After writing this article, it seems like my Vietnam spending is quite a lot! I mean, it’s not an expensive country so how did I end up spending so much money? After taking a careful look at the spending breakdown, it’s from a few things:
- I spent $390 on the tailored suit I purchased from Hoi An, Vietnam, including the cost of shipping.
- I spent quite a bit on flights travelling between Vietnamese cities. Thinking the flights were cheap because they were in USD, turns out they were not because the Canadian dollar is extremely weak right now (no thanks to Obama and Trump who both killed our dollar)
- I also spent money on things I shouldn’t have such as renting that scooter in Da Nang.
- I also paid quite a bit of money to enter the country, the E-VISA cost is definitely not cheap. The next time I visit Vietnam, I will wait until I renew my Philippines’ passport in order to get a VISA-free entry.
Without further delay, below is my complete spending breakdown in Vietnam.
30 days Vietnam spending breakdown
- Air India and Singapore Flight from New Delhi to Singapore Changi to Ho Chi Minh – $37.20 CAD (620,000 VND)
- VISA Fee in the airport – $34.16 CAD ($25 USD or 570,000 VND)
- SIM Card – $10 CAD (180,000 VND)
- Jetstar Pacific flight from Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang – $93.83 CAD ($69.98 USD or 1,560,000 VND)
- Jetstar Pacific flight from Da Nang to Hanoi – $83.51 CAD ($62.28 USD or 1,395,000 VND)
- Vietnam 3-Month Single Entry E-VISA – $30 CAD ($22 USD or 502,000 VND)
- Erato Boutique Hotel – $26 CAD ($18.26 USD or 434,000 VND)
- Air Bnb 26 nights rental in Da Nang My Khe Beach – $480 CAD ($350 USD or 8,021,500 VND)
- 24 days motorbike rental in Da Nang – $68 CAD (1,150,000 VND)
- Tailored suit from Hoi An, Vietnam – $335 CAD ($245 USD or 5,600,000 VND)
- Shipping the tailored three piece suit from Hoi An, Vietnam to Vancouver, Canada – $68 CAD (1,115,000 VND)
- Disposable Razor – $0.70 CAD (10,000 VND)
- Tripod rental in Da Nang, Vietnam – $17 CAD (280,000 VND)
- Watching a movie for two with my friend in Hanoi – $11 CAD (176,000 VND)
- Bus from Hanoi to Hanoi airport – $0.55 CAD (8,000 VND)
- Bus from Da Nang to Hoi An (2 round trip rides) – $8 CAD (130,000 VND)
- ATM withdrawal fee – $6 CAD (90,000 VND)
- Halong Bay tour – $45 CAD (660,000 VND)
- Food – $240 CAD (3,934,100 VND)
- Water and beverages – $4.50 CAD (70,000 VND)
- Taxi (took 7 times) – $41 CAD (669,000 VND)
Grand totals:
Total Vietnam spending: $1,639.45 CAD (26,805,600 VND)
Total Vietnam spending without flight: $1,424.91 CAD (23,634,600 VND)
Average daily Vietnam spending: $54.65 CAD (893,520 VND)
Average daily Vietnam spending without flight: $47.50 CAD (787,820 VND)
Total points and miles spent: 27,500 Aeroplan Miles
Besides my overspending in this country and setting me back financially to complete my one year trip around the world, I also felt like I visited the wrong place in Vietnam. I should have setup base in Ho Chi Minh instead of Da Nang because I felt really bored living in that city for so long.
Air bnb rental
The food in Vietnam is also not very good. I find that the Vietnamese food outside Vietnam actually tasted better. On the flip side, Vietnamese food are very healthy thanks to the sheer amount of vegetables they provide you.
Healthy Vietnamese food
In my opinion, the biggest highlight of my trip is the Vietnamese people in Da Nang and visiting my friend in Hanoi. Vietnamese people tend to be blunt and aggressive when they talk but they are also very friendly once you start talking to them. I even took pictures with the cook and server at my favourite eatery in Da Nang. They were really sad to see me leave and asked me when I’m returning to their city. I’d like to say I’m coming back in a year or two but in reality, it is most likely never. That is just the sad reality of travelling around the world, you make friends for a few days to a month then you never see them again.
After Vietnam, I was off to far east Asia and Indonesia to see more wonders of the world. Would I go back to Vietnam? I would, certainly, but I will explore Ho Chi Minh and Nha Trang the next time I do it.
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