What to put in your suitcase?

PREPARE YOUR SUITCASE WELL

Before leaving on a trip, we all ask ourselves this crucial question: what should I pack and put in my suitcase? Even more if you are planning your first trip to Vietnam. So you are wondering what to bring and especially what not to forget? Don’t panic, we make it easy for you to prepare for this great adventure.

Follow our little guide to the essentials to take in your suitcase for Vietnam for a successful trip to Vietnam.

Prepare your suitcase for Vietnam

You know everything about the weather and seasons in Vietnam (If not, read quickly our article 👈 !) and you know it’s better to travel light. Nevertheless, here are some useful tips to help you prepare your suitcase.

We advise you to split your belongings into two pieces of luggage: a suitcase or a large backpack which will travel in the hold of the plane and a small suitcase or a small backpack which will follow you in the cabin. To choose according to your type of trip (rather urban or nature).

On most international flights, you may be entitled to up to 30 kg of checked baggage (check your plane ticket carefully) but on domestic flights, you will only be entitled to 20 kg.
I therefore advise you to plan your luggage according to this criterion, which is not negligible.

Clothes

It is important to adapt your suitcase according to your needs and the type of stay for which you are going to Vietnam. This in order to be able to compile a list of clothes as complete as possible but without superfluous in order to leave room for the souvenirs that you will bring back.

Finally, Vietnam is a tropical country with a high humidity rate, so choose clothes with fluid fabrics and loose cuts, in order to let your skin breathe and suffer less from this destabilizing heat.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of what you will need to bring, the ideal being to have at least clothes for a week.

Underwear and pairs of socks for 8 days (you can have them washed at your hotel).
Light and short clothes (shorts, bermudas, dresses, skirts and T-shirts).
Some long clothes (trousers, shirts, vests or sweatshirts or light sweaters, long-sleeved T-shirts, hooded raincoats).
Formal attire for outings (restaurants, shows, etc.).
A hat or cap (essential to protect you from the sun).
One or two bathing suits as well as a microfiber towel and a sarong or scarf (which can cover your shoulders during visits to temples or pagodas where bare shoulders and shorts are not recommended and very useful also during plane transfers where the air conditioning is often cold).
Two pairs of comfortable shoes (a pair of sneakers and a pair of hiking shoes, ideal when trekking in northern Vietnam).
A pair of sandals for walking in town and a pair of flip flops for the beach and relaxation.
A mask.

Tip from maman manager: If you have children, I recommend one suitcase per child. It is easier to manage during the stay. Also don’t forget to take a bag for dirty laundry and luggage organizer bags, compressible or not. You will see, it is very useful.

Do not hesitate, on the spot, to buy some clothes. Why not opt for tailor-made clothing? There is no shortage of tailors in Vietnam, and you will have clothes in your size at a very affordable price.

Toiletry bag / first aid kit

There are two essential categories when preparing your suitcase for the toiletry bag: medicines and so-called hygienic products.

Once again, there is no point in charging you, if you stay in hotels, products and bathroom linen will be automatically provided to you. On the other hand, if you spend a few nights at the inhabitant, please plan your own business.

✔ the toiletry bag: the toiletry bag will include the bare necessities.

A hairbrush and a comb.
Shower gel and shampoo, in mini format. Or even better in a solid version.
Deodorant.
A toothbrush and toothpaste.

✔ The first aid kit: the first aid kit will accommodate the classic medicines for common ailments.

A small first aid kit (dressings, antiseptic, some compresses).
A tube of sunscreen, high factor (the sun is strong here, + biafine possibly, be careful if you have tubes of more than 100 ml, don’t forget to put them in the hold).
A suitable mosquito repellent (special tropical mosquitoes).
Anti-diarrheals such as Smecta®, Tiorfan®, etc. (in the case of Tourista, this can be very useful).
A box of paracetamol.
Your medication, if you have any medical treatment (don’t forget your prescription and a medical certificate).

Although the availability of medicines is improving rapidly, thanks to “politically controlled” liberalization, counterfeit pharmaceuticals are still commonplace in Vietnam, including in so-called official pharmacies. It is better to take everything you need and avoid local purchases of medicines as much as possible, except in cases of force majeure.

✔Optionaln :

A makeup bag (for outings, with just the bare necessities).
A moisturizing cream.
A small bottle of perfume or samples.

Little tip from maman manager: For you, ladies, I advise you to leave with a pee standing up. This can be very useful, especially with locals, on treks or when stopping on the road.

Computer equipment

It is important to know that Vietnam is very developed in terms of computer hardware. However, we advise you not to forget certain things when drawing up your luggage.

Your mobile phone with enough memory (in which case consider memory cards).
Your camera with enough corresponding chargers (at least 2, you will see, they will be very useful to you).
An external battery.
Possibly a drone. Even if the legislation recommends authorization, it is possible to use it away from military premises and at times when there are not many people on the streets.
Your computer with its charger and/or a tablet as well as an external hard drive to save your photos and videos.
A reading light to avoid overloading you with one or more books.
Headphones and/or earphones.
And all the computer accessories you may need (pole, tripod…).

The from papa geek :
We advise you to take a universal adapter. The network is the same as in France (colonization has not been all bad) but some sockets will not always be adapted to the tips of our devices, especially in the mountains. Similarly, for children, do not forget to take a portable game console (Switch or equivalent), which is very useful during long bus or car journeys.

The other objects always useful for a serene and comfortable trip

In addition to the essentials that we have just mentioned, many other objects may prove to be more than useful to carry in your suitcase. Of course, you can find them everywhere in Vietnam, but you will certainly have other things to do than run around the shops or the street vendors in search of what you are missing.

A pair of sunglasses.
A tourist guide (to keep busy on the plane) and possibly a small dictionary of basic words to make it easier for you to understand, especially to ask for directions if you are traveling alone or to order food and drink.
A padlock for your suitcase.
A flashlight (so as not to stay in the dark in the event of a power cut).
A protective cover for your electronic devices (very useful during seaside stays or in rainy weather).
A notebook and a pen, to write down your travel impressions.
A small bag or money-hiding belt.
A luggage scale (very practical to avoid excess kilos on the way back with souvenirs).
The travel kit (eye mask, earplugs, handy travel pillow for the flight to Vietnam).

The little : Also remember to take a filter straw or a water bottle with the integrated filter straw (because the water is not drinkable in Vietnam and this will avoid systematically buying water in encapsulated bottles, especially in the mountains during treks) . Also remember to customize your suitcases or backpacks to find them more easily when picking up your luggage at the airport.

Papers, documents and others to remember

Your passport (make sure it is valid: more than 6 months and a blank page).
Your plane ticket (even if you have an electronic ticket, it is useful to have a hard copy to present at the airport).
Your visa (or letter of invitation).
Your international driving license.
Your credit card (Visa or Mastercard).
A little cash (only notes are exchangeable, not coins). Also not necessarily need US Dollar 💵, the Euro 💶 is perfectly accepted if it is a cut equal to or greater than 50 € (the ideal being to have new tickets).
The address of your hotel for your first night.
Useful numbers in case of emergency.
Your prescription (if you have medical treatment).
Your program of your trip.

Advice: JI advise you to group all the documents relating to your trip in a travel organizer and the copies in a plastic bag. And before leaving, do not forget to check the recommendations of your embassy.

You now have all the useful information to best prepare your suitcase for Vietnam. feel free to contact us if you have other questions. We will be happy to provide you with answers adapted to your travel plans in Vietnam.