Vacation in Vietnam for $500 a day. Belarusians shared what was disappointing for such money

Photo: Myfin.by / heroes' archive

"Wanted to stay within a budget of up to $4000"

Natalia and Alexander chose Vietnam for their vacation not by chance. The Belarusians have stamps in their passports from visits to Thailand, Bali, and Nha Trang. The current trip was their sixth to Asia and second to Phu Quoc island. The launch of direct flights from Minsk played a decisive role. They turned to a trusted travel agent, who has been organizing holidays for their family for many years, for their package tour.

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— Six years ago, Asia wasn't as popular; you could fly for half the price. We are attracted by the country's unique atmosphere. We have an adequate attitude towards local cleanliness standards, which are far from ours. We are ready to put up with critters, and over the years of traveling, we've developed our own life hacks to make our vacation more comfortable. For the first time, we decided to upgrade our hotel level to a "five-star". We don't earn a lot of money, so we fly at best once a year, or even less often. We work diligently without days off or sick leave to spend a week warming ourselves in the sun and enjoying the sound of the sea. Therefore, we approach the organization of our vacation lavishly, without sparing any expense, — the travelers say.

The family booked their ticket to summer six months in advance.

The initial budget for the trip, including all associated expenses, was up to $4000. In the process of choosing a hotel, they had to splurge and exceed the set limits. Before this, the tourists mostly stayed in "four-star" hotels and were always satisfied. The more expensive hotel impressed them with its authentic interior: an abundance of bamboo, a stone bathtub, and other Instagrammable solutions.

They were also swayed by the fact that the building was new — built a few years ago amidst a palm grove. Experienced travelers bet on the good condition of the accommodation, as it was unlikely anything would have worn out in such a short time.

The flight to Phu Quoc took only nine hours and was as comfortable as possible. For convenience, the tourists pre-selected seats with wider legroom, which cost 60 rubles per person one way. They drove to the airport in their own car, which they left in the airport parking lot. Parking for 10 days amounted to an additional 100 rubles.

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"The beautiful room turned out to be unsuitable for living"

The hotel, which had impressed so much with its photos and reviews, greeted them with a bad smell and insects. Additionally, having prepaid for a stay on the second floor, the tourists received a room on the first. The first three out of ten days were spent negotiating a change of apartments.

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— This is not just a whim, but a matter of safety. The chances of encountering snakes when staying on the first floor are significantly higher than on the second. Once we made such a mistake in Thailand, and this time we didn't want to meet crawling neighbors. Our travel agent tried to resolve the issue from Belarus, and we asked daily at the reception to change the room. In response — only smiles. Vietnamese people are very friendly, but we received no help. We had to come to terms with it and let the situation go.

The beautiful room turned out to be unsuitable for living. The wardrobe was damp and smelled bad, and water dripped from the ceiling, so we had to keep all our belongings in a suitcase. The bamboo walls were not airtight; insects constantly flew into the room and critters crawled in through the gaps. From the hotel's side, they provided ordinary dichlorvos for protection. We saved ourselves with fumigators brought from Belarus just in case.

After some time, it became clear that the staff was also negligent in cleaning. You couldn't walk barefoot on the dirty floor, but the hotel took care of this by providing slippers. True, other tourists' feet had already been in them — the flip-flops clearly passed down to the Belarusians from previous occupants. The bathroom cabinets wouldn't open, and there was no clothes dryer in the room.

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It's worth noting that the bed linen and towels provided were clean. Another plus was the good cuisine. Breakfasts were not very varied but nutritious. Also, good internet is available everywhere in Vietnam: you can call home via messengers from any cafe, and within the hotel grounds, there was even reception in the sea, so there was no need to buy a local SIM card.

The hotel has CCTV cameras and security.

— Nothing was stolen from us, we didn't lose anything. We read in reviews that a year ago there was a theft on the hotel premises. Perhaps security was strengthened for this reason. Walking along the hotel beach is allowed for passers-by, but sunbathing on a sun lounger costs $7.5.

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Павялічыць

"A full dinner for two costs $20-25"

— In the heat, you don't really feel like eating, so we managed with breakfasts at the hotel and dinners at cafes. In Mui Ne (a tourist village on the mainland of Vietnam. — Ed. note) prices for street food and cafes are lower. Eating on the island turned out to be more expensive. We only managed to find one restaurant near the hotel that all guests of Phu Quoc had "tasted", so there was often a queue of those eager for a delicious dinner.

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A full dinner with drinks for two in a cafe costs $20-25. We allowed ourselves to eat at the hotel twice, where the price was twice as high, totaling $100. For snacks, we indulged in smoothies and fruits.

• Smoothie — $1.5-2;

• Fruit — up to $2 per 1 kg, for example, mango — $1.5.

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Павялічыць

Safari park and waterfront district

Among the popular rituals in Vietnam are massage visits. Salons operate both in hotels and on the street.

— We allowed ourselves two foot massages. A session lasts half an hour and costs $7. At the hotel, the same service would cost approximately $13. A back massage is $12 for 40 minutes, and at the hotel — $24.

Since the Belarusians are not visiting the island for the first time, they were not in a hurry to book all excursions at once. They decided to go to the safari park by themselves by taxi to feed giraffes by hand and see other animals in their natural habitat.

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Павялічыць

— A standard park ticket costs about $32, and treats for animals can be bought separately for $3. It's cheaper to pay for admission tickets in advance on the park's website.

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The Grand World entertainment complex in the north of the island also impressed tourists. The district is built on water and resembles Venice. Colorful houses are located along a canal, where gondolas cruise. Entry to Vietnamese Venice is currently free, but a boat ride costs $25.

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Павялічыць

What to bring home?

— This time we decided not to bring fruit, as there is enough exotic fruit in our stores. We limited ourselves to coconut and mango candies, about $3 per 200g package. We also took aloe gel — $2.5 per tube, 1 kg of Kopi Luwak coffee beans — around $19.

All additional expenses on the island, including visits to cafes, purchases to take home, and entertainment, amounted to approximately $700.

Currency exchange

Visa and Mastercard from Belarusian banks work without problems in Vietnam. Establishments prioritize cashless payments, while small stalls prefer cash.

— We brought dollars with us, but only new banknotes. Older banknotes have a worse exchange rate here. We exchanged money at a regular shop in the village. Nobody cheated us.

The island and tourists

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A vacation in February is always a bit more expensive than in other months, as Asia fully prepares to celebrate "Tet" — the Vietnamese New Year according to the lunar calendar. Among the pleasant aspects is the decoration of streets and spaces in red hues. On the downside, there are more tourists from China, who are also rushing to celebrate their holiday. For this reason, hotels are highly booked.

According to Natalia, for a worry-free vacation in Vietnam, you can also choose a three-star hotel. After six trips to Asia, they came to the conclusion that "four-star" hotels were significantly better than an expensive "five-star" one. The woman also noted that five years ago, the streets were cleaner. Direct flights and restrictions on other destinations have oversaturated the island with tourists, leading to a decline in service quality.

Among the main tips before a trip to Vietnam:

• take fumigators for midges and other critters;

• opt for a budget hotel for sensible savings;

• choose practical clothing (T-shirts and shorts), as well as comfortable shoes.

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