I came to Vietnam for three weeks right before the pandemic and was stuck here for two years. Motorbiked up and down the country and spent the rest of the time flying to wherever it was driest. Amazing place, I’ve been back once or twice a year and it feels like another home.

WEATHER: Make sure to check local weather before booking. It’s always dry and hot somewhere. But the monsoon seasons differ by region and could literally rain on your parade.

LANGUAGE: In major cities and Westernized places you’ll be fine with English but to really get the best of it you should learn a few key phrases. Google Translate not the most reliable.

CASH: You will need cash at all street vendors and stalls, petrol and some non-touristy shops. Getting a Wise card is a good strategy because each country has ATMs you can get money out without fees. In Vietnam it’s VietBank, TPBank and VPBank.

CHAT: Zalo is the primary chat app. Most places also utilize WhatsApp but Zalo gives you an edge.

RIDESHARE: Grab is the go-to rideshare. It’s worth paying for the Unlimited for a month and always check Offers at the bottom because there’s inexplicable.
Can also be use for food delivery.

SIM: If you’re getting a sim I found VIETTEL to be the most reliable network but it depends where you are.

GPS: MyMaps.me is always good resource for downloading maps/directions you can use without data.