You’re going on holiday to Vietnam, I’m so jealous. We love travelling to Vietnam – we lived in Hoi An twice – it’s a really special place, and the food…here’s our favourite food to eat in Hoi An, it’s amazing. This Vietnam packing list will help you plan for your Vietnam holiday and make sure you have everything you need. But also, don’t worry of you forget something (apart from passport and visa) as you can get just about everything you need – and more – in Vietnam.
I’ve started group trips to Vietnam for solo mum families and women only – find out more at www.mumpacktrips.com.au
Check your passport validity and blank pages
You need six months validity on your passport to enter Vietnam and and you need at least one bank page. Once you’ve checked your passport, keep it somewhere safe that you will remember.
Do you need a Vietnam visa?
Many nationalities – including Australians – require to organise their visa before they travel. You won’t be able to enter Vietnam without it – in fact, you won’t even be allowed on the plane. A few nationalities – like travellers from France, Great Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy – can enter Vietnam Visa-free for up to 15 days but it’s important to check this information yourself in case it changes. Look up your Foreign Affairs Department’s information or check with the Vietnamese consulate.
We’ve always bought our visas online as we were travelling and it was much easier. It turns out it’s also so much cheaper – $25 compared to up to $120 USD to get it at the consulate. This is the government e-visa site, and not only is it cheaper, it saves time as you don’t have to travel to the consulate to sort it out.
Check costs
Do you know how much your flights will cost? You can get an idea on Skyscanner (then I recommend booking direct with the airline) and check out accommodation on booking.com. We stayed at some lovely family run guesthouses in Hoi An (with pool and breakfast) for around $20 a night, and there are also beautiful mid-range and luxury accommodation too. Get an idea for how much you would expect to pay for the standard of accommodation you’re after.
Get our safety guide for everything you need to know about traveling safe.
Download our safety guide ($18 AUD) which tells you everything you need to know about traveling safely from planning your trip through to health, food, wellness, safety with children, scams to look out for and so much more. Download it here.
Get a local SIM
I always get a local SIM, it’s so cheap and you then have wifi at all times, and don’t run the risk of a huge bill when you get home. You can preorder your Vietnam SIM with Klook and pick it up at the airport – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) or Danang. It costs around $10 and saves time and money. Order yours here.
Get your Travel Insurance
Honestly, you are taking a huge risk if you travel without insurance. Over the years my travel insurance has helped me get out of Egypt after terrorist attacks, reimbursed me for medical costs like my burst eardrum and given me a good percentage back after everything we had was stolen in Spain. Always read the Product Description Statement – it sounds boring but you need to know the detail and exactly what you’re covered for, and make sure it has good health cover. We use Cover-More. But I have just found an amazing insurer called Southern Cross who is much cheaper and helped us when Emmie was sick in Tokyo recently (Feb 2023).
Protect your data and watch shows from home with a VPN
I always use a VPN – it’s a Virtual Private Network and it protects your data when you’re using public wifi (like at a shopping centre or hotel), it enables you to by-pass censorship and you can also use it to watch shows from home by bypassing regional broadcast restrictions. I use Express VPN, it’s about $13 for the month and you can use it on multiple devices. Its super easy to use too. Find out more here and buy yours here.
What to pack
This is a really detailed packing guide for traveling carry on and I think it’s the best guide to what to take with you, simply because it’s the best foundation list, and if you are checking bags in and feel the need you can add to it, with a snorkel for example, or a book you want to read. This is a sample packing list for a trip I took to Malaysia recently with 10 kilos of carry on luggage, and my last trip to Vietnam was with on seven kilos. It can be done! Check out these five things you need when traveling with carry on.
You really don’t need much in Vietnam and you can but a lot of really nice little dresses, tops, shorts and skirts there, and get them made too, especially if you’re in Hoi An.
Toiletries
Remember if you’re traveling carry-on that your liquids must be less than 100ml each. When I’m flying I use the Ultraceuticals Ultra Replenishing Mask, you can put it on thick so it protects your skin, and it absorbs all the way in. So, so good. Take small bottles of moisturiser too for your body, and I like to take essential oil to dab on my mask or under my nose so I don’t smell those stinky passenger smells. I have a full list of travel toiletries I love here.
Medical
Always take a small medical bag with you – we always have Panadol, betadine, Hydrolite – you have to be some careful of dehydration especially with small kids – and bandaids. Sometimes, if we are traveling for a while I will fill an antibiotics script and have them with me just in case. Make sure to take any medication you need with you, and if you think necessary, get a letter from your doctor.
What shoes to take?
These are my favourite shoes for travel. I still wear Oofos and the Archies everywhere, and the Sketchers too. I tried a different style and they were not good for my joints weirdly, and so now I’m back on OG sketchers Go shoe again.
