is our Vietnam itinerary that we did in 10 days:
When two people who are like-minded decide to share a trip without any plans this is where you can really enjoy the game of traveling because: Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.
How much it cost to travel in Vietnam?
For 10 days I've spent the total amount of 8 000 000 VND = 360$ but considering the amount of shitty and ridiculous situations me and my travel buddy Emanuele went through, I think I was doing quite well.
Things to know before you go
I don’t know if you are born in one of those countries with strong passports but for me as a citizen of Republic of Bulgaria (just don’t ask me where is it on the map cause I’m tired of giving lessons in geography) I needed a visa for Vietnam in advance.
If that’s your case you can apply for your visa at www.vietnamvisto.com. The visa application will cost you 10$. I was really surprised how organized these guys are.
Once when you pay the fee you will receive the approval letter along with guidelines about all documents you should carry with you. What you need is:
Print the approval letter that you will receive on your e-mail
Download Vietnamese visa application form, print it and fill it in so you save time
Prepare 2 passport size photos
Prepare another 25$ that you will have to pay at the airport before you get your visa.
So here we go, on 27th of July early in the morning I took my Emirates flight from Dubai to Ho Chi Minh. It feels so much better to board the plane as a passenger instead of a flight attendant
Even though I had all of the above mentioned documents prepared, getting my visa in Ho Chi Minh was quite slow. I arrived around 20:00h and it took me 1:30h to finish with the visa formalities.
First I went to the All passport counter and I was queuing there for 15 min when I was informed that there’s a separate counter for Landing visa. Don’t make the same mistake as me and just find the right one.
Once when you’re there you will hand off your passport and all your documents to the immigration officer. At some point you will be called back, you’re going to pay the 25$ fee and voilà:
Welcome to Vietnam!
Vietnamese dong (VND), probably like many other names that you will hear in Vietnam sounds like the name of a sex toy, but this is actually the local currency here. You better get used to a lot of zero digit numbers (25 000 VND = 1 €)
There was a few ATM machines at the Airport so I tried to get some money but unsuccessful. For some reason the ATM didn’t accept my card so I just changed 10$ into dong (the rate wasn’t that bad). After that case I haven’t had any issues with the ATM machines. The only one inconvenience is that most of them have a limit to withdraw not more than 2 000 000 VND (aprx 80 €).
Another useful thing to do is to buy a local SIM. You can do this at the airport. It will cost you 10$ and you solve your internet and communication problems until the end of your trip.
My friend Emanuele who arrived a day before me, booked a hotel named Ms. Young Homestay. My task was to get there.
Getting out of the airport in Ho Chi Minh is an easy task. You can get a taxi from the airport but just make sure it’s a metered one! The most popular company in Ho Chi Minh was Vinasun.
The cheapest option (means the one that I choose) is to take the yellow bus # 109, which stops a few hundred meters away from the Arrivals exit. The ticket price is 20 000 VND (0.80 €) :P
The bus takes you to the area of Phạm Ngũ Lão. I wasn’t sure where exactly to get off so I left the bus the second bus stop, after Ben Thanh Terminus stop. Later I found out that the last bus stop would have been a better choice.
One of the great things about traveling in Vietnam is that you can always find very cheap and decent accommodation.
Trust me if you ever do a trip in Vietnam, once when you get back and you have to pay more than 10$ for a room you would feel that this is a rip off ;)
The most “expensive” place that I stayed was in Hanoi where our room was 415 000 VND (9 $ each). Most places are simple but you have everything that you need if you comfort zone is not too high: hot water, neat bed and towels.
We paid for our stay at Ms Young Homestay 200 000 VND (4.5$ each).
We don’t know why there was a Christmas tree
in the hotel but it was a nice place to stay
Second best thing in Vietnam: the foooood!
First I went to the All passport counter and I was queuing there for 15 min when I was informed that there’s a separate counter for Landing visa. Don’t make the same mistake as me and just find the right one.
Once when you’re there you will hand off your passport and all your documents to the immigration officer. At some point you will be called back, you’re going to pay the 25$ fee and voilà:
Welcome to Vietnam!
Vietnamese dong (VND), probably like many other names that you will hear in Vietnam sounds like the name of a sex toy, but this is actually the local currency here. You better get used to a lot of zero digit numbers (25 000 VND = 1 €)
There was a few ATM machines at the Airport so I tried to get some money but unsuccessful. For some reason the ATM didn’t accept my card so I just changed 10$ into dong (the rate wasn’t that bad). After that case I haven’t had any issues with the ATM machines. The only one inconvenience is that most of them have a limit to withdraw not more than 2 000 000 VND (aprx 80 €).
Another useful thing to do is to buy a local SIM. You can do this at the airport. It will cost you 10$ and you solve your internet and communication problems until the end of your trip.
My friend Emanuele who arrived a day before me, booked a hotel named Ms. Young Homestay. My task was to get there.
The cheapest option (means the one that I choose) is to take the yellow bus # 109, which stops a few hundred meters away from the Arrivals exit. The ticket price is 20 000 VND (0.80 €) :P
The bus takes you to the area of Phạm Ngũ Lão. I wasn’t sure where exactly to get off so I left the bus the second bus stop, after Ben Thanh Terminus stop. Later I found out that the last bus stop would have been a better choice.
One of the great things about traveling in Vietnam is that you can always find very cheap and decent accommodation.
Trust me if you ever do a trip in Vietnam, once when you get back and you have to pay more than 10$ for a room you would feel that this is a rip off ;)
The most “expensive” place that I stayed was in Hanoi where our room was 415 000 VND (9 $ each). Most places are simple but you have everything that you need if you comfort zone is not too high: hot water, neat bed and towels.
We paid for our stay at Ms Young Homestay 200 000 VND (4.5$ each).
in the hotel but it was a nice place to stay
Second best thing in Vietnam: the foooood!
I had never ever thought that I will become such a big fan of the Asian food before I came to Vietnam. Street food or a dish in a local restaurant will cost you between 2-5$ and not long after I arrived in Vietnam my vacation turned into a real food porn.
From the famous spring rolls (goi cuon) packed with green leaves and various combinations of minced pork, shrimp or crab to the traditional noodle soup (pho) and thousands types of fried noodles, eating in Vietnam is simply d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.
So straight after I arrived, we went to Bui Vien Street – bars with neon lights and restaurants, tons of street food and tourists. Yes, this is one of the popular spots in Ho Chi Minh but you can also find some locals walking around.
That day Italy was playing with Spain and the whole world was busy watching football. We were just passing by one of the street bars when Italy scored against Spain.
At the evening the street is bustling with people and small stalls for food.
If you can’t find a place with English menu, don’t worry, it means you’re on the right track. Just sit there and ask the locals around you what’s the best thing to try here.
We found a small restaurant, full of locals, with mini-chairs, that were placed almost on the street.
Grilled meatballs, fried tofu and local beer – me and Emanuele shared the plates for less than 4$.
My first “Saigon” beer in Vietnam was a thing to remember. I could already smell the adventure ahead of us.
We found a small restaurant, full of locals, with mini-chairs, that were placed almost on the street.
Grilled meatballs, fried tofu and local beer – me and Emanuele shared the plates for less than 4$.
My first “Saigon” beer in Vietnam was a thing to remember. I could already smell the adventure ahead of us.
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