Vietnam is one ofthe cheapest Southeast Asian countries. You can travel for 25 USD/day (backpacker) or for 500 USD/day (luxury). Below are realistic budgets and practical tips.
3 Budget levels
Backpacker: 25-40 USD/day
- Hostel dorm: 5-10 USD/night
- Food: street + local restaurants = 8-15 USD/day
- Transportation: sleeper bus, local buses = 5-10 USD
- Attractions: 3-8 USD
Mid-range: 60-120 USD/day
- 3-4* hotel: 25-60 USD/night
- International/Local better restaurants = $20-35 per day
- Grab, private transfers = $10-20 USD
- Attractions + tours = $10-25 USD
Luxury: 200-500 USD/day
- 5* hotel/resort: 100-350 USD/night
- Premium Restaurants, Private Tours
Accommodation — specific prices
Hanoi
- Hostel dorm(Old Quarter): 100 000-250 000 VND (4-10 USD)
- 3* hotel: 500 000-900 000 VND (20-36 USD)
- 4* hotel(Sofitel Legend Metropole legend): 800,000-1.5 million VND
- 5*+: JW Marriott, Sofitel Metropole: 4-8 million VND (US$160-320)
Saigon
Prices similar to Hanoi. Higher luxury scale (Reverie Saigon, Park Hyatt).
Hoi An
- Homestay with family: 200,000-400 000 VND
- Boutique hotels with pool: 800 000-2 million VND
- Luxury resorts on An Bàng beach: 3-8 million VND
Phú Quốc
- Guesthouse: 300 000-500 000 VND
- 4* on Long Beach: 1-2.5 million VND
- Luxury (JW Marriott, InterContinental): 5-15 million VND
Food — How Much You Spend
Street food (authentic)
- Bánh mì: 15,000-40 000 VND (0.6-1.6 USD)
- Phở: 40,000-70,000 VND (US$1.6-2.8)
- Street rice (cìm bình dân): 25,000-50 000 VND (1–2 USD)
- Vietnamese Coffee: 20,000-40 000 VND
- Bia hoi (fresh beer): 5000-8000 VND (US$0.2.0.3)!
Local mid-range restaurants
- Main dish: 80 000-180,000 VND (3-7 USD)
- Local beer: 25,000-50 000 VND
- Lunch for 2 people: 300 000-500 000 VND (12-20 USD)
International/Tourist
- Pizza/burger: 150 000-350 000 VND
- Steak in the restaurant hotel: 500 000-1.5 million VND
- Dinner for 2 people in 4* restaurant: 1-3 million VND
Transport — costs
Internal flights
- Vietjet promo: 500 000-1 million VND (20-40 USD) tam-i-z-return
- Vietnam Airlines standard: 1.5-3 million VND (60-120 USD)
Trains
- Hanoi-Da Nang soft sleeper: 550 000-900 000 VND (US$22-36)
- Sapa night train (Livitrans, 4-seat cabin): 600,000-1 million VND
Sleeper buses
- Saigon-Hoi An: 350 000-500 000 VND (14-20 USD)
- Hanoi-Sapa: 250 000-450 000 VND
Inside cities
- GrabBike: 15,000-50 000 VND (US$0.6-2)
- GrabCar short: 60 000-150 000 VND (2.4-6 USD)
- Metro: 8000-15 000 VND
Attractions and Introductions
- Museums/pagodes: 20,000-100 000 VND (US$0.8-4)
- Citadel Huế: 200,000 VND (8 USD)
- Halong 2-day budget cruise: 1.5-2.5 million VND (60-100 USD)
- Halong 2-day luxury cruise: 3-8 million VND (US$120-320)
- Cu Chi Tunnels tour: 200,000-500 000 VND
- Vietnamese cable car Fansipan: 800,000 VND (32 USD)
How to Save — 10 Tips
- Eat the street— Most often the best. Popular places (local railways) are hygienically safe
- Bia hoi— fresh beer poured in plastic bars for 0.2 USD/glass. An authentic atmosphere
- Grab instead of taxi— 30-50% cheaper, price fixed, no fraud
- Negotiate at the fair— first price usually x3 real. Objective: 30-40%
- Rent a scooterinstead of taxi/Grab - for a longer stay cheaper
- Book online: Booking.com, Agoda for hotels. Klook for attractions
- Local SIM Card: Viettel/Vinaphone/Mobiphone — 7-day package with 50 GB for 100,000-200 000 VND (4-8 USD). DO NOT PAY ROAMING
- Vietnamese coffeeInstead of Starbucks (30 000 vs 100,000 VND)
- Homestay in villages(Sapa, Mekong) — dinner + breakfast included, 5-15 USD/person.
- Low Season: April-August = 30-50% cheaper hotels in most regions
The place where the road is
- Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi— historic hotel, 250+ USD/night
- Luxury Halong Cruises— Emperor Cruise, Heritage Bình Chuẩn: 300-500 USD/night
- Vietnamese wine (dalat)— hipster but disproportionately expensive (imported well)
- Wagyu in Saigon— $100/steak (buyer of suffering)
Places where there is extra TANIO
- Cên Thê(delta Mekongu): cheap hotels, excellent food
- Cat Ba: hostels from 5 USD, great base for Halong (30% cheaper than from Halong City)
- Đà Years(central elevations): cheap, climatic
- Đồng Hới, Quảng Bình: Phong Nha cave base, few tourists, cheap
- Ninh Bình: homestay 200,000 VND, ‘Halong at Halong price’
Currency and payments
- USD to VND: 1 USD ≤ 25,000 VND (2026)
- PLN to VND: 1 PLN - 6300 VND
- ATM payouts:Vietcombank5 million VND/paymentACB(5 million),VP Bank(5 million). Vietnamese bank fee 40 000-55 000 VND. Your bank + another 10-30 zł
- Cards: accepted in hotels mid+, large restaurants, markets. Street, taxi, homestay = cash only
- ATMs in Sapa and villages: LIMITED — pay in Hanoi before leaving