A practical guide to Vietnam — for tourists, expats, and people moving here.
Vietnam Knowledge is an independent reference for tourists, expats, retirees, digital nomads, families, and first-time Asia travellers. No tour-operator affiliation. No affiliate-driven advice. Updated when policy changes — especially visa and traffic law.
Start here
The eight things almost every visitor asks first.
Which traveller are you?
Pick the path closest to your situation — we'll keep the tone consistent.
Most useful tools
All ten tools →Static, no API costs, nothing stored.
Vietnam by city
The big destinations, with honest verdicts.
Sections
Reference material, organised by topic.
Best of Vietnam
Honest "best of" lists. Methodology stated, recommendations clear.
Day Trips
The day trips that actually deliver — by base city and by destination.
Seasonal travel
Vietnam by season — what to expect and how to plan around it.
Events & Festivals
Vietnamese events worth planning a trip around — and the ones to plan around avoiding.
Checklists
Printable, checkbox-marked lists for the high-stakes Vietnam tasks.
Tools
Static tools that work offline, store no data, and give straight answers.
Business & Investors
The investor and entrepreneur reference — Vietnam-specific, plain English.
Practical Info
The logistical baseline: money, connectivity, health, weather, and what to put in your bag.
Transport
The north–south spine, the city motorbike chaos, and the apps that make it manageable.
Health & Safety
What to know about staying well — and what to do if something goes wrong.
Itineraries
Ready-to-execute routes by trip length and traveller type — backpacker, family, foodie, motorbike.
Living in Vietnam
Everything the move requires — apartments, schools, healthcare, taxes, driving.
Attractions
Beyond the cities — the natural and historical places that make Vietnam trips memorable.
History
A thousand years of independence, a century of colonisation, decades of war, then reform.
Culture
How Vietnam thinks about ancestors, neighbours, Tết, and the dinner table.
Regions & Provinces
The country is long and thin and each thirty kilometres feels different.
Language
Tonal, monosyllabic, written in chữ Quốc Ngữ — easier to read than you expect.
Food
A food culture built on broth, herbs, fish sauce, and breakfast on a low plastic stool.
Economy
One of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, with FDI to match.
Visa & Relocation
Vietnam has no general digital-nomad or retirement visa — but several real long-stay routes if you fit them.
Scams to Avoid
Most are mild and avoidable once you know the pattern.
Recently published
The newest articles across all sections.
Emperor Bảo Đại: the last Nguyễn emperor
The life of Bảo Đại, Vietnam's last emperor, from his 1926 accession and French-run upbringing to his 1945 abdication and 1997 death in exile.
Đinh dynasty (968–980): first unified Đại Cồ Việt state
Đinh Bộ Lĩnh ended the Twelve Warlords period in 968 and founded Đại Cồ Việt, Vietnam's first unified independent state, ruling from Hoa Lư.
Early Lê (Tiền Lê) dynasty (980–1009): between Đinh and Lý
Lê Hoàn took the throne in a 980 succession crisis, kept the Hoa Lư capital, and repelled a Song Chinese invasion in 981 before the dynasty ended in 1009.
Hồ dynasty (1400–1407): Hồ Quý Ly and the Ming interregnum
Hồ Quý Ly deposed the Trần in 1400 and pushed radical reforms, but a Ming invasion in 1406–07 ended the dynasty and began two decades of Chinese occupation.
Lê Lợi (Emperor Lê Thái Tổ): founder of the Later Lê dynasty
Lê Lợi led the decade-long Lam Sơn uprising against Ming occupation and founded the Later Lê dynasty in 1428, becoming Emperor Lê Thái Tổ.
Emperor Lý Thái Tổ: the founder of Thăng Long (Hà Nội)
How a former temple orphan became emperor in 1009, moved the capital to Thăng Long in 1010, and set Hanoi on course to become Vietnam capital.