Vietnam Travel Tips for First-Time Visitors: 15 Things to Know Before You Go

Planning your first trip to Vietnam can feel exciting, but it can also bring many small questions. How should you get a SIM card? Is Grab better than a local taxi? How much cash should you carry? Can you use cards? Where should you stay in Ho Chi Minh City? And what should Indian vegetarian travellers expect when it comes to food?

We travelled to Vietnam as a family in September 2026, with eight people from Punjab, India. Our trip was mainly around Ho Chi Minh City and nearby places. Before travelling, I had researched many of these practical questions, but experiencing them personally helped me understand what actually matters once you arrive.

If you are still planning your trip, you may also want to read our detailed Vietnam E-Visa Guide for Indian Travellers, where I explain our application experience and the practical points I found useful.

So, if you are visiting Vietnam for the first time, here are 15 practical Vietnam travel tips based on our experience and additional research.

1. Arrange Your SIM or eSIM Before You Start Exploring

One of the first things you will need after arriving in Vietnam is mobile connectivity.

Before our trip, we found a SIM seller in Delhi who offered us both a physical SIM and an eSIM. We chose the physical SIM rather than the eSIM, and we paid around ₹1,100 for it.

If you are travelling to Vietnam for the first time, compare the SIM and eSIM options before buying. Make sure you understand how much data is included, how many days the connection will remain active, and whether calling is included.

Having a working connection from the beginning makes it much easier to use Grab, Google Maps, hotel information and other travel apps.

If you want to know what to expect immediately after landing, you can also read our Vietnam Airport Guide for Indian Travellers, which covers immigration, SIM, currency and airport transfers.

2. Download Grab Before You Need a Taxi

One of the most useful things we did during our Vietnam trip was using Grab.

If you are travelling to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time, I would recommend installing the Grab app before you start travelling around the city.

Our first airport taxi experience was not particularly smooth. Two local taxis quoted us around 1,300,000 VND for reaching our hotel. After repeated bargaining, we eventually reached our hotel for approximately 250,000 VND.

After that experience, we started using Grab more regularly.

One thing we liked about Grab was that the approximate fare was shown before booking. This made it easier to understand what we were expected to pay instead of negotiating every time.

For us, this was especially helpful because we were still getting used to Vietnamese currency.

3. Do Not Assume More People Can Fit in a Taxi

This was another small but useful lesson from our trip.

We were travelling as a group of eight, including a nine-year-old child. Once, we thought that if a taxi was meant for four passengers, we could simply put the child on an adult's lap.

The driver did not agree.

According to the vehicle's passenger capacity, four passengers meant four passengers. Even though our child was young, the driver would not take a fifth person.

So, when booking Grab or another vehicle, always check the passenger capacity. For a larger family or group, booking two vehicles can be more practical than trying to fit everyone into one car.

4. Keep Some Cash, But You Do Not Need to Carry Everything in Cash

Vietnam uses the Vietnamese dong (VND), and cash is still useful for smaller purchases, local markets and some small businesses.

At the same time, cards can be useful in hotels, shopping malls, larger stores and many established restaurants and businesses. ATMs are also available for withdrawing local currency.

During our trip, we used a combination of cash and cards rather than depending entirely on one payment method.

For a first-time traveller, my practical suggestion is simple: keep some Vietnamese dong with you for everyday small purchases, while keeping a card available for larger or more formal transactions.

For a detailed explanation of Vietnamese currency, cash, cards, ATMs and exchange, see our Vietnam Currency Guide for Indians 2026.

5. Vietnamese Currency Looks Complicated at First

This was probably one of the biggest adjustments for us as Indian travellers.

In India, we are used to amounts such as ₹100, ₹500 or ₹1,000. In Vietnam, you can quickly see prices such as 20,000 VND, 50,000 VND, 200,000 VND or even 500,000 VND.

At first, all those zeros can be confusing.

One simple way to become comfortable is to mentally remove the last three zeros when looking at an amount.

For example:

20,000 VND → think of it as 20
50,000 VND → think of it as 50
150,000 VND → think of it as 150
500,000 VND → think of it as 500

This is not an INR conversion. It is simply a mental shortcut to understand the scale of Vietnamese prices more quickly.

Also pay attention to the notes because some denominations can look similar when you are unfamiliar with the currency.

6. We Found Several People Honest When We Made Payment Mistakes

This was one of the pleasant experiences we had in Vietnam.

On two or three occasions, we accidentally gave more money than we intended to. Instead of simply accepting the extra amount, the person pointed it out and returned the money.

We particularly noticed this during taxi payments.

Of course, one family's experience cannot represent every person or every transaction in an entire country. But these small incidents made us feel comfortable during our trip.

For first-time travellers, it is still important to count your change and check the amount you are paying.

7. Choose Your Hotel Location According to Your Itinerary

Where you stay can make a big difference in Ho Chi Minh City.

We stayed in District 5, at White Lion Hotel. We personally liked the area because many of the things we needed were available nearby, and several places we visited were only around four or five kilometres away.

District 1, District 2 and District 5 are all areas that travellers commonly consider, but the right location depends on what you want to see, where you plan to eat and how much travelling you want to do.

Our hotel experience at White Lion was also positive. We liked the hotel and found the staff helpful.

For your own trip, I would suggest checking the hotel's location on a map before booking rather than choosing only on the basis of the room price.

8. Indian Vegetarian Food Requires a Little Planning

For Indian vegetarian travellers, food is something worth planning in advance.

Vietnam has vegetarian food, but if you are specifically looking for familiar Indian vegetarian meals, you may need to search for restaurants rather than expecting every local restaurant to have suitable options.

During our stay, we found local vegetarian options such as boiled vegetables and soups. However, these were not always the type of meals an Indian vegetarian family may be looking for.

The good news was that we also found Indian restaurants within walking distance of our hotel. Saffron and Indian Cuisines were both around 800–900 metres away from where we stayed.

So, if you are travelling with children or a family that prefers Indian food, check Indian restaurants around your hotel before finalising your accommodation.

9. Ho Chi Minh City Can Feel Hot, But Weather Depends on the Season

We visited Ho Chi Minh City in September 2026.

It was warm, but during our trip we did not find the heat unbearable. September is also part of the rainy period, so rain is something travellers should be prepared for.

Our own trip had less rainfall than we had expected, but weather can vary from one day to another.

Therefore, don't plan your entire trip around a prediction that it will rain every day. Keep a small umbrella or rain protection handy and check the weather closer to your travel dates.

10. Grab Was More Convenient for Us Than Negotiating Local Taxis

After our airport experience, Grab became one of our preferred ways of getting around.

The biggest advantage for us was transparency. We could see the fare before booking, and we did not have to negotiate the price with the driver.

For tourists unfamiliar with Vietnamese currency, this can make transportation less stressful.

Traditional taxis are also available. If you prefer them, use established and reputable taxi companies rather than simply accepting the first vehicle you see.

For longer distances or when travelling as a family, compare the options before getting into a vehicle.

11. Public Buses Are Another Option, Although We Did Not Use Them

We personally did not use the public bus system during our Vietnam trip, so I would not describe it from personal experience.

However, public buses are available in Ho Chi Minh City and can be another transport option for travellers who are comfortable navigating local routes.

For our family group, we found app-based taxis more convenient because we were travelling with children and luggage.

If you are travelling alone or with a smaller group, checking public transport routes before travelling can be worthwhile.

12. Bargaining Is Common in Markets

If shopping is part of your Vietnam trip, be prepared for bargaining, particularly in traditional markets and tourist-oriented shopping areas.

During our trip, we found that bargaining was a normal part of shopping in markets.

Instead of accepting the first quoted price immediately, you can compare prices between shops and negotiate politely.

The key is to keep the process friendly. If you do not agree with the price, you can simply walk away and check another shop.

We also visited An Dong and Tan Binh markets during our Vietnam trip, where we researched clothing and wholesale products.

You can read more about that experience in our Vietnam An Dong & Tan Binh Market Experience.

13. Do Not Plan Your Entire Vietnam Trip Around One Hotel

This is one of the biggest lessons I took away from our trip.

We stayed in one hotel for our entire stay, which was convenient in some ways. However, later we felt that moving to another location for a few nights could have made the trip more enjoyable.

Vietnam is a large country, and different destinations offer very different experiences.

If your itinerary includes Ho Chi Minh City along with a coastal destination or another city, consider spending a few nights in the second destination instead of travelling back and forth from one hotel.

For example, if you want to experience a beach or coastal area, staying there for two or three nights may be more relaxing than making it only a day trip.

This is something we would consider differently if we planned another Vietnam trip.

If you are deciding whether to plan your trip yourself or book a package, you can also read our Vietnam Tour Package vs Self-Planned Trip.

14. Keep Some Time for Vietnam's Coffee Culture

Vietnamese coffee is not just another drink to try. Coffee is a noticeable part of the country's food and café culture.

During our trip, we tried different coffees, and our family also enjoyed the experience of visiting cafés. We especially liked Highlands Coffee, and we brought Vietnamese 3-in-1 coffee back home.

Our children also enjoyed egg coffee, which was one of the more unusual coffee experiences for us.

If you want to know more about Vietnamese coffee, read our detailed guide to Vietnamese Coffee: Types, Taste and Coffee Culture.

15. Do Not Try to See Everything From One Base

Finally, remember that Vietnam is much more than Ho Chi Minh City.

If this is your first international trip to Vietnam, it can be tempting to book one hotel and use it as a base for everything. We did exactly that.

After our experience, I would suggest looking at your route first and then deciding where to stay.

If you want to visit Ho Chi Minh City, a coastal destination, historical attractions and other parts of southern Vietnam, divide the trip according to the places you actually want to experience.

This can reduce unnecessary travel and give you more time to enjoy each destination.

For a look at how our own Vietnam journey started, you can read Mukerian to Saigon: Our Day 1 Vietnam Travel Experience.

Final Thoughts: What We Would Do Differently Next Time

Our September 2026 Vietnam trip taught us that many small decisions can make an international trip easier.

If I were planning the same trip again, I would:

Arrange a SIM/eSIM before needing internet.
Download Grab before leaving the airport.
Keep both cash and a card available.
Learn the Vietnamese dong denominations before shopping.
Check the hotel location carefully.
Search for vegetarian and Indian restaurants near the hotel.
Compare transport options instead of accepting the first taxi quote.
Keep rain protection during the rainy season.
Bargain politely in traditional markets.
And most importantly, divide the accommodation between destinations instead of staying in one hotel for the whole trip.

These are not rules that every traveller must follow. They are simply the lessons that made the most sense to us after travelling to Vietnam as a family.

For a first-time visitor, a little preparation can make the difference between spending your holiday worrying about small practical issues and actually enjoying the country.

Our Vietnam trip was self-planned, and many of these tips come directly from what we experienced in September 2026. That first-hand experience, combined with research before and after our trip, is what I wanted to share in this guide.

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