My Backpacking Vietnam Budget

How Much Should you Budget to Backpack Vietnam?

There’s so much to explore in Vietnam and luckily it’s one of the cheapest countries to backpack in the world. Still, It’s useful to know how much to budget when planning and saving for a trip so I thought it would be useful to post a brief rundown of my average costs when backpacking Vietnam to help others save for their Vietnam backpacking budget.

This is just a rough guide, your costs may vary, my costs reflect my travel style – I have to admit I am not the kind of person who obsessively records every penny, cent or rupee I spend. I backpacked Vietnam on a budget but not rock bottom shoe string and splashed out on nicer accommodation or meals every now and then so these are average guideline prices.

Me on Cat Ba island near Halong Bay

Your costs for backpacking Vietnam could be less or more depending on your style of travel and comfort level.  If you travel as a couple or with a friend it is cheaper as you can split accommodation and taxi costs. You can book cheap backpacker hostels in Vietnam online at Hostelworld and book your buses and trains easily online at Bookaway.

These costs are for a average guideline only and it is always, always better to take more money to account for incidentals, emergencies, impromptu shopping sprees or a splurge on a posh hotel or internal flight. Doing activities like scuba diving, trekking, courses and tours will also push your budget.

I have displayed costs in local currency, British Pounds and US Dollars but be aware that exchange rates change. In Vietnam and Cambodia US Dollars are widely used.

My Average Daily Backpacking Vietnam Budget (per person) takes into account;

  • Accommodation shared between two people, (apart from in countries where dorm beds have been the only budget option)
  • 2 restaurant meals per day,
  • A street food or convenience store like 7/11 snack,
  • 3 bottles of water,
  • A couple of beers,
  • A long distance (12 hr) bus or train journey
  • 2 short taxi or public transport rides
  • Visiting an attraction.

My Backpacking Vietnam Budget:

ItemCost in DongCost in GDP £Cost in US$
Guesthouse Room for 2250,000 Dong£7.00$12.00
Restaurant Meal120,000 Dong£3.40$5.70
Street Food40,000 Dong£1.15$1.90
Long Distance Bus/Train150,000 Dong£4.25$7.10
Local Transport & Taxis30,000 Dong£0.85$1.42
Bottle of Water15,000 Dong£0.40$0.70
Beer15,000 Dong£0.40$0.70
Attractions50,000 Dong£0.85$0.70
Average Daily Budget Per Person740,000 Dong£21$35.00
Average Weekly Budget Per Person5,180,000 Dong£146$245.00
Average Monthly Budget Per Person22,447,000 Dong£636$1,065.00

So hopefully this gives you a guideline cost so you can work out your backpacking Vietnam budget and how much you need to save up for how long you want to be backpacking Vietnam!  Also think about saving for any extra activities like scuba diving courses, cooking or yoga lessons, trekking, sightseeing, shopping, souvenirs and wild nights out drinking that you do on your trip. For me, it’s well worth it for the adventure of a lifetime!

Please be aware that prices and currency conversions are always changing. For more info on budgeting an excellent resource for backpacker costs is Price of Travel which lists cities in order of price. Asia is the cheapest region in the world with cities in Nepal, Vietnam, India, Thailand and Laos dominating the top 10 cheapest from US$ 14 per day See here for cheapest cities in Asia

Vietnam is one of the cheapest places in the world to backpack – check out this post for more cheap backpacking destinations.

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What was your backpacking Vietnam budget? Share your thoughts and help out others travellers 

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