Vietnam
Vietnam is loud, fast, and startlingly cheap, with one of Asia's best coffee cultures and cities that change block by block. Weather-wise it behaves like three countries stacked end to end, so pick your base city by its season rather than assuming one national climate.
- Currency
- VND
- Capital
- Hanoi
- Language
- Vietnamese
- Timezone
- UTC+7
- Best months
- Varies by region; Mar-Apr mildest overall
When to go
The window that works: Varies by region; Mar-Apr mildest overall (varies by region). See how Vietnam lines up against every other destination month by month on the seasonal planner.
Getting in
US citizens
Visa required (90 days on Vietnam E-Visa) (confidence: high)
Full visa guide, sourced and confidence-flagged →Figures come from the sourced rules dataset; each guide shows the official source and a confidence flag per path.
Setting up
The three things worth arranging before the flight, and the search tools for the rest:
- SafetyWing - nomad travel medical insurance (several visas above require proof of coverage)
- Wise - multi-currency account for Vietnamese dong and proof-of-funds statements
- Airalo - eSIM data on arrival, before you find a local SIM