Of course, you can't visit the entire country with RM800. Vietnam is huge and with a tight budget, the cheapest way to experience Vietnam is to head over to its capital Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). The best time to visit HCMC is during its dry months from December to March.

Flights

Travel Tip: Book your flights at least a few months ahead to secure the best prices.

Skyscanner is a wonderful site to check out the flight prices from different airline operators and you can even create email alerts for specific dates and destinations to keep track of the price changes. Another way to buy cheap flight tickets is to be a loyal visitor of the AirAsia website. They drop sudden sales and you will never know when you might get lucky. Here's how much a flight ticket to HCMC from 20th Feb to 24th Feb 2020 costs you on AirAsia:

You can get cheaper prices than this if you keep an eye on their sales announcements.

Accommodation

Travel Tip: Find hostels or hotels with a free breakfast option to save some money.

Practically, your accommodation needs to be clean, comfortable, accessible and cheap. Find a hostel to save up some of the lodging costs. They are so cheap and offer great facilities for solo travellers. Here's a list of few highly-rated hostels which are super affordable on Booking.com:

Ben Thanh Station Dorm
BFF Saigon Hostel
The JOY hostel
KHA Hostel & Cafe
Saigon Central Dorm

Food

Travel Tip: Learn some useful phrases like 'Hello' and 'Thank You' in their language. If you have dietary restrictions, translate your concerns in Google Translate to their language and show it to them.

The prices of food in Vietnam vary depending on where you eat. You can find street eats for as low as RM3 per meal! Some restaurants are moderately priced and can go up to RM30 per meal. It all boils down to what kind of food you are eating. If you want to stick to your budget, stay with the stall dishes. They are equally delicious.

According to Budget Your Trip, a cheap travel budget for food in Vietnam will be around RM16 per day. That's including your breakfast! But if your hostel or hotel provides you with a morning meal, that will give you more money for lunch and dinner.

Tours & Activities

Travel Tip: Choose your tours wisely based on what you like and what you are capable of doing. Some activities like visiting the Chu Chi Tunnels might not be suitable for the older crowd.

You can either find good deals online at Klook.com or you can head over to one of the branches of The Sinh Tourist. they have pretty good deals and you can plan your days according to your attractions and activities. The classic HCMC itinerary would include:

Day 1: Half Day Chu Chi Tunnels Tour (Afternoon) ~ RM25
Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City Tour ~ RM35
Day 3: Full Day Mekong Delta Tour ~ RM60
Day 4: Relax & Easy
Water Puppet Show ~ RM45
Visit Phạm Ngũ Lão Street for Night Life
Day 5: Food Hunt & Shopping

(Tour rates according to The Sinh Tourist)

Transportation

Use Grab app to go around in order to avoid getting scammed. The prices are pretty reasonable. You can book your airport transfers with Klook or your hotel before even reaching the airport in HCMC.

So, for a 5-day trip to HCMC from 20th Feb 2020 to 24th Feb 2020 will cost you RM695, not including the Grab rides. Here's the quick breakdown for a solo traveller:

Flights: RM233 (AirAsia)
Accommodation: RM79 (Ben Thanh Station Dorm)
Food: RM150 for 5 days (RM30/day)
Airport Transfer: RM68 (Klook)
Tours: RM165 (The Sing Tourist)

Grab ride fares depend entirely on your activities but if you closely follow the itinerary given above, it won't cost you more than RM100 making the entire trip cost only RM795 in total!

All other expenses incurred to buy a souvenir, pocket Wifi or travel insurance are not included in this budget. Let us know if you like articles like this!

Photo Credit: Tour Radar, Viator, Vietnam Travel and Cruise, Vietnam Net, DNQ Travel, Go Nomad, WanderLulu, Saigon Free Day Tours & Pinterest