Rehearse your Vietnam trip before you go

Entry rules by passport

Checked Oct 2026. Rules change: check the embassy or official site before you travel.

Traps travellers fall into

In the game these hide among the recommendations. See if you can spot them.

• Wait for a train at a Train Street café HanoiHanoi has banned trackside cafés on Train Street for safety. Try the sanctioned café inside Long Bien Station
• A cyclo ride offered on the street HanoiBefore a cyclo ride, write down the total, the number of people and the time; booking through your hotel is safer
• Perfume River dragon boat HueAgree the boat price and stops in writing first; it's fine to refuse the souvenir pitch
• Coconut-forest basket boat Hoi AnThe basket-boat rides have become loud shows. Go early, and settle tips first
• Shopping at Ben Thanh Market Ho Chi Minh CityBen Thanh is tourist-priced: haggle, or buy at fixed-price shops
• A street vendor approaches HanoiIf a vendor drapes a shoulder pole on you in Hanoi, hand it back; a big bill follows the photo
• Crossing a river of motorbikes HanoiIn Vietnam, cross at a steady, slow walk; don't run. The bikes flow around you

Month by month

• JanuaryJanuary in Hanoi is about 19°C with drizzle; the centre brightens and Saigon is dry.
• FebruaryFebruary in Hanoi is about 20°C and misty. Tết runs 4–10 February: many shops close and trains and flights sell out at higher prices.
• MarchMarch in Hanoi is about 23°C, still drizzly; the centre and south are dry and sunny. Ha Long can be foggy.
• AprilApril is the south's hottest month (Saigon 35°C); Hanoi is a pleasant 28°C. The 30 April – 1 May holiday fills domestic travel.
• MayMay is hot everywhere (33–35°C); the south's rains begin with evening downpours.
• JuneJune is scorching: Hanoi a humid 33°C with thunderstorms, the dry centre near 35°C.
• JulyJuly brings 33–35°C and storms; it's typhoon season in the north, and Ha Long cruises sometimes stop.
• AugustAugust is the north's wettest month; typhoons sometimes halt Ha Long cruises.
• SeptemberSeptember calms in the north as the centre's rainy season begins, with typhoons and floods. National Day holiday on 2 September.
• OctoberOctober is Hanoi's best month at about 29°C; the centre (Hue, Hoi An) is in flood season.
• NovemberLate November: Hanoi a pleasant 24°C; the centre (Hue, Hoi An) is in its flood-prone rainy season; Saigon's dry season begins.
• DecemberDecember in Hanoi: about 20°C, 14°C mornings, so bring a jacket. The centre is ending its rains; Saigon is dry at 32°C.

Sample routes

• ClassicClassic: Hanoi, Hoi An, SaigonNorth to south: Hanoi's Old Quarter, Hoi An's lanterns, Saigon's energy.Hanoi → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City
• DetourDetour: Ninh Binh and imperial HueRow through karst rivers, sleeper train to Hue, over the pass to Hoi An.Hanoi → Ninh Binh → Hue → Hoi An
• Off the pathOff the path: from the Mekong northDawn floating markets and orchard villages, Hoi An's farms, Hue's royal tombs.Ho Chi Minh City → Can Tho → Hoi An → Hue

Hidden gems

• Long Bien Bridge at dawn HanoiWalk across the French-era iron bridge over riverside farmland.
• Bich Dong Pagoda Ninh BinhA three-tiered pagoda clinging to a karst cliff.
• Hai Van Pass by car HueThe mountain road between Hue and Da Nang, above the clouds and coast.
• Tra Que herb village by bike Hoi AnCycle to the herb village, help in the fields, then cook.
• Café apartment, 42 Nguyen Hue Ho Chi Minh CityAn old apartment block, each flat a tiny café or shop.
• Cycle the orchards Can ThoRide canal-side lanes and taste fruit in the orchards.
• Café Giảng (egg coffee) HanoiSince 1946: coffee crowned with whipped egg yolk.
• Cycle through the rice fields Ninh BinhBorrow a bike and ride country lanes past water buffalo.

10 more to find in the game.

Before you go

• Install a travel eSIMEssential for Grab and maps
• Install the Grab appFares fixed up front
• Pack clothes that cover knees and shouldersFor the mausoleum and pagodas