Advice on Vietnam
 

Hi all,
We are about to travel through Vietnam (this January) and wondered if anyone can give us some travel tips please?
Specifically what is it like to travel the buses (we want to get from Hanoi down to Hi Chi Minh and am trying to avoid flying as want to see things on the way). We're no spring chickens anymore so if they are a bit rough and ready please say. We need the buses (coaches) to have a toilet and be pretty clean. Also how long would it take and if you don't recommend the buses is there another way to travel the country (agian having the flexibility to visit places on the way down)?

Also in terms of paying for things, I assume hotels and restaurants take credt cards, but what about for buying lunch and drinks at a bar - do I need to carry cash for that?

Finally how does the electrics work - we are coming from the UK and want to bring some electricals (eg a clothes steamer) but not sure if its just a case of seeing if they are 230V or do I need to understand frequencies etc?

Thanks a lot
Matthew

Welcome to Fodors Matthew.

The first tip I would offer is not to travel by bus! They are inherently unsafe, not very comfortable and if you find a working toilet, it will be a minor miracle! Far better to utilise the train system which will take you all the way from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City (or vice versa) in reasonable comfort. There are toilets at either end of each carriage and whilst they start off reasonably clean, they wont be by the end of an overnight journey.

We have travelled the length of the country by train several times stopping off at various places along the way. Most longer journeys are scheduled overnight so you save on accommodation costs and usable time. We always book the lower berths in a "soft sleeper" compartment. Pretty much all you need to know about train travel in the country @ https://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm

En route between Hanoi and Saigon there are many places you could stop off and visit where depends upon your interests and the time of year (the weather varies tremendously by region) . here is a link to the blog of our travels which may provide a few ideas https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/ . Happy to answer any specific questions you may have. Most people will want to spend time in Hanoi and Saigon and do some side trips from those cities. Usually this will be the villages and mountains in the north and the Mekong Delta in the south.

Hue, the old imperial capital is a lovely city mid way between Hanoi and Saigon. Hoi An is nearby and very quaint (and very touristy) . Phong Nha Khe Be and it magnificent cave system is also the that area.

As far as money is concerned. yes, hotels and larger restaurants take cards. In smaller places, cash is king. You can withdraw cash at ATMs subject to a fee. Make sure you take cards that dont charge a foreign exchange fee. Another option is to take cash and exchange at one of the "gold shops" in the cities. Sterling is fine, but take new notes only. fx rate are competitive everywhere (even at airports).

As long as you bring relatively new electrical gear ( <10 years) you don't need to worry about frequencies of voltages, just bring an international adapter. If you dont have one get one from Sainsburys , Tescos or Amazon.

I usually book hotel accommodation through booking.com or Expedia always on a fully refundable basis just incase our plans change.

Vietnam is best enjoyed at a relatively slow pace so I would suggest not trying to pack in to many destinations into whatever time you have.

Cash is king so bring your currency to exchange for VND and use ATMs to withdraw money in Vietnam.
Train for long distance and bus for short distance is advised.

Thanks for your replies, very helpful. And do you think my clothes steamer will be ok there? My wife really wants to take but I'm a little guarded about electricals in other countries (unsure about voltages, frequencies, etc)

As I said in my previous response, as long as it is relatively new, it won’t be a problem. In the uk we use 240v so equipment from there will be fine . I understand that Americans sometimes have problems as there standard Volta is something like 110 v and converters may be needed.

PS , I think you will find there is enough humidity in Vietnam without bringing your own 😉

Yeah I know what you mean about the US - we had a travel kettle and it took about 20 mins to 'boil' - I say 'boil' as it never really reached boiling point! ;)

Presume ATMs charge?

Also can I ask about Hoi An - we are stopping there and thinking about going to the island of Cu Lao Cham - is it any good (I mean we like noce country walks and quiet bars)?

Cham island is worth a visit while you are in Hoian!

ATMs do charge and those charges do vary by bank and location. I hesitate to suggest a specific bank as the charges do seem to change regularly. Typically they are somewhere between 25 and 100k dong. maximum withdrawal limits seem to vary as well. I tend to seek out HSBC and Citibank machines as they seem to have the highest max withdrawals, around 8-10 m.

I wouldn’t go expecting anything quiet in Hoi An. It has long been overrun with tourists, especially Chinese tour groups from the strip of mega hotels just up the cost towards Da Nang. It is many years since I visited the Cham Islands and they were quite nice back then but I suspect they to have significant numbers of visitors on group tours.

Guarded, as you should be. You mentioned 230V in your OP. Am thinking that you asked about 230V because you know that your electricity comes in at 230V. That is, I think you did not get it from the steamer.

Inspect tbe steamer and cord. A magnifying glass will probably be necessary. If there is a tag on the power cord then look there first. Inspect the body of the thing all around, especially on the bottom and back. The electrical compatibility might be on a sticker or it might be printed or stamped into the metal or plastic body and it could be in the same color and hard to see. Look on the power adapter (brick) if there is one.

I would expect it to say 220-240V at 50-60Hz. In that case you are good to use it in Vietnam. Same if it actually says 230V. Maybe it will say 100-240V and then you could use it anywhere in the world. You might need a plug adapter, see below.

You could also try googling the make/model to find the info, but better to read it off of the thing. Of course, unplug it when not in use.

---- from the internet:
Vietnam's electricity voltage is220 Volt at 50Hz.
Austria operates on a 230V supply voltage and 50Hz.

Vietnam uses the Type F plug
For Austria there are two associated plug types, types C and F. Plug type C is the plug which has two round pins and plug type F is the plug which has two round pins with two earth clips on the side.

...
There are universal plug adapters.

Great thanks for you reply!

ok, so what voltage range does your steamer use?