Vietnam Travel Guide 2026: E-Visa 90 Days, VND Cash Rules, Grab Everywhere, Cross Streets Slowly

Summary

Everything for a 2026 trip to Vietnam: US$25 e-visa for 90 days (or 45-day exemption for certain EU/Nordic/UK/JP/KR passports), carry 3–5 million dong in cash, use Grab for everything (car and motorbike), tap the new HCMC Metro Line 1if it's on your route, don't rent a motorbike without insurance clarity, and skip roaming with a Viettel-backed eSIM. Cross streets slowly and predictably; motorbikes will flow around you.

The e-visa (or the 45-day exemption for some passports)

Vietnam runs a two-track tourist entry system:

Route	Who	Details
E-visa	Virtually all passports	90 days single or multiple entry, US$25/50. Apply at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. 3+ business days.
Visa exemption	UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Korea, Russia, Nordics, Belarus — and ASEAN neighbours	Free, 45 days single entry (30 for ASEAN)
Passport validity	All	6 months from entry

Warning:Google the official e-visa site — scam "visa agencies" charge US$50–100 for the same thing. The official domain is evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn. Print the PDF; some airlines won't let you board without it.

Money: millions of dong, cards for the modern economy

The Vietnamese dong (VND, ₫)has small denominations — a bowl of phở is 40,000–80,000 VND, a Grab across HCMC is 60,000–150,000 VND. Everything is millions on the ATM screen; getting used to the zeros takes a day.

Contactless card / Apple Pay / Google Pay work at hotels, chain restaurants, malls, and larger shops in HCMC, Hanoi, and Da Nang. Street food, small cafés, xe om (informal motorbike taxis), most non-Grab cabs, markets, homestays, and everything in Sapa / Ha Giang / Mekong Delta are cash-only.

ATM tips:use Vietcombank, BIDV, Techcombank, or Sacombank — withdrawal fee 55,000 VND (~US$2.20). Some ATMs cap withdrawals at 2 million VND; Vietcombank often allows 5 million. Bring some USD as a backup; many hotels and tour operators accept USD for larger bills (but at less-than-ideal rates).

Tipping:not customary historically; increasingly appreciated at tourist restaurants and hotels. 5,000–20,000 VND per meal or ride is fine. Round up Grab.

Getting around: Grab, Grab, and more Grab

Grab (car and bike) is the safe, cheap default in every city and most tourist areas.
Xanh SM (VinFast electric taxis) is the second option in HCMC / Hanoi / Da Nang; competitive pricing.
Be is a smaller local ride-hail alternative.
Metered street taxis: ONLY use Vinasun (white) or Mai Linh (green). Others run rigged meters.
HCMC Metro Line 1 opened Dec 2024, connects Bến Thành (D1) to Suối Tiên (D9) — 20 km east. Single ticket 15,000–25,000 VND; day pass 40,000 VND.
Hanoi Metro Line 2A (Cat Linh–Ha Dong) opened 2021. Line 3 (Nhon–Hanoi Station) opened partially in 2024.
Cyclos (three-wheel bicycle taxis) in Hanoi Old Quarter: fun once, negotiate before boarding, expect 100,000–200,000 VND for 30 min.
Inter-city: flights (VietJet, Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo) — cheap and fast for HCMC–Hanoi (2h). Overnight sleeper trains from Hanoi to Sapa/Da Nang/Hue — atmospheric. Open-tour buses (Sinh Cafe, Futa) cheap; sleeper buses uncomfortable.

Airports and transfers

Airport	Recommended transfer
HCMC Tan Son Nhat (SGN)	Grab (~150,000 VND) or 109 bus (20,000 VND) to Ben Thanh
Hanoi Noi Bai (HAN)	Grab (~350,000 VND), Airport Taxi (400,000 VND fixed), or Bus 86 to Old Quarter (45,000 VND)
Da Nang (DAD)	Grab to Da Nang (~80,000 VND) or Hoi An (~450,000 VND, 45 min)

The street-crossing technique that keeps you alive

Vietnam has ~50 million motorbikes. Zebra crossings are decorative. Traffic lights are advisory. The technique:

Step off the curb steadily. Don't sprint. Don't hesitate.
Walk at a steady, predictable pace. Motorbikes will flow around you like water. They're calculating your trajectory in real time.
Never stop. Never dart back. The instant you change speed or direction unpredictably, the flow calculation breaks.
Hand out (palm forward, waist height) to signal you're crossing — adds visibility.
Watch for cars and buses — they can't manoeuvre around you like bikes can. Wait for gaps in the four-wheeled traffic.

Once you internalise this, you'll cross a 40-motorbike-wide flow like a local. Videos on YouTube explain it well — watch one before you go.

Vietnamese phrases (with the tone caveat)

Vietnamese has 6 tones (5 in the south) — the same syllable at different pitches means completely different words. Locals will forgive imperfect tones on a friendly attempt. English is patchy outside tourist zones.

Xin chào

sin CHOW

Means: Hello

Use it when: Universal greeting. Formal-ish but works everywhere.

Cảm ơn

kahm UHN (north) / kahm OWN (south)

Means: Thank you

Use it when: After every transaction.

Không

KOHNG

Means: No / not

Use it when: Declining vendors. 'Không, cảm ơn' = no, thank you.

Bao nhiêu?

bow nyew

Means: How much?

Use it when: Markets, xe om, taxis (only Vinasun / Mai Linh / Grab, remember).

Đắt quá!

daht KWAH

Means: Too expensive!

Use it when: Bargaining tool. Then walk away halfway; vendor will call you back with better price.

Xin lỗi

sin LOI

Means: Excuse me / sorry

Use it when: Moving past someone / apologising.

Phở / Bún chả / Bánh mì

fuh / boon chah / bahn mee

Means: Rice noodle soup / Hanoi grilled pork noodles / Vietnamese sandwich

Use it when: Order these anywhere. Phở is national; bún chả is Hanoi's; bánh mì is the sandwich sold at every corner cart.

Cà phê sữa đá

kah feh soo-uh dah

Means: Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk

Use it when: The national addiction. Cà phê đen = black coffee. Everything is over crushed ice.

Nhà vệ sinh ở đâu?

nyah veh sing uh doh

Means: Where's the bathroom?

Use it when: Cafés and restaurants have them. WC signs common too.

Cultural norms visitors get wrong

Take shoes off at temples, homes, some homestays.
Cover shoulders and knees at temples — some (Cao Dai in Tay Ninh) enforce it strictly.
North vs South is a real cultural distinction. Hanoi (north) more formal, colder food, French colonial history. HCMC (south) more casual, warmer food, American war history. Don't generalise.
Vietnam War = "American War" here. Museums (War Remnants in HCMC, Hoa Lo prison in Hanoi) present the Vietnamese perspective. Absorb it, don't argue.
Bargain politely at markets — not at chain stores or restaurants. Start at 40–50% of the asking price.
Don't point with a single finger. Use your whole hand.
Tet (Lunar New Year, late Jan / early Feb) shuts most of the country for 1–2 weeks. Everything closed. Not a great time to visit.
Tan Son Nhat / Noi Bai airport scams: refuse anyone approaching with a taxi offer, only use the official Grab pickup or airport taxi counter.

Staying connected: Viettel / VinaPhone / MobiFone

Three networks: Viettel (military-owned, widest rural coverage, best for Sapa / Ha Giang / Mekong Delta), VinaPhone, and MobiFone. 5G in HCMC, Hanoi, and Da Nang; 4G LTE elsewhere.

A travel eSIM is dramatically cheaper than roaming (US$10–15/day) — a 10 GB plan for a week runs US$8–15. See Vietnam eSIM vs roaming and the Vietnam eSIM buying guide.

Practical odds and ends

Plugs: Type A/C mix (US flat 2-pin and EU 2-round both fit), 220 V.
Time zone: ICT (UTC+7), no daylight saving.
Emergency: 113 (police), 114 (fire), 115 (ambulance).
Tap water: not safe. Bottled everywhere 10,000–20,000 VND.
Alcohol: cheap (bia hoi ~10,000 VND). Drinking age 18. Blood-alcohol limit for drivers is ZERO — harsh fines for even a beer if riding.
Rainy season May–October in south, September–January in central Vietnam, June–August in the north.
Sapa / Ha Giang can be cold (5°C at night in winter). Bring layers.

FAQ

QDo I need a visa to visit Vietnam in 2026?

AVietnam issues an e-visa to virtually all passports online at evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn — US$25 for a 90-day single or multiple-entry visa (extended from 30 days in August 2023). Apply 3+ business days before you fly; get a PDF, print it, show at immigration. Some ASEAN neighbours and a handful of others (UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Korea, Russia, Nordics, Belarus) get a shorter visa exemption for 45 days as of 2024. Everyone else: e-visa is the easy path.

QHow much cash do I need in Vietnam?

AA lot in nominal terms — the Vietnamese dong (VND) has small denominations, so 1 million VND is only about US$40. Contactless card works at hotels, chain restaurants, malls, and larger shops in HCMC / Hanoi / Da Nang, but street food, xe om, most cabs (outside Grab), markets, cafes, and homestays are cash-only. Withdraw 3–5 million VND (US$120–200) at Vietcombank, BIDV, or Techcombank ATMs — expect a 55,000 VND (~US$2.20) foreign-card fee. Withdraw the max (usually 5–10 million) to spread the fee.

QHow does Grab work in Vietnam?

AGrab is the ride-hail default across Vietnam — cars (GrabCar), motorbikes (GrabBike), and food delivery (GrabFood). It's cheaper and safer than flag-down taxis or old-style xe om (motorbike taxis) — fares transparent, driver identity known, cashless. Xanh SM (electric taxis) and Be are competitors. For taxis, only use Vinasun (white) or Mai Linh (green) if flag-down; other coloured cabs run rigged meters. For airports, use Grab or the official taxi counter.

QAre the Hanoi and HCMC metros open?

AHo Chi Minh City Metro Line 1 (Bến Thành–Suối Tiên) opened in December 2024 — the country's first urban rail line, 20 km east across the city. Hanoi Metro Line 2A (Cat Linh–Ha Dong) opened 2021; Line 3 (Nhon–Hanoi Station) opened partially in 2024. Both use rechargeable smart cards; single tickets available at stations. Coverage is still limited — Grab is the workhorse for tourists in both cities.

QCan I rent a car or motorbike in Vietnam?

AMotorbikes: technically you need a Vietnamese licence or an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention (NOT the 1949 Geneva IDP most tourists carry) — Vietnam only accepts the 1968 version, and only Australia, some EU countries, and specific others issue it. In practice many tourists rent motorbikes with no documentation and the police look the other way — but if you have an accident, you have no insurance. Cars: same rule, plus Vietnam traffic is chaotic; almost no tourists rent cars.

QWhat's the cheapest way to get mobile data as a tourist?

AA Vietnam travel eSIM installed on your unlocked phone runs on Viettel, VinaPhone, or MobiFone for a fraction of the roaming rate. Install on Wi-Fi before you fly and land at Noi Bai (HAN), Tan Son Nhat (SGN), or Da Nang (DAD) already connected. Viettel has the widest rural coverage (essential for Sapa, Ha Giang, the Mekong Delta); VinaPhone is competitive in cities.

Bottom line

US$25 e-visa for 90 days (or 45-day exemption for UK/EU/JP/KR), carry 3–5 million VND cash, Grab for everything, HCMC Metro Line 1 if it's on your route, skip motorbike rentals unless you have a 1968 IDP, cross streets steadily and predictably, and let a Viettel-backed eSIM carry your data. Xin chào on the way in, cảm ơn on the way out.