Vietnam Travel Guide: 8 Cities, Costs and Itineraries
One country, three climates, and a food scene that changes every few hundred kilometres
Overview
Vietnam runs 1,650 km north to south, and that single fact explains most of what confuses first-time visitors. Hanoi can be under a grey 12°C drizzle in January while Ho Chi Minh City sits at 32°C and dry, and Da Nang in between is dealing with its own rainy season on a completely different calendar. There is no one "best time to visit Vietnam" because you are really visiting three countries stitched together: a cold, misty north with mountain provinces like Sapa, a narrow typhoon-prone centre with the old imperial capital and the country's best beach towns, and a flat, hot, motorbike-thick south built around the Mekong Delta and Saigon. Getting around means choosing between the Reunification Express sleeper train, long-distance sleeper buses, or a cheap 60-90 minute domestic flight, and which one makes sense depends entirely on which leg of the country you're covering. The food follows the same north-south logic: pho started in the north and tastes different by the time it reaches Saigon, banh mi as most people know it is a southern creation, and the centre, especially Hue and Hoi An, has its own small, specific dishes that never really left the region. None of this makes Vietnam harder to visit. It makes it worth planning as a route rather than a single climate zone, and worth going in with the road-crossing, the dong's extra zeros, and the visa timeline sorted before you land.
Best time to visit
There is no single good month for all of Vietnam. North (Hanoi, Sapa) is coolest and driest Oct-Apr; centre (Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue) has its wet/typhoon season roughly Sept-Jan and is best Feb-Aug; south (HCMC, Mekong, Phu Quoc) is dry Dec-Apr, hot and humid year-round.
- Jan-Feb
- North cold and often grey; centre still wet early Jan then clearing; south dry, warm, one of the best windows overall.
- Mar-Apr
- North warming up and drier; centre good and increasingly busy; south hot, dry, pre-monsoon, Phu Quoc excellent.
- May-Jun
- North hot and humid with early rains; centre generally dry and good for beaches; south rainy season begins, afternoon storms.
- Jul-Aug
- North humid, occasional storms; centre still in its dry window, popular for Hoi An and Da Nang beaches; south wet season in full swing.
- Sep-Oct
- North transitioning, can be pleasant; centre's typhoon and flood season starts, riskiest months for the coast; south rains tapering off.
- Nov-Dec
- North turning cold and dry; centre still typhoon-prone into early Dec, Hue/Hoi An flood risk highest; south entering its dry season, good conditions.
Visa
Canadian passport holders need a visa for any stay; Vietnam does not offer visa-free entry to Canadians (that exemption applies to a short list of mostly European countries, not Canada). The e-visa is the standard route: apply online at the official portal (evisa.gov.vn), valid for up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, USD 25 for single entry or USD 50 for multiple entry, with standard processing around 3 working days though it can stretch to 3-15 if extra verification is needed. Apply at least a week before departure to leave a buffer, print two copies of the approval to carry with you, and check the passport validity rule (6 months beyond your planned departure). A separate digital pre-arrival declaration has also been introduced at some airports including Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City; check the current requirement before you fly since this has been rolled out and adjusted since 2026.
Money
Currency: VND (Vietnamese dong). Cards work at hotels, mid-range and upscale restaurants, and malls in the big cities, but Vietnam is still a cash-heavy country at the street level: markets, street food stalls, xe om drivers, and small guesthouses expect dong in hand. ATMs are everywhere in cities and most towns, usually capped at 2-6 million VND per withdrawal with a foreign transaction fee from the local bank. Not a fixed local custom, but increasingly expected in tourist-facing spots. Tour guides and drivers appreciate 50,000-100,000 VND per day; a few thousand dong or rounding up is fine for casual meals; upscale restaurants may already add a 5-10% service charge, check the bill before tipping on top.
| Budget | Mid-range | Splurge |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | 80 | 200 |
Getting around
The three real options for covering long distances are the Reunification Express sleeper train (Hanoi to HCMC is the full 1,700+ km run, over 30 hours, but most people ride a shorter leg like Hanoi-Da Nang or Da Nang-HCMC), overnight sleeper buses (cheaper, more flexible schedules, less comfortable if you're tall), and domestic flights, which are often the best value on the long north-south hops, starting around USD 30-40 for Hanoi-HCMC and taking about 2 hours versus 30+ by train. Within a region, a private car or bus makes sense for day trips; between neighbouring cities on the central coast (Da Nang-Hoi An-Hue) a car, bus, or the train are all reasonable. Buy train tickets through the official Vietnam Railways site or a reputable booking platform rather than at the station same-day, especially around Tet.
Connectivity
A local SIM or eSIM is the easiest way to stay connected; Viettel, Mobifone, and Vinaphone all sell tourist SIMs at airports and shops, typically USD 5-15 for several GB, and Viettel has the widest rural coverage, useful if you're heading to Sapa or the Mekong. eSIMs from providers like Airalo work well if your phone supports one and you want to activate before landing. Wifi is standard and generally solid in hotels, cafes and even many street food spots in cities; it gets patchier in remote mountain areas and on boats.
Where to go
Locations on this map
Da Lat
Vietnam's cool-weather mountain town at 1,500m. Pine forest, coffee farms, waterfalls, and a honeymoon-kitsch reputation it has never once tried to shake off. Bring a jacket.
Da Nang
Central Vietnam's beach city, with a river running through the middle and mountains on three sides. Newer, cleaner and more spread out than Hanoi or Saigon, and the base for Hoi An, Hue and My Son.
Hanoi
A thousand-year-old capital where French villas, Soviet monuments, and a chaotic Old Quarter sit on top of each other. Loud, cheap, and one of the best food cities in Asia.
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam's biggest, loudest, richest city. Everyone still calls it Saigon. War history, motorbike chaos, rooftop bars and the country's best food scene, packed into a few walkable central districts.
Hoi An
A riverside trading port turned open-air museum, all yellow facades, paper lanterns and tailor shops. Small enough to walk, historic enough to need a ticket to prove it.
Nha Trang
Vietnam's biggest beach resort city, six kilometres of sand backed by hotel towers, with Cham towers, sulphur mud baths and a cable car strung across the bay to a theme park island.
Phu Quoc
Vietnam's largest island, in the Gulf of Thailand closer to Cambodia than to the Vietnamese mainland. Half protected national park, half resort construction site, with a 30-day visa-free rule that applies to the island alone.
Sapa
A mountain town at 1,600 m that has been over-built, ringed by hand-cut rice terraces and H'mong and Dao villages that have not. Come for the walking, not the town.
Frequently asked questions
Do Canadians need a visa for Vietnam?
Yes. Vietnam's short-term visa exemption list is mostly European countries and does not include Canada. Canadians need an e-visa (USD 25-50, up to 90 days, apply online in advance) or a traditional visa from a Vietnamese embassy for longer or more complex stays.
Is it better to visit north or south Vietnam first?
Neither is objectively better, but the weather can decide it for you. If you're travelling Nov-Feb, start in the south where it's dry and warm and work north, since the north is cold that time of year. If you're travelling May-Aug, the north and centre tend to have better windows and the south is deep in its rainy season.
How do I cross the street in Vietnam's cities?
Walk at a slow, steady, predictable pace and don't stop, run, or make sudden moves. Motorbikes are constantly flowing and adjusting around pedestrians who move consistently; stopping or darting is what actually causes near-misses. Cross with a local nearby the first few times if you want a confidence boost.
Should I take the sleeper train or fly between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City?
For the full length, fly. It's about 2 hours and often USD 30-60, versus over 30 hours on the train. The train earns its keep on shorter, scenic legs, like the coastal stretch near Da Nang and Hue, where the views justify the extra hours.
Is Vietnam cash-only?
Mostly cash at street level: markets, food stalls, motorbike taxis, and small family-run guesthouses. Cards work fine at hotels, malls, and larger restaurants. Carry dong for daily spending and keep a card for bigger bills.
What's the most common money mistake travellers make with the dong?
Losing track of the zeros. A 500,000 VND note and a 50,000 VND note look similar at a glance and are worth 10x apart (roughly USD 20 vs USD 2). Overpaying happens most often at night markets and with street vendors when travellers hand over the wrong note without checking. Keep large and small denominations separated in your wallet.