Category 1
Transport & Logistics
Scooter legality, train vs sleeper bus, ride-hail by city, airport pickup scams, and overland borders.
Scooter Reality Check
Licence, helmet, insurance and 2026 fine tiers by city. Decide if renting is actually legal for you.
Train vs Sleeper Bus
Reunification Express vs FUTURA/Phuong Trang for Hà Nội ↔ Sài Gòn and the central corridor.
Domestic Flight Decoder
Vietnam Airlines vs VietJet vs Bamboo. Baggage, refund reality, route-by-route sweet spots.
Grab vs Xe Ôm vs Taxi
When the app beats the motorbike driver and when it doesn't — by city and time of day.
Airport Pickup Reality
Noi Bai and Tân Sơn Nhất exit strategies: official taxi, Grab, airport bus, and the scams to dodge.
Border Crossing Guide
Vietnam ↔ Cambodia, Laos, China overland crossings with hours, fees, and the easy/hard scale.
Category 2
Money & Practical
The 25.000:1 VND trap, ATM fee hunting, tipping without insulting anyone, bargain scripts.
VND Mental Math
Convert without thinking. Built around the common "drop four zeros, divide by four" trap.
ATM Optimizer
Which bank ATMs (Vietcombank, BIDV, ACB) actually let your foreign card through cleanly.
Tipping Calculator
Vietnam isn't a tip culture — but hotels, guides, and fancy restaurants expect something. What to give.
Bargain Algorithm
Vietnamese phrases + walk-away tactics. Market tier, item tier, when bargaining is rude.
SIM Card Decoder
Viettel vs Mobifone vs Vinaphone tourist packs. Airport markup, eSIM, registration reality.
Cash vs Card by Region
Where cards work, where cash rules, and why USD bills can still be king in border markets.
Category 3
Food & Drink
Phở north/south truth, bánh mì variants, cà phê sữa đá vs trứng vs dừa, bia hơi culture.
Phở Order Builder
Hà Nội vs Sài Gòn style, herb plate, the "first time" sauce rules, touristic phở trap detection.
Bánh Mì Regional Decoder
Hà Nội vs Sài Gòn vs Hội An — bread, pâté, fillings and the Madame Khanh vs Bánh Mì Phượng war.
Vietnam Coffee Builder
Cà phê sữa đá, trứng, dừa, muối, robusta vs arabica. Order correctly, pay the right price.
Bia Hơi Finder
Fresh draft beer zones — Hà Nội vs Sài Gòn vs Đà Lạt. Hours, prices, plastic stool etiquette.
Coffee Origin Map
Đà Lạt, Buôn Ma Thuột, Sơn La, Khe Sanh — Robusta heartland + weasel coffee ethics.
Street Food Safety
What to look for in 2 hours: hot cabinet, turnover, ice source, and the seafood trap pattern.
Category 4
Culture & Etiquette
Tết shutdown, temple dress, áo dãi, tonal language trap, funeral awareness, ancestor altars.
Tết Shutdown Planner
What closes when for Tết 2026–2030, what stays open, and the airport rush days to dodge.
Temple Visit Decoder
Dress code, photo rules, incense etiquette, festival days, and the four temple types tourists confuse.
Áo Dài Context Decoder
When locals actually wear it, when tourists wearing it is appreciated vs cringe, where to rent.
Phrasebook With Tonal Trap
Six tones, north/south split, and the 12 phrases you need without becoming offensive.
Funeral Procession Awareness
What the brass band, white cloth and long procession mean, and how not to accidentally film it.
Ancestor Altar Awareness
Why every shop has a small altar, when to bow, why you don't photograph it — and homestay etiquette.
Category 5
Outdoor & Adventure
Halong vs Lan Ha, Sapa vs Hà Giang loop, Phong Nha tiers, Mekong vs cave, beach zones.
Halong Decision Tree
Halong proper vs Lan Ha vs Cát Bà — crowds, scenery, route, day-trip vs overnight math.
Sa Pa vs Hà Giang
Trekking vs motorbike loop, ethnic groups, season window, and which is right for your fitness.
Phong Nha Cave Tier
Sơn Đoòng ban explained, then Paradise, Tú Làn, Hang Én, and the day-trip math.
Phú Quốc vs Côn Đảo
Resort island vs national park island — development, dive, history, and the cable car question.
Mekong vs Cave Country
If you only have 3 days from HCMC — boat in the delta or fly up to caves. Trade-off solver.
Beach Decoder
Đà Nẵng, Hội An, Nha Trang, Mũi Né — what each coast actually is, who each beach is for.
Category 6
Climate & Seasonality
North/south rain patterns, typhoon months, heat index, Tết flower markets, coffee harvest timing.
Rainy Season Decoder
North vs Central vs South — when rain actually matters and when "rainy season" is a marketing trick.
Typhoon Impact Map
Month-by-month typhoon probability for the central coast + flight cancellation patterns.
Heat & Humidity Index
HCMC vs Hà Nội vs Đà Lạt — real-feel numbers, when to break, what to wear.
About Vietnam Compass
What this is. A set of 36 standalone browser tools for travelers in Vietnam. Every tool runs in your browser — no server, no account, no tracking pixels. The site exists because generic travel sites tend to push the same 10 attractions and skip the things that actually go wrong on the ground.
How it's built. Each tool page is a self-contained HTML file with inline JavaScript. There is no central database. Prices and rules on the page are hardcoded against 2026 reference data and updated when the underlying reality changes — not when SEO demands it.
Who it's for. Independent travelers who already booked their own flights, want to avoid the obvious tourist traps, and care more about getting ripped off than getting a "top 10" list. Not for package tourists, cruise passengers, or anyone looking for a booking funnel.
What it's not. Not a booking site. Not a travel agency. Not a guide. Not a forum. If you want community advice, r/VietNam on Reddit and the Thorn Tree on Lonely Planet are still alive; if you want a booking platform, this isn't it.
Privacy Policy
What we collect. Nothing personal. Vietnam Compass does not run analytics scripts, does not set tracking cookies, does not require an account, and does not ask for your email. Pages are static HTML served over HTTPS.
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Changes. This policy will be updated if the site's data practices change. The "last updated" date at the bottom of the page reflects the current version.
Disclaimer
For reference only. All content on Vietnam Compass — including tool outputs, prices, rules, fees, fines, visa terms, and operating hours — is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not professional legal, financial, medical, or travel-agency advice.
Prices and rules change. Vietnamese exchange rates, airline baggage fees, immigration rules, scooter fine tiers, and temple access policies change without notice. Always confirm the current rule at the official source before relying on a tool output for a real-world decision.
No liability. Vietnam Compass and its author are not responsible for losses, fines, denied entries, missed flights, scooter confiscations, food poisoning, overcharging, or any other outcome arising from use of the tools on this site.
External links. Links to airlines, embassies, banks, and tourism boards are provided as a convenience. We are not affiliated with those organisations unless explicitly stated.
Last updated: 2026-10-07 · Vietnam Compass is an independent project.