Vietnam Packing List: Those Travel Essentials for Vietnam

This post contains product affiliate links. These are mainly on items/hotels/tours that I personally endorse & love. I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, but at no extra cost to you.

Are you planning a trip to Vietnam and you don’t know what to pack? Then use my Vietnam packing list to tick off all the items you need!

As someone who’s been to Vietnam three times and spent 10 weeks travelling around the country, I feel like I know what you need to pack for an amazing holiday. Look at this as your ultimate Vietnam Travel Checklist, all those items you just can’t leave home without. Bookmark this one because you’re likely to keep coming back to check it!

On my most recent trip to Vietnam, there were a few things I packed that really made a big difference to our trip. These are all tried and tested products that can really make a difference on your trip.

We also travelled with our 8-month-old baby, so if you’re travelling with little ones then there are a few must-haves which I recommend you take too. Where would we have been without our spinners and our baby highchair!

So, if you’re wondering what your travel essentials for Vietnam are, then you’re in the right place. Use this packing list so you can spend less time worrying about what to bring and more time planning the holiday of a lifetime.

If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration when planning your trip, then here are the best experiences in Vietnam. Tick off a few of these and you’re in for an amazing holiday!

Is it difficult to pack for Vietnam?

Absolutely, yes. Because it’s so long and thin, it covers a number of different climates. Also, you can pack for beach weather, but if you go to the mountains of Sapa then it can get super cold no matter the time of year.

Vietnam doesn’t have one rainy season. In the north and south, most of the rain falls in summer, roughly June to September. Central Vietnam flips it around, with the wet season running from October to December. Typhoons can also hit the east coast any time between May and November, so pack for wet weather if your route sticks to the coast. If you want dry weather across the whole country, aim for February to April.

When I visited recently it was late November/early December, and the central region had been hit hard with flooding. It was some of the worst they’ve ever had on record, so the seasons are definitely changing and monsoon season is getting more extreme.

This makes the packing a little harder than some other countries. Basically, it means you have to pack that travel umbrella – just hope you don’t have to use it!

Travel essentials

Passport – Your passport needs to be valid for at least six months after you arrive, with at least two blank pages. It also needs to be in good condition, as travellers have been refused entry with damaged passports. I’d pack a printed copy of the photo page as well, because you’re expected to carry photo ID with you at all times.

Visa – If you’re travelling on a British passport, you can visit Vietnam visa-free for up to 45 days. For longer trips, apply for the official e-visa, which gives you up to 90 days with multiple entries. If you hold a different passport, check with your local Vietnamese embassy before you book.

Insurance – Don’t ever leave home without travel insurance. I often change my travel insurance provider each year to make sure I’m getting the best quote. It’s so important having travel insurance though.  

Local currency cash – Vietnam uses the dong (VND), and at the time of writing £1 gets you roughly 34,500 dong ($1 is about 26,000). Most of the time I’d take out 3 million dong, which is just under £90, and use cash for a few days. I always use my Starling card abroad. Starling doesn’t charge for spending or taking cash out overseas (up to £300 a day), and it uses the Mastercard exchange rate.

Credit/debit cards – Even though I had my cards with me, I didn’t use them much apart from at ATMs. Many Vietnamese banks now charge foreign cards around 50,000 dong per withdrawal, and the machine shows you the fee before you confirm. If an ATM offers to charge you in pounds, always choose dong.

Medication (including any vaccinations, ideally eight weeks prior to travel) – Book a travel health appointment four to six weeks before you fly. Hepatitis A, typhoid and an up-to-date tetanus jab are recommended for most travellers. Hepatitis B, rabies and Japanese encephalitis are worth discussing if you’re travelling for longer or spending time in rural areas. The FitForTravel website gives you a comprehensive breakdown of which ones you’ll need. There’s no malaria risk in the big cities, so most travellers don’t need tablets. Pack any prescription medicine in your hand luggage with a copy of the prescription.

First-aid kit – I think it’s a good idea having a simple first aid kit if you’re travelling for longer than a week. You can check out some of my healthy travel tips here – this post is packed full of useful information.

Accessories

Camera – This is always one of my most important items. I’ve travelled with everything from big DSLRs to drones to Instax Polaroid cameras. Whatever your style is, don’t leave your camera at home.  

Small external hard drive – This is so I can back-up all my photos when I’m on the go and leave it in the room. This is just in case anything bad happened to my camera.

Portable power bank – Phone batteries are pretty good these days, so I use my power bank as a backup charger for all electronics.

Waterproof phone pouch – It’s amazing what a little bit of plastic can do. I have this waterproof phone case/holder that’s really good for water activities. It’s simple but it really does the trick and protect your phone.

Kindle or books

Refillable water bottle – A lot of hotels give you glass bottles of water each day, so it’s a good idea refilling your water bottle with these and taking it out with you instead of buying plastic bottles.

Travel adaptor – Vietnam uses type A, C and F sockets at 220V. UK plugs won’t fit, so you’ll need an adaptor. A universal one is best, as the sockets vary from hotel to hotel.

Other essential items for Vietnam

Prepaid SIM card – I always sort my data before I land so I can use Google Maps and book taxis on Grab or Xanh SM straight away. An eSIM is now the easiest way to do it. Physical SIM cards have to be registered to your passport, and new ones now need facial verification too, which can mean long queues at the airport counters.

Eye mask – I never leave home without my eye mask these days! This is my absolute fave eye mask that I’ve discovered over the years. It’s expensive but trust me, it’s worth it.

Ear plugs

Handheld fan

Vietnam packing list for men

This is pretty much everything I packed on our most recent trip to Vietnam. This was for a 3-week trip, and every 5 to 7 days we’d wash all our dirty clothes. Laundry costs around 30,000 to 50,000 dong (roughly £1 to £1.50) per kilo at local laundry shops, and a little more in Hoi An. It’s very affordable and means you don’t have to overpack.

I will say this. Vietnam is hot as hell, and the humidity can be unbearable at times, especially if you’re not used to it. That’s why I always recommend packing light, breathable clothing that won’t stick to your body. Go for fabrics that dry quickly, like linen or lightweight synthetic blends. Cotton feels nice, but it takes ages to dry in the humidity.

4-6 pairs of socks – I actually only use little slip-on socks as they’re the smallest and lightest. Other socks are just too hot for the humid climate of Vietnam.

5-7 pairs of underwear – A word to the wise chaps, my advice is don’t pack tight boxers. I used to wear hipsters, but things were tight down there and as I’ve said, it’s a very humid country. It’s not a good mix.

3 shorts

3 t-shirts

4 short-sleeved shirts – I find these much lighter and airier than t-shirtsWet cover.

1 pair of jeans/trousers – These were just in case it got very cold at night or up in the mountains of Sapa.

1 cardigan/jumper

1 rain jacket (something like a waterproof Mac in a Sac is perfect as it packs down in your luggage)

1 swimming shorts

1 pair comfortable trainers – I just brought my running trainers so I could either go running or hiking in them.

1 pair of light shoes – I always wear my Toms as I find these super comfortable for trips like this. They’re also smarter than trainers for the evening.

1 pair of flip flops – I pretty much lived in these during the day.

Hat

Sunglasses

Vietnam packing list for women

Don’t worry, I’m not pretending like I know what I’m talking about. My wife Chloe helped me come up with this packing list for women.

4-6 pairs of socks

5-7 pairs of underwear

3 bras (1 sports bra)

3-5 assorted tops (tees/light long sleeve/tank tops)

3 dresses – These are really lightweight and airy

2 skirts – Again, very lightweight and airy

3 shorts

1 pair of trousers – Comfortable for flying in and for the evening

1 cardigan/jumper

1 rain jacket

1 bikini/swimsuit

Sarong or travel scarf – Particularly useful for cold days or visiting temples.

1 pair of flip flops

1 pair of sandals – It’s nice to pack something quite smart so they can double up for evenings out

1 pair comfortable walking shoes/trainers

Hat

Sunglasses

3 hairbands – Chloe used these a lot to keep her hair up

What to pack for rainy season in Vietnam

If your trip overlaps with the rainy season in any of the regions you’re visiting, make sure you pack for it. This means you need to be prepared for short downpours of just 10 minutes, to raining all day.

Rain jacket

Small travel umbrella

Rain cover for your bag – This is particularly important if you have an expensive camera in your backpack!

Emergency poncho – You’ll see a lot of Vietnamese wear rain ponchos when it starts chucking it down. It’s always a good idea having one of these on you in an emergency. They also will cover your backpack or handbag which is why they’re so good.

Toiletries

I have a really good travel toiletries bag which gets packed full before I leave. Then I have everything I need in one place without having to hunt down items in a foreign country.

Tissues – A must now that we’re travelling with our little one.

Baby wipes – Also a must!

Hand sanitiser – We got into the habit of using hand sanitiser before most meals.

Insect repellent – This is one of the most important things to pack for Vietnam. Dengue is a risk here, and the mosquitoes that spread it mainly bite during the day, particularly in towns and cities. I always go for 50% DEET and reapply it through the day, then again in the evening.

Sunscreen – Surprisingly, this is always cheaper at home than abroad. If you’re snorkelling or going in the ocean, then please wear marine-friendly sunscreen. Just think of the turtles guys!

Deodorant

Travel soap

Shampoo

Conditioner

Toothpaste and toothbrush

Makeup

Shaving necessities

Hair products/accessories

Contact lens solution (especially if brand specific for sensitive eyes)

Menstrual products of choice (the type you like might be harder to find)

Nail clippers

Tweezers

Vietnam travel checklist for babies

As I said, on this most recent trip we travelled with our 8-month-old son Cooper. As he was still a baby, there are a number of essentials we brought with us that really made a difference to our trip. If you’ve got a little one, then I’d recommend packing these.

Foldable baby highchair – This was voted our no.1 most useful item we brought with us. A lot of restaurants didn’t have highchairs in Vietnam; it’s something they don’t use. That’s why we loved our foldable baby highchair. It meant we could secure it to a normal chair and he could eat with us at the table. Very useful, especially when eating all that pho and noodles!

Spinners – These are colour toys that are a bit like fidget spinners. You just give them a big ol’ spin and babies are mesmerised. Anytime Cooper needed distracting, we whipped out our spinners and he was immediately transfixed.

Food pouches – We actually travelled with quite a few food pouches. This was because we had heard it was difficult to get them in Vietnam (it really was) and we knew we could feed Cooper with them on the go. Even though they took up a bit of space in our luggage, we’re actually really glad we brought so many with us.

Swimsuit with a hat – We bought a really nice UV swimsuit with a hat that covered his neck. Considering it was 30+ degrees we very much needed this one!

Other packing tips for Vietnam

Even though this looks like the longest Vietnamese travel checklist, hopefully you can pack it all down. I would add this in though – you really don’t need to overpack for Vietnam. Anything you forget, they will have out there.

Also, if you’re planning on getting some clothes tailor-made for you in Hoi An, then it’s important having some space in your luggage. If you’re already struggling to close your backpack or suitcase then you’re not going to have any room for new clothes!

If you’re visiting temples and pagodas, you’ll need your shoulders and knees covered. Pack at least one pair of trousers or a long skirt and a top with sleeves. A sarong or light scarf in your day bag is the easiest way to cover up when you need to.

As ever, let me know if you have any questions at all!