So you're heading to Vietnam? Let's get it right.
We've put together the ultimate guide to visiting Vietnam — everything you need to know. The Ha Giang Loop on a bike, fully decoded with tour-provider pricing. Hanoi + Hoi An + Ho Chi Minh by neighbourhood. Where to stay, our favourite hostels, the banh mi worth queueing for, the buy-a-bike-in-Hanoi-and-ride-south adventure, the Sapa rice terraces, the Mekong Delta, how to get around — and so much more. Over 1,000 hours of research, time on the ground and community submissions. This is the guide you need.
Every review is from a paying Aussies In member — unfiltered, unedited.
"Bought this on a whim and it paid for itself within the first hour. The Ha Giang loop logistics alone would've taken me days to piece together from scattered blog posts. Got the planning done in an evening and the trip turned out better for it. Easily worth more than $15."
Figured I'd just Google everything and save the cash. Glad I didn't. The e-visa walkthrough, which taxi scams to dodge coming out of Hanoi airport, where to actually find good bun cha, none of that turned up in my first ten search results. Paid for itself before I'd even left the country.
Three weeks, north to south, and I barely had to think. Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hoi An, then Phu Quoc, all mapped out with the sleeper-train timings and Grab tips already sorted. Every stop landed exactly how they said it would.
Loads of value. The motorbike and night-bus advice is properly specific, the kind of thing most blogs gloss over because there's no commission in it. Knocked off half a star wishing for a bit more on the Mekong Delta. Otherwise thorough and well worth the money.
Bought the Italy guide. Then the Vault. Then Pro. That's how good these are. I'm pre-ordering every guide before they exist. The community alone is worth it.
Reviews are from verified Aussies In buyers. Names abbreviated for privacy. No reviews have been removed or edited beyond grammar.
4 preview chapters are free below. 9 chapters — the bulk of the guide — unlock with purchase.
Most travellers spend 20–40 hours researching a trip like this — scrolling Reddit threads, saving Instagram videos, watching YouTubers in monetised content loops, comparing 12 blog posts that all say the same thing. This guide is what those hours should have given you.
"Knowing what to skip is worth as much as knowing what to do."
Hanoi + The North, Central (Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An), Da Lat + Highlands, Ho Chi Minh + South, the Islands, Motorbike Trip + Hidden Gems
4 days through the highest mountain passes in Vietnam. Tour-provider options + pricing (Jasmine's, QT, Bong Hostel, Easy Rider), self-drive vs Easy-Rider mode, route + accommodation
Bun Cha Huong Lien (Obama + Bourdain), Pho Gia Truyen, egg coffee at Cafe Giang, bia hoi corner at Ta Hien Street (A$0.30 beers), banh mi 25, Train Street cafés
Hoi An's top 5 hostels + tailors + night markets, Da Nang's digital nomad scene (monthly rentals A$300-A$800, gyms, padel courts, café strip)
Buy a Honda Win or Royal Enfield in Hanoi or HCMC. North-to-south route (4-6 weeks), Hai Van Pass, the friendliest stops along the way
10 days, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 1 month, 2 months. Pick yours, copy the route
Vietnam's e-visa is the easiest in Southeast Asia but you DO need it (no visa-on-arrival for tourism since 2023). Sapa trekking guesthouses + Halong cruises fill in season, and the Old Quarter scams have a playbook you can learn before you fly. Walk through this and you'll arrive ready.
Vietnam switched to a digital e-visa for AU + NZ — apply at evisa.gov.vn, ~USD 25-50, 3-5 working days. 90 days single OR multi-entry. NO visa on arrival for tourism. Apply 4+ weeks ahead to be safe.
The best Halong overnight cruises (Indochina, Heritage Line) book 2-3 months ahead in peak season (Oct-Apr). Sapa Sisters + Topas Travel for Sapa treks book 2-4 weeks ahead. Both can be done last-minute but quality + cabin grade drops.
Vietnam is THE motorbike country — also THE country where Aussies get hurt riding. Many policies exclude motorbikes; some require an IDP + helmet usage. Read the fine print. Add adventure rider if doing Sapa trek + waterfalls.
Hanoi → Hoi An → HCM City overland is 30+ hours by sleeper train + bus. Flights are A$50-100 each leg at 4 weeks out + save you days. Book direct or via Trip.com.
Hoi An is the cheapest custom tailoring in the world — but the top tailors (Yaly, BeBe, Be Be Tailor) need 3-4 days for fittings + a slot. Email or WhatsApp ahead with measurements + style references.
Grab is dominant in Vietnam — works as taxi, motorbike taxi, food delivery. Bolt is the cheap alternative. Vietnamese is tonal + hard to read — offline translation is essential outside hotels.
Vietnamese SIMs are cheap (~A$5 for 30 days unlimited) but require passport scan. eSIMs (Airalo, Trip.com) work instantly + cover Sapa, Halong, the central coast well.
Watch for: 'taxi rate to airport' rip (use Grab), 'student English-practice' lead-on to a coffee shop bill split (politely decline), the cyclo-driver upcharge (agree the price BEFORE boarding, written down).
Vietnam technically requires a Vietnamese motorbike licence to ride legally. An IDP is grey-area but accepted at most rental shops + insurance providers as proof you're licensed at home. Get one from Australia Post for ~A$45.
Hanoi (Noi Bai) + HCM City (Tan Son Nhat) both have aggressive touts charging 3-4x meter. Grab from the dedicated Grab pickup zone (signed) is metered + safe. ~A$10 to Hanoi Old Quarter.
These banks accept foreign cards reliably + give the bank rate. Note: VND has a LOT of zeros — 1,000,000 VND ≈ A$60. Don't accidentally take out A$600 thinking it's A$60. Always decline 'pay in AUD' (DCC).
Vietnam is long (1,650km north-south) and the transport network reflects it. Night sleeper buses + the legendary north-south Reunification Express train + cheap domestic flights (Vietjet + Bamboo + Vietnam Airlines) cover the country. Grab + Be are the ride-hail apps. Plus the option to buy a motorbike + ride the whole thing — the bucket-list move.
Vietnam invented the sleeper bus — proper flat-bed berths, not just reclining seats. Hanoi → Sapa (5hr, A$20), Hanoi → Hue (12hr, A$25), Hoi An → Nha Trang (10hr, A$25), HCMC → Mui Ne (4hr, A$10). Sleep on the bus, save a hotel night, wake at the destination.
TIP — Book on 12go.asia or directly with the bus company (Hoang Long, FUTA, Sinh Tourist, The Sinh). Lock your bag, keep your passport on you. Top-bunk windows are quieter than aisle berths.
Hanoi → Saigon, 1,726km, 30+ hours total broken into segments. Soft sleeper berths in air-con compartments (4 berths per cabin). Slower than the bus but iconic — old Top Gear / James May territory. Hanoi → Hue (12hr, A$40 soft sleeper), Hue → Da Nang (3hr, A$10, the famous Hai Van Pass section).
TIP — Book via 12go.asia or dsvn.vn (official Vietnamese railways site, English version exists). The Hue → Da Nang day train is the famous Hai Van Pass photo route — sit on the right side facing forward.
Hanoi → HCMC (2hr, A$50-A$120). Hanoi → Hue / Da Nang (1hr, A$50). Hanoi → Phu Quoc (2hr, A$80). Vietjet + Bamboo Airways are the budget; Vietnam Airlines the full-service. Book 2-3 weeks ahead.
TIP — Vietjet charges hard for carry-on if not pre-paid (USD 30 at the gate). Pay at booking. The carry-on weight limit is 7kg + a small handbag — they DO weigh.
Both run in every Vietnamese city. Cheaper than taxis, no haggling, no airport mafia. Hanoi airport → Old Quarter: 250,000 VND (A$15) on Grab vs 600,000 VND (A$36) from the airport-rank taxis. Pay in cash or load an Aussie card.
TIP — Grab bike (motorbike taxi via app) is 1/3 the price of Grab car — but you're on the back of a motorbike in chaotic traffic. Helmet provided. Use car for luggage.
Every mistake below is one this guide prevents. The numbers aren't theoretical — they're sourced from our community's actual reported losses on previous trips. Add them up and the math becomes hard to ignore.
You'll get every avoidance technique, every booking lead time, every scam-dodge, every Aussie-tested workaround. Lifetime updates. Money-back if it doesn't earn its keep.
Where to go. Where to stay. What to eat. How to get around. What to skip. Every answer in one place — researched by Aussies who've actually been.