Is Vietnam good for roadtrip? Yes definitely! As you probably all recognize, Asia’s traffic is something different than what we are used to, and this is especially true in Vietnam. The traffic can be described as organized chaos. When planning your road trip in Vietnam, it can be good to have an idea of how you want to get around.
Their public transportation is not as organized as ours, but I must say I was surprised at how well it worked. You can travel Vietnam in many different ways, and I thought I’d go through some of them so you can find the best way for you. If you want to read more about places to visit and things to do during your trip, you can read about it here: https://emmiesholmgren.com
Do your road trip in Vietnam with a group tour
I was skeptical about group tours before I tried one but must say it’s better than I thought. Maybe because you don’t have to deal with everything, you just go with the flow. I traveled through Vietnam with G Adventures and am absolutely more than satisfied. If you’re traveling alone, this can also be nice as you never feel alone on your road trip through Vietnam.
G Adventures has different road trips in Vietnam; I chose the one from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi, covering most of what you should see. The places you sleep in are very good! The activities they offer are also things you might not have done on your own, which you appreciate with a group tour. There was also some partying on the trip, and we all became very good friends.
If you like to plan and be spontaneous, a group tour is not for you as you are tied to a schedule all the time that you haven’t decided yourself. Vietnam good for roadtrip.
Pros of a group tour
Cons of a group tour
- You’re never alone.
- You don’t have to plan and book things.
- You get to experience things you wouldn’t have done on your own.
- Group cohesion.
- You make friends from all over the world.
- Can’t be spontaneous.
- Must follow a schedule all the time.
- Sometimes it’s stressful to fit everything in because you can’t choose how many days you want to spend in different places.
- It can feel frustrating not to experience everything you wanted if the group tour doesn’t offer it.
Road trip in Vietnam with public transportation
This is definitely the way I would choose if I were to do a road trip through Vietnam again. It’s easier than you think to travel with public transportation there. It’s very popular to travel by night train if you’re going a longer distance. For a shorter distance, you travel by bus. All of this can be booked online and went very smoothly for us even though we didn’t book everything ourselves.
If you choose this way, you can decide for yourself how long you want to stay in each place, and you also get to plan everything yourself, both activities and accommodation. After traveling a lot, I’ve realized that planning is something I appreciate, and it also makes me more excited about the journey itself. Everyone is different when it comes to this; maybe a mix is best? When traveling by night train, it’s good to have your valuables in your bed as it’s quite common to get robbed on these trains. It’s nice to travel by night train as you don’t miss a day.
Vietnam good for roadtrip
Pros of public transportation
- You get to plan your own trip.
- You can be spontaneous.
- It’s easy to book and travel by public transportation.
- You can travel long distances by night train and save a day.
- It’s cheap.
- You can choose how many days you want to spend in each place.
Cons of public transportation
- You need to plan and book everything yourself if you don’t like it.
- You don’t get help from a leader who has done it before or knows the language.
- There are thieves on night trains.
- If you don’t do enough research about certain places, you might end up in cities that aren’t particularly pleasant.
Vietnam good for roadtrip and Drive around on a scooter to explore
I have met a lot of people who have traveled around Vietnam on a scooter that they drove themselves, and everyone has loved it. Personally, this might not suit me very well, but if you love adventure and are willing to travel with very little packing, maybe this would be perfect for you? A scooter is by far the most common vehicle in Vietnam and is easy to both rent and buy if you want to. Since I haven’t traveled in that way, I don’t have much more to say about it other than it can be done. I think it’s a wonderful experience and always feel like trying it every time I meet people who have done it.
I hope you’ve got an idea of how you want to travel through Vietnam to have the best trip for you! Whatever you choose, it will be great because Vietnam is so much fun to travel through and has so much to offer.
