Five minutes, before you land
The Saigon Briefing
Read it on the flight. Only the things that genuinely trip visitors up.
Checked August 2026
After you land.
- 1
Passport control
Keep a printed copy of your e-visa as well as the one on your phone. A flat battery in the queue is a long wait.
- 2
Phone and data
An eSIM set up before you fly is the easiest choice. If not, buy a SIM in the arrivals hall so you have data before you book a ride.
With a physical SIM, stay at the counter until it is registered to your passport. Vietnam requires it and the shop does it for you. An unregistered number can be switched off weeks later, when you are in another city and it is on every booking.
- 3
Cash
Use a bank ATM inside the terminal. Take out a sensible amount and ask for smaller notes when you can.
- 4
The ride into town
Book in a ride-hailing app so the fare is fixed before you get in, and check the number plate.
- 5
Your first meal
Skip the hotel restaurant. Find the busiest small place on the street and order what the next table is eating.
What catches visitors out.
The whole city is walkable.
The centre is. Beyond that, distances that look short on a map are 25 minutes in 34°C heat.
Street food will make me ill.
A busy cart with high turnover is often safer than a quiet restaurant. Follow the queue, and the local lunch hour.
I'm a millionaire, look at these numbers.
The notes have a lot of zeros. Learn the colours, and check the number of digits before handing anything over.
Rainy season means the trip is ruined.
It usually means a heavy downpour in the afternoon that passes. You plan around an hour, not a fortnight.
Everyone speaks English.
In hotels and tourist cafés, largely. In the neighbourhood restaurant where the food is best, often not at all.
You are briefed.
Districts, costs, food and the rest are in the full guide.