Backpacking Vietnam is really perfect for you to dive into Asian culture and a great country to start your first backpacking trip. Backpacking on a budget or not: Everything is possible in Vietnam.

Just be aware, Vietnam is a country attracting a lot of travelers and tourists every year. Keep a few basic things about traveling Vietnam in mind and get inspired by some interesting experiences.

1. Try Vietnam Street Food Vendors

There’s food everywhere you look in pavement in Vietnam. Street food in Vietnam provides convenient, delicious and cheap meals and it’s one of the purest ways to get in touch with the local culture but can be a little intimidating for foreigners new to the city. Street food is a quintessential part of the Vietnam experience. It is available for less than 2 USD . A fresh fruit juice can be sometime less than 1 USD.

Wherever you go in the city, food stalls are plentiful and you will find a high concentration of them in busy areas. Some street vendors operate in groups, you can have a different choice of a meal such as: Pho, Banh mi,… and drinks like egg coffee, sugarcane juice with the very budget price. Some even open around the clock. You can check out our tips when backpacking Vietnam, especially in Saigon here. 

Source: @wonder.thru.life

2. Fish Sauce – the impressive sauce of Vietnam 

This is an indispensable sauce in Vietnamese meals. It is made of fermented sea fish with white salt. Backpacker will find it difficult to eat because it gives off a very unpleasant smell. 

Source: @percythaipham

3. Traffics when Backpacking Vietnam

But for Backpackers, eating fish sauce is not the “hardest” challenge. The most “worried” experience  is to cross the road. About 2 million motorbikes are circulating across the street in Vietnam and they follow you everywhere. Crossing in Vietnam is like going through a river full of , especially motorbikes. It first seems a little bit scared, but gradually you will get used to it. Motorbikes with Vietnamese people are an important means of transportation. 

Source: @mdnolan

4. Be aware of scams in Vietnam 

You can always feel safe and meet a lot of happy relaxed and peaceful locals when backpacking Vietnam. But be aware, that you might get scammed while people smile in your face, so always use your common sense. Always count your change.

 It might happen: Just don’t buy anything that you don’t really want or need. Think about it for a few minutes and don’t feel embarrassed to walk off.

5. Rent a motorbike and wander around 

You can find motorbike rentals almost everywhere in Vietnam. It’s cheap and it’s a popular way of transport. And many backpackers use the motorbikes to do individual sightseeing trips or to visit more remote . It’s a great way of being independent and get to see a lot. You can rent motorbikes per hour, for a day or even for a few days or weeks.

Be aware that hundreds of drivers get killed in traffic accidents every year, thousands of people get injured. Especially travelers often underestimate the traffic and lack experience in driving in foreign countries or on motorbikes. So the most important thing for me was not to injure others and not to get injured. 

Source: Dang Nguyen 

6. Get around by local buses

To get around when backpacking Vietnam, you can save a lot of money and get a good idea about real Vietnam life by using the local buses at the bus stations instead of traveling in tourist minibusses crammed with western backpackers. It might be easy and often the fastest way of traveling to catch a tourist minibus at your hostel. But try to get the real travel experience at least once. 

Source: @di_an_h

Anna, 10th July 2019.