Vietnam and Thailand are often compared for traveling, maybe because they’re in the same region, but that’s largely where the similarities end. I’ve lived in multiple cities in both countries, so I thought I’d add my opinion to the debate surrounding which is better for traveling, Vietnam or Thailand?
A lot of this article is subjective, based purely on my own experiences living and traveling in Vietnam and Thailand. There’s a charm in Vietnam that doesn’t exist as clearly in Thailand. But traveling in Thailand is a far more polished experience overall. I know plenty of people who’ve visited both and feel strongly about one vs. the other.
🏨 La Siesta Premium (Agoda / Booking): I’m a huge fan of the La Siesta chain in Vietnam. This is in a great location in District 1, HCMC.
🏨 The Oriental Jade (Agoda / Booking): This is a very nice hotel right near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi — a great location.
🏨 Carlton Hotel Bangkok (Agoda / Booking): A great choice in BKK, right on Sukhumvit near Terminal 21 at Asok.
🏨 The Memory at On On (Agoda / Booking): This is in a great location, right in Phuket’s Old Town
🎟️ Tours & Activities: this HCMC Cu Chi Tunnels tour, this Hanoi Train Street/food tour, and these Muay Thai boxing tickets for BKK
I decided to write this article because tourism is booming in Vietnam, while foreign tourist arrivals have fallen in Thailand. Vietnam has been drawing a lot of global travel interest lately, and I see it first-hand in my travel planning groups on Facebook. I have free groups for Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Hoi An, Da Nang, and Hue.
Like all of the imagery on this site, the photos and videos below were taken by me while living in Vietnam and Thailand.
Visiting and Traveling in Vietnam
What’s my experience? I have extensive personal experience living in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang for years, and have traveled throughout Vietnam. Most recently, I completed some trips to Hue and Hanoi. While living in Da Nang, I usually visit Hoi An several times per month.
Pros of visiting Vietnam: authentic experiences, interesting history, great bang for your buck, great coffee culture, good food, nice beaches, good domestic airport connectivity, amazing natural beauty, feels adventurous
Cons of visiting Vietnam: strict visa policies for certain countries, lacking infrastructure, not very service-oriented yet, language barriers, noise pollution, scams/overcharging and dual pricing
Traveling in Vietnam feels more like you’re exploring uncharted areas. Even when you’re in the cities where obvious tourism exists, it still feels more adventurous. In my experience, navigating Vietnam, planning and executing a successful trip, and going with the flow when the inevitable problems arise, results in a more rewarding experience than in Thailand.
I filmed this video at Hanoi Train Street. I was so close that my elbow could nearly touch the train.
Vietnam also offers tremendous value for money if you plan your trip properly. Looking right now, a one-way plane ticket from HCMC to Da Nang is around 700.000 VND (or $26 USD). In the popular cities (HCMC, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, etc.), clean and well-located hotels can go for $20-30 USD per night. Some of Ho Chi Minh City’s best five-star hotels (like the Mai House Saigon in District 3) can be had for $125 USD per night.
Where to visit in Vietnam? Popular places include HCMC, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay, Sa Pa, and Hanoi.
Visiting and Traveling in Thailand
What’s my experience? I lived in Thailand for 2.5 years in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai, and have been back on numerous trips since. In Bangkok, I lived in four different parts of the city and used the BTS and MRT trains daily. In Phuket, I lived in two areas: near Phuket Town on the island’s east side, and near Patong on the west side. I lived in Chiang Mai for over six months, and lived next to the Central Chiang Mai shopping mall in Fa Ham.
Pros of visiting Thailand: good infrastructure, relaxed visa policies, great shopping malls, good beaches, multiple islands, great food, great domestic and international flight connections, more English spoken in the cities, smoother vacation experience overall
Cons of visiting Thailand: generally more touristy, harder to find authentic experiences, scams/overcharging and dual pricing, nightlife in certain areas is heavily geared toward an older Western male crowd, less adventurous feel
Thailand is also a cost-effective country to visit, but with the added detail that the sky’s the limit on how much you want to spend. There are five-star, world-class experiences all over if you want a luxury vacation. Looking now, a one-way ticket from either BKK or DMK airports in Bangkok to Phuket is around 1.000.000 VND (or $38 USD).
Here’s a video I filmed on the BTS platform on Sukhumvit, right outside the EmQuarter mall — one of Bangkok’s many nice malls.
My experience of traveling in Thailand usually feels very polished. It’s generally a pretty streamlined experience from landing at the airport to getting a taxi, checking into the hotel, and enjoying the trip. Whereas for first-timers in Vietnam, there’s usually some issue somewhere on the first day.
Thailand’s hotel and service industry is very polished, with hotel staff usually speaking pretty decent English. Hotels in Thailand are generally more expensive. Five-star hotels in a central area of Bangkok, like the Carlton Hotel on Sukhumvit, can start around $175 USD. I also find that a decent mid-range hotel in Thailand starts higher than in Vietnam, with prices in BKK being around $50-60 USD per night for something decent and clean.
Where to visit in Thailand? Popular places include Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Krabi, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui, and Koh Pha Ngan.
Vietnam vs. Thailand for Traveling
When comparing Vietnam and Thailand, it’s important to remember that Thailand is decades ahead of Vietnam in terms of infrastructure and tourism. For example, Bangkok’s public metros, the BTS and MRT, opened in 1999 and 2004, respectively. There are now multiple lines extending throughout the city. Hanoi opened its first metro line in 2021. And Ho Chi Minh City just opened its first metro line in December 2024.
This is a quick, high-level comparison table with my own subjective views on Vietnam vs. Thailand for traveling. It’s meant for skimming to get a general understanding of what to expect when visiting the two countries.
| Category | Vietnam | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Still developing, choppy | Much better overall |
| Cost / Value | Excellent, cheaper overall | More expensive |
| English spoken | Limited, even in tourist areas | Far more common |
| Food (subjective) | Generally bland, simpler | Spicier, more intense |
| Beaches | Nice, but less developed | More choices (islands) |
| Feel of visiting | More adventurous | More streamlined |
| Visas | E-visas, some visa-free | Easier, many visa-free |
| Shopping | Basic, harder to find items | World-class malls |
| Culture/History | Dynasties, war history | Temples, Buddhism |
💰 Vietnam is generally much cheaper than Thailand. The comparison site Numbeo has Bangkok costing about 40% more than Ho Chi Minh City. It also has Phuket being about 60% more expensive than Da Nang. Having lived in all four cities, I find the cost details on those pages pretty accurate.
🛍️ Thailand is a world-class shopping destination. Some of the malls in Bangkok are really unbelievable — multiple floors, tons of restaurants, numerous places to sit and hang out, great air-conditioning. The malls in Vietnam cover the basics, and there are some nice malls, but they lack the “wow factor” of Thailand’s malls.
Here’s a video I filmed inside ICONSIAM, one of my favorite malls in Bangkok.
🇻🇳 Vietnam is the more popular bucket-list destination. Visiting and completing a trip to Vietnam feels more rewarding. For a lot of people I’ve spoken to, it’s like checking off a box on their long-time wishlist. Thailand gets far more repeat visitors, though, probably because the entire traveling experience is more polished.
☀️ For the weather between Vietnam and Thailand, I can’t compare them briefly because it varies by city and time of year. It’d be easier if you hone in on your expected travel dates, then do research from there. There are a lot of great websites to view year-round weather by city, like this one.
🏨 In general, the service industry in Thailand is more streamlined than in Vietnam. It’s rare to find front-facing hotel staff in Thailand who don’t speak English. The same in restaurants. The opposite is true in Vietnam: popular hotels and restaurants will often be lacking staff who speak English. You will need to rely on Google Translate a lot more often in Vietnam than in Thailand.
🙋🏻♂️ The popular places to visit in Thailand tend to be more touristy than the equivalent places in Vietnam, in my opinion. For example, Phuket is far more touristy than Da Nang (if you’re after a beach city with convenience). The tourism in Phuket mostly covers the island, whereas in Da Nang, a certain part (the My An area) is very touristy.
I filmed this video on My Khe Beach in Da Nang.
📝 The visa situation for visitors is much better in Thailand. Many countries get a visa exemption for Thailand, which means you can fly there without having to do any paperwork or applications beforehand — just show up. Vietnam has this for some countries too, but many countries need to apply for an e-visa beforehand. Thailand also has many more long-term visa options.
🗿 There are tons of things to do in both Vietnam and Thailand. Both countries have several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. See Vietnam’s here, and Thailand’s here. Thankfully, both countries have pretty good domestic airport connectivity.
