Having to backpack for so long for the first time, I am proud to announce that my guesswork analytical and financial literacy skills have been as reflective and close to real life, as possible.

Considering the fact that I am currently in Tuy Hoa (small resort town north of Nha Trang) as well as considering the fact that the bad weather is also currently in Tuy Hoa, I decided to dedicate the Tuy Hoa chapter to an overview of the wayward daughter backpacker lifestyle, explain how it works, and give a general idea of the prices in Vietnam.

Well, my friends, it works very easily. The ballpark is, whether you are comfortable in a very minimalistic, low-need environment. You do not want to be carrying big luggage throughout Asia; that is why it is better if you fit all your life necessities (and only necessities!) into a camping backpack.

My backpack has a pouch with small travel bottles of shampoo, soap, toothpaste/brush, sunscreen, etc. There are also small hand towels; foldable washing machine; paper detergent; adapters; sewing kit, first aid kit, spoon & fork, shorts, three sets of T-shirts, socks, slippers, and warmer pants and sweater I wore when flying to Vietnam.

Most backpackers stay in hostels; most of them are decent even at 2 stars (4 stars and up you might as well book a separate hotel room). Some offer breakfast, some don’t; just as some may charge you extra for water, bed sheets, towels, and other basic things you assume come in package. That is why having a water bottle with you as well as some hand towels, soap and shampoo is a nice idea.

Laundries are usually available in site, charging roughly 25.000 dong, which is approx. 1.5 CAD (sweet, eh?). Even if the laundry is not there, I guarantee there will be one with a 500m radius. I am using my foldable washing machine but honestly if I could sell it to somebody and get rid of it, I definitely would. PM me, I do international shipping.

This is such a basic thing to say, but I will say it anyway. Taxis are all just one taxi mafia. Grab is always better, I have seen a taxi driver charge 4 times(!) more than what my Grab showed me… Some taxis may pick up drunk tourists from the street, drive them up to the destination, yet the wallets are not making it with their owner 🙂

Vietnamese are mostly nice, however. They will not start the conversation first, and may seem grumpy in the beginning, yet after the chat has started you could tell most of them are very friendly and helpful.

Speaking of Grab, it is usually anything between 1$ to 5$ depending on the distance & whether you are taking a motorbike or a car. I always took the bike. Generally, one kilometer is 50-75 cents, so doing some basic math, 5 km ride would roughly cost you just 3$.

Food also varies by place but of course, still much cheaper than, say, in Toronto. Below you can see the menu of a small family restaurant with some fair pricing. As you can see, I ordered a fish noodle soup for 40,000 dong, or 2.25$. The noodle soup came with small plate of sprouted beans, and had a small squid, some moving tentacles, egg, shrimp, and pieces of fish. Not too bad, huh?

On the other hand, an egg coffee or a smoothie would also cost 40,000 dong, which is now looking quite pricey (else the soup is too cheap).

I have accidentally dined (the girls I met in one of the hostels invited me) in a posh vegetarian resto, where meals started at 135K. The portions were twice as big as, say, the already mentioned noodle soup. None of the dishes I have ever eaten came with bread; usually just with water, green tea and sprouted bean salad.

I remember buying a small piece of pie (street food) for 7K.

Alternatively, I would buy bread, avocadoes, other fruits, some nuts, etc and feed on it for a week instead of getting the food at the restaurants; a week like that would cost about 30CAD.

A hostel for 7 nights with breakfast is 30$ in Hoi An (very touristic and busy city).

So.

Lets calculate the cost of life for a month. The bed is $120. Breakfast is provided, in the evening you are eating out, so +$2.25×30=$67.5. Grocery would be, say $60 for your lunches and snacks. Thus, we are at $247.5, and how about we add on another hundred to make our stay a little more interesting? Foot/body/scalp massages, eyelashes/nails if you are a girl (I paid $15 for my eyelash extensions, and that was not the cheapest option), bars, karaoke, some miscellaneous, etc. Going at this pace, we could reach $400 TOP. I remember living with my parents (so no rent) and paying $500 per month, and that was mostly just FOOD, car and phone bill on top. I only went to the restaurant with my friends once (about $50) and bought a present for my mom (so count these as miscellaneous).

Oh yeah, forgot eSIM. Add 12 more bucks.

Last but not least is transportation. You have three options my friends.

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Just kidding (no).

Train, bus, plane.

I have heard people taking domestic flights within Vietnam, which are around $100. That is a fair price, HOWEVER. They LOVE adding extras for luggage if you have one, the routes are very limited, and you are gonna be faced with all the airporty hustle.

I recommend taking a bus or a train. Trains are the worst option, as they are more expensive, dirtier and overall more depressing. People get crowded, they carry their belongings with them, then somebody decides to eat spicy kimchi, and the whole train has a chance to smell some cabbage.

Bus tickets can be purchased with a travel agent, through websites like BookAway, 12Go, or directly (cash only) at the Futa Bus Office. Needless to say, third parties always ramp up the price, so don’t be lazy, just go to the nearby office and buy yourself a ticket on a sleeper-bus (crouching-bus for tall non-Asians).

Bus from Tuy Hoa to Hoi An (about an 11 hour drive) is 280,000 dong (16-17 bucks). Buses also pick you up at your hotel, bingo 🙂

I did not find a train ticket to Hoi An, but train from Tuy Hoa to Da Nang (a little further than Hoi An) is 550,000 dong. Trains do NOT pick you up at your hotel 🙂

I think that is it. If I come up with some other genius thoughts, I will drop them here.