Vietnam operates as a dual-price economy where local prices and tourist prices often differ by factors of two to ten. The Vietnamese dong fluctuates between 23,000 and 25,000 VND per US dollar as of 2024, though most travelers encounter prices stated in dollars at tourist establishments and dong at local businesses. Budget travelers spending 400,000 to 600,000 VND daily (roughly 16 to 24 USD) sleep in fan-cooled dorm beds, eat exclusively at street stalls, travel by local bus, and avoid paid attractions. Mid-range travelers allocating 1,500,000 to 3,000,000 VND daily (60 to 120 USD) access air-conditioned private rooms, mix restaurant meals with street food, hire private drivers for day trips, and pay entrance fees without calculation. Upper-tier travelers spending 5,000,000 VND and above daily (200+ USD) stay in international chain hotels, dine in hotel restaurants, book private guides, and fly domestic routes. These ranges shift substantially between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City versus smaller cities, with Hoi An and Nha Trang commanding tourist premiums while Can Tho and Vinh offer baseline local pricing.
Accommodation in Vietnam spans from 80,000 VND dorm beds in Hanoi's Old Quarter hostels to 15,000,000 VND suites at the Park Hyatt Saigon. A fan room in a family-run guesthouse in Hue or Ninh Binh costs 200,000 to 350,000 VND per night, while identical rooms with air conditioning add 50,000 to 100,000 VND. Mid-range hotels with breakfast, elevator, and rooftop terrace charge 800,000 to 1,200,000 VND in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, dropping to 500,000 to 700,000 VND in Da Lat or Quy Nhon. The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi lists rooms from 6,500,000 VND, the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort from 9,000,000 VND, and Six Senses Ninh Van Bay from 18,000,000 VND per night. Booking platforms show lower rates than walk-in prices by 15 to 30 percent across all categories. Homestays in the Mekong Delta villages near Can Tho run 250,000 to 400,000 VND including dinner and breakfast, while Sapa homestays charge 300,000 to 500,000 VND with meals. Phu Quoc Island hotels during December to March peak season triple their May to September rates, with beachfront properties jumping from 1,200,000 VND to 3,600,000 VND for identical rooms.
Street food in Vietnam provides complete meals for 30,000 to 60,000 VND per person. A bowl of pho on Hanoi's Bat Dan Street costs 35,000 to 50,000 VND as of 2024, while tourist-area shops on Ta Hien Street charge 70,000 to 90,000 VND for the same portion. Banh mi sandwiches range from 15,000 VND at neighborhood carts to 40,000 VND at Banh Mi Phuong in Hoi An, which gained international attention after Anthony Bourdain's 2016 visit. Com tam (broken rice with grilled pork) costs 35,000 to 50,000 VND at sidewalk stalls, bun cha averages 40,000 to 60,000 VND, and cao lau in Hoi An runs 35,000 to 50,000 VND at market vendors versus 80,000 to 120,000 VND at Old Town restaurants. Coffee at local cafes costs 15,000 to 25,000 VND for ca phe sua da (iced coffee with condensed milk), while Highlands Coffee and Trung Nguyen chains charge 45,000 to 65,000 VND. Fresh coconuts cost 10,000 to 15,000 VND from street vendors, sugarcane juice 8,000 to 12,000 VND, and fresh spring rolls 5,000 to 8,000 VND per piece. Mid-range Vietnamese restaurants with English menus and table service charge 80,000 to 150,000 VND per main dish, while upscale venues like Home Hanoi Restaurant or The Deck Saigon run 200,000 to 400,000 VND per person before drinks. Western restaurants and hotel dining rooms charge 300,000 to 800,000 VND per person, with imported steaks at places like The Grill at JW Marriott Hanoi reaching 1,500,000 VND per plate. Local beer (Saigon, Hanoi, 333) costs 10,000 to 15,000 VND at convenience stores, 20,000 to 30,000 VND at street bia hoi stands, and 50,000 to 80,000 VND in tourist-area bars. Craft beer at Pasteur Street Brewing Company or Heart of Darkness runs 85,000 to 120,000 VND per pint.
Inter-city transport prices vary by mode and booking method. The Reunification Express train from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City covers 1,726 kilometers in 31 to 36 hours with hard seats costing 900,000 VND, soft sleeper berths 1,800,000 to 2,400,000 VND, and the upscale Violette train charging 4,200,000 VND for the same route as of 2024. Hanoi to Hue by train takes 12 to 14 hours at 550,000 VND for hard seats or 1,100,000 VND for air-conditioned sleeper berths. Private sleeper bus companies like The Sinh Tourist or Phuong Trang charge 350,000 to 500,000 VND for Hanoi to Hue overnight routes, 280,000 to 400,000 VND for Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, and 450,000 to 650,000 VND for Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. Local buses cost one-third to one-half of tourist sleeper buses but add 3 to 5 hours through village stops. Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, and Bamboo Airways fly Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City for 800,000 to 2,500,000 VND depending on booking timing and baggage inclusion, with advance purchases often below sleeper train prices. Hanoi to Da Nang flights run 600,000 to 1,800,000 VND, Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc 800,000 to 2,000,000 VND. Domestic baggage fees add 200,000 to 400,000 VND each way on budget carriers when not included in base fare.
Urban transport within cities shows dramatic price spreads between local and tourist rates. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City public buses cost 7,000 VND for journeys under 30 kilometers, paid in exact change to the conductor. Xe om (motorbike taxi) drivers quote 30,000 to 50,000 VND for 2-kilometer trips but accept 20,000 to 30,000 VND after negotiation or when hailed in Vietnamese. Grab motorbike rides show fixed app prices of 15,000 to 25,000 VND for the same distances, while Grab cars charge 35,000 to 60,000 VND. Traditional metered taxis by Mai Linh or Vinasun run 10,000 to 15,000 VND per kilometer after flag-fall fees of 10,000 to 12,000 VND, making cross-city trips in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City cost 80,000 to 150,000 VND. Airport taxis from Noi Bai to Hanoi Old Quarter run 350,000 to 450,000 VND for the 27-kilometer trip versus 180,000 to 220,000 VND by Grab or airport shuttle bus at 40,000 VND. Tan Son Nhat Airport to District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City costs 150,000 to 200,000 VND by metered taxi for the 8-kilometer route. Bicycle rentals cost 30,000 to 50,000 VND daily from guesthouses, motorbike rentals 100,000 to 150,000 VND daily for semi-automatic bikes or 150,000 to 250,000 VND for automatic scooters, with security deposits of 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 VND or passport hold required.
Attraction entrance fees separate into domestic and foreign visitor prices at most government-operated sites. The Imperial City of Hue charges foreigners 280,000 VND versus 150,000 VND for Vietnamese citizens as of 2024, while the Hue Royal Tombs each cost 150,000 VND for foreigners. Ha Long Bay boat tours present the widest price variation, with budget group tours from Hanoi including transport and one night on boat priced at 1,800,000 to 2,500,000 VND per person, mid-range tours at 3,500,000 to 5,500,000 VND, and luxury cruises on ships like Paradise Elegance or Heritage Binh Chuan running 12,000,000 to 25,000,000 VND per person for two nights. Day tours to Ha Long Bay without overnight stay cost 800,000 to 1,200,000 VND. The entrance fee to the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long in Hanoi is 30,000 VND, the Temple of Literature 30,000 VND, and Hoi An Ancient Town issues combination tickets at 120,000 VND covering five sites valid for one day. My Son Sanctuary entrance costs 150,000 VND, Phong Nha Cave boat tour 150,000 VND per person, and Paradise Cave 250,000 VND. Son Doong Cave expeditions through Oxalis Adventure run 72,000,000 VND per person for the four-day trek, limited to 1,000 visitors annually. Sapa trekking guides charge 400,000 to 600,000 VND per day for private tours, dropping to 200,000 to 300,000 VND per person in groups of four or more. Cu Chi Tunnels half-day tours from Ho Chi Minh City cost 250,000 to 400,000 VND including transport and guide.
Multi-day tour packages bundle transport, accommodation, and guides at rates below component costs. Three-day Mekong Delta tours from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho, floating markets, and homestays run 2,800,000 to 4,200,000 VND per person in small groups. Two-day Ninh Binh tours from Hanoi covering Tam Coc, Trang An, and Bai Dinh Pagoda cost 1,500,000 to 2,200,000 VND. Four-day Ha Giang Loop motorbike tours from Hanoi including bike rental, guide, and accommodation charge 3,500,000 to 5,000,000 VND. One-week north Vietnam tours hitting Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Giang, and Ha Long Bay range from 12,000,000 to 18,000,000 VND per person in groups of six to ten. Two-week tours covering both north and south Vietnam with flights included run 35,000,000 to 55,000,000 VND per person through mid-range operators. Private guides for individual travelers cost 800,000 to 1,200,000 VND per day in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, 600,000 to 900,000 VND per day in smaller cities, with English-speaking guides commanding prices 20 to 40 percent higher than Vietnamese-only guides.
SIM cards for tourists cost 100,000 to 250,000 VND for 30-day packages with 3 to 6 GB of data from Viettel, MobiFont, or Vinaphone at airport counters or city shops. Museum entrance fees stay low, with the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi at 40,000 VND, the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City at 40,000 VND, and the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang at 60,000 VND. Water puppet shows at Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre in Hanoi charge 100,000 to 200,000 VND depending on seat location. Cooking classes in Hoi An or Hanoi run 600,000 to 1,000,000 VND for half-day sessions including market visit and lunch. Spa services and massage vary from 100,000 VND for one-hour foot massage at neighborhood shops to 300,000 VND for full-body oil massage at mid-range spas, while luxury hotel spas charge 1,200,000 to 2,500,000 VND for 90-minute treatments. Tailoring in Hoi An produces custom suits for 2,000,000 to 4,000,000 VND depending on fabric choice, with 24 to 48-hour turnaround standard.
Grocery costs at local markets show rice at 15,000 to 25,000 VND per kilogram, eggs 30,000 to 40,000 VND per ten, chicken 60,000 to 80,000 VND per kilogram, and pork 80,000 to 120,000 VND per kilogram as of 2024. International supermarkets like VinMart or Co.opmart charge 20 to 40 percent above market prices. Imported goods carry heavy premiums, with a block of cheddar cheese costing 180,000 to 250,000 VND, a jar of peanut butter 120,000 to 180,000 VND, and breakfast cereal 100,000 to 150,000 VND per box. Bottled water costs 5,000 to 8,000 VND for 1.5 liters at convenience stores, local beer 12,000 to 18,000 VND per 330ml bottle, and soft drinks 10,000 to 15,000 VND. Bakeries sell fresh baguettes for 8,000 to 12,000 VND, croissants for 15,000 to 25,000 VND at local shops versus 35,000 to 55,000 VND at French bakeries like Tous Les Jours or Brodard.
Seasonal price variations affect coastal destinations and mountain towns significantly. Phu Quoc hotels during Lunar New Year (late January to mid-February depending on calendar year) charge double or triple their low-season rates, with minimum three-night stays enforced. Nha Trang prices peak December through March, with hotel rates 50 to 100 percent higher than April through November. Sapa experiences price surges during summer months June through August when Vietnamese domestic tourists escape lowland heat, and again during Lunar New Year. Da Lat hotel prices rise 40 to 70 percent during December and Lunar New Year period. Ha Long Bay tour operators maintain relatively stable prices year-round but reduce departures during typhoon season July through October. The Reunification Express train experiences booking difficulties and potential price increases during Lunar New Year week when Vietnamese travel to family homes, requiring bookings 30 to 60 days in advance for that period.
Budget backpackers completing one month in Vietnam spending 500,000 VND daily total 15,000,000 VND (roughly 600 USD) covering hostel dorms, street food, local buses, and selective paid attractions. Mid-range travelers allocating 2,000,000 VND daily for one month reach 60,000,000 VND (roughly 2,400 USD) for private hotel rooms, restaurant meals, intercity sleeper buses or trains, and regular attraction visits. Comfort-tier travelers spending 5,000,000 VND daily hit 150,000,000 VND (roughly 6,000 USD) monthly for four-star hotels, mix of Vietnamese and Western dining, domestic flights between major cities, and private day tours. These calculations assume continuous travel rather than extended stays in single locations, which reduce daily transport costs but rarely change accommodation and food expenses significantly in tourist areas.