10 Vietnam Travel And Safety Tips

A skyline of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, title image of Vietnam travel and safety tips.
Before heading to Ho Chi Minh City over a month ago, I looked up Vietnam travel and safety tips to get an idea of what to expect during my visit to Vietnam. Judging by what people wrote online, I expected nothing but the worst. I even prepared myself with ballistic nylon straps and a hidden wallet. The comments online echoed one another: rude people, aggressive sales behaviors, bag snatchers, and pickpockets. Over and over.

Which is why I decided to write these 10 Vietnam Travel and Safety Tips

Because I wanted to help dispel the negative stuff written online about Vietnam. I was very disappointed by the Vietnam travel and safety tips I’d read when I got to Ho Chi Minh City. I had come To Vietnam with this wary, almost negative mindset. I’d never felt that way in all my travels and I’d already been to over 40 countries. I did learn a lesson–going forward, I’ll only take online reviews with a grain of salt.
I stayed one full month in Vietnam and met tons of Vietnamese and expats. I went out of the way to meet them, from the safety of the familiar Ho Chi Minh City, to the remotest parts of theMekong delta.

Main Street in Can Tho, Vietnam. Many buildings have that narrow look--with strong French architectural influence.
One of the largest cities in the Mekong area, Can Tho is a cultural gem. You will find both night and floating markets.

Granted, I didn’t go up North, but my impression was based on reviews of the south, not the north.

I saw a robbery with my own eyes

And it was entirely the expat’s fault. Carrying a purse with a shoulder strap no thicker than a string bikini in a district re-known for motorcycle bag snatches? Come on. This is not a fully developed country. Poverty is still rampant. If you remain quiet long enough, you can almost hear the whispers of desperation. So why would anyone invite such bad experiences, then go on writing about them for the world to read?




Why ruin the reputation of such a beautiful place? I know many have opposing views, but I’ve just lived and worked in so many foreign cultures that it irks me reading self-inflicted negative travel tales. I’ve just come to respect every place, including my own country (the US), where I was nearly murdered. Bad stuff happens, even at home. 
I’m going to write down ten Vietnam travel and safety tips that will help you avoid most mistakesthere so that you can enjoy a great vacation in Vietnam. I am not a self-proclaimed guru on safety, but I take great precautions wherever I go, and these Vietnam travel and safety tips are almost universal.

My Top 10 Vietnam Travel and Safety Tips:

1. Don’t Check-In Your Valuables

Never, ever, ever, put valuables or money in any luggage or backpack you are checking in. This includes bus journeys, taxis, and flights. Any valuables should be kept in a daypack and on you at all times. As I mentioned before, this point is not reserved for Vietnam only, but for any country in the world. Losing luggage is not uncommon, whether it be on a plane or a bus, and it is onesurefire way of hampering your travel plans. Especially when your money and your laptop are in the lost bag.

2. Don’t Leave Money or Valuables In a Hotel/Hostel

This applies indiscriminately to all hostels and hotels. I have heard of numerous break-ins. Just when you think you’re safe, you find your door hinge broken upon your return. I always keepcomputer, camera, GoPro, money, and anything else, on my person.

My single private room in Hideout Hostel in Ho Chi Minh City. There were actually two beds in the room and it looks very cheap, simple.
Always lock up your bags and take your valuables with you. If they are too heavy, try keeping some in your locked backpack/suitcase. Leave behind only what you are willing to lose.

Yes, somebody could come up to me with a gun in broad daylight and try to rob me, but I’m of the view that this is far less common than room theft. The picture above is of the popular Hideout Hostel in Saigon, whose review you can read here.

3. Don’t Carry Any Valuables In An Open Pocket

Carrying valuables in pockets happens too often. It happens all day, every day, everywhere. The backpacker district of Pham Ngu Lao especially runs rampant with people carrying all sorts of things in their pockets, from phones to wallets. You will be especially prone to having your items stolen at night, when you’re out drinking. It won’t be some seedy-looking guy doing it, either. It will come out of nowhere; probably a grandmother, child, or a lady boy “accidentally” bumping into you.

4. Don’t Carry Any Bags With Thin Straps

Drug use is on the rise in Vietnam, and there are plenty of motorcycle riders looking for easy money to buy more drugs. What better way than from a tourist with a delicate bag? I saw a motorcycle theft happen.
It was over in a split second, it just looked too easy. Make sure any bag you carry have a decent strap and wear it diagonally around your chest. Make sure you are not carrying the bag street-side; if the street is to your left, the bag is best kept on your right.

5. Always Smile

You’d be surprised how much trouble a stout face can attract. I read several stories about guys who got robbed and shared nothing but bad experiences. They went on to describe how tall and muscular they were, and what branch of the military they served in. Okay, I exaggerate the last part.But I always smileAlways.

Ho Chi Minh Airport selfie of Banker in the Sun
Selfie at the airport in Ho Chi Minh City–smiling is contagious :)

I’ve even run across older Vietnamese who hate Americans because of the war, but my smile and deep respect has at least marginally pacified them. And I was in Sa Decin the middle of nowhere. if anything had happened to me there, I doubt the embassy would have found my body 😀

6. Don’t Over-Argue Prices

No list of Vietnam travel and safety tips is ever complete without this one. Every Vietnamese knows roughly how much you make back at home. Meaning, they know you make at least $1,000 or more, which is a great amount of income when compared to their own. So when you start arguing over 30 cents, it really riles some people, especially the transportation types (taxis, xe oms, etc). Plus you’ll feel like you’ve been had, when you really haven’t. Then everyone will have a bad day, and you’ll open up your laptop and write about how terrible Vietnam is and how they tried to rob you.
If i know I can get a xe om for 20,000 duongs, yet he tries to charge me 40,000, we just agree on 30,000 and go. No need ruin my day or theirs for 50 cents. If that is the cost of happiness, then be it. And I know, deep in my heart, that 50 cents is worth a lot more to him than me. If you’re not okay with sparing 50 cents, that’s totally fine. Just smile, walk down a block, and catch another xe om :)

7. Don’t Catch A Ride From Tourist Hot Spots

Most xe oms and taxis parked outside of tourist hotspots will probably charge you double. You’ll either have to accept the price or walk down a block or two, away from the area, and catch a taxi on the road or a xe om off the beaten path.

Motorcycle Xe Om taxis in Ho Chi Minh City
Beware those evil, evil xe om motorcycle taxis. They’re only out there to rip you off!! (They were actually the nicest folks. We shared many whiskeys together.)

If you choose to catch a taxi outside a museum or parked in a place like Pham Ngu Lao, you will very likely be paying more.

8. A Word About Taxi Meters…

So many posts preach the usage of taxi meters. But then, what stops the taxi driver from giving you a nice little tour of the city? I saw a big fight ensue between a tourist and a cab driver in Ho Chi Minh City because of this. One of my Vietnam travel and safety tips is this: know the price, agree on it, and go. That’s what I always do and it’s never failed me, so far.

I never have to worry about what route the taxi takes. I know beforehand roughly how much it costs to get there and I make him aware of it. I had only positive experiences with all xe oms and taxis I took, and I must have taken at least 100+ rides. Know the price, agree, and go.

9. Know Where The Locals Hang Out

If you’re in the backpacker district of Ho Chi Minh City, it’s interesting to note that the Vietnamese sit on one side of Bui Vien street, and the expats on the other side. If you go to their side and start conversation, you’ll make plenty of local friends. They’re too shy to start conversation first, so the ball’s in your court. Find out where more locals hang out, soon you’ll make so many Vietnamese friends your whole day will be booked. You’ll also will see a side of Vietnam not many get to experience.

Pham Ngu Lao, Backpacker District in Ho Chi Minh City At Night
Most of the Vietnamese sit on one side of Bui Vien Street in Pham Ngu Lao. A great way for expats to sit amongst them and socialize.

Meeting locals may not appeal to you and I completely understand (some of us just want to chill with our own friends), but if you do want to get the full Vietnam experience, this is one of the best ways to do it.

10. Talk To Other Travelers

By the time you read this, Vietnam will have changed. You can get updated Vietnam travel and safety tips from travelers on the road. They will be more than happy to share their experiences and give valuable tips. I found the best advice I got was from travelers at the hostels I stayed at, not in the bars. I got some of the best Vietnam travel and safety tips from solo travelers wandering the world.
That is why point #10 is one of my favorite. Not only did I get the low down, but I also got to meet people who’ve been on the road for what seemed like an eternity. I even met a lady boy backpacker!

A tall glass of Caphe Sua Da Vietnamese Coffee
On a side note, Vietnamese has some of the BEST coffee I’ve ever tasted!

I had nothing but the best experience in Vietnam. Every expat I talked to there loved it as well. My only regret is leaving the country and the great people I met. I’m just left wondering how others may have had such a dissimilar experience and left with such a terrible taste in their mouths?

A fiery red sunset over the Mekong River
A sunset picture over the Mekong–you can see the Can Tho suspension bridge in the distance.

Which makes me wonder maybe, just maybe, those who loved their stay in Vietnam simply didn’t write about it.
And those who disliked it were the most vocal about it.