What does a trip to Vietnam cost?
The honest answer to what a Vietnam trip costs is that food and transport are cheaper than almost anyone expects and accommodation is the entire conversation. Two people can travel the length of the country very comfortably on a budget that would buy four nights in Tokyo, or they can spend six times
Every figure below is in US dollars, per person, based on two people sharing, land only, excluding international flights. They cover accommodation, food, ground transport, domestic flights, entrance fees and the guiding we would normally include. Prices in Vietnam move with the season and with the exchange rate, so treat these as planning anchors. We confirm the current figure for your specific dates when we quote.
The four anchors
These are the same numbers our consultants work from, and they are the ones published in our complete Vietnam guide.
| Style | Per person per day | 10 days | 14 days | 16 days | 21 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Careful: good local 3 star, mostly independent | $110 | $1,100 | $1,540 | $1,760 | $2,310 |
| Comfortable: strong 4 star, guides where they matter | $180 | $1,800 | $2,520 | $2,880 | $3,780 |
| Boutique: the best small hotels in the country | $290 | $2,900 | $4,060 | $4,640 | $6,090 |
| Luxury: top-tier resorts, private guiding throughout | $450 | $4,500 | $6,300 | $7,200 | $9,450 |
Note what is not in there: international flights, the e-visa, personal shopping and tips. Add international flights separately, because they vary by more than everything else combined.
Daily costs by traveller type
The per-day anchors above assume two people sharing a twin or double room. Change the group and the arithmetic changes, sometimes considerably.
| Traveller type | Per person per day, comfortable tier | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|
| Two people sharing | $180 | The baseline. Room and car costs split two ways. |
| Solo traveller | $250 to $290 | Single supplements on hotels and boats, and a private car costs the same whether one or two people are in it. |
| Family of four, two rooms | $150 to $165 | Two rooms cost less than two separate bookings, one car and one guide serve four, and children’s entries are reduced or free. |
| Family of four, one family room | $125 to $140 | Where family rooms exist, this is the cheapest way to travel Vietnam comfortably. |
| Group of six friends | $145 to $160 | The car, the guide and a private boat charter all divide six ways. |
| Two people, honeymoon or celebration | $290 to $450 | Not a different country, a different hotel list and a private bay charter. |
The solo line is the one that surprises people. Vietnam is inexpensive, but it does not reward travelling alone in the way that a hostel country does once you are using private cars and good hotels. If you are travelling solo, tell us early and we build around it rather than pricing a twin and halving it.
Accommodation, tier by tier
This is where the budget is decided. Approximate rate for a double or twin room per night, room only, in high season. Low season can be 30 to 40 per cent less, and Tet and the Christmas fortnight can be 50 per cent more.
| Tier | Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City | Hoi An and Hue | Beach and resort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good local 3 star | $40 to $65 | $35 to $55 | $60 to $90 |
| Strong 4 star | $95 to $140 | $80 to $120 | $130 to $200 |
| Boutique, small, genuinely good | $180 to $280 | $160 to $250 | $250 to $450 |
| Top tier and resort villas | $350 to $700 | $300 to $600 | $500 to $1,200 |
Two observations from booking these every week. First, the jump from 3 star to 4 star in Vietnam buys more than the same jump does in Japan or Thailand: air conditioning that works, a real breakfast, staff who can solve a problem, and a location you can walk from. It is the single best value upgrade in the country. Second, above about $300 a night the returns flatten fast outside the beach resorts and the two or three genuinely exceptional city hotels.
Internal flights
Unavoidable on any route covering more than one region. Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City is two hours in the air and 32 to 35 hours by train, so the choice makes itself. These are typical one-way economy fares booked two to three months ahead, including a real checked bag, which is not the default on the budget carriers here. Fares move constantly and we confirm the actual figure when we book.
| Route | Flight time | Typical fare |
|---|---|---|
| Hanoi to Danang, or reverse | 1h 20m | $55 to $110 |
| Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, or reverse | 2h 10m | $75 to $150 |
| Danang to Ho Chi Minh City, or reverse | 1h 25m | $50 to $105 |
| Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc | 1h 05m | $60 to $130 |
| Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao, turboprop | 50m | $110 to $200 |
| Hanoi to Phu Quoc, direct | 2h 15m | $110 to $210 |
Budget two of these on a standard two-week north to south route. We use Vietnam Airlines as the default, because the baggage allowance and the schedule reliability are worth the difference on a trip where a missed connection costs you a day.
Three complete two-week budgets
Fourteen days, per person, two people sharing, land only. Each of these is a real trip shape: Hanoi, a bay, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong, with two internal flights.
Budget one, careful: $1,540 per person
| Line | Cost |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 13 nights, good local 3 star | $390 |
| Food and drink, about $18 a day | $252 |
| One night on a shared cabin in Lan Ha | $150 |
| Two internal flights with baggage | $150 |
| Ground transport, mixed private transfers and Grab | $260 |
| Guiding, two half days | $110 |
| Entrances, museums, boats, cooking session | $128 |
| Water, tips and contingency | $100 |
| Total | $1,540 |
What this buys: clean, well-located small hotels with air conditioning and breakfast, a very good bay boat for one night, and independence on most days. What it does not: a private car every day, and a second night on the water.
Budget two, comfortable: $2,520 per person
| Line | Cost |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 13 nights, strong 4 star | $800 |
| Food and drink, about $29 a day | $410 |
| Two nights in Lan Ha, deck cabin on a small vessel | $420 |
| Two internal flights with baggage | $190 |
| Private car and driver on six transfer and touring days | $320 |
| Licensed private guide, four days | $220 |
| Entrances, cooking class, Hue tombs, Mekong boat | $160 |
| Total | $2,520 |
This is our most-booked shape and the one we would recommend to most first visitors. The extra thousand dollars over the careful version buys the second night on the water, a private car on the long days, and hotels you are pleased to come back to in the afternoon heat.
Budget three, boutique: $4,060 per person
| Line | Cost |
|---|---|
| Accommodation, 13 nights, the best small hotels | $1,780 |
| Food and drink, including three serious dinners | $680 |
| Two nights, six-cabin vessel, deck suite | $620 |
| Two internal flights, flexible fares | $230 |
| Private car and driver throughout | $430 |
| Guiding, five days, and private experiences | $320 |
| Total | $4,060 |
Almost all of the increase is the hotel line. This is the version of Vietnam our boutique route is built on, and it is the tier where the country’s few genuinely exceptional properties become available.
Cheaper and dearer than you expect
Cheaper: pho on a plastic stool is about $2, a very good sit-down dinner for two with beer is $30 to $50, a glass of bia hoi is under 50 cents, a Grab motorbike across Hanoi is $1 to $2, and a full day with a private car and English-speaking driver is $60 to $90 for the vehicle rather than per person.
Dearer: a good two-night boat can be a tenth of your total trip cost, Phu Quoc rates in the Christmas fortnight are not Vietnamese prices, licensed private guides run $80 to $130 a day with a car, and domestic flights around Tet double and sell out months ahead.
The four decisions that move your total
- Which month. The same Hoi An hotel can vary by 60 per cent between February and September, and Tet and Christmas carry a real premium on everything.
- Which hotel tier. More than half the gap between our careful and boutique columns is beds.
- How many nights on the water, and on which boat. See our comparison of the three bays.
- How many guided days. Not how many total days. Guiding is a lever you can pull day by day.
A note on figures that change
The Vietnamese e-visa fee currently sits in the region of $25 for single entry and $50 for multiple entry, and processing is officially three working days. Entry rules, fees and the list of exempt nationalities change regularly, so we confirm the current requirement and the current fee for your specific passport before we quote, and we send the official link with your documents rather than publishing one here.
Plan this trip
Tell us your dates and a per-person budget, and a Vietnam specialist will show you exactly what it buys, line by line. Free first outline, no obligation.
Keep reading
- Vietnam, the complete guide to planning your trip
- Classic Vietnam in 16 days
- Boutique Vietnam in 12 days
- Ha Long, Bai Tu Long or Lan Ha? An honest comparison
- Eating your way through Hanoi in three days
Frequently asked questions
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Is it cheaper to book locally on arrival?
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