WHERE WILL WE BE GOING AND WHAT WILL WE BE DOING?
What parts of Vietnam will we be visiting?
All tours start and end in Hanoi (northern Vietnam). The destinations for each tour are different (although the Magical Vietnam and Luxurious Vietnam Trips have quite similar itinieraries). A map specific to each tour showing the geography of the county and where we go on that particular tour is available on each individual trip page. There is also an itinerary for each tour on its trip page.
What kinds of activities will we be doing?
Fun, interesting and unique ones! Again, each tour is different. An overview of that trip’s activities is spelled out in the collapsible itinerary on each trip page. Three weeks before you arrive, you will receive a detailed tour itinerary.
Will I have free time to do my own thing? Absolutely! There are SO VERY MANY wonderful things to show you that the schedule will be packed pretty full (you’ll definitely get your money’s worth!) but it’s our goal to balance that with some free time to allow you to also sculpt your own experience. If you want to wander in a village, shop for handicrafts, take a cooking class or even go to your room and take a nap … go for it! Make it your own! We're happy to provide suggestions of how to spend your free time and help you find particular experiences you might be seeking (for example, a cooking class). And don’t worry … although we’ll be very much on the move, we recognize that sleep is important. So unless you opt for a crazy night out on the town, there will be plenty of opportunity for you to get in 8 hours of zzz’s each night.
ARE YOU AND YOUR GUIDING STYLE A GOOD MATCH FOR ME?
How do you see your role as a tour leader? What jobs will you do and what am I expected to do?
We will create in advance of your arrival a daily itinerary filled with fun, memorable and off-the-beaten path experiences. Cultural immersion adventures is our specialty! We will arrange your hotels, your travel to and from activities and some meals. If you'd like, we are happy to offer suggestions and accompaniment for those meals that we don’t arrange. We will serve as your translator and even teach you some Vietnamese. We will provide some background about Vietnamese culture, history, customs, etiquette and mythology to really round out your experience. We’ll be equipped with some basic medicine should you get sick. We can assist you in locating a doctor in the unlikely event that your needs go beyond the meds we have on hand. We see our role as facilitating one of the most epic adventures you’ll have in your life.
In general, your role is to marvel at all the amazing things you’ll see and experiences you’ll have. Even after all these years of traveling in Vietnam, I feel like a kid at Christmas anytime I'm there. So enjoy! Immerse yourself and let us know how we can help you maximize your experience.
You are responsible for waking up on time and being on time to leave for all excursions. At all hotels on the Luxurious Vietnam Trip (and in most hotels on the other trips), hotel porters and transportation drivers are available to handle your luggage. In such cases, tips for this assistance have been incorporated into your trip price so we'll take care of it and you can relax. In the absence of such assistance, you’ll be responsible for carrying your own luggage and keeping track of your things. We can make arrangements for storage of souvenirs that you purchase in Hanoi if needed.
Drugs will not be tolerated whatsoever. Penalties for drug offenses are severe in Vietnam. Under the Vietnamese penal code, a person caught in possession of even a small amount of heroin can be sentenced to death. There are over two dozen foreigners currently serving life sentences or facing the death penalty for drug trafficking offenses.
Since we will be arranging for you to visit the homes of many of our friends, we would ask that you not engage in any kind of behavior that would cause us both embarrassment or strain our relationships with these families. Meals for many occasions will often start with a toast over a glass of rice wine. Toasts are very common during Vietnamese meals as well. Expect to say "cheers" many times for many reasons. The meals are generally lively with banter and can involve lots of drinking. Be aware that rice wine is strong and be assured that when you empty your glass it will continue to be refilled. Keep this in mind in terms of how quickly and how much you drink. In other words, please be responsible when joining in this fun custom.
For those of you who do not drink alcohol, refraining from these toasts is not a big deal and will not cause offense. Please let us know in advance if you'd prefer not to partake and we'll be happy to communicate that to our hosts on your behalf.
LANGUAGE
Do you speak Vietnamese? I do speak Vietnamese and continue to improve it daily with these tours in mind. I am currently fluent in basic Vietnamese and am working toward total language fluency. All of our local guides speak English (most quite fluently) and of course are fluent Vietnamese so communication should not be a problem.
Do I need to speak Vietnamese? No, you don’t. We do find, however, that making even a small effort with basic things (hello, thank you, this is delicious, etc) is MUCH appreciated by the locals and learning your numbers will get you much better deals in the markets. We love to teach and are happy to help you learn the basics. Google Translate also works very well so if you’re roaming on your free time and need to communicate with someone in Vietnamese, that's always an option.
FOOD
I’m not familiar with Vietnamese food. What kinds of things do they eat?
Vietnamese food is one of the most memorable highlights of visiting Vietnam. It is diverse, creative and extremely flavorful. Balance is key to this cuisine and the five fundamental tastes (sour, bitter, salty, sweet, spicy) will often be seen represented throughout a dish. Rice and fish sauce (used as a salty element) are very common components in a Vietnamese dish.
The Vietnamese typically start their day with one of several different types of hot noodle soups. The two most common are pho, a beef-based flat noodle soup, and bun, a rice vermicelli noodle soup that can have crab, fish, beef or a variety of other flavors. If you prefer to stick with western style egg-based breakfasts, those are readily available.
When it comes to food, pictures really are worth a thousand words. Check out these photos of descriptions of just a few Vietnamese dishes.
Vietnamese Foods You Should Know
Primer in Vietnamese Cuisine
I’m vegetarian. I hear that the Vietnamese put fish sauce on everything. Will I be able to eat there? Easy peasy! While the Vietnamese do love their pork and beef, it’s also a heavily Buddhist country so MANY Vietnamese people eat vegetarian meals several days a week! We know how to say this when we order … and we’ll even teach YOU to say it!
One vegetarian guest brought a couple zip lock bags filled with meal replacement bars as a backup and we thought that was a pretty good idea. When we were spontaneiously invited to an indigenous wedding, all the dishes either had meat in them or were cooked in meat broth so those meal replacement bars came in very handy for him. But that was a special occasion and an unusual circumstance. In regular restaurants and out on the street, you won’t have trouble. In fact, here are a couple of articles to set your mind at ease. So just let us know in advance if you are vegetarian and we’ll help you navigate that.
Vegetarian Holiday in Vietnam
Vegetarian on the Vietnamese Streets
Vegan Guide to Vietnam
7 Reasons Vegetarians Need to Travel Vietnam
I don’t know how to use chopsticks. Is that a problem? It’s true that the Vietnamese use chopsticks for virtually every meal but if you let us know before the trip that this won’t work for you, we will make sure to give you a fork that you can keep with you and use at meal time. If, however, you would like to learn to eat with chopsticks in advance of the trip, many sushi restaurants in the U.S. offer a sort of “training wheels version” where the chopsticks are rubber-banded together to allow you get the feel of how they work. Practicing with those makes it a pretty effortless switch to using them “sans training wheels.” Amazon also sells a product you can slip onto any set of chopsticks to turn them into the “training wheels" kind. You could order this to practice before your departure or even bring it with you and use it on the trip with the chopsticks in any place we go!
I’ve heard that Vietnamese eat dog meat. I’ve also heard that tourists will be served dog meat even when what they’ve ordered and paid for is beef or something I would normally eat. How likely is this to happen to me? Ah … the myth of being “slipped some dog meat.” This will NEVER happen to you. Yes, it’s true that the Vietnamese eat dog meat. But it is considered a delicacy and is VERY expensive by Vietnamese standards. Being sneakily served dog meat would be akin to you ordering a hamburger and someone slipping you filet mignon instead. It simply won’t happen.
OK, I’m happy to know that I won’t be “tricked” into eating dog meat. But now that I know that dog meat is a delicacy, what if my host serves it? Can I decline without offending him or her? The serving of dog meat is not terribly common in Vietnam. I could have sought it out had I wanted to (I didn’t) but was never ever offered it. During the in-home meals that we arrange in advance, we can assure you that dog meat will never be on the menu. Either way, for dog meat or any other menu item that might be objectionable to you, there is a polite way to decline food or drink you don’t want and we will teach it to you.
Here is also an article on Vietnamese dining etiquette that you might enjoy.
Will I get sick from eating street food? Often the street food in Vietnam is fresher and tastier than in a restaurant so it’s almost always our go-to choice. After spending much time in Vietnam and a number of other countries in Southeast Asia, I've yet to be ill from any type of food, whether cooked or uncooked, served in a restaurant or on the street. In twenty years of travel in third world countries, I've only gotten sick once and that was for only a single night and NOT in Vietnam. I'm not a fan of preemptive remedies so I don’t take them, but I am aware that some people choose to start a course of probiotics before a trip and take prescription Cipro every day during the trip. If you’re particularly concerned, this might be an option for you. We will be equipped with medicine just in case anyone does get ill.
Why aren’t all my meals covered? All of your breakfasts are included in your trip price. We want to make certain that food culture is part of your immersive trip experience so we've also included some lunches and dinners that are regional specialties, meals in the homes of locals or simply some of our favorite foods. But we also recognize that people like to explore on their own, perhaps track down a recommendation from a friend back home, something that you saw on a TV travel show or simply the joy of wandering and finding your own hidden gems. That's how we found so many of the back-door type of experiences that are on your trip so we definitely encourage doing your own thing. Accordingly, we don’t include all your meals so that you have these freedoms. We will certainly recommend (and even accompany you to) restaurants and local dishes to try. If you have any special food requirements, we will do our best to cater to them.
A budget of $100-200 for meals not covered in your trip price should be quite sufficient.
TRANSPORTATION
I've heard people talk about motorbikes when speaking of Vietnam. Is a motorbike the same as a motorcycle? No, a motorbike is a scooter; the same kind of scooters that so many people rent and drive around Key West, for example. Some are Vespa-style with platforms for your feet. Most of the ones driven by Vietnamese people do not have the foot platform but are still the small 125-150cc.
Will I have to drive or ride a motorbike? No, you definitely are not required to do either. Except as listed below, we do not rely on motorbike transportation at any point in our tours. All of our transfers from airports and between cities will be in cars, vans, trains and airplanes. When traveling around town over distances that are not easily walkable, we will take taxis. We anticipate in the future offering a tour that is motorbike based but that is not yet on offer.
There is one food tour on the Luxurious Vietnam Trip where the local guides drive motorbikes and guests will ride on the back (1 guest per motorbike). The drivers for this company have been rigorously trained over a 3-month period and vetted before being allowed to drive the first guest. You’ll be in great hands.
In Sa Pa, some of the most beautiful rice terraces we’ve ever seen are located in a place not accessible by car due to narrow side-walk width roads. Hiking there is steep, out of the way and the time to do so would prevent you from participating in other activities that day. So the best way to see this wondrous sight is by motorbike. We’ll have local motorbikes and drivers available for you to ride with if you’d like to see these … and we highly encourage it. These drivers do not have the specialized training like those drivers mentioned above on the Hanoi food tour.
But remember that most people in Vietnam drive motorbikes in the same way that we in the US drive cars. We don’t insist that our Uber or Lyft driver have specialized driver training before with ride with them. We just know that in the course of driving everyday, we all become experienced and competent drivers. We at Open Door Travel would never put you in a situation we believe to be unsafe so we’re confident you’ll be fine on either of these excursions. But if riding on the back of a motorbike is not something you’re comfortable with, we respect that. All tour activities are optional.
ACCOMMODATION
What type of accommodations will be provided on the tour?
Accommodation type for each tour is different and is spelled out on each trip page. But no matter which trip you book, all accommodations are guaranteed to be boutique, pleasing and clean. We appreciate aesthetics and are sure you do too so we absolutely keep that in mind when choosing accommodations.
ATTIRE
What should I wear? How should I dress? Average temperatures in Vietnam vary from north to south (kind of like Maine vs Miami at the same time of year) and of course time of year. We’ve selected tour dates and places that should maximize the chances of good weather with moderate temperatures. Once you book your trip, we’ll send you an email with more detailed information about specific weather and likely temperatures for the dates and places of the tour you've booked. We’ll also send a suggested packing list. In general though, layering is key.
Vietnam is a somewhat conservative country so we suggest that you not go sleeveless in the warmer climates (or at least not on days when we are visiting homes or temples). Definitely no midriff baring tops, cute as we’re sure they look on you.
Casual traveling clothes are fine. Quick dry travel clothes are our favorite, but t-shirts and jeans work fine as well. There will be plenty of opportunities to send your clothes out for washing. Our packing strategy is to bring less and have it laundered more often to keep luggage to a minimum.
THE MONEY END OF THINGS
I understand that international airfare to Hanoi is not included in my trip price. How much can I expect to pay for my airfare and food? Airfare to Hanoi can be generally be had for $650 - 850 round trip depending on the time of year you book from major hubs like New York and San Francisco. Of course you’ll need to price this out from your hometown. I find Orbitz and Priceline to be good starting points for that.
Want help booking your airfare? We've partnered with Travel Leaders travel agency to find and book airfare for your trip for the extremely reasonable fee of $50. Our contact there is Arden Lindsey and she can be reached in the following ways:
Phone: 901.490.8705 Email: alindsey@travelleaders.com
Because each trip requires a minimum enrollment for the trip to make (4 people for Tribal Culture and Luxurious Vietnam and 5 people for Magical Vietnam), we suggest that you hold off on booking any airfare until your trip is confirmed. We'll give you at least 4 months notice before your departure date and in most cases 6 months notice.
How do I secure my place on one of these limited trips? An Initial Deposit of approximately 25% of your total trip price will secure your space. The exact amount of your Initial Deposit can be found on the Payment Schedules page of this website (click this link or find another on the bottom of any webpage). After your initial deposit, the balance is split up between the Second Trip Payment and the Final Trip Payment. The due dates and amounts for each of those varies by trip and also can be found on the Payment Schedules page.
How do I pay?
We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover). We can take your credit card information over the phone or we can email you an invoice via Square which you can pay securely online with a credit card. Discounts are given if you wish to pay by check or with PayPal directly from your bank. If you wish to pay this way, please contact us by phone (270.217.4330) or email (adventure@opendoortravel.org) and we can give you the reduced price amounts.
Speaking of money, how do I get money in Vietnam to cover my extra meals, buy souvenirs, etc? Should I bring travelers’ checks? Definitely leave the travelers’ checks at home. Finding places to cash them and get decent exchange rates will be a hassle.
ATM’s are ubiquitous throughout Vietnam. They distribute money in the Vietnamese currency called dong and they will typically give you the best exchange rate. $1 USD = 22,730 VND. We generally take out the equivalent of $200-300 USD in dong at a time and that amount gets us quite far. Also, many vendors will accept MasterCard and Visa for purchases over $20 (such as the tailors). American Express and Discover are rarely accepted so we would suggest leaving those particular cards at home with the travelers checks.
PREPARATION/ PHYSICAL SAFETY
Passports and visas. You must have a valid passport and a visa (or pre-approval for a visa on arrival) to enter Vietnam. Your passport must be valid for six months beyond your planned stay and you must have at least one blank visa page. Once you book, we’ll send you all the info you need to make sure you meet these requirements.
What vaccinations do I need to get before I go? According to the Center for Disease Control, there are no obligatory vaccines you need before traveling to Vietnam, but there are recommended ones.
Because all of our tours visit farms and rural locations, a tropical disease specialist we hired to advise in this area instructed that the Japanese encephalitis vaccine is a must. Check your records to see if it's time to update your routine shots. The DPT vaccines, which protect against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, should be updated every 10 years. Vaccines for hepatitis A and B are good to have as well but not required. Click here to see the CDC's list of recommended vaccinations.
I am a woman. Will I be safe traveling there? Your tour curator and trip leader is also a woman and has spent years traveling Vietnam alone by motorbike out in the countryside without any trouble whatsoever. You got this girl!
Do I need to be in top physical shape for this trip? How much hiking, walking, etc will we be doing? We will be very much on-the-go. Many of the cities we’re stopping in are “walking cities.” And we’ll have some biking trips as well but they will be on flat ground. So as long as you are able to walk 1-2 miles at a time at a leisurely pace and stand for 30 minutes or so, you’ll be fine. You will have an opportunity to hike to a waterfall on the Tribal Culture Trip, but that is not a required activity. If you feel that such hikes are beyond your comfort level, you do not have to participate.
Do I need traveler’s insurance? It is not required to enter Vietnam or by Open Door Travel, but we do strongly recommend it to protect your travel investment. Travel insurance is very affordable and can offer financial protection for trip cancellation and interruption, as well as assistance should you encounter travel delays, baggage loss, or require medical treatment while traveling. We recommend Roam Right and AIG/TravelGuard.
I'M READY! LET’S GO!
Once I book my trip, what materials and information will I receive? After you make your Initial Deposit, you will receive several pre-trip mailings with specific information about your destination, packing suggestions and other relevant information to help you prepare for and get excited about your trip. All pre-trip information will be sent to you electronically.
I’m ready to sign up! What do I need to do? Call (270.217.4330) or email (adventure@opendoortravel.org) us and let us know:
1 - which trip you’d like to take
2- how many spots you want and
3 - whether you’d like to do the trip extension
We will then email you an invoice for the appropriate Initial Deposit amount which can you pay with a credit card over the phone or securely online.
What parts of Vietnam will we be visiting?
All tours start and end in Hanoi (northern Vietnam). The destinations for each tour are different (although the Magical Vietnam and Luxurious Vietnam Trips have quite similar itinieraries). A map specific to each tour showing the geography of the county and where we go on that particular tour is available on each individual trip page. There is also an itinerary for each tour on its trip page.
What kinds of activities will we be doing?
Fun, interesting and unique ones! Again, each tour is different. An overview of that trip’s activities is spelled out in the collapsible itinerary on each trip page. Three weeks before you arrive, you will receive a detailed tour itinerary.
Will I have free time to do my own thing? Absolutely! There are SO VERY MANY wonderful things to show you that the schedule will be packed pretty full (you’ll definitely get your money’s worth!) but it’s our goal to balance that with some free time to allow you to also sculpt your own experience. If you want to wander in a village, shop for handicrafts, take a cooking class or even go to your room and take a nap … go for it! Make it your own! We're happy to provide suggestions of how to spend your free time and help you find particular experiences you might be seeking (for example, a cooking class). And don’t worry … although we’ll be very much on the move, we recognize that sleep is important. So unless you opt for a crazy night out on the town, there will be plenty of opportunity for you to get in 8 hours of zzz’s each night.
ARE YOU AND YOUR GUIDING STYLE A GOOD MATCH FOR ME?
How do you see your role as a tour leader? What jobs will you do and what am I expected to do?
We will create in advance of your arrival a daily itinerary filled with fun, memorable and off-the-beaten path experiences. Cultural immersion adventures is our specialty! We will arrange your hotels, your travel to and from activities and some meals. If you'd like, we are happy to offer suggestions and accompaniment for those meals that we don’t arrange. We will serve as your translator and even teach you some Vietnamese. We will provide some background about Vietnamese culture, history, customs, etiquette and mythology to really round out your experience. We’ll be equipped with some basic medicine should you get sick. We can assist you in locating a doctor in the unlikely event that your needs go beyond the meds we have on hand. We see our role as facilitating one of the most epic adventures you’ll have in your life.
In general, your role is to marvel at all the amazing things you’ll see and experiences you’ll have. Even after all these years of traveling in Vietnam, I feel like a kid at Christmas anytime I'm there. So enjoy! Immerse yourself and let us know how we can help you maximize your experience.
You are responsible for waking up on time and being on time to leave for all excursions. At all hotels on the Luxurious Vietnam Trip (and in most hotels on the other trips), hotel porters and transportation drivers are available to handle your luggage. In such cases, tips for this assistance have been incorporated into your trip price so we'll take care of it and you can relax. In the absence of such assistance, you’ll be responsible for carrying your own luggage and keeping track of your things. We can make arrangements for storage of souvenirs that you purchase in Hanoi if needed.
Drugs will not be tolerated whatsoever. Penalties for drug offenses are severe in Vietnam. Under the Vietnamese penal code, a person caught in possession of even a small amount of heroin can be sentenced to death. There are over two dozen foreigners currently serving life sentences or facing the death penalty for drug trafficking offenses.
Since we will be arranging for you to visit the homes of many of our friends, we would ask that you not engage in any kind of behavior that would cause us both embarrassment or strain our relationships with these families. Meals for many occasions will often start with a toast over a glass of rice wine. Toasts are very common during Vietnamese meals as well. Expect to say "cheers" many times for many reasons. The meals are generally lively with banter and can involve lots of drinking. Be aware that rice wine is strong and be assured that when you empty your glass it will continue to be refilled. Keep this in mind in terms of how quickly and how much you drink. In other words, please be responsible when joining in this fun custom.
For those of you who do not drink alcohol, refraining from these toasts is not a big deal and will not cause offense. Please let us know in advance if you'd prefer not to partake and we'll be happy to communicate that to our hosts on your behalf.
LANGUAGE
Do you speak Vietnamese? I do speak Vietnamese and continue to improve it daily with these tours in mind. I am currently fluent in basic Vietnamese and am working toward total language fluency. All of our local guides speak English (most quite fluently) and of course are fluent Vietnamese so communication should not be a problem.
Do I need to speak Vietnamese? No, you don’t. We do find, however, that making even a small effort with basic things (hello, thank you, this is delicious, etc) is MUCH appreciated by the locals and learning your numbers will get you much better deals in the markets. We love to teach and are happy to help you learn the basics. Google Translate also works very well so if you’re roaming on your free time and need to communicate with someone in Vietnamese, that's always an option.
FOOD
I’m not familiar with Vietnamese food. What kinds of things do they eat?
Vietnamese food is one of the most memorable highlights of visiting Vietnam. It is diverse, creative and extremely flavorful. Balance is key to this cuisine and the five fundamental tastes (sour, bitter, salty, sweet, spicy) will often be seen represented throughout a dish. Rice and fish sauce (used as a salty element) are very common components in a Vietnamese dish.
The Vietnamese typically start their day with one of several different types of hot noodle soups. The two most common are pho, a beef-based flat noodle soup, and bun, a rice vermicelli noodle soup that can have crab, fish, beef or a variety of other flavors. If you prefer to stick with western style egg-based breakfasts, those are readily available.
When it comes to food, pictures really are worth a thousand words. Check out these photos of descriptions of just a few Vietnamese dishes.
Vietnamese Foods You Should Know
Primer in Vietnamese Cuisine
I’m vegetarian. I hear that the Vietnamese put fish sauce on everything. Will I be able to eat there? Easy peasy! While the Vietnamese do love their pork and beef, it’s also a heavily Buddhist country so MANY Vietnamese people eat vegetarian meals several days a week! We know how to say this when we order … and we’ll even teach YOU to say it!
One vegetarian guest brought a couple zip lock bags filled with meal replacement bars as a backup and we thought that was a pretty good idea. When we were spontaneiously invited to an indigenous wedding, all the dishes either had meat in them or were cooked in meat broth so those meal replacement bars came in very handy for him. But that was a special occasion and an unusual circumstance. In regular restaurants and out on the street, you won’t have trouble. In fact, here are a couple of articles to set your mind at ease. So just let us know in advance if you are vegetarian and we’ll help you navigate that.
Vegetarian Holiday in Vietnam
Vegetarian on the Vietnamese Streets
Vegan Guide to Vietnam
7 Reasons Vegetarians Need to Travel Vietnam
I don’t know how to use chopsticks. Is that a problem? It’s true that the Vietnamese use chopsticks for virtually every meal but if you let us know before the trip that this won’t work for you, we will make sure to give you a fork that you can keep with you and use at meal time. If, however, you would like to learn to eat with chopsticks in advance of the trip, many sushi restaurants in the U.S. offer a sort of “training wheels version” where the chopsticks are rubber-banded together to allow you get the feel of how they work. Practicing with those makes it a pretty effortless switch to using them “sans training wheels.” Amazon also sells a product you can slip onto any set of chopsticks to turn them into the “training wheels" kind. You could order this to practice before your departure or even bring it with you and use it on the trip with the chopsticks in any place we go!
I’ve heard that Vietnamese eat dog meat. I’ve also heard that tourists will be served dog meat even when what they’ve ordered and paid for is beef or something I would normally eat. How likely is this to happen to me? Ah … the myth of being “slipped some dog meat.” This will NEVER happen to you. Yes, it’s true that the Vietnamese eat dog meat. But it is considered a delicacy and is VERY expensive by Vietnamese standards. Being sneakily served dog meat would be akin to you ordering a hamburger and someone slipping you filet mignon instead. It simply won’t happen.
OK, I’m happy to know that I won’t be “tricked” into eating dog meat. But now that I know that dog meat is a delicacy, what if my host serves it? Can I decline without offending him or her? The serving of dog meat is not terribly common in Vietnam. I could have sought it out had I wanted to (I didn’t) but was never ever offered it. During the in-home meals that we arrange in advance, we can assure you that dog meat will never be on the menu. Either way, for dog meat or any other menu item that might be objectionable to you, there is a polite way to decline food or drink you don’t want and we will teach it to you.
Here is also an article on Vietnamese dining etiquette that you might enjoy.
Will I get sick from eating street food? Often the street food in Vietnam is fresher and tastier than in a restaurant so it’s almost always our go-to choice. After spending much time in Vietnam and a number of other countries in Southeast Asia, I've yet to be ill from any type of food, whether cooked or uncooked, served in a restaurant or on the street. In twenty years of travel in third world countries, I've only gotten sick once and that was for only a single night and NOT in Vietnam. I'm not a fan of preemptive remedies so I don’t take them, but I am aware that some people choose to start a course of probiotics before a trip and take prescription Cipro every day during the trip. If you’re particularly concerned, this might be an option for you. We will be equipped with medicine just in case anyone does get ill.
Why aren’t all my meals covered? All of your breakfasts are included in your trip price. We want to make certain that food culture is part of your immersive trip experience so we've also included some lunches and dinners that are regional specialties, meals in the homes of locals or simply some of our favorite foods. But we also recognize that people like to explore on their own, perhaps track down a recommendation from a friend back home, something that you saw on a TV travel show or simply the joy of wandering and finding your own hidden gems. That's how we found so many of the back-door type of experiences that are on your trip so we definitely encourage doing your own thing. Accordingly, we don’t include all your meals so that you have these freedoms. We will certainly recommend (and even accompany you to) restaurants and local dishes to try. If you have any special food requirements, we will do our best to cater to them.
A budget of $100-200 for meals not covered in your trip price should be quite sufficient.
TRANSPORTATION
I've heard people talk about motorbikes when speaking of Vietnam. Is a motorbike the same as a motorcycle? No, a motorbike is a scooter; the same kind of scooters that so many people rent and drive around Key West, for example. Some are Vespa-style with platforms for your feet. Most of the ones driven by Vietnamese people do not have the foot platform but are still the small 125-150cc.
Will I have to drive or ride a motorbike? No, you definitely are not required to do either. Except as listed below, we do not rely on motorbike transportation at any point in our tours. All of our transfers from airports and between cities will be in cars, vans, trains and airplanes. When traveling around town over distances that are not easily walkable, we will take taxis. We anticipate in the future offering a tour that is motorbike based but that is not yet on offer.
There is one food tour on the Luxurious Vietnam Trip where the local guides drive motorbikes and guests will ride on the back (1 guest per motorbike). The drivers for this company have been rigorously trained over a 3-month period and vetted before being allowed to drive the first guest. You’ll be in great hands.
In Sa Pa, some of the most beautiful rice terraces we’ve ever seen are located in a place not accessible by car due to narrow side-walk width roads. Hiking there is steep, out of the way and the time to do so would prevent you from participating in other activities that day. So the best way to see this wondrous sight is by motorbike. We’ll have local motorbikes and drivers available for you to ride with if you’d like to see these … and we highly encourage it. These drivers do not have the specialized training like those drivers mentioned above on the Hanoi food tour.
But remember that most people in Vietnam drive motorbikes in the same way that we in the US drive cars. We don’t insist that our Uber or Lyft driver have specialized driver training before with ride with them. We just know that in the course of driving everyday, we all become experienced and competent drivers. We at Open Door Travel would never put you in a situation we believe to be unsafe so we’re confident you’ll be fine on either of these excursions. But if riding on the back of a motorbike is not something you’re comfortable with, we respect that. All tour activities are optional.
ACCOMMODATION
What type of accommodations will be provided on the tour?
Accommodation type for each tour is different and is spelled out on each trip page. But no matter which trip you book, all accommodations are guaranteed to be boutique, pleasing and clean. We appreciate aesthetics and are sure you do too so we absolutely keep that in mind when choosing accommodations.
ATTIRE
What should I wear? How should I dress? Average temperatures in Vietnam vary from north to south (kind of like Maine vs Miami at the same time of year) and of course time of year. We’ve selected tour dates and places that should maximize the chances of good weather with moderate temperatures. Once you book your trip, we’ll send you an email with more detailed information about specific weather and likely temperatures for the dates and places of the tour you've booked. We’ll also send a suggested packing list. In general though, layering is key.
Vietnam is a somewhat conservative country so we suggest that you not go sleeveless in the warmer climates (or at least not on days when we are visiting homes or temples). Definitely no midriff baring tops, cute as we’re sure they look on you.
Casual traveling clothes are fine. Quick dry travel clothes are our favorite, but t-shirts and jeans work fine as well. There will be plenty of opportunities to send your clothes out for washing. Our packing strategy is to bring less and have it laundered more often to keep luggage to a minimum.
THE MONEY END OF THINGS
I understand that international airfare to Hanoi is not included in my trip price. How much can I expect to pay for my airfare and food? Airfare to Hanoi can be generally be had for $650 - 850 round trip depending on the time of year you book from major hubs like New York and San Francisco. Of course you’ll need to price this out from your hometown. I find Orbitz and Priceline to be good starting points for that.
Want help booking your airfare? We've partnered with Travel Leaders travel agency to find and book airfare for your trip for the extremely reasonable fee of $50. Our contact there is Arden Lindsey and she can be reached in the following ways:
Phone: 901.490.8705 Email: alindsey@travelleaders.com
Because each trip requires a minimum enrollment for the trip to make (4 people for Tribal Culture and Luxurious Vietnam and 5 people for Magical Vietnam), we suggest that you hold off on booking any airfare until your trip is confirmed. We'll give you at least 4 months notice before your departure date and in most cases 6 months notice.
How do I secure my place on one of these limited trips? An Initial Deposit of approximately 25% of your total trip price will secure your space. The exact amount of your Initial Deposit can be found on the Payment Schedules page of this website (click this link or find another on the bottom of any webpage). After your initial deposit, the balance is split up between the Second Trip Payment and the Final Trip Payment. The due dates and amounts for each of those varies by trip and also can be found on the Payment Schedules page.
How do I pay?
We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover). We can take your credit card information over the phone or we can email you an invoice via Square which you can pay securely online with a credit card. Discounts are given if you wish to pay by check or with PayPal directly from your bank. If you wish to pay this way, please contact us by phone (270.217.4330) or email (adventure@opendoortravel.org) and we can give you the reduced price amounts.
Speaking of money, how do I get money in Vietnam to cover my extra meals, buy souvenirs, etc? Should I bring travelers’ checks? Definitely leave the travelers’ checks at home. Finding places to cash them and get decent exchange rates will be a hassle.
ATM’s are ubiquitous throughout Vietnam. They distribute money in the Vietnamese currency called dong and they will typically give you the best exchange rate. $1 USD = 22,730 VND. We generally take out the equivalent of $200-300 USD in dong at a time and that amount gets us quite far. Also, many vendors will accept MasterCard and Visa for purchases over $20 (such as the tailors). American Express and Discover are rarely accepted so we would suggest leaving those particular cards at home with the travelers checks.
PREPARATION/ PHYSICAL SAFETY
Passports and visas. You must have a valid passport and a visa (or pre-approval for a visa on arrival) to enter Vietnam. Your passport must be valid for six months beyond your planned stay and you must have at least one blank visa page. Once you book, we’ll send you all the info you need to make sure you meet these requirements.
What vaccinations do I need to get before I go? According to the Center for Disease Control, there are no obligatory vaccines you need before traveling to Vietnam, but there are recommended ones.
Because all of our tours visit farms and rural locations, a tropical disease specialist we hired to advise in this area instructed that the Japanese encephalitis vaccine is a must. Check your records to see if it's time to update your routine shots. The DPT vaccines, which protect against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, should be updated every 10 years. Vaccines for hepatitis A and B are good to have as well but not required. Click here to see the CDC's list of recommended vaccinations.
I am a woman. Will I be safe traveling there? Your tour curator and trip leader is also a woman and has spent years traveling Vietnam alone by motorbike out in the countryside without any trouble whatsoever. You got this girl!
Do I need to be in top physical shape for this trip? How much hiking, walking, etc will we be doing? We will be very much on-the-go. Many of the cities we’re stopping in are “walking cities.” And we’ll have some biking trips as well but they will be on flat ground. So as long as you are able to walk 1-2 miles at a time at a leisurely pace and stand for 30 minutes or so, you’ll be fine. You will have an opportunity to hike to a waterfall on the Tribal Culture Trip, but that is not a required activity. If you feel that such hikes are beyond your comfort level, you do not have to participate.
Do I need traveler’s insurance? It is not required to enter Vietnam or by Open Door Travel, but we do strongly recommend it to protect your travel investment. Travel insurance is very affordable and can offer financial protection for trip cancellation and interruption, as well as assistance should you encounter travel delays, baggage loss, or require medical treatment while traveling. We recommend Roam Right and AIG/TravelGuard.
I'M READY! LET’S GO!
Once I book my trip, what materials and information will I receive? After you make your Initial Deposit, you will receive several pre-trip mailings with specific information about your destination, packing suggestions and other relevant information to help you prepare for and get excited about your trip. All pre-trip information will be sent to you electronically.
I’m ready to sign up! What do I need to do? Call (270.217.4330) or email (adventure@opendoortravel.org) us and let us know:
1 - which trip you’d like to take
2- how many spots you want and
3 - whether you’d like to do the trip extension
We will then email you an invoice for the appropriate Initial Deposit amount which can you pay with a credit card over the phone or securely online.
