For accommodation, transport, food, activities and more
I travelled to Vietnam for 12 days, exploring Ha Giang, Mai Chau and Cat Ba! Below is a breakdown of my spending according to the various categories. (Exchange rate used: 1 SGD = 18,250 VND)
Fun fact: Vietnam uses “.” (period) to denote thousands, and uses “,” to denote decimal point. I was slightly confused when I first looked at the Vietnamese Dong notes. 😂
Pre-trip expenses
Flights
Travel Insurance
SIM / Internet
Accommodation
Note on accommodation:
For this trip, I chose to stay in private rooms for homestays, but still stayed in shared dorms when I was in Hanoi. And I realised that the price difference wasn’t huge. A dorm bed in Hanoi city costs 100-150k VND (~$7 SGD), while a private room with queen bed in countryside or sub-urban area costs 300k VND (~$15 SGD) per night.
The remaining 3 nights were at homestays when I was doing the Ha Giang Loop motorbike tour. Accommodation was included in the tour so I didn’t account for it in this table.
Accommodations were booked via Booking.com.
Food, Transport and Miscellaneous
Note on transport:
Majority of the transport costs came from travelling between cities / provinces.
- VIP cabin sleeper bus ride from Hanoi to Ha Giang: 350k VND
- Limousine bus ride from Hanoi to Mai Chau: 250k VND
- Bus & ferry ride from Cat Ba to Hanoi: 300k VND
In comparison, when getting around within the city, a 5 mins ride costs ~15k VND (via Grab app).
Note on misc:
The “sneaky” category!
Firstly, I experienced stomach upset and diarrhoea right from the start of the trip, so I had to head to the pharmacy to buy some medication. Even though I had brought charcoal pills, it didn’t work meh…
Next, I did laundry twice in a span of 2 days because my clothes were really drenched and muddy from riding behind a motorbike in the rain 😂
And finally, on my return flight, the Vietjet Air staff decided to weigh my backpack (for the first time) alongside my duffel bag during check-in. The total weight was 2-3kg beyond the 7kg carry-on limit ._. So I was charged 630k VND for baggage check-in. Surprisingly, to pay for overweight carry-on baggage, the fee was 800k VND.
Misc also included giving gratitude tips to drivers, buying souvenir snacks, toiletries, and paying toilet fees.
Activities
Note on activities:
The bulk of the activities expense came from the Ha Giang Loop motorbike tour. The duration of the tour was 4 days 3 nights, with food and accommodation included. I chose the easy rider option, so I also had a driver with me 😄
Experiencing the Ha Giang Loop was my main purpose for this trip and it also turned out to be the highlight for me! Read about my experience here!
Summary of Trip Expenses
Ending Note
It’s my third time visiting Vietnam and I don’t think it would be my last. I am so in awe of the nature that the country holds and want to continue exploring more areas!
On another note, travelling with a full-time income has changed a few aspects of my travelling style. Such as opting for private rooms for some nights, or taking motorbike taxi instead of walking to save commute time. As well as giving tips when I want to, even though there is no tipping culture in Vietnam.
Overall, I was blessed with an abundance of nature views during this trip! & I’d say it was a good break for my soul, as I did feel well rested before resuming work 👍
Thank you for reading! Happy travels!