Vietnam on a Budget: 15+ Essential Tips to Save Money

Exploring Vietnam on a budget is not only possible but also incredibly rewarding. This guide is designed to help you master Vietnam travel on a budget, showing you that the country offers a wealth of experiences that won’t break the bank, from bustling cities to serene landscapes. Vietnam all but guarantees a memorable trip, whether you’re living it up like royalty or scrimping on a shoestring.

A trip to Vietnam on a budget is highly achievable, letting you explore for under US$40 a day on street food and dorms. Conversely, luxury hotels and tours are widely available. Ultimately, you control the costs, and our creative tips will help you find the perfect balance for your money.

Daily costs in Vietnam

• Hostel dorm bed: US$5-10
• Basic room for two: US$10–20
• Village homestay: US$5–20
• Room at a beach resort: from US$80
• Local bus ticket: from US$1
• Cup of ca phe (drip coffee): US$0.70
• Banh mi sandwich: from US$0.70
• Sit-down dinner for two: US$15
• Bottle of beer in a bar: US$1
• Glass of bia hoi (local draft beer): from US$0.30
• Average daily cost: US$40–70

Understanding these daily expenses is the first step in managing your overall Vietnam trip cost. This average daily cost makes traveling in Vietnam on a budget highly achievable for most backpackers.

Time your trip right to save

To keep your trip to Vietnam on a budget, avoid travelling during peak season when prices skyrocket. Costs are highest during the sunny months of July, August and December-March, and spike again during public holidays. Travelling in the rainy season will unlock significant savings.

Fly into Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) rather than Hanoi

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has the biggest and busiest airport in the country; more flights mean more competition, and frequently cheaper fares than those to Hanoi in the north. You should keep in mind that HCMC is a higher-cost city, meaning any savings can quickly be eaten up if you stay too long in the former Saigon. Craft your itinerary accordingly.

Get a Local SIM Card on Arrival

Instead of paying expensive international roaming fees, one of the easiest ways to save money is by purchasing a local SIM card as soon as you land in Vietnam. For around US$10-15, you can get a tourist SIM from major providers like Viettel or Mobifone that includes a huge amount of data for 30 days. This allows you to use maps, book rides on apps like Grab, and research places on the go without worrying about the cost, making it an essential tool for any trip to Vietnam on a budget.

Come into Vietnam the back way

You don’t need to arrive in Vietnam by plane, for the country has easy land-border crossings with Laos, Cambodia and China. Keep an eye out for promotional deals on flights to smaller Chinese cities such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which offer connections to northern Vietnam by bus or train via Nanning, crossing the border at Lang Son. (While these options may cost less than plane tickets, count on much longer travel times.) If you’d rather come in from the south, consider flying into Thailand and travelling overland across Laos or Cambodia. The route from Bangkok to Phnom Penh and on to HCMC is a backpacker favourite.

Take the “open tour” bus

While you won’t get deep cultural immersion on an “open tour” bus, they are a smart choice for travellers in Vietnam on a budget. These services save you time and money with fixed, no-haggle fares and more direct routes than local buses. Plus, convenient town centre drop-offs save on taxi fees, and overnight routes can replace a night’s accommodation.

Travel from place to place overnight

Budget flights can be very affordable in Vietnam, but you’ll have to balance any money you save against the cost in carbon emissions. A better way to save is by travelling overnight. For longer trips – such as the journey from Hanoi or HCMC to Hoi An or Nha Trang – a sleeper bus or train will save you the cost of a night’s accommodation, one of the best ways to find affordable accommodation in Vietnam. This significantly reduces your daylight travel time.

Make the most of hostels

Hostels were once rare in Vietnam, but are now essential to any Vietnam backpacking budget and a rite of passage in Vietnam for backpackers. These days, they’re popping up everywhere, including sleek flashpacker hangouts such as Hanoi’s Nexy Hostel and HCMC’s Hideout Hostel. You can even find hostels with on-site bars, restaurants and swimming pools. Some hostels offer private rooms as well as dorms – though if you crave your own space, private rooms at ordinary budget hotels may cost less.

Skip the Hotel Laundry Service

Hotel laundry services can be shockingly expensive, often charging per item of clothing. A much cheaper alternative is to use the local laundry shops found on many streets, marked with a “giặt là” or “giặt ủi” sign. These places charge by the kilogram, and you can typically get a large load of laundry washed, dried, and folded for just a few dollars. It’s a simple switch that can save a surprising amount of money over a longer trip.

Head for a homestay in the hills

You’ll find plenty of good hotels in Vietnam’s emerald hills. But if you’re looking for an experience that’s both more cost-effective and more authentic, opt for a village homestay—a fantastic tip in any Vietnam budget guide. In the Mekong Delta; the Central Highlands; the Cham Islands; and in such quieter corners of the northwest as Mai Chau, Ba Be and Moc Chau, you can get a simple but comfortable room and a deep immersion into local life for a modest price. The best part? Blistering home cooking is often part of the package.

Eat on the street

Street food is the lifeblood of Asia, and a cornerstone of cheap travel in Vietnam. For an astonishingly reasonable price, you can find the best cheap food in Vietnam right on the sidewalk, from pho soup and banh mi sandwiches to banh xeo pancakes and bun cha. At lunchtime and in the evening, street eateries set out plastic tables and chairs on the pavement, giving you a perch while you munch. Night markets and busy transport hubs offer the richest pickings.

Eat Lunch Like a Local with Com Binh Dan

While pho and banh mi are famous for the cheapest and most filling lunch, look for “Cơm Bình Dân” eateries. Translating to “common people’s rice,” these are simple, buffet-style restaurants where you get a plate of rice and point to a variety of pre-cooked dishes like grilled pork, fried fish, tofu, and stir-fried vegetables. It’s a favourite among local workers, and you can get a massive, delicious plate of food for just US$2-3.

Hone your bargaining skills

Honing your bargaining skills is essential for anyone travelling in Vietnam on a budget. Since haggling is part of the local culture, it’s best to approach it as a respectful game rather than a confrontation. If you think a price is too high, simply counter with a lower offer and aim for a mutually acceptable price through a bit of friendly give and take. A crucial tip is to ask your hotel for baseline prices on taxis or rickshaws before you start, so you have a fair number in mind. Always remain polite; the goal is a fair deal for both you and the vendor.

Seek out lower-cost, independent adventures

A key part of how to travel Vietnam cheaply is to seek out lower cost, independent adventures. Organised tours can consume your travel funds quickly. For cheaper thrills, bring your snorkelling gear, use public ferries, and rent a bike or scooter to explore under your own steam. If you’re here to hike, seek out trekking routes that you can follow without joining an organised expedition, such as the trails on Cat Ba Island or walks to the minority villages near Bac Ha. Many homestays can arrange an inexpensive guide for local exploring, funnelling money directly into the local economy.

Don’t linger too long in major cities

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are significantly more expensive than other parts of the country. Use your sightseeing time in these huge cities strategically – prioritizing essential sights and street food – before moving on to calmer corners where your dong will go much further. Of course, one reason Vietnam’s two largest cities are so expensive is the sheer variety of things to see, do and eat there. If you can resist temptation, it’s still possible to enjoy Hanoi and HCMC while sticking to your plan for Vietnam on a budget.

Prioritize the free sights

Entry fees to Vietnam’s excellent museums are generally modest. Still, many fascinating pagodas, temples, and cathedrals are completely free to visit, and there’s no charge for checking out Vietnam’s striking colonial-era architecture from outside. For temples, take your pick from the heirloom monuments of Hanoi, Hue and HCMC, or modern marvels such as Chua Bai Dinh near Ninh Binh. For relics of French colonial rule, concentrate on HCMC, Dalat and Hanoi. People-watching at markets is always free. Filling your itinerary with these free attractions is a key strategy for a successful trip to Vietnam on a budget.

Save on downtown transport

Metered taxis in Vietnam are affordable, but some drivers in tourist areas refuse to use the meter. If you take cabs, rides booked through the Grab app tend to be cheaper. Even if you’re paying the right fare, costs for taxi travel can quickly add up, significantly impacting your total backpacking Vietnam cost. Save money by exploring on foot, renting a bicycle or taking local buses. Just watch out for pickpockets on crowded buses at busy times.

Of course. Here are three more practical tips to add to your article, placed after the “Drink bia hoi” section.

Drink bia hoi

A big night out in the hip bars of Hanoi or HCMC can take a big bite out of your travel budget. By sticking to bia hoi, Vietnam’s gently alcoholic, homemade draft beer – you may be able to avoid both a high cost and a monster hangover. Costing significantly less than bottled beer, this agreeable brew is normally quaffed at plastic stools on street corners. This is a must-do for anyone experiencing Vietnam on a budget. Track it down everywhere from Dien Bien Phu to Cat Ba Island, but particularly in Hanoi.