Passport? Good.

Vietnam

Getting around

The traffic looks impossible until you learn the one rule it runs on.

A white Vinasun taxi in Ho Chi Minh City

How do you get a taxi?

By brand, not by chance: the tourism board names the reputable metered firms — Mai Linh in green, Vinasun in white, Taxi Group in Hanoi — and the apps work if you have a local SIM.

Vietnam Tourism — FAQs
Motorbike traffic filling Kim Ma street in Hanoi

How do I cross the street through all those motorbikes?

The tourism board's own words: confidence and clear body language. Move steadily and visibly, and the traffic shapes itself around you.

Vietnam Tourism — Vietnam for solo travellers
The Reunification Express passing a level crossing in Hanoi

How do I get from one city to the next?

Three ways, and one piece of geography behind all of them. The country is a single 2,600 km track averaging 40 km/h, so the train from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City takes 36 hours. Sleeper buses cover the same ground overnight; a flight does it in one to two. Choose per leg, not once for the trip.

Vietnam Tourism — Transport within Vietnam

Sort the practical stuff before you fly.

eSIMs, rail passes, and airport transfers — the things worth booking before you land.