Some of you will love Vietnam, and some of you will visit only once. Either way, we want to give you the real deal. Here are our top favorite Vietnam travel blogs, guides, and Vietnam blogging travel writers, that give you, the Vietnam traveler, a good idea of the places and cities to visit.
Vietnam Coracle
Tom of Vietnam Coracle has lived in Vietnam since 2005 and wants to give all you independent travellers a living and breathing guide to his off-the-beaten-path Vietnam. Of all the blogs on our list, Vietnam Coracle is definitely the most in-depth guide to the country. Travel guides, hotels, food and drink? Check. But what makes this blog our favorite? The motorcycle guides that will take you to places guide books could never dream of.
The Rusty Compass
Mark Bowyer from The Rusty Compass has lived in Vietnam since the 90s and his wealth of travel expertise throughout Vietnam shows in the quality video and content that he produces. Amazingly, he’s the sole content creator for the Rusty Compass, an independent travel guide for Cambodia and Vietnam. We hear that his team has also recently opened a sister business, a cafe called The Old Compass Cafe in Ho Chi Minh City.
Nomadic Notes
James Clark over at Nomadic Notes has been roaming the world the last 15 years as a digital nomad. He’s based himself in Vietnam for the last few years and has many unique insights to share about living and traveling in Vietnam. He’s been featured in The New York Times and Lonely Planet, among other publications.
Adventure Faktory
Having lived in Vietnam for two years, Thuymi and Mitch from Adventure Faktory give you an in-depth and amazingly curated lifestyle guide to the country. This isn’t just a travel blog, it’s jam packed with a ton of Vietnam’s flavor and culture. If you feel like torturing yourself with a mad case of wanderlust, click away and stare in awe at their amazing photography and content. Or maybe their 2016 year in review video, featuring 18 countries in one-friggin-year, will do the trick. Either way, check this couple out.
The Broke Backpacker
Will of The Broke Backpacker has written up an informative and well-rounded guide to Vietnam targeting backpackers, but it’s also super useful for anyone looking to travel smart. If you want wild adventure, Will is your guy to inspire you to ditch your desks and create exciting opportunities for your lifestyle. Including visas, currency, food, language, destinations, and books, he covers many areas that you’ll need to know to get around and have an amazing time. Seriously, bookmark this page. It’s the best cliff notes of a Vietnam travel guide.
Nomadic Matt
Nomadic Matt is all about unsponsored content to plan your next adventure. He has guides on almost 60 countries, along with general travel tips. Although we disagree with his assessment of Vietnam, his website features a comprehensive guide that gives you an idea of what to do and how much things cost. He wrote his article way back in 2007, and a lot has changed in the ten years since then. Matt, if you’re listening and somehow make you way back to Ho Chi Minh City, please let us take you out and show you around this new version of Vietnam!
Adventurous Kate
Kate is a solo female traveler who quit her day job at 26 and has been on the road ever since, with more than 60 countries under her belt. While Matt didn’t enjoy Vietnam all that much, Kate shares her more enjoyable experience in response to Nomadic Matt’s post. We appreciate her candidness about how scams suck and love her list of other female blogger perspectives of Vietnam.
The Blonde Abroad
Kiersten from the Blonde Abroad is another female traveler who quit her day job in corporate finance to live out her travelling dreams. She offers a great download on northern Vietnam and a ton more content on solo female travel and backpacking in Southeast Asia. All you ladies out there reading, don’t be afraid to travel alone! Kiersten did it, and so can you.
Two Wandering Soles
Hub and wife Ben and Kate got married, quit their jobs, and bought a one way ticket to Colombia. Since then, they’ve lived in many places and travelled to over 40 countries. They have a couple of city guides for you to get your bearings including this month long itinerary for you to enjoy the best spots in all three regions of Vietnam. We especially appreciate that they include national parks and caves in their guide, places and cities you don’t often see in other guides!
That Backpacker
Audrey is a blogger and Youtuber with an awesome another one month itinerary of Vietnam including seven destinations. If you like jam packed with a ton of fun and diversity, this will be great for you. Favorite part? Audrey even gives us a post-mortem of her trip on what changes she’d recommend for your very own trip.
Vicky Flip Flop Travels
Vicky wants you to explore travel and soul searching (which we love). We also love her inspiring story of “girl loves boy, girl wants to marry boy, boy breaks up, turn out boy was cheating, girl travels solo for one year, profit.” Not only did she aggregate her own list of top blogger advice, she also shares her own tips on city guides and visa advice. Grab a cup of weasel poo coffee, and enjoy.
Alex in Wanderland
Alex is a native New Yorker with a case of wanderlust. She’s been to over 30 countries with destination guides to each. She gives us some honest perspective behind her tough experience in Vietnam. Tl;dr don’t go to the HCMC Zoo, do check out Alex’ amazing photography and adventures.
