Solo travel or group tour in Vietnam?

Destinations Vietnam
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Hi everyone,

I’m interested in visiting Vietnam as a solo traveller, but I’m not sure if it would be worth booking a tour or bopping around by myself.

I really like my own space and freedom, but I’m unfamiliar with Vietnam and not really sure what to expect.

Has anyone else travelled independently and had any issues, or would you recommend booking a group tour instead?

Thanks!

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It is definitely do-able to get around Vietnam without a tour but it can be overwhelming at times - think crazy crazy crowded streets, overnight sleeper buses, not so much English widely-spoken.

If your looking for a little bit of comfort & peace of mind in the chaos I’d recommend taking a tour. If your after something that has more space and freedom maybe a Private tour or Self-guided tour could be a good option. :man_shrugging:

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Hi @kate25!

I have travelled solo to Vietnam (female), but only Ho Chi Minh and surrounds. The roads/city etc are very hectic, trying to cross a street can take a looong time! But I found the locals to be extremely helpful and friendly, despite the language barrier with some helping find places I was pointing to on maps just out of the kindness of their hearts!

I also went out to Cu Chi Tunnels and on a row boat on the Mekong to a little island (I forget it’s name), which were pretty easy to organise.

So I would say, if its a short break in one spot, perfectly doable by yourself if you are comfortable navigating sometimes hectic places, and being a bit flexible. If you wanted to travel round to different parts of Vietnam, which it sounds like you do, then having all of that organised through a tour where they’re taking care of logistics etc would probably be less stressful, and knowing you have advice/guidance on hand etc (although I’m not familiar with travelling to different areas and what kind of infrastructure they have in place, but maybe others will know!)

I also think it depends on how long you have, if you’re there for 2-3 weeks and have the time to plan and figure it out, it could be an experience. But if you have less time, or might feel overwhelmed having to navigate through hectic streets/stations etc, then a tour could be a great option for you - you can also probably access places on a tour you can’t get to as easily yourself too, depending on the itinerary (I’ve travelled both independently and on tours - so this is my take!)

Hope this helps! :smiley:

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Hi! I have travelled with a group before, and it was great, although I had some time to explore on my own, but I only did some walking and shopping, all excursions were with the group, and it was fun.

Also, I think it is possible to go by yourself, and it will be equally fun. I felt great anyhow, even when just walking alone, because when you do excursions, you mostly will meet people anyway

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Vietnam - such a great place to explore!

I travelled to Vietnam and Cambodia in 2018. We did Vietnam on a tour whereas Cambodia we did independently. We really noticed the difference in how we were able to travel and experience the locations and had a much better time in Vietnam while on a tour! I do honestly put this down to being on a tour vs travelling independently rather than comparing the countries themselves.

These were the key differences;

Vietnam - benefits of being on a tour vs not being on one in Cambodia (we did a group tour in Vietnam):

  • Saw wayyy more in Vietnam as part of the organised itinerary
    • We could not really organise so much ourselves in Cambodia
    • We didn’t have a lot of time before leaving due to busy work and social schedules, we loved that we didn’t have to do any research for Vietnam, as it was all taken care of for us on the tour. We had plenty of free time as well, where the guide gave great suggestions for what to go and do.
  • Learnt a lot more - as we had an experienced and passionate guide with us through the whole trip
  • Our accom was more centrally located in Vietnam as part of the tour + we got to stay in really cool locations as well
  • Unique experiences on the tour. One of the most memorable days was in Ninh Binh, an area we would have never done on our own independent travels. We stayed in the coolest homestay style bungalows among the mountains - a place we would have been to scared to venture out to on our own accord. We explored the magical Ninh Binh region. As per the itinerary “We’ll take a bike ride through the rice paddies and then a local row boat along a network of rivers and caves. We’ll then tackle the iconic Dragon Mountain Viewpoint before boarding the overnight train south to Hoi An.” There is no way we could have organised such an adventurous, site seeing day out there on our own. We also would have given up half way probably but had the groups camaraderie to get through.
  • We got to travel in more comfortable air-conditioned vans around Vietnam
    • In Cambodia we booked onto local transfers, even paying for a more expensive smaller transfer mini van, but the aircon didn’t work in the mini van and we were sweltering for 4hrs on red leather seats - squished in with other travellers we had never met
    • At least on a tour you share transport with your group (if on group adventure)
  • Safety:
    • Food: In Vietnam we were around the food markets with our guide who knew which vendors to trust , whereas we did not feel comfortable in Cambodia
    • On the tour in Vietnam we felt safe knowing someone was always going to be waiting for us at the other side and with us
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I travelled to Vietnam by myself before, and I wish I’d travelled with a group tour. I had a very bad experience booking a bus ticket with a local agency in Hue and the bus never showed up. When I went to get help from them, they ignored me. Luckily, I ran into someone I’ve travelled with on a group tour before, and he was able to connect me with his tour guide, and they helped me get on a different bus. I think there are some tour options that give you more free time to do your own thing, so it’s worth looking into something like that. I’m actually planning to go back to Vietnam, and this time I’d definitely use a group tour!

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Totally depends on how much time you have. If you have an extended period of time then I’d go alone at your own pace to give you time to figure things out on your own. If you have a shorter period book a group tour. I even went for a couple of weeks solo and missed out on so much, I want to go back on a group tour and do it again!

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We are very familiar with Vietnam and lived here off and on for over a decade. I would say it depends on how familiar you are with Asian cultures and your comfort level with traveling alone. I’m happy to travel around Vietnam solo (but am usually with hubby), but typically recommend my less traveled friends and family take a tour at their comfort level OR explore the start and beginning independently and/or by taking day tours and then pick up a group tour to solve logistics between the different destinations so they can see and do more without the hassle. If it’s your first time, it’s always good to get insider expertise to set you on the right path. Feel free to reach out about how best to experience HCMC - we have loads of free resources and self-guided walking tours on our website, and more than happy to help out with further info.

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