We closed out our round-the-world trip with three weeks* in Vietnam. We had planned to spend a whole month there (the length of our visa), then travel through Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand before arranging a long layover in either South Korea or Japan during our trip back to the U.S. We also thought we might use our accrued points from a year of travel to upgrade that final flight to treat ourselves to first class for the first time! Alas, it was not to be. If you remember March 2020, travel was a little difficult then. 😉 But you can read all about our long journey home during covid here. For today, let’s review how much our Vietnam trip cost.
Note: Because our trip was cut a little short, we didn’t make it to any of the popular spots in Northern Vietnam (e.g. Hanoi, Halong Bay and Sapa). Instead, our travel was focused in South and Central Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City also known as Saigon, Da Lat, Hoi An and Da Nang).
*Jonathan’s parents joined us for our third week in Vietnam (spent in Da Nang and Hoi An) and were very generous in paying for our hotel and some other expenses, so I’m only detailing the spending for our first 15 days in this post to paint a more accurate picture of how much it costs to visit Vietnam.
Vietnam: $1,983.82
Transportation: $135.87
Surprisingly, we rarely paid for transportation in Vietnam. (I say surprisingly because throughout the rest of Southeast Asia, we were much more likely to use taxis or tuk-tuks than we had in more expensive places like Europe, where we almost always walked or took local public transit when needed.) All of our transportation expenses in Vietnam occurred when traveling between cities; otherwise, we walked everywhere within the towns where we stayed. We took a bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat for 572,000 VND (~$25 USD) for both of us, then took a short Grab to our accommodations from the bus station. We considered taking another bus through the same company from Da Lat to Da Nang, but opted to fly instead to save time ($73.38 USD for both of us). Our taxis to and from the airports in each city cost about $16 USD. Average: $9.06/day.
Lodging: $590.33
As with most places we visited on this trip, you can spend a lot less than this on your Vietnam lodging. But we were doing really well on our overall RTW budget and stayed in very comfortable and private places in Vietnam! Accommodations included a boutique hotel in Ho Chi Minh City (~$22 USD/night), two Airbnbs in Da Lat (~$26/night) and one of our favorite hotels of the entire year: La Siesta Resort Hoi An Resort & Spa. When I think back to this hotel, I always assume we booked it with points, but nope: It really was only $60/night! In Da Nang, we stayed at the Jolia Hotel (super friendly staff and nice clean rooms close to the beach) with Jonathan’s parents, which would have cost about $24/night (not included in this total). Average: $39.36/night.
Eating out + groceries: $423.11 + $40.94
As was our trend during our RTW trip, our “groceries” consisted mostly of potato chips and we enjoyed eating at a variety of restaurants and food stalls for almost all our meals. Average: $30.94/day.
Treats: $168.20
We like treats, so this category includes any coffee, dessert or alcohol that was not purchased as part of a meal (or a grocery run). This was mostly—you guessed it!—iced coffee. We loved exploring the coffee culture in Vietnam, especially in Da Lat, where our primary activity was visiting multiple coffeeshops each day! Average: $11.21/day.
Personal care: $4.26
We had already stocked up on toiletries in the previous weeks and one of our apartments in Da Lat had laundry (a true luxury!), so our personal expenses were extremely low in Vietnam: just a couple of gym passes. Average: $0.28/day.
Entertainment (tours, etc.): $296.45
The majority of this expense was indulging in four-hour spa treatments at La Siesta for Megan’s birthday (~$107 USD each). We also did a guided tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels from Ho Chi Minh City (~$30/person). Average: $19.76/day.
Gifts & souvenirs: $181.89
Most of this spending was on custom-made clothing in Hoi An (which is known for its many tailoring shops), including a silk bridesmaid’s dress for Megan for a friend’s upcoming wedding, some dress shirts for Jonathan, and a few items of casual clothing. Average: $12.13/day.
Travel insurance: $88.95
We had travel insurance through World Nomads for $5.93/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.
Other: $53.82
Our Vietnam tourist visas cost $25 USD each (we applied for ours directly, or you can use a service like iVisa if you feel more comfortable), plus we paid a small amount for processing at the Cambodia/Vietnam border (required for many cross-border bus services). Average: $2.92/day
Total: $132.25/day = $66.13/person* per day
Feature image: Cafe Apartments in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (February 2020)
*Did you know we have a page on the blog completely dedicated to Money & Budgeting? We also list our country-specific costs on this page, but those numbers might differ a bit from the numbers shown here. The numbers in our detailed budgeting posts (like this one) are a true reflection of what we personally spent on our trip. The numbers on the Money & Budgeting page are meant to reflect what a typical tourist traveling at our comfort level can expect to spend.
Of course, you can always spend far less (or far more) than the numbers listed here or on our Money & Budgeting page. These figures are provided as a loose guide to help you plan travels within your budget range.
