Your first 48 hours in Vietnam: a checklist

Just landed and tired? Do these in order. The rest can wait. At the airport • Buy a SIM or eSIM at an official carrier counter (Viettel, VinaPhone, MobiFone). Bring your passport. • Withdraw cash at a bank ATM inside the terminal. One larger withdrawal costs less in fees than three small ones. • Book your ride in the app before you walk out, or use the airport taxi desk. Ignore anyone who offers you a car inside the arrivals hall. First evening • Hotels register every guest with the local authorities, so reception will take your passport to copy it. Ask for it back the same day. • Save your address in Vietnamese in your notes app. Drivers read the Vietnamese, not the English hotel name. • Photograph your passport and visa. Keep the photo where you can open it offline. • Note the emergency numbers: 113 police, 114 fire, 115 ambulance. Day two • Learn to cross the road: walk slowly and steadily, do not stop suddenly, do not run back. The bikes flow around you. • Carry small notes. Many stalls cannot change a 500.000 đ note. • Drink bottled or boiled water only. • Agree a price before any ride, repair, tour or massage that has no printed price list. That is the hard part. After two days the rest of the country feels easy.