How cheap is Vietnam – how much I spent in 4 weeks
Many people think that Vietnam is really cheap. But after spending a month in Southern Vietnam visiting only 3 places I can say it’s more expensive than I thought. Of course it all depends on your way and style of traveling. You might ask now… How cheap is Vietnam? I am going to tell you exactly how much I spent in 4 weeks traveling around Southern Vietnam.
In this article I am stating prices in euros. It’s easier for me to count in this currency as in my home country Slovakia we use euros. However, I am using the exchange rate of when I was in Vietnam. Now the exchange rate between Vietnamese dong and eur can be different.
Places I visited in Vietnam:
- Vung Tau
- Con Son (the main island and the only inhabited island of Con Dao archipelago)
- Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon, the biggest city of Vietnam)
on An Hai beach Con Dao
Vietnam expenses – is Vietnam cheap or expensive?
Visa
I bought online visa for a month which cost me $25 online. Obviously, visa depends on your nationality.
24.23 eur single-entry visa for 30 days
SIM card
6.95 eur SIM card. I got a Mobifone SIM card with 10 GB of data for a month already at the airport. It worked well always when I needed it.
Transportation
Flights:
I flew from Vienna in Austria, via Zurich in Switzerland to Ho Chi Minh City in Southern Vietnam. And the same way back 29 days later.
Return flights cost me 592.50 eur. I purchased them a month before my trip so not very last minute, but not very early either.
Return trains from home to Vienna airport cost 53.84 eur.
Transport around Vietnam:
7.20 eur limousine van from Ho Chi Minh airport to Vung Tau. It had massage seats so the trip came with a massage included. Yay! I was so happy to find out about it :)
My friend was taking me around Vung Tau on his scooter or I walked on my own so I did not pay for other transportation while in Vung Tau city. But the cheapest would be Grab motorbike taxi.
26.19 eur ferry from Vung Tau to Con Son in Con Dao
Con Son is the only inhabited island of 16 islands Con Dao archipelago consists of. I stayed in Con Son City which is the biggest town on Con Son island.
7.94 eur private taxi from the port on Con Son island to Con Son City
I walked everywhere around Con Dao for 2 weeks, except for 1 day on a scooter with a friend which I did not pay for.
1.58 eur shuttle from my hotel to the port in Con Son. I found out that I could take a shared shuttle taxi and pay a lot less than having an entire taxi to myself only.
34.92 eur ferry from Con Son to Vung Tau. It was on Friday so it was more expensive than on Wednesday on the way there. Fridays and Sundays cost more.
6.40 eur limousine van from Vung Tau back to Ho Chi Minh City. It had massage seats, too. Thumbs up!
1.60 eur from my hotel in District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City to the airport by Grab motorbike taxi.
In total I paid 732.17 eur for all the transportation to get to Vietnam from my home town Snina, and to get around Southern Vietnam and then back home from Vietnam to Snina in Slovakia.
Vung Tau to Con Dao ferry
Accommodation
In Vung Tau:
I stayed at my friend’s apartment and then the rest of the days also at Sissi apartment. It is owned by a friend of a friend and can be booked via AirBnB here. I could stay there in exchange of promoting it on my social media channels and on this blog.
On Con Son island:
I stayed at 2 different hotels, both booked via Booking.com. In both of them I had a room with double bed and private bathroom for myself only.
108 eur for 7 nights at Phat Dat motel
90 eur for 8 nights at Homstay Thanh Son
In Ho Chi Minh City:
30 eur for 2 nights in a 2* hotel situated in District 1. I booked a discounted single room with a double bed and a private bathroom. But no breakfast included. There was free fast wifi. I booked it via Booking as well.
In total I spent 230 eur on all the accommodation.
Homstay Thanh Son
Food
If I counted it right, I spent 211.75 eur on food for a month in Vietnam.
In total I spent 211.75 eur on food.
Massages
I am crazy about massages so I try to get many wherever I go to. I mean if I am fine with the price. And in Vietnam prices for a massage were so so :) One hour massage cost from 9 to 12 euros on average, but there were also more expensive spas, of course, which I did not visit.
I had 7 massages on Con Son, 3 massages in Vung Tau and one in Ho Chi Minh. Most of them were 60 minutes, and one took 90 minutes. The most expensive massage (per hour) was on Con Son. It cost 300 000 dong which was 11.90 eur. But as it was really good.
In total I spent 125.80 eur on 12 hours of massages.
fresh fruit
Shopping
As clothes are cheaper in Vietnam than they are in Europe, I bought 3 pairs of bikini that can be used as yoga clothes, and a really nice dress. Frankly, I am not one of those women who love shopping and I went into the shop only because I saw bikini from outside when passing by on a windy day. Otherwise I would have not gone shopping.
54.77 eur for all the 4 pieces of clothes mentioned above
22 eur dried fruit and chocolate I wanted to bring back home as a souvenir.
In total I spent 76.77 eur on clothes and things to take back home.
Here’s an Instagram photo of one of the bikini/yoga clothes I bought:
Pozrite si tento príspevok na Instagrame
To be honest, when I checked my expenses, I was surprised how much I spent in Vietnam. Vietnam is usually considered to be a cheap country to travel, but it turned out not to be for me.
Counting all expenses, I spent 1407.67 eur for a month in Vietnam.
However, without massages and shopping, I spent 1205.10 eur altogether on accommodation, transportation and food for a month in Southern Vietnam.
Is that cheap or expensive to you? How cheap does Vietnam seem to you now when you see my expenses there?
with Vietnamese kids
Yes, Vietnam can be done on a budget. At least compared to some European countries or North America. However, my Vietnamese trip was not really on a budget. I bought everything I wanted to, I enjoyed 12 hours of massages, I dined out at restaurants maybe around 26 times. I even bought clothes which I do not do often on the road.
I admit, without massages and shopping it would have cost me less. And also my transportation was not the cheapest either. Similarly, it is possible to pay less for accommodation. For instance, look for a simpler room, a dorm with strangers, or a room with a shared bathroom. But I wanted my privacy.
In conclusion, it is possible to spend a lot less than I did when traveling in Vietnam. It all depends on your choice, comfort and style of traveling.
TIP: Visiting Vietnam soon? Is it safe to visit Vietnam now with coronavirus spreading around? Read more about my personal experience.
