Admin

Visa

You can check out the visa requirements here & here (for French citizens), or with the nearest Vietnamese Embassy/Consulate to where you live.

Viet Nam offers Visa exemption for citizens of a few countries (incl. France, Spain, Italy, etc.) for less than 45-day trip. So just bring with you the printed ticket of your returned flights and it's enough!

For others (incl. Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, etc.), you can apply for e-Visa to Viet Nam (valid for up to 90 days), check it out at the immigration portal.

If you need to apply for a Visa, we recommend starting the process at least a month before your flight or as soon as you can. The Vietnamese administration often likes to take its time.

Security

In general, Viet Nam is a very safe country to travel.

The common "crimes" in Viet Nam and big cities like Saigon is either you get scammed with "tourist pricing" or your phone / bags / jewelry get snatched / mugged. Thus, we recommend that you avoid using handbags or purses when you walk on the streets - backpack or cross body bag would be a better choice! Plus, when using your phone, beware not to expose it to the buzzling street where a moving motorbike can snatch it from you (Quentin got his phone stolen once like that). You may want to use a string linking the phone to your wrist.

You may also encounter (organized) beggars in Saigon city center who usually target foreigners, the best way is to ignore them till they go away. But as everywhere in the world, we can always face unexpected situations so do not be too worried or paranoid. Just behave with respect and keep your cool / kindness, you will meet great people and nothing bad should happen :)

Payment Options

Medical

No mandatory vaccines are required to travel to VN.

More info here or here (for French citizens)

Some basic rules to keep in mind:

Check your insurance coverage;
Do not play with wandering dogs / animal;
Bring a good insect / mosquito repellent;
Tap water is not safe for drinking, including ice cubes from the street vendors;
Always use safety belt in the car (for your own safety) and wear helmet on the motorbike (it's the law);
Peel fruits and wash veggies carefully (with salt if necessary) before eating;
Wash your hands regularly

And everything will be alright! You may want to bring a set of basic medicine, e.g., for the stomach in case you want to check out the street food here.

SIM Card & Phone

Even if most of the places in Viet Nam will offer free Wifi access, it is still recommended to have Internet service/4G ready on your phone: to go around using e-transport applications such as Grab (same with Uber), to talk with locals using Google Translate, or to find your way around the city using Google Map, etc.

Check with your current operator if they cover Viet Nam. Nonetheless, you will find what you need at the airport for an affordable price (around 60 Go package for 10 USD).

Reliable operators to look for are Viettel, Mobifone, or Vinaphone. You can check out this blog post for more details and great advice.

Both cash and credit/debit cards work in Viet Nam. The easiest way is to use your card, so before departing, we recommend that you check with your bank if they refund international service charges for transactions / withrawal / payment etc. Contactless payments are also available in big city centers via Apple Pay or Google Pay.

If you know your bank is going to suck you up every time you use your card, you can look at online banking such as N26, revolut (Quentin has taxes on all payment / withdrawal for 10 € / month with N26).

Most hotels in Saigon & Vung Tau city centers will accept cards. For the restaurants, it depends on the chosen standard and your adventurous stomach capabilities. Most other shops or street vendors will not accept cards, so you will still need some cash!

Check with your bank, but we believe that Viet Nam Dong (VND) shall not be easy to get before departing. So, you can get them through 2 options:

Exchange USD at certified counters (Euros are less popular and rates might be less competitive). Then exchange USD to VND when you arrive.
Withdraw at the ATMs in Viet Nam. On top of your bank fees, local banks will also add a fee. More details about withdrawal fees for some popular banks here can be found via this link.

A few more notes:

We recommend not bringing / storing all of your cash in one place in case of robbery. A budget of 50 USD / person / day is more than enough to travel comfortably in Viet Nam.
Before you travel to rural areas, make sure you have enough cash since ATMs are not available everywhere and payment by cards is not always possible.
As tourists, you will always be charged more when the price is not indicated or written: do not hesitate to negotiate a bit if you find the service too costly, particularly in touristic places such as Ben Thanh market or Nguyen Hue walking street in Saigon.
On a daily basis, a 500,000 VND note is quite huge and many local shops might not have enough change, so keep your small notes whenever possible. You can exchange 500,000 VND notes against smaller notes in various convenient stores such as 7/11, Family Mart, Circle K, GS 25, etc.
If you fly back to Europe and you have too much VND at the end of your trip, you can give us your notes and we'll transfer in Euros.