Countrywise
Flag of Vietnam

Vietnam

Việt Nam

Old Quarter lanes, imperial Hue and limestone towers in Ha Long Bay.

01Free

The 30-second card

CurrencyVietnamese Dong · ₫ · VNDSource: Unicode CLDR · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
PlugsA · C · F · G, 220 VSource: Wikidata · Checked 1 Nov 2026 ↗
DrivingOn the rightSource: Wikidata · Checked 1 Nov 2026 ↗
Visa · United Kingdom passport
No visa needed · up to 45 daysSource: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Visa · United States passport
Visa neededSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 25 Oct 2026 ↗
TippingTips are not expected.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
SIM and eSIM
SIM cards from all main networks are sold at the airport, cheaper in town; tourist eSIMs work from landing.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Apps locals use
Grab: book cars and motorbike taxis with the fare fixed before the ride.Xanh SM: electric ride-hailing worth comparing with Grab on price.Foody: the restaurant reviews locals rely on, also for delivery and bookings.
Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Cards or cash
Mostly cashMostly cards
Step 3 of 5: Cash and cards are used about equally, so carry some of both.Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Money in Vietnam
Vietnamese Dong · ₫ · VND
Ask the ATM for an uneven sum such as 4.9 million rather than 5 million dong to get some smaller notes.
Keep low-value notes on you so a taxi driver cannot pocket the change as an unwanted tip.
Official exchange counters at the airport or in town give fair rates with only a small margin.
Spend or change leftover dong before leaving, as it is hard to exchange abroad.
Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗ Collect Vietnamese Dong in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen
Public holidays in the next 12 months
Fri, 1 Jan 2027 · New Year's Day Tết dương lịch
Fri, 30 Apr 2027 · Reunification Day Ngày Giải phóng miền Nam, thống nhất đất nước
Sat, 1 May 2027 · Labour Day Ngày Quốc tế lao động
Thu, 2 Sept 2027 · National Day Quốc khánh
Source: Nager.Date · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Vietnam say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says
No travel warning
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go
Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
U.S. Department of State says
Exercise normal precautions
Calm ●
Caution
Serious
Don’t go

Level 1 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 23 Jun 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page
UK Foreign Office says
No advice against travel
Source: GOV.UK
Updated 21 Sept 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Scams to know

Free hotel bus transfers

Turn down free shuttles to hotels unless you arranged the transfer beforehand.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Fake ride-hailing drivers

Book the whole trip in the Grab or XanhSM app; ignore people claiming to work for them.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Too-good-to-be-true job offers

Check job offers, visas and contracts carefully; never give an employer your passport.

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots, hepatitis A, B, typhoid; Japanese encephalitis, rabies by trip. Malaria, altitude risk locally.
Vaccinations

Be up to date on routine shots; hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid are advised for most visitors, with Japanese encephalitis and rabies depending on where you go and what you do.

Malaria
In some regions
Altitude

Altitude sickness can affect visitors in parts of the country.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.
Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026
Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use
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Must-see · 1Hanoi

The capital: history and culture around its Old Quarter.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
Strange & surprising · #1

Round-the-clock restaurants charge double from 22:00 to 06:00, a government rule to discourage late eating.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗
National anthem: Tiến Quân Ca. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 1 Nov 2026 ↗
9 World Heritage sites in Vietnam, each with a photo and its story, in the app. Source: UNESCO World Heritage List
05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP≈ $514.7 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person≈ $5,066Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exportsbroadcasting equipment, garments, integrated circuits, machine parts, footwear (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Geography
Area331,210 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climatetropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrainlow, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwestSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).

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