First time in Vietnam: Things to know before you go | Vietnam Travel Guide

Ep.83 We had very different experiences in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, but there many tips apply to both. Join us as we explore the history, food, culture, chocolate, and coffee of Vietnam. This is everything you need to know as a first-time visitor to this country.

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Chapters:
00:00 - Start
00:49 - Visas and traveling to Vietnam
02:20 - What to know when visiting Vietnam
04:34 - Traffic troubles in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
05:40 - Please share tips about Central Vietnam
06:07 - Vietnamese coffee culture
08:45 - Vietnam has survived several wars
09:37 - French architecture and influence in Vietnam
10:31 - Delicious Vietnamese chocolate
11:30 - The many cuisines in Vietnam
14:44 - What we paid in Vietnam

Finding Gina Marie is where we share our lives as full-time travelers and the connections we make along the way.

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📹 VIDEO EQUIPMENT
* Primary Camera: Sony FX30
* B-Roll Camera: iPhone 14 Pro
* Editing: Final Cut Pro X on a 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro
* Key Light: ZHIYUN MOLUS X100 Bi-Color 100W COB Video Light
* Diffuser: ZHIYUN Quick Release Mini Softbox
* Vocal Microphone: Sony ECM-B10

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[FindingGinaMarie]

We have used See You In Vietnam tours in Saigon and Hoi An and have had excellent experiences on every occasion. If you're in either Saigon or Hoi An, we encourage you to use them. We make no money from recommending them, but they are passionate, knowledgeable guides who have put together truly outstanding tours. They'd love your support, and we'd love this small, local business to succeed! ♥—Judy & Kevin

[ranman]

Thanks for your informative videos. Will be travelling to Vietnam in Feb 2025 and your videos are extremely helpful as I do my research. You're also an inspiration... I hope to do as much travelling as you once I'm no longer working 9-5.

[JohnJullien-wt]

In March we spent 28 days touring Vietnam. Beautiful people, country side and of course the food.🇦🇺

[simonboland]

Just got back after my first trip and I thought your video was a good summary. My takeaways in no particular order (1) the vietnamese coffee has condensed milk. Initially, I stuck with typical espresso but switched and liked it, (2) the variety of places to eat. Street food vs restaurants. I mixed it up to get a sense of what you get, (3) I never worried about my safety in HCMC or Hanoi. As a Australian, I've felt less safe in some parts of the US that I've visited, (4) The people are really nice, (5) No unpleasant experiences and despite the traffic I never saw a single instance of road rage.

[loveaodai]

Well done! I am from NYC and made my first trip to Vietnam in 1988 with my wife who was born in Saigon but left at the end of the war. I was fascinated and we ended up moving here in 1995 where we remain. Hard to believe now but its been nearly five years since being out of Vietnam initially because of the pandemic but now as I am getting lazy to travel and I don’t want to leave our pets. Anyway your comments are very fair and I would encourage anyone who has adventurous spirit to come. In my case I can now speak Vietnamese normally and I have a lot of fun with people even being now nearly 70 years old and never ever bored. Living here is crazy cheap. The city bus costs less than 25 cents. We bought an apartment near the center of the city 15 years ago in a well ventilated part of the building so no a/c needed. There are no property taxes whatsoever and the monthly electric costs about 20 dollars. The maintenance fee is about 5 dollars a month. Sounds insane but true. And downstairs can be found the usual foods like pho for about 2 dollars a bowl. Unfortunately…Vietnam has no retirement visa but I have a residence card as my wife is a citizen. Ps. One might ask how on earth could we come in 1988 as the country was still effectively closed. We took a chance asking for a visit with the Vietnam ambassador to the UN and surprisingly he agreed to meet us. He said he could not issue any visa in NYC but could help us get one in Thailand. We left for Thailand with nothing but his affirmation to help us. Sure enough we got that visa and were able to buy a ticket on an old Soviet airliner. The adventures began.

[oTekomon]

One of the most well made videos on Vietnam I have seen! Well done!

[passager]

I am vietnamese and live abroad so I drink daily european coffee . You may think I am biased but when I drink vietnamese coffee I find it strong and fragrant like no other .

[loveaodai]

Regarding your upcoming trip to central Vietnam… highly recommended from my own experiences… rent a car for two days with driver of course from Hồi An or Danang. Make your way to Prao situated west of Danang on the Hồ Chị Minh Highway. Then go north to Khe Sanh. Overnight in Khe Sanh area then go to Hue then back down to Danang. Best to spend a night in Hue as well if you have time so that you can explore more there. This route will bring off the tourist trails and into lands of incredible beauty with the hill tribes.

[madeleinenguyen]

Đà Lạt - Năng Thủy Tinh Café & Home stay, a great place to visit and local

[raymondstockman]

Good job every time I watch a video my bucket list gets a little bit bigger❤

[thienthy]

Vietjet is like Spirit...I just traveled there for Christmas. I saw videos from them so I avoided them and opted for Vietnam Airlines business class. They served you well.

[RoamSweetRoam.]

As far as Central Vietnam, it depends on how long your overall trip will be. If you only have a few days, then Hoi An is a charming, cultural town to visit. It can feel a bit touristy but it is beautiful and an experience. We based ourselves in Da Nang because our duration of stay is longer and it's a bigger city so lots more amenities. Hoi An is a quick 25-30 minutes south of DN so you could just go for a few days. Either way, hope you enjoy!

[_days]

Thanks for the great video. We loved the coffee culture in Vietnam, even if we did trade our regular hot cappuccinos for coconut coffee. We definitely did not need all the sugar, but an afternoon iced coffee was so refreshing with the heat and high humidity.

We love that you gave yourself permission to enjoy burgers. Sometimes you just need a burger or a good pizza. We did get mildly sick here and there, but I'm not sure you can avoid it if you eat at more local places. We have charcoal tablets and plenty of Pepto-Bismol. -Chris

[ahjacobs]

I look forward to traveling to Vietnam next year and really enjoy all your videos. Thank you for the great content ❤

[JWalker-ex]

We stayed strolling along the river in the evening at Hoi An. Lanterns are beautiful. Red Bridge cooking experience was great and we enjoyed a local lantern making afternoon workshop. Local noodle dish Cao Lau is delicious and don’t miss Madam Khanh The Banh My Queen.
Our highlight from Vietnam was absolutely Ha Long Bay overnight cruise ( we actually did Bai Tu Long bay)

[CoreyTube]

Bravo! We do a lot of traveling, as well as watching a ton of travel vloggers, and I wanted to say how much I enjoyed this video! Both of your charisma, editing, information and content were spot on! I look forward to watching more of your videos.
As far as Hoi An goes, do try the MOT tea in the old town. We did the army jeep tour to the countryside to enjoy learning to make rice paper, woven floor mats, coffee grinding (we got to make our own select bag of coffee), and enjoyed the coconut boat tour. (We only allowed them to slowly spin us, but not required at all. So much fun! Our guide was John from Local Buddy Tours.

[erinaustin]

Great video (again). I’m inspired to go to Vietnam 🇻🇳!

[vanessainthesky]

Very informative. Thanks you ❤ I will be traveling to Vietnam with my husband in October and I cannot wait ❤

[TramHicks]

interesting video and informative
I used to live there in Hue 28 years l was brought up there but now l still love that place

[sijil]

I'm so happy to have found your channel. Such wonderful insights. Wishing you all the best ❤.