In terms of travel, there’s a lot of reasons to love about Vietnam. The country stretches from the soaring mountains of the north to the endless rice paddies and vibrant waterways of the Mekong Delta in the south. In between, there are more than 3000km of glorious coastline in between, which offers plenty of stunning beach. Beautiful landscapes, rich culture, great food, there’re tons of things here to discover. However, like any country, there are some things travelers should know before booking Vietnam tours. In this article, we will introduce some do’s and don’ts while traveling in Vietnam.
The Do’s
Dress appropriately
In general, Vietnamese don’t have strict rules for dressing, particularly for travelers. You can wear whatever you want. However, one of the most important thing in Do’s and don’ts in Vietnam list is that dress politely if you tend to visit sacred places like temples, pagodas. Your clothes should cover your knees and your elbows too. You also can use a large scarf to cover them.
Know the place you stay at
Keep a name card of your hotel or just mark the address on your phone. Vietnamese names are easy for every travelers and many words can look and sound very similar yet totally different. So in case, just show the taxi driver the card and you can be back to your hotel easier. Moreover, knowing the telephone number of your hotel is good though.
Know how to negotiate when shopping
Bargain is an essential skill while going shopping in Vietnam. Local sellers tends to say the price higher and you’ll need to show them some reasons for a better price. If you’re not that type of people who’s good at bargain, stick to the supermarkets and shopping centers where prices are fixed.
Be careful with money exchange
Vietnamese currency usually appear with many zeros, and it could be confusing for foreigners. So try to know the exchange rate or bring along something to remind you. And you should do the money exchange at banks. However, they only work from Monday to Friday. There some other ways like ATM at some major cities. Most of ATM accepts Mastercard and Visacard with quite high transaction fee.
Make friends with local
You should make friend with some locals. Although some don’t speak English, but in general locals are very friendly and welcoming, can be really helpful. They can show you where you should go or which restaurant is the best one. Knowing some Vietnamese can be a way to connect to the locals, like saying “Xin chao” for “Hello” or “Cam on” for “Thank you”.
Do try Vietnamese street food
Vietnamese street food has impressed lots of gastronomers and famous chefs around the world. Therefore, there is no reason for you to miss a chance to have some authentic taste while being there. Each region has its own cuisine, so go along the country and eat local food in each stop. You can buy a food tour or just ask locals and discover by yourself. Street food, restaurants, or even food delivered right to your place, there are many ways to have Vietnamese food here.
The Don’ts
Don’t hesitate when crossing a road
Don’t Use Your Camera Where it’s Not Appropriate
Don’t Drink the Tap Water
While it’s OK to shower and brush your teeth with tap water in Vietnam, it’s not OK to ingest it. There are plenty of places where you can either buy bottled water, fill up water bottles with safely treated water, or even purchase 20 liter jugs of water for consumption. Also, be sure to consume plenty of water every day. The heat and humidity may be overwhelming for some and can result in heat stroke or severe dehydration.
Don’t Get In A Random Taxi
At the airport, there are a lot of deceptive taxis. You should book a taxi to the hotel to avoid being charged too expensive. Or else, you can try several apps similar to Uber, namely Grab, Be, Fastgo, to control the price before getting on the cab. You also don’t have to pay tolls, so if a driver asks you to pay, then refuse.
These are some tips on our list of do’s and don’ts in Vietnam. Find out more about this beautiful country and amazing tours from north to south with Newway Travel.
