Trip to Vietnam
Vietnam packing checklist: e-visa, dong banknotes without zero confusion, region-by-region climate, safe street food and scooter rental. The list adapts to your answers.

[ ] Check your passport validity
    Vietnam requires at least 6 months of passport validity from the date of entry.
[ ] Check visa: exemption or e-visa
    Some nationalities get 15–45 days visa-free; others need the e-visa from evisa.gov.vn (issued online in a few days). Rules change — double-check for your passport before booking.
[ ] Buy travel insurance
    Check whether the policy covers scooter riding — most basic plans exclude it, and scooters are the top source of tourist injuries in Vietnam.
[ ] Save tickets and bookings offline
    Immigration may ask for a return ticket. Keep booking screenshots plus your first hotel's address handy.
[ ] Bring some US dollars in cash
    Cards work in cities, but markets, street food and rural areas run on cash. Gold shops and city banks beat airport exchange rates; crisp bills get better treatment.
[ ] Learn the dong banknotes
    One dollar is roughly 25,000 dong, with notes from 1,000 to 500,000. The 20,000 and 500,000 notes look confusingly similar — count your change slowly.
[ ] Make copies of your documents
    Photograph passport, visa and entry stamp to cloud storage. Hotels often keep passports «for registration» — collect yours back the next day.
[ ] Check your region's climate for your dates
    Vietnam stretches 1,600 km: Hanoi, Da Nang and Phu Quoc have different weather in the same month — northern winters hit +15°C while the south sits at +32°C. Check your specific region, not «Vietnam».
[ ] Pack a first aid kit
    Sorbent, oral rehydration salts, anti-diarrheal, fever reducer, antiseptic, plasters. Pharmacies are everywhere, but you'll be explaining symptoms in sign language.
[ ] Buy repellent with 30%+ DEET
    Dengue circulates year-round, worst in the south during the rainy season. Apply at dusk, in greenery and near water.
[ ] Sunscreen SPF 50
    You can burn through the haze on a beach or a Ha Long Bay deck. Pack panthenol or aloe for after-sun.
[ ] Drink bottled water only
    Skip the tap water. Iced coffee and tea at proper cafés are fine — they use factory ice, the cylindrical kind with a hole.
[ ] Pick street food stalls with a queue
    Simple rule: eat where locals queue and food is cooked fresh over fire in front of you. Skip empty stalls with pre-cooked trays.
[ ] Light clothes + a layer and rain poncho
    Cotton and linen by day, a layer for AC and northern evenings, and a rain poncho — downpours arrive fast, and locals ride scooters in ponchos whole families at a time.
[ ] Sandals + closed shoes
    Sandals for city and beach; sneakers for Sapa, Phong Nha caves and trekking. Shoes come off entering homes and many cafés.
[ ] Chargers: check your plug type
    Vietnamese sockets take both round European and flat US pins — most travelers need no adapter. UK plugs do.
[ ] Set up an eSIM or buy a local SIM
    Viettel has the best coverage; tourist packages sell at the airport. An eSIM (Airalo and similar) skips the counter queue.
[ ] Install Grab
    Rides and moto-taxis with upfront pricing — cheaper and calmer than street haggling. In Saigon traffic a GrabBike beats a car twofold.
[ ] Learn the road-crossing rule
    The scooter stream won't stop — it's not supposed to. Walk slowly and predictably, no darting or freezing mid-step: bikes flow around you like water. Sudden moves are the only danger.
[ ] Download offline maps and a translator
    Vietnamese diacritics defeat intuition, and English is rare off the tourist trail. A camera translator for menus is a must.
[ ] Check in online for your flight
    Opens 24–36 hours out. Free seats together go right at opening.
[ ] Kids' documents
    Their own passport (6-month validity) and their own e-visa if you need one. Birth certificate if surnames differ.
[ ] Kids' first aid kit
    Child-dose fever reducer, kids' tummy remedies, thermometer. Child-formulated repellent — adult DEET strength isn't for kids.
[ ] Kids' sun protection
    Kids' SPF 50+, a UPF swim shirt, sun hat. Kids' skin burns in 15 minutes.
[ ] Snacks and entertainment for the road
    It's a long flight, often with a layover. Offline cartoons, new toys, familiar snacks — pho takes kids time to appreciate.
[ ] Bring an IDP with motorcycle category
    Without an International Driving Permit with motorcycle category you're uninsured and technically illegal. Get the IDP at home.
[ ] Helmet — always
    Even locals get fined for riding helmetless. Ask the rental for an intact helmet with a working strap.
[ ] Video the scooter at pickup
    Scratches, mirrors, mileage — all on camera before riding off. Never leave your passport as deposit — cash or a copy.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/vietnam