Travel Vietnam

Vietnam Solo Travel FAQs!

I received lots of questions about the last solo travel I did – overwhelming in a good way! I spent 9 days traveling from South to North of Vietnam by entering at Ho Chi Minh, flying to Central Vietnam, and departing at Hanoi. Here are the most frequently asked questions when I got back:

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Why Vietnam?

I was originally planning for an Indochina trip – Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. However, I had a problem booking a flight from Bangkok to Manila that’s why I decided to explore Vietnam alone; this trip has become one of the most memorable ones. Another reason of course would be Vietnamese food!

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Do they speak English?

They do but…it’s quite hard to understand. They have a strong accent so you really have to listen carefully!

Where’s the best destination you’ve been to?

Hoi An!!! Hoi An is a small city at central Vietnam and is well known for its lantern festival. It is a well-preserved Southeast Asian trading port and also a UNESCO world heritage site.

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The boat ride is a must. Here’s my lucky paper lantern – I’ve read that tossing a paper lantern into the canal will give you good luck. The vendor said I can also make a wish, so I did! I really enjoyed my short stay in Hoi An, it was magical – thank you Stefan for suggesting this detour!

How did you get around?

To be honest, I have not tried their public transportation at all – I just used Grab. Booking Grab is super cheap in Vietnam, especially Grab bike! My Grab bike booking only ranges from 12,000 – 25,000 VND (25-50 Php) per ride. Grab is available all throughout Vietnam.

Favorite food/restaurant recommendations?

Mi Quang in Da Nang is a new favorite! It’s a very tasty dish made of rice noodles and your preferred toppings, this one’s a seafood mi quang. It’s very cheap too. I had this Mi Quang at Ẩm Thực Xứ Quảng very near the hotel I was staying in.

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A restaurant I can highly recommend would be Secret Garden at Ho Chi Minh. This restaurant was also a recommendation by my Tito Alvin who currently stays at HCM. I can say that I’ve had the best meal at Secret Garden in my entire stay at Vietnam. I even managed to finish a meal that’s good for 2-3 pax, lol.

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How much was your budget for the entire trip?

The only flight I booked on sale was MNL to HCM, and that’s just one out of the four flights I had in this trip! So, the amount spent on airfare is a big chunk of my total spending. All in all, I spent around 40,000 Php.

Isn’t it scary?

Vietnamese people are one of the kindest and warmest people ever. Not once did I feel unsafe during my whole stay at Vietnam.

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But if you’re talking about travelling solo in general, of course it is a bit scary especially if you’re a tiny young lady like me. My tip is to always, always be alert; be wary of your surroundings. I did not encounter any big troubles in this trip except for that time when I’m running out of cash and one of my cards was apparently blocked, lol.

I just keep in mind that:

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

I hope this FAQ on my Vietnam trip helps. Next on the list will probably be my itineraries for South, Central, and North Vietnam – stay tuned!

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6 thoughts on “Vietnam Solo Travel FAQs!”

  1. Ah, I loved Vietnam, too! I definitely had a couple unsafe situations, but beautiful Ha Long Bay, Hanoi, and HCMC made up for it 🙂 Did you try egg coffee? That was one of my favorite parts.
    I will be doing a Vietnam post soon!

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