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Read this before you Budget Travelling to Vietnam

One thing for sure you will notice when travelling to Vietnam is that you do not need to be a millionaire, a well-off person or a rich businessman. You do not need to break a bank either and this can be attributed to the fact that traveling to Vietnam is cheap and highly affordable. No wonder Vietnam is a favorite destination of budget travelers since time in memorial. The country is antique with a variety of sceneries ranging from the most stunning to least attractive there but which will still shock many people in the world. It starts from their cultural heritage that is thousands of years old that you’d rather experience than have it explained to you. However, you should have the following points on your finger tips before visiting Vietnam.

Entering Vietnam as a tourist:

While many countries around the world make it difficult for one to obtain their travel visa, this isn’t the case with Vietnam. Interestingly enough is that some visitors of some selected countries with special agreement with Vietnam do not even need a Vietnam visa. For members of other countries, can apply for a Vietnam visa on arrival online which will see them obtain a letter of approval by email in 24 hours. This letter of approval, when submitted permits them to board a plane to Vietnam and obtain a valid visa while there. There are three international airports in Vietnam namely: Da Nang, Tan Son Nhat & Noi Bai from where you will find Landing Visa Offices. In there you will submit your hardcopy letter of approval, your passport and two of your passport photos. You will finally pay a visa standing fee to have your Vietnam visa stamped on your passport and handed over to you. It is then that you will be completely free to enter Vietnam for your intended activities.

Accommodation while in vietnam:

Vietnam offers affordable accommodation. Many hotels there charge as little as only $20 per night. Among the facilities you will enjoy include complimentary toiletries and air conditioning. For the budget hotels, pricing starts from $8-10/night and are fairly comfortable, but you will have to watch out for cockroaches or any other domestic insects and animals if there be. One thing you should note is that the Vietnamese government doesn’t permit hotels to accommodate foreigners as guests unless they meet particular standards. However, there are many home stays, boarding houses and lodges that accept foreigners as their guests.

While there, be sure to look for boards with words like ‘Nha Tro’ or boarding houses and ‘Co Thue Phong’ Vietnamese for ‘we take guests.’ As said earlier, not all accommodations to guests are legal which is why some of these boards are not written in English. You can explore further deep into cities like Hanoi and Chi Minh for dorm rooms that charge somewhere just above $2 a night. You may decide to stay in one of these rooms that offer a bed and a separate bathroom but be sure they are not available all over Vietnam for instance in the interior.

Vietnamese Foods:

One remarkable fact about Vietnamese food is that it is highly affordable, rich and nutritious and fresh. Food is also available in plenty and all of it is prepared from scratch with pure natural ingredients. With plenty of vegetables, out of the ordinary herbs, meat/sea foods served with rice or boodles in a bowl of soup. Other than Pho, which is a type of noodle soup, you may want to try out the spring rolls that are prepared by steaming instead of frying. The taste of these foods is complete when taken along the street side stalls when on plastic stools. One exceptional facto to mention is that street food in Vietnam is highly hygienic as opposed to what most people say about it, which is rather extreme exaggeration.  From just $10/day, you can have three square meals each day from a regular eat point and still be able to pick from a variety of great local foods.

Places to Travel:

Should you decide to travel across Vietnam from North to the South, you should consider Hanoi as your choice of arrival but if you are travelling from South heading northwards, then Ho Chi Minh City should first cross your mind as the ideal place to land.

Vietnam is considerably cheap when compared its neighbors for instance Singapore and Thailand, where you will spend at least twice as much as what you spend in Vietnam. If you are still looking for a place to experience a holiday of a lifetime, consider choosing Vietnam.