Vietnam was one of the most interesting places I’ve been in a while.
Not only was it fun, cheap, chaotic and full of character – but it also gave me a better feel for what I like most about certain locations.
We returned not long ago from a three-week trip through Vietnam, which was the longest trip we’ve done so far.
We spent roughly equal time in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, and Da Lat.
The trip taught me a few things about travel and myself. It was good overall, but a few things let it down.
In this post, I’ll share what we got up to, what things cost, and my observations about Vietnam itself.
I’ll also compare it with two other places we visited in the last 18 months – Malaysia and Thailand – and discuss how appealing Vietnam is as a Geo FIRE location, because I’ve already been asked about that multiple times.
Let’s start with the big smoke of HCMC.
One of the first things you notice in Vietnam is that traffic and footpaths seem to operate on an entirely different set of rules. More on that later, because it became one of the funniest recurring themes of the trip.
At the time we arrived, it was still Tet – Vietnamese Lunar New Year. So we caught the final week of celebrations, where lots of locals were out and about enjoying the holiday.
There were special decorations, displays, and lots of traditional dressing (which looked amazing by the way).
But as we came to learn, Tet also means time off work and lots of domestic travel, which made some of the other cities noticeably busier than usual.
In HCMC, we did the following:
— Visited the Thich Quang Duc monument (look up his story)
— Ate lots of food and tried their infamous coffee options (I got hooked on coconut coffee)
— Strolled the markets, shopping areas, and random city streets (does anyone else just like randomly wandering around?)
— Went to the riverside and a couple of night-time watering holes
I’ll give some overall Vietnam observations and cost breakdowns in a later section, but here are some general HCMC notes:
The positives…
— Cleaner, nicer and more modern than I expected
— Roads and footpaths are in pretty good condition
— Fruit is ridiculously good (dragonfruit and mango for $2 a pack)
— Interesting mix of modern and traditional culture everywhere you look
What wasn’t so good…
— English fluency was lower than I expected (which nobody seems to mention)
— A lot of the quick street food / snack options seemed to revolve around processed meat
— Air quality wasn’t great at times if you walk around a lot
— If you’re tired, navigating traffic isn’t the most fun thing to do
Then we headed to Da Lat.
Da Lat is essentially a mountain area of Vietnam with a large town/small city.
It’s a lot cooler than HCMC. It was probably about 22 degrees most of the time, so very comfortable for us. But many locals and local tourists were wearing coats and snow jackets!
As I hinted at earlier, I learned Da Lat is a very popular location for local tourists, especially during Tet. So that probably made it much busier than usual.
Here’s what we got up to in Da Lat:
— Went exploring on foot, looking for yummy food and coffee (found a very cool rooftop cafe with excellent coffee, including the infamous ‘egg coffee’ which was quite nice, but too sweet for me – basically tastes like custard coffee)
— Spent time at the enormous night market which has surprisingly high quality clothes (neither of us got anything though)
— Visited Tuyen Lam Lake, a lovely nature area about 15 minutes out of town
The positives…
— Much cooler and comfortable climate (22 degrees vs 32 in HCMC)
— Mountain views and massive forests close by
What wasn’t so good…
— Soooo busy, the roads were more chaotic than HCMC
— Endless rubbish around (lots of dead fish in the lake next to town, and people casually throwing bottles in the water)
On a brighter note, here’s a funny story from Da Lat:
I bought some of those long fried dough things, which I know as Chinese Cruller (not sure what Viets call it). People have them with meals, but I like to put jam on them (we buy packets occasionally in Perth).
So I wandered into a fancy condiments shop and bought what I thought was jam. Turns out it was mulberry concentrate! I got outside, opened it, and realised. “Fuck it – it’ll probably still taste good.” So, with a bit of hesitation, I dipped the cruller lightly in the bottle and took a bite. “Mmm, pretty good.”
Some young locals were sitting nearby eating dinner. They saw what I was doing and started smiling – I think one of the girls was giggling. Probably all thinking, “What the hell is this crazy white guy doing?”
Or maybe they respected the innovation, because a few moments later one of the guys offered me a beer. But I’d had already had a few so I politely declined. They kept watching me and smiling as I enjoyed my cruller.
I hope one of them tries cruller with jam. They’ll be hooked. Good little business idea: cruller stand with (savoury + sweet) dipping sauces, to have with coffee/tea.
Not what I wanted, but good enough. Now… off to Da Nang!
This was probably the best leg of our trip.
It’s a beautiful beachy city with mountains/forest nearby. I liked that about Phuket, so it was good to get a similar landscape.
It also seemed to be the exception to the Tet-related busyness of other cities. For some reason, it was way quieter than everywhere else, making it more enjoyable.
It felt like a quieter version of Phuket, but very modern and a bit fancy in parts.
Apparently Da Nang is pretty popular with the digital nomad crowd. Which would explain why there were so many Europeans and Americans around.
By the way, ladies, if you’re looking for a tall man, try Da Nang. The non-local people there seemed to be giants 😅
It’s noticeably cleaner, with visible effort being put into keeping public spaces nice. And new towers are going up everywhere, so that should keep accommodation prices from inflating too much.
In Da Nang we did the following:
— Visited the Lady Buddha and temple complex
— Went to see the dragon bridge. Sadly it wasn’t breathing fire as we weren’t there on the right days 😭
— Browsed around different parts of the city, markets, shops, and places to eat/drink
— Visited marble mountains (which I didn’t find to be that great)
— Went to Hoi An, a very cool ancient town which I would like to stay in longer. I found the lanterns thing pretty but a little overrated, and it was unbelievably busy
— Enjoyed the hotel since it was so nice, despite being cheaper than our other accommodation (last picture is view from the rooftop)
The positives…
— Weather was a perfect 27 degrees every day
— Clean, modern and an easy city to get around (not overly big)
— Very cheap food (lowest prices we saw in Vietnam)
— Roads were calmer, slower, with less traffic
— You can spend time near the modern touristy beachfront, or go across the bridge for more of a local feel (having both so accessible is kinda cool)
What wasn’t so good…
— We had trouble getting a table at restaurants for dinner a couple of times… but that’s about it. The whole stay was really pleasant.
OK, last up, Hanoi!
This part of Vietnam is interesting.
Sometimes it feels like a small town, in other parts a big city – with a mix of character, quirkiness and chaos.
Aside from the usual browsing and eating which we did everywhere, the three most notable things we did were:
— Day trip to Ninh Binh for a boat tour through Trang An – a UNESCO World Heritage site with beautiful waters (and caves), among enormous limestone cliffs and green landscapes. It was truly serene. We should’ve spent more time there – I didn’t realise there was another city nearby with everything you need.
— The water puppet show. I found this to be surprisingly entertaining, cheerful, and full of character. It’s basically short little stories from olden day life in rural Vietnam. They use puppets in a water setting, along with lovely singing and a small orchestra (and a few mythical creatures like dragons thrown in for good measure). It was beautiful in its own way and kind of moving, thinking about life in a much simpler time.
— We visited the famous Train Street for an afternoon of novelty, where you just sit and have a drink and wait for a massive passenger train to pass just a metre from your legs. Just another (of many) examples where such a thing would be shut down in Australia 😂
To avoid repeating things, I’ll keep it simple.
The positives…
— Genuinely unique activities like the water puppet show, Ninh Binh and Train Street.
— Much more of a local vibe. Even though it’s a tourist destination, they don’t exactly cater to tourists if that makes sense – so it feels more authentic in a way.
What wasn’t so good…
— Aside from a couple of exceptions, the people weren’t very nice. We also got short-changed twice, our hotel lied about facilities, tried to upsell us other stuff (tours, etc), and insisted on positive reviews.
— Traffic was horrendous, especially at night anywhere near the town centre (but again, maybe just time of year?).
You’ve probably heard that Vietnam roads operate a little differently to what we’re used to 😉
It’s true. Here’s how I would summarise it…
Traffic lights are thought of as suggested stopping points.
Zebra crossings are a loose idea at best.
And footpaths are only theoretical walkways.
Now yes, there’s the infamous ‘green man’ signal to help you cross the road. But even that won’t save you.
In fact, here’s a little mental hack I learned:
Red Man = Dead Man ☠️
Green Man = Chance of survival above 0% 😂
Transport is different too.
Upon learning they’re having a baby, the average Aussie couple thinks they immediately need an enormous four-wheel drive.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese families are like “You need a car?”
And this was actually a gold standard example. Most of the time, the kids didn’t have helmets on.
By the way, I say all of this with a big smile on my face. It didn’t bother me in the slightest (except maybe the kids without helmets). But the whole thing was pretty amusing. You just accept that things work differently and go with it.
The funny part is, in the entirety of my trip I saw ZERO accidents of any kind. In Perth, I would’ve seen at least half a dozen.
What’s funny is you get better at crossing the roads the longer you’re there. By the end I was a pro, and would see the newbies nervously waiting for a clear road before crossing. I’m thinking “Shit you’re gonna be there a while.” 😅
Here’s a few examples…
— Bahn Mi is often $2-$3
— Coffee (depending on the type) is $1.50-$3
— Beers are usually $1.50-$3 (spirits are sometimes just $3)
— Restaurant meals are about $5
— Grab/Uber is very cheap (say $4 for a 20 minute trip)
— Massages, nails, etc are all under $20
Just like Australia, some places are pricier than others – so it does vary.
If I have to over-generalise based on limited experience and compare Vietnam to Thailand and Malaysia, I’d say this:
— Transport (Grab) is cheap in Vietnam/Malaysia, more expensive in Thailand
— Communication is most difficult in Vietnam, easiest in Malaysia/Thailand
— Accommodation seems to vary, but hotels seem priciest in Malaysia
— Food slightly cheaper in Vietnam, but better in Thailand (personal opinion)
— Drinking is cheaper in Vietnam, most expensive in Malaysia
— Malaysia is the cleanest, Vietnam is the least clean (rubbish and air)
And for some reason, useful signage is almost non-existent in Vietnam, even around tourist attractions, lol.
Overall, this trip cost us roughly $7k, broken down as follows:
$2.7k for all the flights (incl. between all the cities)
$2.3k for hotels
$2k for spending
One interesting thing about Vietnam – and it seems SE Asia in general – is the night-time culture.
In Australia, from 7pm everyone is having dinner and settling in for the night. We just chill, wind down, read, and/or watch Netflix/YouTube/whatever.
In SEA, from 7-11pm, the coffee/tea/juice shops are absolutely packed. There are endless people walking around, eating at all hours, and hanging out with friends and family.
It’s actually great to walk around at night, when there are beautiful lights everywhere and people are being social – there’s a distinct energy to it.
Would Vietnam work for Geo-FIRE?
100% yes. It’s a very cost-friendly place if you have a bit of savings/assets, where you can live an amazing lifestyle for not all that much.
In fact, I’m fairly certain you could live well on about $20k per year. For a lifestyle that would cost you many multiples of that in Australia (since you’d be dining out daily etc).
The most liveable location for me was Da Nang, with HCMC a distant second. But I can imagine that during quieter periods, Hanoi and Da Lat (or other areas) could work.
What makes a place great is often pretty personal.
It comes down to the things you deal with every day:
How warm and friendly the people are. How much you like the food. How easy it is to communicate. How convenient life feels. And how affordable it is.
From our experience, the most glaringly obvious difference between the 3 countries we’ve visited in the last 18 months is the people.
Overwhelmingly, the people seemed far more friendly and warm in Thailand compared to both Malaysia and Vietnam – like night and day difference.
Personally, I find that makes a significant difference in how enjoyable it is to be in a place. It’s far easier to put up with problems and frustrations if the people are lovely to deal with, and when it’s easier to communicate.
Now, maybe we just got unlucky, but it was impossible not to notice.
Aside from that, a few other things finally sank in for me on this trip:
— I cannot trust myself with a buffet breakfast (discipline isn’t gonna work)
— I quickly resent doing ‘work’ when I’m on holiday (combining the two isn’t gonna work)
— I still like to have a routine, otherwise good habits don’t stick
Future trips will be planned with this in mind! 😅
Vietnam is full of interesting places, with each area being unique in its own way.
Overall, it was cheap, a bit chaotic, full of character, and gave me a much better feel for what I enjoy most when travelling.
For me, Da Nang was the clear standout and was the place we didn’t want to leave. HCMC was more developed than I expected, Hanoi had some cool experiences, and Da Lat definitely has potential but probably not somewhere I’d rush back to anytime soon.
At this stage, Thailand is still in the lead for best place in SEA. But I’m very glad we went, and I can see why Vietnam appeals to so many people.
If you’ve been to Vietnam, I’d love to hear what you thought, and what you enjoyed most. And if you’ve got ideas for the next trip, let me know – everyone keeps saying Japan…
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I haven’t been to Vietnam for 10+ years but my rankings and feelings probably mirror yours. Our preference is Thailand in part because there is not a visa issue to consider and immigration entry points seem more organised. Plus they do have cross walks in Thailand which traffic mostly respects. And Thai food, hmm my mouth water thinking about it.
Cheers Vicky. Good point about visas. Oh yeah, Thai food and the people are hard to beat!
Great read Dave!! I too can’t trust myself with a buffet breakfast!! And the friendliness of the people is for me the most important travel criteria!! Thanks for the effort to share your experiences!! Cheers Mark
Haha glad to have found someone else who understands the struggle! 😉
100% mate – I didn’t expect the friendliness difference to be so stark, but it just was, and I realised I really care about that.
My favorite place in Vietnam was Hoi An which is close to Da Nang. So I would agree with your take on that region.
I spent for 9 months in Japan traveling. So if you need advice of tips feel free to hit me up.
The difference with Japan you will need to plan more where you will stay in advance. Most people unless they are taking a ski holiday. Will do a 2 or 3 week loop using the Bullet Train from Tokyo to Hiroshima by bullet train stopping at the main towns on the way like Kyoto, Nagoya and Osaka Then on the way back they will go to either Fuji Kawaguchi or Hakone to explore the country side and see MT Fuji. Then head back to Tokyo.
With transport: you can buy a JR Pass before you leave as a tourist, (To access bullet train) but the price went up a lot recently. It is now not always the cheapest way anymore. Depending on your plan, you might actually save money by just buying individual tickets as you go, or regional JR pass (like the Kansai/Hiroshima pass) combined with a domestic flights. Just watch this with your planning.
Far out 9 months, that’s a hell of a stay!
Thanks for those tips, good to know. With Japan it seems like you can’t do one trip as there’s just so much to see (unless it’s a massive one of course!).
Love vicarious travel! Where did you stay in da nang? I highly recommend Laos and Cambodia.
Thanks for the recommendations, I’ve heard good things about Cambodia from a couple other people too.
Stayed opposite My Khe Beach at Haian Hotel, we were really impressed with it – would stay there again in a heartbeat!
Thanks for sharing. I was in Vietnam 25 years ago, what a change !!
Looks like it might be on my list again!
Thanks for reading Dean. I imagine it’s probably changed quite a lot in the last couple of decades! What are your memories of it like?
Hey Dave,
Another great breakdown as always!
I totally relate to the breakfast buffet as I myself cant be trusted with it either. Otherwise I’d eat like a pig and just devour as much food as possible.
The friendliness of the locals does make a huge difference in terms of the enjoyability, which is probably why Thailand is the most preferred destination amongst digital nomads.
Hahaha! Yeah that makes sense then – it really does change how you experience the place far more than I expected. I guess you feel more easily ‘at home’ or like you fit in and are welcome.
Looking forward to hearing about your own trip mate!
Yeah absolutely when the locals are friendly you feel a lot more comfortable.
Same here looking forward to it as well! I’m most interested about the cost comparison and how it compares to Vietnam, Bangkok and Phuket.
The long donut thing you ate is the same as the Cantonese word, with a slight Vietnamese accent (yàuh ja gwái/yoh-chow-quaay). Translates as “oil fried ghost”, something to do with symbolising spirits and used in offering and rituals.
To me they’re giant chromosomes that are commonly eaten with congee. In fact, each place in SEA will eat it differently—especially Taiwan, where they roll it into an Asian-style breakfast burrito.
I’m gonna go against the grain and suggest you travel to an underdog country mentioned above, where you get the best of both worlds…Japanese and Chinese culture mixed together. Also been told it’s super friendly, plus the young Taiwanese speak much better English than the Viets, probably coz they learn it at school.
Thanks for the extra info Linda! And I appreciate the suggestion, I’ll put Taiwan on the list 🙂
It seems like you are not a fan of big cities so you definitely should’ve spent more time in the North. Nature is where Vietnam shines and people are much friendlier in regional areas. Ha Giang loop is like top 3 travel experience for me but Sapa, Ninh Binh, Cat Ba, Phong Nha are also superb.
I don’t think that’s true. I enjoyed HCMC, Bangkok and KL overall and I’m glad I went. They’re unique in their own way, and I’d also revisit all 3 quite happily.
Ninh binh is pretty awesome, I definitely wish I stayed there longer. Need to go back and see more of rural Vietnam tho I agree 🙂
Hey Dave, have you been to Bali and if so, how does it compare to Thailand/Malaysia/Vietnam?
I have, but a very long time ago and only Kuta/Legian, so it’s hard to compare fairly.
Gotcha. Have you considered relocating to Asia or any other lower cost of living country to stretch your $$ further? if not, what’s the main reason you choose to stay in Aus?
Great question. It’s only really come on my radar as an idea in recent years since we don’t have our dog anymore. I definitely think it’s a viable and appealing strategy. No major reason really, just comfortable I guess. I did float the idea by Mrs SMA but she wasn’t really keen 😉
Having visited Thailand a few times, and struggled with some of these issues: walking in Bangkok was horrendous, definitely dirtier than I expected- I can safely conclude I will not enjoy Vietnam (I was already suspecting as much). And hearing people are much less pleasant and communication is difficult seals the deal for me! Thailand was borderline too third world country for me. Thanks for saving me the trip!
Yeah that’s fair, as great as you hear some of these places are, they definitely have their faults. As another reader said, rural Vietnam is likely to be much different, but the language barrier I imagine would be even more noticeable.
HI Dave, any plans to travel to China? love to see your experience there.
No immediate plans, but I would like to. My Chinese friend reckons I’d love the natural areas – though I’d probably need a guide. I may try convince him to take me, haha. Any suggestions or tips around that?
As a fulltime budget traveller (left Oz Feb 2025), I have spent most of my time in the Balkan area of Europe, Turkiye, Morocco – I’ve discovered that Australia is very tame at night. In all of the countries I have travelled through (except maybe Cyprus) – night activity is very vibrant any night of the week. This was an eye-opener for me too! It’s been many years since I was in SEA – but it’s good to get the recap of what you discovered, thank you.
Hey Kerrin, thanks for sharing – what a cool adventure that must be! Any brief observations/notes you can share? It’s such a strange contrast – I’m guessing it’s probably similar across the West with the UK, NZ, US being similar.