If you're planning a trip to Vietnam and wondering how to make your vacation in Vietnam more comfortable, consider downloading these best travel apps to your smartphone or tablet.
If you're planning a trip to Vietnam and wondering how to make your vacation in Vietnam more comfortable, consider downloading these best travel apps to your smartphone or tablet.
1. Things to know about Vietnamese travel apps
When using one of these apps, you'll need to use a local SIM card. You can purchase one upon landing at the airport or buy one in advance through Klook (one of the apps we recommend below) at a cheaper price. The most popular mobile carriers are MobiFone, Viettel, and Vinaphone. SIM cards will provide access to 3G, 4G, or 5G networks, and data packages typically last for 2 weeks to a maximum of 1 month. There's a daily limit on the amount of data you can use per day, such as 2 to 6 GB per day. SIM cards also offer unlimited calling minutes. The price of a SIM card starts from 250,000 dong (10.60 USD) if purchased at the airport. You can buy SIM cards at international airports such as Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang Airport.
2. Basic apps
It's no surprise that Google Maps is listed here! This is an app you'll use daily in Vietnam and back home. Google Maps is a comprehensive app where you can save places you want to visit, create your own maps, use map features, and find places or restaurants near your current location. (We like using the "restaurants near me" search.) You can also save an offline version of the map in case there's no reception in some areas. Fortunately, Google Maps works in most of Vietnam, even on islands. In Ho Chi Minh City, Google Maps also lists bus stops and routes.
Google Translate is very useful for communicating with Vietnamese speakers. The app translates quickly and easily, even if the translation from your native language to Vietnamese isn't accurate. We've been learning Vietnamese for a year and found that Google Translate's grammar is slightly different from what we learned in class. However, readers of the translation can still understand the meaning of what you're saying or requesting. Since our Vietnamese speaking ability is basic, we still use Google Translate to communicate with others. Additionally, with Google Translate, you can snap a photo of some Vietnamese text and perform "instant translation." This is useful if you're reading menus or looking up ingredients on packaging. One note: this only works for printed text. If there's handwritten content, the AI system won't be able to detect the language.
3. Accommodation apps
If you need accommodation in Vietnam, Begodi.com is a suitable choice. The app is very user-friendly: you can select the location, type of accommodation you want (hotel, guesthouse, apartment), price range, and other services you're looking for. You can also check reviews of the places you're searching for. With Begodi.com, when searching, you'll know the final room price, including taxes and other fees. This way, the final cost won't be a surprise when you check out and pay for your room. You can also use this app to track your bookings. Some hotels require a deposit or advance payment, so be sure to read the terms carefully before booking.
Similar to other booking apps, Traveloka is an app where you can enter your stay dates, number of rooms, number of people, and any other custom filters into your search. Compared to Booking.com, Agoda, Traveloka often has cheaper prices.
4. Transportation apps
When visiting larger cities, you'll have more opportunities to use public transportation and/or ride-hailing options.
For local transportation and savings, consider city buses. The BusMap app is available in Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Binh Duong. It's also available in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand. The app provides accurate information about bus routes, arrival times, and bus stop locations. You can enter your departure and destination points, and the recommended bus route will be displayed. Tip: In Ho Chi Minh City, if you see your bus approaching the stop, wave to the driver to signal. Otherwise, the bus won't stop.
Grab is the most widely used ride-hailing app in Southeast Asia, especially in major Vietnamese cities like Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. Uber doesn't exist in Vietnam. This Singapore-based company's brand identity is helmet-wearing motorcycle drivers and drivers wearing green jackets. Grab is one of the cheapest ways to travel in Vietnam. Using Grab is often cheaper than taking a taxi. You can rent a motorbike, car, or SUV from Grab. We often use the car option in Ho Chi Minh City, especially during the rainy season. This app is very easy to use: you enter your pick-up and drop-off locations and the cost is displayed. No need to haggle! Additionally, you can enter your credit card information to make cashless transactions. If you decide to use cash, make sure you have exact change. Tip: Before getting into the car or on the motorbike, check the license plate! You want to make sure you have the right driver and vehicle.
5. Food apps
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Shopeefood is one of the food delivery apps in Vietnam. You'll recognize Shopeefood from the orange-jacketed and helmeted drivers. There are many popular restaurants, including pizza, banh mi, and other Western dishes.
In addition to ride-hailing services, Grab is also a great food delivery app. Although you won't need food delivery on your trip to Vietnam, it's an option if you don't want to leave your hotel. We use the Grab app almost every day for food delivery because they are generous with offering discounts of 50,000-80,000 dong (2.15-3.45 USD) for total expenses. Plus, we can track the driver's location through the app.
If you're a vegetarian or vegan when traveling to Vietnam, HappyCow is the perfect app for you. This app is similar to Shopeefood, where reviewers provide feedback on vegetarian and vegan restaurants as well as restaurants offering vegetarian options and add photos. You can also find restaurants closest to your location. Vietnam is a vegetarian-friendly place because many people follow Buddhism. So finding a vegetarian or vegan restaurant is very easy. This app is available in many countries such as the USA, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, and many other countries.
6. Apps for attractions and tours
Klook is one of our favorite apps for finding discounted tickets for attractions, transportation, food, and SIM cards. It operates in over 100 countries, mainly in Asia, so you're sure to find an activity worth trying. The great thing about Klook is that you can save money by purchasing tickets in advance. It's easy to redeem vouchers through the Klook app. You show the app at the attraction and/or ticket collection point and receive physical tickets. Please read the fine print to determine your pick-up location, which may differ from the attraction point. When you make a purchase, you earn credits that can be redeemed for future purchases. You can also earn additional credits by writing reviews of your experiences. It's a mutually beneficial situation to get more discounts! We've used this app many times in Vietnam. For example, when we were in Da Nang, we bought tickets to Ba Na Hills Amusement Park and Da Nang Wonder Park and booked shuttle service to/from Ba Na Hills. The process went perfectly.
Get Your Guide is similar to Klook, where you can buy discounted tickets to attractions and restaurants as well as arrange transportation and tours in over 150 countries. This app is very easy to use and allows you to search for attractions and tours by location. You can also read reviews from other customers. When you purchase something, your order information is saved in the app. You can retrieve your order confirmation anytime or when you need to change it. Note: It's advisable to compare prices of attractions between Klook and Get Your Guide. Sometimes Klook is cheaper than Get Your Guide for the same attraction.
7. Chat apps
Facebook is widely used to promote restaurants and services in Vietnam (compared to websites). Since Facebook already has an internal messaging feature, having the Messenger app to directly contact locals is sensible. Additionally, you can use Messenger to organize video calls. We like using Messenger to ask questions or make reservations directly at restaurants. Depending on the restaurant, you may also be able to place orders directly through Messenger.
Zalo is a popular chat app in Vietnam that offers video calling and group chatting features. It's a combination of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. If you use the chat and send photos feature, all photos will be in HD, so they're not compressed, unlike other apps. Restaurants and other service businesses will provide direct phone numbers, Messenger numbers, and Zalo numbers in their contact information. Unfortunately, this app is in Vietnamese and doesn't have a Google Translate option. The best way to overcome this is to copy and paste messages into Google Translate.