First trip to Vietnam: the 2026 checklist

Current as of July 2026. Visa rules, exchange rates and prices were checked against evisa.gov.vn, UK FCDO travel advice and the US CDC. Visa rules depend on your nationality — always confirm your own.

Visa and documents in 2026

Visa-free entry — check your passport

Vietnam waives the visa for many nationalities, but the length varies. Citizens of the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea and 18 EU countries(including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland) currently get up to 45 days visa-free. Most others, including US, Australian and Canadian travellers, get no waiver and need an e-visa. The one rule that applies to everyone: check the current terms for your passport before you book — the list and the number of days change.

With a visa waiver you get a stamp on arrival — no visa to arrange in advance. At Noi Bai, Da Nang, Cam Ranh and Tan Son Nhat it is worth filling in the online arrival form first: it gets you into the priority lane. Here is how to fill in the arrival form. By law a visa-free stay can be extended only through an inviting party, and that is at the immigration service's discretion, not a right. If you plan to stay longer, arranging an e-visa beforehand is the safer route. Full details for every passport and visa type are in the Vietnam visa guide.

We've never been asked for tickets at passport control, but they check them almost every time at flight check-in. We recommend saving your flight and hotel bookings to your phone.Renata Mukminova, make-trip.ru (in Russian), 2026, translated by VietnamSpot

The e-visa — up to 90 days

If the waiver is too short, or your passport gets no waiver at all, apply for an e-visa through the official portal.

You fill in the form in English and upload a passport scan and a 4x6 cm photo. Pay by Visa or Mastercard; the fee is non-refundable if you are refused. Use only the official evisa.gov.vn — dozens of lookalike sites charge a markup. Print two copies of the approved visa: travellers report that one may be kept at the border.

Passport requirements

• Validity — at least 6 months from your entry date
• Ideally 2 blank pages in the visa section, as the UK Foreign Office advises
• Machine-readable biometric passport recommended

Money and currency: dong, exchange, cards

The dong — a quick conversion trick

The currency is the Vietnamese dong (VND), in notes from 1,000 up to 500,000. All those zeros trip everyone up at first — here is the shortcut.

Quick conversion: drop three zeros and divide by 26. That gives you the rough price in US dollars. So 100,000 VND is about $4, and 500,000 VND is about $19.

Current rates (July 2026)

• 1 USD — ~26,000 VND
• 1 EUR — ~28,000 VND
• 100,000 VND — ~$4

Where to change money: best to worst

Which cards work in Vietnam

ATMs: fees and limits

• ATMs are in every town and city
• Vietnamese-bank fee: 22,000–55,000 VND (~$0.90–2.20) per withdrawal, plus your own bank's fee
• Withdrawal limit: 2,000,000–5,000,000 VND per transaction (~$80–200)
• Fee-friendly options include TPBank and Vietcombank

SIM card and internet in Vietnam

Which carrier to choose

Tourist SIM prices

eSIM — activate before you fly

If your phone supports eSIM, buy a data plan in advance and be online the moment you land — no queue at the airport counter.

For short trips (up to two weeks) an eSIM is the easiest option, and on a night arrival it saves you from hunting for a SIM counter that may already be shut. For longer stays a local SIM is cheaper. 4G/LTE works across all cities and tourist areas at 30–50 Mbps, and Wi-Fi is free in hotels, cafés and restaurants. Tariffs, activation steps and a fuller carrier comparison are in the SIM and eSIM guide; for home Wi-Fi, VPNs and providers, see the Vietnam internet guide.

Health: vaccines, insurance, pharmacies

Which vaccines to get

No vaccines are required to enter Vietnam. But several are recommended, especially for longer trips or rural travel.

The US CDC also recommends hepatitis B for travellers to Vietnam, particularly for longer stays, given how common chronic hepatitis B is in the country.

Vaccine guidance is current as of July 2026. Check with a travel-health clinic before your trip.

A shot-by-shot breakdown — schedules, timing and where to get them — is in the Vietnam vaccinations guide.

Travel insurance

Insurance is formally not required to enter, but strongly recommended. Treatment without cover can get very expensive, very fast.

• Recommended cover — at least $100,000 in medical expenses
• Doctor visit — from ~500,000 VND (~$20)
• Hospitalisation — can run into thousands of dollars at an international clinic

What it should cover: outpatient visits, hospitalisation, emergency dental care and medical evacuation.

Popular providers: SafetyWing and Genki suit long-term nomads; World Nomads and Allianz cover shorter trips. Full comparison in the Vietnam travel insurance guide.

Pharmacies and medicine

Every town has pharmacies. By law, prescription drugs, including antibiotics, are sold only with a prescription, so bring what you need from home. In tourist areas, staff often speak some English.

Check expiry dates — counterfeits exist — and buy from pharmacies attached to private clinics for the best quality.

Hospitals for foreigners

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Safety: what to watch for

Vietnam is a relatively safe country for travellers. There has been no terrorist attack in recent years, though the UK Foreign Office says one can't be ruled out. The main risks are petty scams and pickpocketing, and by far the biggest is the traffic. If your passport does get stolen, see what to do if you lose your passport.

Common scams and how to dodge them

Traffic — the real danger

Thousands of motorbikes, chaotic flow, few of the rules you're used to. According to Vietnam's National Statistics Office, as reported by Xinhua, the country recorded 15,251 road crashes and 8,515 deaths in the first ten months of 2025 — around 50 crashes a day. Road accidents are the single biggest health risk for foreign visitors here.

For pedestrians the rule is simple: walk slowly and predictably — don't run and don't stop suddenly. The traffic reads your path and flows around you. How to cross in Hanoi, plus the local scams, is in our Hanoi tips & FAQ.

Step off the curb and keep a steady pace. Stopping or bolting is more dangerous than just moving. Drivers read your trajectory and go around you — the horn isn't a warning, it's part of the conversation.Vietcetera, road-crossing guide

On a motorbike a helmet is mandatory — the fine for riding without one is 400,000–600,000 VND (~$16–24). The full rundown of scams, hazards and a mistakes checklist is in the Vietnam safety guide.

Getting around the country

Grab — the one app you need

Grab is Southeast Asia's answer to Uber. It works in every major Vietnamese city: the price is fixed before you ride, and you pay in cash or by card in the app.

Renting a motorbike

• Mopeds up to 50 cc can be ridden from age 16 under Law 36/2024; ask the rental shop whether you need a licence for a moped or an e-bike
• Over 50 cc — you need an International Driving Permit (IDP, 1968 Convention) with category A1 (up to 125 cc) or A, carried together with your national licence of the same category. Whether insurance pays out depends on your policy
• Deposit: cash or a passport copy. Never hand over your original passport
• Photograph every scratch when you collect the bike

Don't hand over your passport as a deposit! Look for a rental shop that only takes money as a deposit (usually around $100). Photos of every scratch on the bike or car are a must.Renata Mukminova, make-trip.ru (in Russian), 2026, translated by VietnamSpot

Intercity transport

Airlines: Vietnam Airlines (full service), VietJet Air (budget — cheapest fares, baggage extra), Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines. For city-to-city planning and routes, see the Vietnam transport guide, and to pick between the two hubs, our Hanoi vs Ho Chi Minh City comparison. Building the whole route yourself, without a tour? Start with independent travel in Vietnam or borrow our 21-day route through Vietnam.

Trains: tickets are sold on the Vietnam Railways site dsvn.vn and through vexere.com. The coastal line is one of the best ways to actually see the country. Every city, resort and route is on our map of Vietnam.

Two things to pin down before you book: when to go — the seasons differ sharply north to south, so check the weather and best-time guide — and how much it costs, laid out day by day in the Vietnam budget guide. For the bag itself, the packing list covers what to bring by season and region.