Many of you guys who are reading our articles are probably going to Vietnam or are at least thinking about it. And many of you are probably female solo travelers. Many of you guys are probably wondering; is it safe to travel in Vietnam as a female solo traveler?

According to me, the answer is: YES! However, this is only from my perspective and I urge everyone who are traveling to be aware of pickpockets and always to be on your guard. Every experience is different and no one can be 100% safe anywhere. However, I do believe that some countries are a bit better when it comes to traveling alone as a woman. Vietnam is one of them.

Before I came to Vietnam I had to apply for an E-visa, which allows me to be in the country for more than 15 days. I could stay for 30 days, which suited me perfectly. The process is very easy and inexpensive. The E-visa is new for Vietnam and allows citizens from 46 countries to apply for this visa. Sweden is one of them.

As soon as I had the E-visa, I went to the airport and got it approved. My journey in Vietnam had thus begun. I have traveled to other countries alone as a girl, but this was the first time I would do it in Vietnam. People had told me different things about the country. But as soon as my journey started, I had no fear. The only thing to fear were the many motorbikes on the street that seemed so scary in the beginning.

However, I do believe that women who travels alone always has to be more aware of their environment.

Here are the things I recommend you to do in order to feel safe:

1. Book accommodation in advance

Not only will this ensure you to have a room somewhere, you will feel safer knowing where you are going and which neighbourhood it is in. Sometimes I’ve met people who insist on not planning anything and just hopes for the best – which works well at times. Other times… not so much. I tried to always book a hostel in advance or an Airbnb. This way I knew that I had a place to stay and that I could contact the people who worked there if anything would happen.

2. Always keep your valuables where you can see and feel it

I always knew where my money was and my keys. I never brought my passport with me when I sightseed, because that would literally be the worst thing to be taken from me. If I had a backpack, I usually tried to never put my valuables in the backpack. Who knows if someone is digging through my backpack while I’m not watching! I always brought a small bag that I could see and feel. This also made me feel a bit more safe.

3. Avoid wandering around at night

As a traveler and backpacker, you want to venture to places no one has been to before and you feel more adventurous than ever! However, if you are a female solo traveler, then I wouldn’t recommend you wandering around at night. Unfortunately, as a woman we do have to think more about what we do. I never felt unsafe, but I also wasn’t very comfortable walking around all alone at night. This all depends where you are in Vietnam as well of course.

4. Meet other women travelers

There are a ton of women who travels solo – and you will surely meet them! You can build friendships with people throughout the world. That’s the best part about traveling; getting to meet people from different cultures, countries and getting to know their story and what brought them here.

So… Are you ready to travel to Vietnam? Great. You won’t regret it. It is a beautiful country full of life, movement, spectacular nature, good food, beautiful cities and a rich culture. People often go to Southeast Asia for their first trips because it is quite an easy place to travel in. The transportation system is easy, you will find many like minded travelers who can help you, the locals are learning more English so communication isn’t as hard as it used to be, and the sights are just spectacular – it’s hard to resist Southeast Asia.

What are you waiting for? Apply for your E-visa now and head to the beautiful country of Vietnam!

Getting visa on arrival at the airport of Vietnam