5 Best Apps for Travel to Vietnam
Vietnam was my special first for overseas travel. I arrived as green as can be without the tools I needed to make my trip easier. No Maps.me app or currency exchange app in hand. Not even a guide book. But I did carry my 5 essentials! In hindsight having a few apps for Vietnam could have made the little day to day travel things a lot easier! Start with a good phrasebook app, a detailed travel guide, and Hostelworld for booking your accommodations.
As a traveler, I prefer to walk everywhere if I can. I’m a budget traveler, so I rarely take a taxi. But the rare occasion I have to hale a ride, I can use Grab or Mai Linh Taxi app. Lastly, Vietnam is known for the super cheap night buses… Let’s just say having a good podcast app with podcast on Vietnam will make the ride a little better and enrich your knowledge of the history and culture of Vietnam. Even for luxury travelers, these podcasts are well worth a listen on the train!
So here we go, our 5 Best Apps for Travel to Vietnam!
1. Vietnamese Phrasebook
Language is always the first obstacle in Asia for travelers. Few local Vietnamese speak English, although some speak French. Getting a good phrasebook app or translator is essential.
Google Translate is always good to have but downloading an easy to navigate phrasebook is much better. Most of the best Vietnamese Phrasebook Apps require an upgrade to unlock all the phrases.
This app that goes by different names on iOS and Android offers all the essential phrases for free plus quizzes and study flip cards. There are lots of similar apps out there but after testing a dozen, this was my favorite.
- Price: Free, Upgrade for $13.99 USD
- Alternatives: Codegent Vietnamese Dictionary, Google Translate, WorldNomad Vietnamese
English to Vietnamese Dictionary
The English Vietnamese Dictionary is a great Free App and very simple dictionary-translator.
The app is a little harder to use but includes a lot of useful information. Go to the explore tab and scroll down to find a quick list of useful phrases for accommodations, transport, dinning and more.
There are a lot of ads, but an equal amount of voice pronunciations and good features to make it worth downloading. It’s not glamorous but works well enough for a free app!
iOS users, take a look at the next one that I found much more user-friendly.
- Price: Free
- Alternatives: Bravolol Vietnamese Dictionary
2. Vietnam Travel Guide
Everyday there are more travel guides available in the app stores. The major ones like Triposo, Tripwolf and Tripadvisor are always a reliable choices.
But I want to show some relatively unknown apps I really like for Vietnam. The first is Bpacking Vietnam, an app focused on backpackers.
You can view a wide selection of destinations, including very small towns throughout Vietnam. They have pins on an interactive map for what you can see, eat, drink and where to sleep.
The app is very aesthetically pleasing, easy to use and includes prices, weather and tips for transportation. Plus it can be used offline! Always a big bonus!
- Price: Free version with most cities. $8.49 USD for all cities in Vietnam.
- Alternatives: Vietnam Offline Guide, Hi Vietnam iOS Only
InVietnam Travel Guide
InVietnam is the second Travel Guide App I’d use. It’s easy to use, aesthetically pleasing and includes information on nearly everything you need!
Attractions, places to eat, hotels, night life, shopping and even health services. The best part is the feature events section for each city as well as complete 7 and 14 day detailed itinerary suggestions.
Under “My Style”, you can select some themes like Budget, Night Life, Artsy and Outdoorsy to customize the recommendations
The app was a little slow to load the map, but works great once loaded.
- Price: Free
3. Hostelworld
In Vietnam Hostelworld is easily the best app for booking cheap accommodations. The app is designed for backpackers and takes care of us.
When my hostel in Guangzhou gave away my bed, they honored their guarantee and refunded my deposit and gave me $50 towards my future bookings… The original booking only cost me $12. They take care of ya.
The app focuses on hostels but also includes guesthouses. Of course, single private rooms are often available at both. Hostel bunks in Vietnam range from $3 to $10 and often include breakfast. Staying in a hostel is easily the cheapest way to travel through Vietnam but you should know what staying in one entails… Check out our 5 hostel essentials for solo travelers article.
- Price: In-App Bookings
- Alternatives: Booking.com, Agoda.
4. Mai Linh Taxi
Mai Linh is the big player in the Vietnam Taxi market. The Taxis are all green and the drivers wear official green Mai Linh shirts.
They have their own app to request a taxi but it’s not as reliable as Grab or Uber because there is no rating system. It’s simply a taxi service app with varying levels of service. Every travel guide recommends only using Mai Linh Taxis because they are trustworthy! It’s worth knowing they have an app available.
However, they are often more expensive than other options like public transportation, and ride requesting apps like Grab or Uber.
- Price: Free
Grab Driver & Taxi
Grab is a ride app similar to Uber except that payment is made in cash rather than charged to your credit card. The advantage of using Grab over the Mai Linh app is that an estimate is included as you have to pre-select your destination and departure area.
Using Grab to request a Taxi essentially means requesting a Mai Linh Taxi. But there is also Grab Car that uses regular drivers similar to Uber. For a uniquely Vietnam experience, you can use Grab to request a motorbike for a cheaper price than a Taxi.
The usual fare for a Taxi in Vietnam is 11,500 VND per Km. Bikes are cheaper, luxury cars are more expensive.
The one drawback is that the drivers (Taxi or Car) are expected to call you to confirm the pick up location, obviously most don’t speak English. So picking up a SIM Card for cheap is useful. Choosing Grab Taxi over Grab Car is likely easier as the drivers are more familiar with the popular hotels and sights.
Because credit cards aren’t widely used in south Asia, Grab cab has thrived over Uber which is also available in Vietnam.
5. Podcast App – Overcast iOS
Travel often involves long stretches of taking the bus or train to the next destination. As exciting as this seems for the first trip, it can be hard to fill that time productively.
Vietnam runs 1,650 Kms North to South, so long-distance travel of up to 9 hours + is guaranteed. So downloading a podcast app really makes a big difference and can greatly contribute to your trip in terms of enjoyment, education and planning.
Overcast has thousands of podcasts ranging almost any subject: Serial Killers, Freakonomics, Science, Pot, Sports, Comedians… You name it.
- Price: Free
- Alternatives: iPhone Podcast App
Podcast Addict (Android)
Podcast Addict is my favorite podcast app on android. In fact, I prefer it over Overcast and FM Player.
We list all the podcasts for Vietnam on our Vietnam Page under Books and Things. But these ones are deffinitely worth a listen
- LBJ’s War
- Call to Vietnam
- The American War
- Vietnam Voices Podcast
- Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
- Price: Free
- Alternatives: FM Player
Bonus App: Vietnam War History
This bonus app is because I didn’t know where else to put it. Vietnam War is an android only app that has 18 pages filled with great details on the Vietnam War.
The App is more of an eBook that has brief summaries of the different aspects of the war. From the work of the american nurses, African-American soldiers, weapons used, war crimes committed and the aftermath of the war.
It’s really quite a great summary and something history lovers with enjoy.
- Price: Free
More Info on Vietnam
Disclaimer: Hostelworld is an affiliated partner, we make a small commission from bookings at no cost to you. It helps us publish more useful travel guides.
Now, no app in the world is going to help you use the squat toilets in Vietnam. But our article on How Everyone Poops in Asia might just help, a little :). We also created a quickie guide for Vietnam with Visa information, daily costs and transportation info.
Vietnam is a unique and inspiring destination perfect for young ambitious travelers! As the country grows as a tourist hot spot, more apps will be released making our travel ever easier. So we’ll do our best to keep all the info up to date!
