Vietnam Pre-Trip Checklist (Complete Edition): From 30 Days Out to Landing Day, One Table to Walk You Through It All

Thirty days out is the only window where a trip can still be "saved." Visas, flights, accommodation, insurance — if any one of these gets stuck you still have time to fix it. Once you slide to 7 days out, your only remaining options are "pay a premium" and "take whatever is left."

Visa: first figure out which category you fall into
Vietnam does not offer blanket visa-free entry to ordinary mainland Chinese passports. The vast majority of travelers use the e-Visa, and the one official portal is evisa.gov.vn (the Immigration Department of Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security; the new domain has been in use since November 2024). The flood of "Vietnam visa official sites" on .com / .org domains are agency sites or clones and can charge several times the real fee. Key points:
- Validity up to 90 days; you choose "single entry" or "multiple entry" at application time. Once issued it usually cannot be extended, so itineraries longer than 90 days require switching to a paper visa.
- Reference fees: about USD 25 for single entry, about USD 50 for multiple entry, per the figure shown on the official page that day. Fees are non-refundable, including if you are refused.
- Processing is generally 3–5 working days, longer in peak season or if extra documents are requested. Apply 2–3 weeks before departure, keeping at least 10 working days in hand.
- Documents: a scan of your passport data page (passport valid 6+ months with at least 2 blank visa pages) and a 4x6 electronic white-background photo.
- The extra step for Chinese passports: after landing with the e-Visa you will usually still have to go to the airport's "Visa on Arrival" counter to exchange it, free of charge, for a loose-leaf visa — so carry 2 white-background photos with you and print the e-Visa on paper, because Vietnamese immigration does not accept phone screenshots.
- PAI arrival declaration: Vietnam requires travelers to submit arrival information at prearrival.immigration.gov.vn within 72 hours of arrival. It is free and generates a QR code that you show on entry alongside your passport and printed e-Visa. This step is often missed, and filling it in on the spot at the airport can cost you one to two hours.
- The one visa-free exception: a direct flight to Phu Quoc (PQC) gives 30 days visa-free, but it must be a direct flight and you must not leave Phu Quoc. Flying first to Ho Chi Minh City and then taking a domestic flight on to Phu Quoc does not qualify, and you must arrange a visa in advance.
- Visa on Arrival (VOA) is not the same as visa-free: it is a "get the approval letter first, collect the visa on arrival" model. Without an approval letter the airline will refuse you boarding at your departure point, so confirm before you fly that the letter is in hand and printed.

For the full document checklist, which ports accept what, and the common reasons an application is held up for extra documents, see the site's Vietnam visa page. If you are also visiting neighboring countries, note that a single-entry visa expires the moment you leave Vietnam.

Flights: the earlier the cheaper, but avoid two peak-price windows
Major mainland departure cities (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Kunming, Nanning, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou) all have direct or one-stop flights to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. Reference ranges: budget airlines commonly around USD 70–170 one way, full-service carriers around USD 170–350, and doubling is the norm in peak season (around Lunar New Year, the July–August summer break, and National Day).
There are two peak-price windows you must book 1–2 months ahead: around Vietnamese Tet, and around mainland China's long public holidays. Red-eye flights are cheaper but often land in the small hours, and the first thing you do after landing is call a car — so install your ride-hailing app in advance or pre-book an airport pickup. The airport in the middle of the night is prime territory for overcharging.

Accommodation: location beats star rating
On city choice: in Hanoi, stay around Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter, where the main sights are walkable; in Ho Chi Minh City, stay in District 1 or District 3, near Bui Vien Street and Ben Thanh Market; in Da Nang, stay along My Khe Beach or east of the Han River; in Nha Trang, stay along the Tran Phu seafront strip. At the same hotel, one street's difference in location can mean a large difference in experience and price.
One thing to note: Vietnamese hotels commonly charge an "incidentals deposit," usually pre-authorized against the room rate or per day and refunded at check-out. Upscale hotels take international cards directly, while small guesthouses lean toward cash. For choosing a room, comparing prices, and weighing the different room types, see the site's Vietnam accommodation guide. If you are staying more than a month, note that long-stay apartments and short-term rentals are completely different markets — see the Vietnam renting page.

Insurance: don't skimp on this one, but read three numbers carefully
Vietnam does not recognize foreign health insurance, and international clinics operate on a "pay first, claim later" basis, so insurance is not optional. When choosing, focus on three numbers:
- Medical coverage: no less than USD 50,000 is advisable; for remote areas or pre-existing conditions, USD 100,000 or more.
- Emergency medical transportation/evacuation: USD 250,000 or more is advisable. Medical evacuation in Vietnam can run USD 50,000–100,000, and without this line item you have wasted your money.
- Motorcycle cover: if you plan to ride a motorcycle, you must buy a rider that includes "Adventure Sports" or explicitly states "motorcycle up to 150cc / 125cc." Many cheap standard policies exclude motorcycles above 125cc outright, and wording like "active recreation" alone may not be enough.
Three more easy traps: first, almost no policy pays out for an accident while riding without a valid license or while drink-driving; second, most insurers require you to contact the assistance company within 24 hours of hospitalization and obtain written approval; third, travel insurance bundled with a bank card often excludes emergency medical transport, so turn to the benefits page and check each coverage line rather than assuming.
How to choose insurance, how to set the coverage amounts, and what you need for a claim — see the site's Vietnam travel insurance page.

Airport pickup: book ahead and pay half what you would on arrival
Having someone waiting when you land is the best-value pre-trip expense. It suits red-eye flights, travelers with elderly parents or small children, heavy luggage, and anyone who does not share a language. Reference ranges: Noi Bai Airport to central Hanoi is about 25–30 km, VND 250,000–400,000 by a proper ride-hailing car; Tan Son Nhat Airport to District 1 is about 6–8 km, VND 150,000–250,000; Da Nang Airport to the city center / My Khe Beach is about 3–7 km, VND 70,000–150,000. A pre-booked pickup usually sits near the top of that range, but it removes all the risk of being overcharged, taken the long way round, or short-changed with switched notes.
For vehicle types, arrival ports, and night-surcharge rules, see the site's private transfer page.

Seasonality: decide "when to go" before anything else
Vietnam runs more than 1,600 km north to south, so there is no such thing as "a month when the whole country is good" — you have to look at climate by region:
- Northern Vietnam (Hanoi, Halong Bay, Sapa): rainy season May–September, heaviest in July–August; October to April is recommended, and September–November brings clear skies and calm seas, good for Halong Bay.
- Central Vietnam (Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue): rainy season September–December, peaking in October–November. September–November is also typhoon season, with the highest risk in October, when Hoi An's old town floods easily and Da Nang flights are often delayed — buy insurance and prepare wet-weather alternatives. February–August is recommended.
- Southern Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, Mekong Delta, Phu Quoc): only a dry season and a rainy season. The rainy season runs about May–November and is mostly short, heavy afternoon showers, with mornings and evenings usually unaffected. November to April is recommended.
- If you want to cover north, central, and south in one trip: the relatively balanced windows are March–May and October–November. Central and southern Vietnam come closest to their dry season in February–April, but the north is cool and foggy then and you will need a jacket — there is no month that is simultaneously best in all three regions.
- Tet (Lunar New Year): in 2026 the first day of the lunar year is February 17, New Year's Eve is the evening of February 16, and the official holiday runs February 14–22, nine days in total. On New Year's Day itself most traditional markets, supermarkets, and shopping malls are closed, and only the convenience-store chains (Circle K, FamilyMart, 7-Eleven, GS25) stay open through all nine days, with malls mostly reopening from the second day onward. During this period domestic flights, coaches, and hotels are tight and pricier, so book 1–2 months ahead and leave a margin for "arriving to find the place shut."

This week has a single goal: make it so that the moment you land you do not have to make any decisions on the spot.

Connectivity: eSIM or a local physical SIM
It is not a question of "which is better" but of "does your phone support it" and "do you want a local number."
- Travel eSIM: buy it before departure, then on arrival install it over Wi-Fi or with roaming data and it works — no passport, no queue. Usually data only, though, with no Vietnamese number and no local calls.
- Local physical SIM: must be registered in person inside Vietnam with your original passport; you cannot buy it online in advance. The upside is that it is cheap and comes with a +84 number, so you can receive SMS verification codes and sign up for local services. Note that foreign travelers registering a local SIM with a passport must complete real-name registration (updated rules from late 2024, with facial verification added from April 2026, all requiring you to appear in person with your original passport). A SIM seller who does not ask for your passport at all is probably selling an unregistered SIM that will be cut off after a few days.
Price references (compiled from public 2026 quotes): local-carrier eSIMs — Viettel 7 days at 5GB/day about USD 10, 15 days about USD 13; Vinaphone 10 days at 5GB/day about USD 12; Mobifone 7 days at 7GB/day about USD 8, the best value per day. A local physical SIM is cheaper: a 30-day plan at an official Viettel store runs about VND 150,000 (about USD 6), and short 3–7 day plans start around VND 60,000. For the 30-day, 5GB-per-day tier, Viettel and Vinaphone both run about USD 18.9; Mobifone does not list a 30-day plan. International-brand eSIMs (such as Airalo) sell total-data bundles — 5GB for 7 days about USD 14, 20GB for 30 days about USD 19 — but for the same money give you noticeably less data than local carriers.
Three key reminders: first, airport counters are 30%–50% more expensive than official city stores, and Phu Quoc's airport is the priciest in Vietnam (10–20GB plans around USD 20–25); second, "unlimited" plans generally hide a speed-cap threshold, usually throttling after 2–3GB a day, so fixed-data bundles are actually the more honest option; third, mainland-China iPhones do not support eSIM because of the hardware (only the iPhone 17e and iPhone Air are exceptions), so you will have to buy a physical SIM or use a pocket Wi-Fi — but Hong Kong and Macau iPhones have supported eSIM since the iPhone 17 series. Before you buy, dial *#06# and see whether an EID appears; that is how you confirm it.
For how to choose a carrier by coverage and how to compare plans, see the site's Vietnam eSIM page.

**Changing money: change "enough to land with" first, and don't change large amounts at the airport**
Start with the conclusion: at the airport change only USD 50–100 for emergencies; change larger amounts in the city. Vietnam's main currency-exchange channel is not bank counters but licensed gold shops — in Hanoi they cluster on Hà Trung Street south of Hoan Kiem Lake (about a 5-minute walk from the lake) and on Hàng Bạc Street, with mostly red-and-gold signage and the day's dollar rate chalked on a board outside. These shops are licensed by the State Bank of Vietnam, and their rates are usually better than airport counters and, after fees, often better than a bank ATM. Licensed and grey-market shops do exist side by side, though, so stick to shops with a fixed storefront and a good reputation (such as Quoc Trinh on Hà Trung Street) and avoid street touts and motorbike money-changers — changing money at an unlicensed spot can itself get you fined (small amounts VND 10,000,000–20,000,000, large amounts up to VND 100,000,000 plus confiscation).
Exchange-rate references (2026): 1 CNY is about VND 3,800–3,900, and 1 USD is about VND 26,100–26,400; these move with the market, so the actual quote on the day you transact is what counts. In Hanoi gold shops 1 USD is about VND 26,300, at roadside travel agencies about 26,200, and at airport counters about 26,130. Watch the currency: the US dollar is the best-value currency to change in Vietnam, while CNY and EUR are slightly worse, and small CNY notes get squeezed especially hard at gold shops. If you bring dollars, use clean, post-2009 hundred-dollar notes — old or small notes get discounted.
UnionPay cards are widely accepted in Vietnam — by UnionPay's own account, more than 90% of merchants can take them (coverage is fullest in the popular cities, while rural areas and street stalls still need cash) — and the settlement path converts CNY directly to VND rather than routing through the dollar. When withdrawing from an ATM, watch three things: first, per-transaction limits are commonly VND 2,000,000–5,000,000, with a few banks reaching VND 10,000,000, so making several smaller withdrawals is more economical; second, independent ATMs in Old Quarter hotel lobbies and on tourist streets charge VND 40,000–110,000 per withdrawal; third, the machine will always ask whether to settle in USD/CNY — always choose Vietnamese dong (VND), because choosing another currency triggers dynamic currency conversion and adds 5%–10%. On the mainland side, overseas ATM withdrawals on a mainland bank card are generally capped at the equivalent of CNY 10,000 (about USD 1,400) per card per day and CNY 100,000 (about USD 14,000) per person per year.
For how to split cash, cards, and QR payments, see the site's Vietnam money and payments page.

Apps: install and log in to these four categories before you land
1. Ride-hailing: Grab (most cars, most universal), Xanh SM (electric taxis), Be (Vietnamese). Be sure to register in advance with your home-country phone number and link a payment method, so that once you land you can call a car over the airport Wi-Fi.
2. Maps and translation: Google Maps has extremely complete merchant data in Vietnam, down to street-side stalls; for translation apps, download the Vietnamese offline pack in advance — it can save you when ordering and haggling.
3. QR payments: if you want to pay by QR the moment you land, confirm before departure that your payment app has overseas QR scanning enabled — Vietnam connected to UnionPay in December 2025, to Alipay in April 2026, and to WeChat Pay in August 2026, so you can scan VietQRGlobal codes directly.
4. Insurance and airline apps: save your policy as an offline PDF and install your airline's app so you can rebook.

Confirming your itinerary: get your "local contact" onto paper
If you have booked a Chinese-speaking guide, a private car, or a day tour through this site, this is the week to pull the confirmation details together: driver's name and phone number, license plate, meeting time and place, the guide's WeChat or WhatsApp, and a backup contact for emergencies. Because our model is to connect you with licensed local Vietnamese providers and the actual delivery is handled by a local team, make sure you get the contact details on the confirmation letter rather than just a platform customer-service inbox. Related sections: Chinese-speaking guides, day tours, private transfers.
If you will also be moving between cities within Vietnam (Hanoi–Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City–Mui Ne, Da Nang–Hoi An, and so on), this week is the best time to book tickets, especially sleeper buses and trains, where only the bad time slots are left the closer you get. See the intercity transport page.

Paper documents: Vietnam is still a country that needs paper
Print and carry with you: the paper e-Visa, the PAI QR code, the insurance policy (in English), the hotel confirmation, the return-flight itinerary, and the driver/guide contact details. Immigration may spot-check your return ticket and hotel booking, and these are exactly the things you cannot pull up when the phone signal is poor.

The day before departure is not the time for anything that "costs money" or "requires someone to reply." Do only three purely mechanical things: pack, back up, and get emergency information onto paper.

Documents: one original, one copy, one in the cloud
Carry the originals on you (never checked): passport, printed visa, PAI QR code, ID card, driver's license. Put copies elsewhere in your suitcase: passport data page, visa page, both sides of your ID. And keep a third set in the cloud: photograph all of the above into an encrypted album on your phone and into your email. The point of this "three-copy system" is that if your passport is lost, having copies and a cloud backup makes reissuing much faster and makes your identity clear at the consulate.

Cash and cards: store them separately
Do not keep all your cash and cards in one bag or one garment. Split into three: walking-around cash (VND 1,000,000–2,000,000, enough for a day), backup cash in an inner layer of your suitcase, one card on you and one card left in the suitcase. For UnionPay, bring a single-brand card — Vietnamese merchants basically cannot route a "UnionPay-Visa dual-brand card" through the UnionPay network, and dual-brand cards are usually processed as Visa in Vietnam, so you lose the direct-conversion rate.

Emergency contacts: save them in your phone and copy them onto paper
In Vietnam: police 113, fire 114, ambulance 115.
Chinese consular protection: the Foreign Ministry's 24-hour global consular protection and service hotline +86-10-12308 or +86-10-65612308; the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam (Hanoi) 0084-24-39331000; the Chinese Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City 0084-908002226; the Chinese Consulate-General in Da Nang 0084-905580010.
One reminder: consular phone numbers can change temporarily because of line maintenance, so check the embassy or consulate website once before departure for the latest number; in any case, the 12308 24-hour hotline is your fallback. In addition to saving these numbers in your phone, write them on a slip of paper and tuck it into your passport — when the phone is dead, stolen, or dropped in the water, paper is the most reliable medium.

Phone settings: five small things that save a lot of money
1. Turn off data roaming on your home-country number to avoid a shock data bill the moment you land (or buy an international roaming package in advance).
2. Download offline Google Maps (one each for Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Nha Trang).
3. Download the Vietnamese offline translation pack.
4. Link your Grab and other ride-hailing payment methods in advance and test them once.
5. Save photos of all your paper documents into an offline album.

The packing list is in part ⑥ of this page — tick off the five categories of documents, electronics, clothing, medicine, and other. Here we will stress only the three most commonly forgotten: a power adapter, your regular prescription medication (with English instructions and original packaging), and a thin jacket or scarf — temples require shoulders and knees covered, and buying one on the spot may not be quick enough.

The worst approach on landing day is "take it one step at a time and see." Do the three steps below in order and the next two weeks will go smoothly.

Step one: immigration
The process is usually: get off the plane — walk to the immigration hall — Chinese-passport holders go first to the "Visa on Arrival" counter to exchange for a loose-leaf visa (bring 2 white-background photos) — queue for passport control — collect luggage — clear customs. Have ready: original passport, printed e-Visa, PAI QR code, 2 white-background photos.
At customs there are two numbers to remember: carrying foreign-currency cash of no more than the equivalent of USD 5,000 and Vietnamese dong cash of no more than VND 15,000,000 normally requires no declaration; above that you must complete a customs declaration on entry and have customs verify and stamp it. Declaring honestly means no penalty even if you are over the limit, whereas failing to declare is what gets you fined (on entry, the undeclared excess is fined in bands by amount; on exit, undeclared amounts can be fined up to VND 50,000,000).
Also note: e-cigarettes and heated tobacco have been fully banned in Vietnam since 2025 — production, sale, import, storage, transport, and use. Using one can be fined VND 3,000,000–5,000,000 with confiscation and destruction, while letting someone use one on your premises is fined VND 5,000,000–10,000,000 (doubled for organizations). Large-scale storage or transport can fall under the "trading in or storing prohibited goods" provisions, with heavier penalties that can carry criminal liability. Do not bring them, and do not carry them for anyone else.

**Step two: change money and get online — sort out your "first hour" right at the airport**
Do only two things at the airport: change USD 50–100 into emergency cash and confirm your network works. Leave large exchanges for the city.
On connectivity, if you have already installed a travel eSIM, you can use it the moment you power on after landing — that is the simplest path. If you want a local physical SIM, airport counters sell them but 30%–50% more expensively, and you must show your original passport for on-the-spot real-name registration (copies and scans are not accepted); staff will help you activate it. For travelers landing late at night who need a car immediately, sorting out connectivity at the airport is worth it; if you land in daylight and are not in a hurry, buying at an official carrier store in the city is more economical.

Step three: getting to the city — this stretch is prime overcharging territory
There is only one principle: ignore anyone who approaches you as a "taxi driver" and order through the app yourself.
Why the emphasis: airport touts can quote 2–3 times the app price; some impersonate Grab drivers and show you a green-and-white Grab screen on their phone; around Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City there are even fake riders in platform uniforms with forged credentials, targeting older travelers and those unfamiliar with apps, and one trick is to quietly move the pickup point farther away inside the app to inflate the fare. A real-world comparison makes the point: for a ride of about 8 km, the Grab app quoted roughly VND 130,000 while an on-site tout quoted VND 250,000–320,000; in another case the app quoted about VND 95,000 and the tout quoted VND 256,000.
Three iron rules for using the app: before getting in, check that the driver's name, car model, and license plate in the app match the actual vehicle; keep your phone in your own hand at all times and do not trust the screen on someone else's phone, a uniform, or a claim that "the pickup person has changed"; and when paying, count the notes yourself before handing them over — never let the driver take money from your wallet. Vietnamese dong notes are similar in size and color (both the VND 500,000 and the VND 20,000 are blue), which is prime territory for switched notes and short change.
If you really must hail a taxi on the street, choose only well-known brands: Mai Linh (green) or Vinasun (white), or use the airport's official taxi desk, and never get into an unmarked vehicle. Reference fares: Noi Bai Airport to central Hanoi about VND 250,000–400,000, Tan Son Nhat Airport to District 1 about VND 150,000–250,000, Da Nang Airport to My Khe Beach about VND 70,000–150,000. Tipping is generally not expected for taxis in Vietnam.
For related services, see the site's private transfer page.

After you arrive: check-in and the first night
Checking in usually requires a deposit (pre-authorized against the room rate or per day); international chains and upscale hotels take international cards, while small guesthouses prefer cash. Do not over-schedule the first night: check in, eat something hot nearby, buy two bottles of water, and re-confirm tomorrow's itinerary and contacts — that is enough. If your arrival city is Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, or Nha Trang, you can lay out your route using the site's Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Nha Trang city pages.

This is the part of the trip where things most often go wrong and where money is most often wasted. We will cover it in five blocks.

**Transport: the motorcycle is the biggest source of risk — and the biggest legal trap**
Start with the legal bottom line. Vietnam is a signatory to the 1968 Vienna Convention and recognizes only International Driving Permits (IDPs) issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention, and they must be carried together with your home-country license — presenting an IDP without also presenting your home license is the same as riding unlicensed. IDPs issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention (the kind issued by the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others) are not valid in Vietnam; so-called "international driving licenses" from private bodies such as IAA and AAA, and the "international driving documents" sold online for a few dozen dollars and delivered as a PDF in twenty minutes, have been publicly declared unrecognized by Vietnamese traffic police and are treated as unlicensed riding.
The one explicit exemption: motorcycles under 50cc or electric vehicles under 4kW require no license from anyone (foreigners included), with a minimum age of 16. That is the letter of the law, not a grey area. In addition, the A1 license class and the corresponding IDP have covered only up to 125cc since January 1, 2025, so riding anything above 150cc requires a full "A" class license, and your license/IDP must carry a motorcycle category endorsement (a car "B" class does not let you ride a motorcycle).
Penalties (under Decree 168/2024, in force from January 1, 2025; all figures are reference ranges): riding under 125cc with no valid license VND 2,000,000–4,000,000; above 125cc VND 6,000,000–8,000,000, with possible vehicle seizure; zero tolerance for drink-driving, with any alcohol level starting at VND 2,000,000–8,000,000 plus license suspension and vehicle seizure; running a red light VND 4,000,000–6,000,000; speeding more than 20 km/h VND 6,000,000–8,000,000; no helmet or an unfastened helmet strap VND 400,000–600,000; failing to signal when turning or changing lanes VND 400,000–600,000; using a phone or wearing headphones while riding up to VND 1,000,000.
Seizure is more troublesome than the fine: riding unlicensed or drink-driving means the vehicle is seized on the spot for a 7-working-day administrative impound, and even paying the fine immediately will not get it back early — and during the rental period you are still paying the daily rent. Example: rent a motorcycle at USD 20 a day, get caught drink-driving and have it impounded for 7 days, and with the fine, towing, and storage fees the total loss is about USD 260. On top of that, most travel insurance explicitly states that accidents "while engaged in illegal activity (unlicensed riding)" are not covered — one unlicensed ride that ends in a crash means medical costs, evacuation costs, and third-party compensation all come out of your own pocket.
The reality is that by 2026 several places (such as Nha Trang) have rental operators that have stopped renting motorcycles to foreign tourists without a valid international driving permit, because handing a vehicle to an unqualified person carries a personal fine of VND 8,000,000–10,000,000 for the owner and VND 16,000,000–20,000,000 for the business, with criminal liability possible if there are injuries or deaths.
The conclusion is simple: without a 1968 Vienna Convention IDP, stick honestly to ride-hailing apps, private cars, or intercity coaches. For how to choose among the four ways to get around and how intercity routes run, see the site's intercity transport page; if you need a driver with you the whole time, see the private transfer page.

Payment: cash, QR, and card in parallel
Mobile payment in Vietnam changed materially in 2026: the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS) has completed interconnection with China's three major payment ecosystems — UnionPay connected in December 2025, Alipay in April 2026, and WeChat Pay in August 2026 — so Chinese tourists can scan VietQRGlobal QR codes directly with WeChat or Alipay to pay at retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and attractions. On the data side, just four months after the expansion, Chinese tourists' QR transaction count tripled and value quadrupled versus April 2026.
But coverage depends on whether the merchant is connected to the NAPAS network, not on whether there is a QR sticker on the table: chain convenience stores, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, and attractions have high connection rates, while street stalls and wet markets may not. Vietnam currently has more than 2.5 million payment acceptance points, of which only about 154,000 have agreed to accept cross-border payments. So the pragmatic approach is to run all three in parallel — a little cash (keep VND 1,000,000–2,000,000 on you), a UnionPay card, and an app that can scan VietQR. Street food and markets largely take cash only.

Safety: these are hard red lines
- Bag-snatching from motorbikes is a real risk. Do not leave your phone on the table edge or in an outer pocket, do not look at your phone while walking, wear your bag in front of you, and do not walk down dark alleys alone late at night.
- Do not take part in any form of gambling, sex trade, or private lending. The Chinese Consulate-General in Da Nang has specifically warned that some Chinese citizens, through involvement in local drugs, prostitution, gambling, private lending, or illegal border crossing, have run into consumption traps, beatings, detention, threats and intimidation, and even emergency hospitalization. Once you are entangled in this kind of thing, there is very little a consulate can do.
- Do not send money to strangers in advance, and always exchange currency in person, even if the other party replies quickly and sends voice or video that seems credible.
- Count your change on the spot, and do not let anyone else count your notes for you.
- In a dispute, first move to a safe place (a hotel front desk, airport staff), keep the order number, receipts, license plate, and the time and place, then report to the local police (113) and obtain a report record.

Food and water: drink only bottled or boiled water
Vietnamese official advice and that of embassies and consulates around the world agree: do not drink tap water directly, drink only boiled water or bottled water from a reliable source, and be wary of where the ice in your drink comes from.
On food safety, set your expectations: street food vendors are not required under current rules to obtain a food-safety certificate (though they must meet hygiene, equipment, ingredient, and handling standards). In 2025 Vietnam recorded 84 food-poisoning incidents affecting 2,301 people with 16 deaths; in the first half of 2026 it recorded 58 incidents affecting 1,573 people with 10 deaths. Several of Ho Chi Minh City's recent more serious poisonings have been linked to banh mi. High-risk items include pate, crab paste, cold cuts, and leftovers left out too long.
Practical strategy: favor stalls with heavy foot traffic, food cooked to order, and tables with covers; use hand sanitizer before eating with your hands; carry oral rehydration salts (ORS, available at pharmacies) — how serious traveler's diarrhea gets depends on how quickly you rehydrate, and plain water alone will not replace the salts. Loperamide (Imodium) is only for temporary symptom control (say, when you have a flight to catch) and should not be taken with a fever or blood in the stool. Seek medical care promptly if your temperature goes above 38.3°C, there is blood or mucus in your stool, diarrhea lasts more than 24–48 hours, you keep vomiting and cannot keep fluids down, or you have severe abdominal pain or signs of dehydration (dizziness, little urine, weakness).

Medical care: pay first, claim later — remember two hospitals
Vietnam's international-standard hospitals are concentrated in two cities: FV Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City (District 7, the first JCI-accredited hospital in southern Vietnam, main line +84 28 3511 3333) and Vinmec Central Park; and Hanoi French Hospital and Vinmec Times City in Hanoi. Private international providers operating to this standard are found mainly in these two cities.