Can I really afford this???

Hello Glen 😊

Yes, that is enough, for a backpacker trip. I think you could stay longer even with that much. I think you would need 10 to 15 pounds per day. Allow some for the visa and to extend the visa.

Maybe somebody who lives there or has been there recently will post some costs and prices here.

Mel Reply to this

Hi Glenn

Is it just you travelling?

You can get a dorm bed in the cities for about $7 a night. You can get a cheap double room for $10 in most places. In the big cities that room may be abit old and stinky though! To rent rooms to tourists in VN, they must provide air con, a tv and a bathroom (or something like that) so you don't get the dirt cheap,mattress on the floor places that you can in Thailand.

An open tour bus ticket from Hanoi to HCMC, stopping at various places along the way is looking at about $25, depending on where you want to stop. A beer in a cheap bar is around $1. A nice meal in an cheap restaurant is about $3. For street food you are looking at about 50 cents for a baguette with a filling, about $1 for a noodle or fried rice dish.

Add in some trips, because much as you might be happy roughing it, there isn't alot of point coming here if you don't want to see any of the country! A day trip is between $5-10. There are 3 day trips along the Mekong advertised for $29. A cheap overnight on Halong Bay will be about $15-20.

Sorry, this is all in dollars, I can't do with trying to translate it into pounds, and I don't have a pound sign on my keyboard!

The visa is actually the stinker, because in my opinion it's pricey. It's about 30-40 UK pounds for a 30 day visa, depending on where you buy it from. I don't think you can get a two month visa. You will have to get a 30 day visa and extend it in the country. But I might be wrong on that one. Check on the Vietnam embassy website in the Uk.

Don't worry, your budget sounds fine to me. Have you looked at Red River's guide to travel in Vietnam .

Hope this helps

Kate


Reply to this

Hi

With the open bus you buy a ticket for the whole route and get off where you have predecided. But you can also just buy tickets as and when between which ever places you feel like. It's slightly more expensive that way but not alot more.

Flights within Asia are pretty cheap, check out air air asia prices from HCMC to Bangkok. It will probably be cheaper to fly, but it depends whether you want to see Cambodia as well.....

Kate Reply to this

So i guess the million dollar question is which is better cambodia or vietnam??? Reply to this

yes, u do need to apply a Vietnam visa...here are some info about how to obtain a Vietnam Visa...(Article extracted from 'Asia Travel Visa' on Facebook.)

For people who rarely travel, getting a Visa seems like such a hassle, but please don’t worry, as you do have several options. Let's discuss the three approaches that you can explore to obtain a Visa:

i. Apply from an embassy
If you are planning to visit Vietnam, you can apply for Visa at the Vietnamese embassy or consulate in your country. To search for an embassy near you, just use key words like 'Vietnam Embassy in (your country).’ If you can't find one, you can post your passport to a neighbouring country. Do check with the embassy before you post, or ask a travel agent if they can arrange a Visa run, which is basically the same thing, only they go to the embassy for you. With an embassy application, sometimes, you’ll be asked to attend an interview. Once the embassy issues the Visa, it will be stuck onto your passport before you leave the country.

ii. Visa on arrival
Some countries offer a ‘Visa on arrival’ (VOA) or ‘on-ground Visa’ option. The VOA counter will be clearly marked at the airport. Basically, your Visa will be stamped on your passport when you enter the country you are visiting. Usually, you will need to pay a stamping fee.

Some countries, like China, for example, require their citizens to show a valid Visa before flying out from country. In these cases, Vietnam can issue a pre-approval letter, approval code or invitation letter, which will verify that you will get a Visa on arrival.

iii. Electronic Visa
Countries like Cambodia and Australia have electronic Visas or e-Visas. Your application is performed online, and once approved, your Visa can be obtained by email or by downloading it from their website. You just need to print it out and attach it to your passport.

(Article extracted from 'Asia Travel Visa' on Facebook.) Reply to this