1. Do You Need a Visa?

It depends on your country. Since 2025, Vietnam lets citizens of 24 countries enter without a visa for up to 45 days. This includes Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Poland, and about 15 other European countries.

If your country isn't on that list, you'll need an e-visa. This is easy: you apply online at evisa.gov.vn, pay about USD 25, and get approved within about a week. Either way, make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 more months and has a blank page for the stamp.

2. How to Get There

Vietnam Airlines flies direct from London, Paris, Frankfurt and Munich to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. The flight takes about 11-13 hours. If you're flying from somewhere else in Europe, a one-stop flight through Doha, Istanbul, Dubai or Singapore is usually cheaper and only adds a short stopover.

Tip: try to book a flight that lands in Vietnam in the evening. That way you get a full night's sleep before your first day of sightseeing, instead of arriving exhausted at dawn.

3. Best Time to Visit

From November to March, it's warm and dry in Central and Southern Vietnam — great for Da Nang, Hoi An and Phu Quoc. The north (Hanoi, Sapa) is cooler during these months, but still pleasant, not cold. This is exactly when most Europeans travel, since it lines up with winter back home. If you can be flexible, March-April and September-October usually have the nicest weather across the whole country.

4. Money and Costs

Vietnam uses the Vietnamese Dong (VND). Cards work fine in cities, but bring some cash for markets and small restaurants. Tipping isn't required but is appreciated for guides and drivers. The best part: prices here are much lower than in Europe. A private driver, a boutique cruise cabin, and dinner at a top restaurant in Hanoi can together cost less than one night in a nice hotel in Paris or Milan.

5. Private Tour or Group Bus Tour?

A big bus tour means fixed wake-up times, fixed stops, and moving at the pace of the slowest person in the group. Most people find this frustrating after a day or two. A private tour fixes this — you get your own car and your own guide, and the schedule is built around you. Want to sleep in? Stay longer somewhere? No problem. If you'd rather share the cost with a few other people while keeping this same flexibility, a small group tour is a good middle option.

6. A Simple 14-Day Route

Since you're flying so far, it's worth seeing more than one region. A good 14-day route: start in Hanoi's Old Quarter, take an overnight cruise on Halong Bay, spend 2 days in Sapa's mountains, see the Golden Bridge near Da Nang, visit Hue's old royal palace, walk through Hoi An's lantern-lit streets, and finish with beach time on Phu Quoc Island. On a private tour, every hotel can be upgraded to 5-star, and you can slow down anywhere you like.

FAQ