Have you been to Vietnam? Please show some light

Yea I have travelled multiple times. Both for work and leisure. Lovely place. Some tips:

1. I usually carry cash worth 5k. Nowadays, most places have card machines so you are good. But carry some cash if in case you plan to explore some remote attractions / islands.
2. For transportation / Taxi, use Grab. Hassle free, excellent and seamless service. Set up your credit card on it.
3. Remember that the dot “.” You see in prices is equivalent to a comma here. So don’t misread 1.000 as 1, it is thousand.

Enjoy your time there

When are you travelling? I'm also going to vietnam this October, solo traveller.

Better to take USD from here and convert it there. For transportation, you can use grab and gojek app. You can buy a data sim at the airport. Forex cards and credit cards will work there

Great choice of holiday destination. As a solo female traveller asking questions on how to carry money, you're in luck - the name of the Vietnamese currency is the cause of unending hilarity.

The country is super safe all throughout and has loads to do.

Hanoi is great for a relaxed holiday - french quarters, walkabouts, etc.

HCMC is the place with things to do. Would strongly recommend the CuChi tunnels (take the fastboat tours only. Avoid the bus tours), the War Museum and the nightlife - the clubs and the street life. Avoid the Mekong Delta if its your first visit.

Don't miss trying out a different coffee every 3 hours.

Also a great place to shop for women's clothes - plenty of big stores which are on-point on global trends. Vietnam exports apparel and you get great bargains.

Happy travelling.

Larger cities - restos and hotels accept card. But you’ll need lots of cash. Best to exchange approx 100 USD at a time. Bring fresh crisp 100 USD notes that will give you the best exchange rate.

I dont think cards are accepted everywhere.

We are travelling this thursday, starting from hanoi. Although a friend is carrying scapia card, card usage is not looking promising enough in vietnam especially in local street foods and shopping areas.

Will try card whenever possible but mainly we are carrying cash (USD).

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvjSRekp9V-/?igshid=NzZhOTFlYzFmZQ==

This scam reel I saw for Thailand, might help a bit

Traveled to Vietnam for 4 weeks back in 2017. But we were two dudes travelling so won’t be able to answer female specific questions. Overall, it was a great experience. The overnight buses are good. Used those frequently to optimise travel and reduce one night in a hotel. Vegetarian food is extremely hard to find so be prepared if you’re one. Internet is great and cheap. Get a local sim asap.

I carried around 30k INR worth or Dong for a 15 day trip and used them only when required. Used card mainly. If you're visiting Hanoi - definitely spend few days in Ninh Binh - you'll not be disappointed. If you have enough budget, it's good to splurge a bit on 2-3D Halong bay cruise (instead of the usual day trip). There's also Ha Giang to the north where you can do a guided bike trip on the Ha Giang loop. Takes minimum two days but I recommend doing atleast 3-4 days. In Hanoi itself - it's the usual. Visit main spots and try egg cream coffee in Giang cafe.

I traveled to Vietnam in 2016-17 with my girlfriend, visiting all the hotspots - Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, and Hoi An - before the recent influx of Indian tourists. Having lived and worked across Asia for many years, I was eager to experience Vietnam's culture and cuisine.

While the banh mi sandwiches were just as delicious as I'd heard, I was disappointed by the rampant poverty and scamming in the major cities. As tourists, we constantly felt targeted.

The highlight was getting off the beaten path in Sapa, a misty village of barely 2,000 friendly locals, mostly from ethnic minority groups. We loved wandering the lush rice terraces and staying in a local homestay. With marijuana and hashish grown in the surrounding hills and widely available, we were able to relax and unwind with the villagers.

I'd recommend trying Indonesia or Malaysia over Vietnam. The infrastructure is better developed and you'll find cleaner cities, friendlier people, and less aggressive hustling. Though nothing quite compares to those fresh Vietnamese banh mi!

And please carry USD.