Carmen
Travel editor at Reisedrop · 2026-09-23
Banh Mi for 1.50, a homestay night for 12 francs, a train journey along the coast for 20: Vietnam is TikTok’s favourite among long-haul budget destinations. Episode 6 of our series «Seen on TikTok. Reisedrop checked it out.»: we break down two weeks in Vietnam in full — flights, accommodation, food, the route from Hanoi to the south. Spoiler: on the ground, Vietnam really is dirt cheap. But whether you stay within CHF 1200 is decided before you even take off.
What TikTok promises
The clips show noodle soups on plastic stools, rooftop pools in Da Nang for 30 francs, and Ha Long Bay at sunrise — the message being: two weeks in South-East Asia cost less than a weekend in Paris. What the clips leave out: the flight from Switzerland swallows more than half the budget, and if you add a Ha Long cruise, a Sapa trek, and a domestic flight, you simply won’t get by on 20 francs a day once you’re there.
Getting there: the biggest expense
There are no direct flights from Zurich to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City — you’ll be flying with one stop, typically via Doha, Istanbul, or Bangkok. Return fares: from around 750 francs in the low season (May–September), but during school holidays they quickly jump to 950 to 1200. If you’re flexible and use a price alert, you can occasionally catch deals around 650 — and that’s exactly when the numbers start working in your favour.
On the ground: just how cheap Vietnam really is
This is where Vietnam delivers. Homestays and guesthouses cost 12 to 25 francs per night (double room, often with breakfast), street food 2 to 4 francs per meal, and a restaurant dinner 8 to 12. The overnight train from Hanoi to Hué comes in at around 35 francs for a sleeper berth, and a domestic flight to Ho Chi Minh City at 40 to 60. With 30 to 40 francs a day, you’ll live well — including coffee, scooter hire, and entrance fees.
The honest calculation for 2 weeks
Return flight from Zurich: from CHF 750. 13 nights in homestays/guesthouses: from CHF 170 (shared double room). Food and drink: around CHF 150. Transport within the country (overnight train, bus, one domestic flight): about CHF 120. Highlights (Ha Long overnight cruise from CHF 90, Sapa trek from CHF 70, Mekong tour): around CHF 200. That brings you to CHF 1390 per person — honestly calculated. You’ll only get under CHF 1200 with a flight deal below 650 francs and without the cruise.
Where Vietnam wins — and where it doesn’t
It wins on value for money on the ground, on food — perhaps the best street-food scene in Asia — and on sheer variety: rice terraces, imperial cities, island bays, all in one country. It loses on the journey there (12+ hours, highly volatile pricing) and on the rainy-season trap — from October to December, Central Vietnam can see some serious downpours. Our verdict: tight — the flight decides. Set a price alert for Hanoi, and suddenly the TikTok maths starts to add up.
How to do it in practice
Choose the low season from May to September (the north is at its best then), hunt for flights 3 to 5 months in advance with a price alert, plan a north-to-south route using the overnight train instead of domestic flights, and book Ha Long Bay as a day trip from Hanoi if the budget is tight. On Reisedrop, you can compare flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City across all stopover options — and the Drop Alert will ping you as soon as the price falls below your target.
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