When I stepped out onto the balcony in the morning, the first thing I saw was the boat that a few people were rowing through the flooded street. I was suddenly awake. At night the rain drumming wildly on the roof lulled us to sleep. The next day, rainfall had flooded the entire city of Hue. Dressed in brightly colored rain capes, the locals waded through the streets – some in water up to their waists – or moved through the masses of water in wooden boats. Continuing our journey was out of the question, we were stuck in the former imperial city. We still had to go into the floods because by the evening at the latest we were almost unbearable. We stood in water up to our knees. An exceptional situation for us – a normal occurrence for the locals during the rainy season.
A student led us to a small kiosk where we stocked up on gigantic quantities of cookies and chips. Nobody knew how long the flood would last. The persistent rain gave little hope for improvement. Our host, who was handing out candles that evening due to the power outage, suggested that we should be prepared for up to a week of flooding. Contrary to expectations, the next morning so much water had drained away that we were able to escape through the remaining flood to the bus stop in rubber slippers that we had bought in a shop next to our accommodation. Admittedly with 20 kilos of luggage and in places still knee-high in water – but at least we continued.
The former imperial city of Hue is located in central Vietnam and marked about half of our three-week trip through the Southeast Asian country. A land full of colorful lanterns, tiny plastic chairs, fantastic coffee, blaring pop music, incense sticks – and impressive landscapes. The area of Vietnam is narrow, but very long: 1,650 kilometers from north to south, including 3,260 kilometers of coastline. The country passes through different climate zones. Tropical forests line up with sandy beaches, mountain ranges and rice fields. In between, emerging metropolises and original villages. Because of its long area, Vietnam is ideal for traveling from north to south or vice versa. The most important tips and highlights for a tour of the Southeast Asian country.
Vietnam increased visa-free entry for German citizens to 45 days last year. A passport is sufficient for a journey that does not exceed this time frame. When you enter the country, the authorities usually want to see your return or onward flight tickets, so you should have these ready. If you are planning a longer stay, you can apply for the visa on the Vietnamese immigration website or via a visa agency.
Although there are no compulsory vaccinations for entry, a few immunizations are important. You should refresh your vaccination protection, especially against hepatitis A, B and rabies. Immunization against dengue fever, typhus and Japanese encephalitis can also be useful. It is best to seek advice from your family doctor or a tropical medicine specialist.
The first thing we did when we arrived at the airport was get a Vietnamese SIM card. We paid just under 15 euros for one month of unlimited data. The price is a few euros cheaper if you get the SIM card in the city. A Vietnamese SIM card is absolutely recommended if you plan to travel around the country a lot. Even though there is WiFi in most restaurants and cafés, with your own internet you are independent and can always look for directions or order a (Grab) taxi. The mobile phone network is extremely well developed, so you always have fast internet almost everywhere in the country.
To move between different destinations, there is no better means of transport than the sleeper buses. Instead of a seat, each guest is assigned a lounger – including a pillow and blanket – on which they can make themselves comfortable. The prices are very cheap. You pay around three to four euros per 100 kilometers. You can book the tickets either on site, but it is better to buy them in advance, for example via the 12GoAsia platform. So that you can sleep in peace and not be disturbed by the loud TikTok videos of your fellow travelers, you should bring headphones or earplugs.
The quickest and most flexible way to explore the surrounding area is with a scooter. There are rental shops on every corner. However, all Vietnamese traffic takes place on mopeds – and that’s tough. We had too much respect (actually, rather fear) to mingle with the countless locals who drive wildly, often barely missing each other and honking to indicate who has the right of way. Instead of going on one of the vehicles ourselves, we often rented bicycles. We covered longer distances by grave. Grab is essentially the Vietnamese Uber and one of the most important apps you should get when traveling in the country. You can use Grab to hail dirt-cheap taxis at any time and almost anywhere.
The climate is tropical throughout Vietnam, but the country is divided into three different climate zones, the interaction of which makes it difficult to determine the best time to travel. In the tropical south, temperatures are around 30 degrees all year round, February to May are the hottest months with up to 35 degrees, and the rainy season is from June to October. The most pleasant months are November, December and January: the rain subsides and temperatures average 30 degrees.
In the north, the dry season runs from November to April. The temperatures are significantly milder at 18-26 degrees. The months of May to October are rather humid at 25 to 33 degrees, and typhoons can also occur in September and October, which cause floods and floods with strong winds and heavy rain. In central Vietnam, where both climate zones meet, it rains even more. Typhoons are not uncommon, especially in September, October and November. From January to August it is drier and sometimes very warm at 26 to 35 degrees. In summary, as a rough rule of thumb, the German winter and spring months are best suited for a trip to Vietnam.
You pay for Vietnam with dongs. One euro is equivalent to around 26,000 Vietnamese dong (as of January 2024). Ideally, you should have this ready in cash – card payments are not widespread outside of larger cities. Even in the accommodation, cash payments are usually expected. If you want to withdraw a large amount of money, you will quickly reach your limits. Most ATMs do not allow more than 80 euros (two million dong). However, two million dong should be enough for a few days. An overnight stay – whether in a hostel or boutique hotel – costs around three to ten euros, a coffee or a beer around one euro, lunch no more than six euros and entrance fees to cultural sites no more than five euros.
You are welcome to trade at markets or in local souvenir shops. The Vietnamese generally set prices for foreigners significantly higher than for locals. Some sellers are very pushy and don’t want to let tourists leave before they buy something. The only thing that helps is a clear no. You should also be careful with women who carry baskets full of fruit over their shoulders and offer themselves as a photo opportunity. You usually get a banana in your hand afterwards, but the price the ladies charge for a picture is clearly exaggerated at ten euros.
English is not very widely spoken in Vietnam. Even in big cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Hoi An, many locals only speak fragments of English. Some can express themselves excellently in the foreign language, most only know the basics, if at all. Hardly anyone outside the cities can speak English. In our conversations with locals, in addition to gestures, we were particularly helped by Google Translator, which we could use at any time thanks to the SIM card. Without the tool we would have been pretty lost at times. Another point that speaks in favor of a SIM card.
The inhabitants of Vietnam are largely atheistic. Around 80 to 90 percent officially do not follow any religion. Five percent each belong to Christianity and Buddhism. Although the majority do not belong to any of the major religious denominations, the people of Vietnam are anything but unbelieving. In fact, almost every household celebrates “folk religion.” It is a set of worship practices dedicated to superior gods or ancestors.
Almost every family has an altar at home decorated with photos of the deceased and various spiritual symbols. There are also small shrines with god figures and incense sticks in restaurants, markets and shops. In the morning, fruit, cookies, water, coffee, banknotes or other “offerings” are placed there. This is how you ask the god of wealth for a successful business day, a young Vietnamese woman who was waiting tables in a restaurant in Hanoi explained to me. Even on the side of the road you can often find improvised altars or – as a minimal version – a few incense sticks in a flower pot.
Perhaps the best comes at the end: the Vietnamese cuisine, which is at least as rich and diverse as the landscape. Traditionally, people cook with lots of fresh vegetables, mushrooms, herbs and spices, which makes the country’s typical dishes incredibly aromatic. There is also rice, (rice) noodles, tofu, meat (usually beef, pork or poultry) or fish. If you leave out the animal component, most dishes are also vegan. Eating a plant-based diet is not a problem in Vietnam anyway. Vegetarian restaurants, which are declared as such, are everywhere. In addition to classics like “Pho” (Vietnamese noodle soup), summer rolls and “Banh Mi” (Vietnamese baguette – by far the most popular street food), I recommend “Banh Xeo”, a crispy pancake made from rice flour. And coffee!
Vietnam is the only country in Southeast Asia with a strong coffee culture. Traditionally, the ground beans are brewed through a metal filter (“phin” in Vietnamese). The result is “Ca Phe Sua Da”, black and very strong coffee. The locals use this to prepare all sorts of coffee specialties. For example, the famous Egg Coffee: coffee with condensed milk and a beaten egg yolk (tastes like eggnog). Or Coconut Coffee: A mixture of coconut cream that is made into a kind of coconut frappe with crushed ice and then poured over with coffee. This sweet, caffeinated drink quickly became my travel staple.
Sources: Federal Foreign Office, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Statista, “Urlaubsguru”, “Wetter.de”
