Should you visit Thailand or Vietnam?

The verdict by traveller type

• First time in Asia: Thailand. Tourist infrastructure is deeper, Bangkok's BTS and MRT make the capital easy, and Grab works in every city we covered. See Grab vs Bolt in Bangkok.

• Tightest budget: Vietnam, at roughly $25 to $35 a day against $30 to $50 for northern and central Thailand, per our daily travel budget by country.

• Beach and island trip: Thailand. The Andaman coast around Ao Nang and Krabi, plus the Gulf islands, are a bigger and better connected island scene than anything in Vietnam.

• Food-first trip: close, but Vietnam edges it on value: pho, bun cha, banh mi, cao lau and com tam cost a dollar or two at stalls. Thailand wins on range, and Chiang Mai's khao soi alone justifies the north. See food in Vietnam and food in Thailand.

• History and old towns: a draw. Thailand has the old capitals at Ayutthaya and Sukhothai; Vietnam has Hue's citadel and Hoi An's ancient town.

• Scenery: Vietnam, for Ninh Binh's karst river valleys and Halong Bay; Thailand answers with Khao Sok's lake and limestone, where we spent 4 days.

Cost: Vietnam is cheaper, but not by as much as you think

Our daily travel budget by country puts a budget day in Vietnam at about $25 to $35 and mid-range at $50 to $90. Thailand runs about $30 to $50 on a budget and $60 to $120 mid-range, with the islands at the top of that range, especially December to February.

The gap is mostly rooms and transport. Sleeper trains and buses down Vietnam's coast are cheap (see the Reunification Express), while Thailand's island ferries and long-tail boats add up. Street food is cheap in both.

Hidden costs differ. Thai ATMs charge foreign cards roughly 220 to 250 baht per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts less often. In Vietnam the splurges are Halong Bay cruises (see is a Halong Bay cruise worth it) and tailoring in Hoi An. Full trip totals are in how much a trip to Thailand costs and how much a trip to Vietnam costs.

Visas in 2026 and 2027

Thailand cut its visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days on 15 September 2026, for about 60 nationalities including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, and the new exemption covers tourism only. Thirty days still fits most trips; a slow two-month trip now needs a tourist visa. Fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before you fly.

Vietnam gives 45 days visa-free to a list of European countries, Japan and South Korea under a scheme that runs to March 2028; the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain are on it. US, Canadian and Australian travellers need the e-visa, valid for up to 90 days, reported at $25 for single entry. Apply only on the official evisa.gov.vn portal: see the Vietnam e-visa guide. Rules on both sides change often, so check Thailand visa rules and Vietnam visa rules before booking.

Weather: Thailand has one good season, Vietnam has three

Most of Thailand has a single cool, dry window from about November to February, which is why we were there in December and January. March to May is hot, and the north has burning-season haze in March and April (see Chiang Mai burning season). The Gulf islands around Koh Samui flip the pattern and are wettest in October to December. Details: best time to visit Thailand.

Vietnam is long enough that it is always good somewhere. Hanoi and the north are cool and grey in winter and hot from May; the central coast around Hue and Hoi An is driest roughly February to August and wettest in October and November; the south around Ho Chi Minh City is dry from about December to April. Our late April to May route caught the change of seasons, which is a reasonable compromise for a full north-to-south trip. See best time to visit Hanoi and Vietnam in January by region.

Practical rule: for a December to February trip, Thailand is the safer bet for weather across the whole country; for March to May, Vietnam's centre is better than Thailand's hot, hazy north.

Getting around

Thailand is hub-and-spoke around Bangkok. The sleeper train to Chiang Mai, domestic flights south to Krabi and Phuket, then ferries to the islands. Our own route went Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Sukhothai, Lampang, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son, then jumped to Khao Sok and Ao Nang.

Vietnam is a single line about 1,650 km long. You go one way, Hanoi to Saigon or the reverse, by train, sleeper bus or cheap domestic flights, with the Hai Van Pass as the classic scenic leg between Hue and Hoi An. That makes Vietnam easier to plan as one trip and harder to cut short: with less than 10 days, pick the north or the centre, not both ends.

How long, and the two-week versions

Two weeks is the common trip length for both. In Thailand that is Bangkok, the north and one beach area: see Thailand itinerary for 2 weeks or our full 6-week Thailand route. In Vietnam it is Hanoi to Saigon with three or four stops: see Vietnam itinerary for 2 weeks and our 4-week route north to south.

If you have three weeks or more, do both. Bangkok to Hanoi is a short flight, and doing Thailand in December to February then Vietnam from March follows the better weather in each.

Crowds and feel

Thailand gets far more international visitors, and it shows on the islands and in Bangkok's old town. The north is calmer: Lampang and Mae Hong Son see a fraction of Chiang Mai's numbers.

Vietnam's crowds concentrate in Hoi An's ancient town in the evening, Hanoi's Old Quarter and on Halong Bay boats. Elsewhere it feels less set up for tourists, which is part of its appeal and part of why it is cheaper. Etiquette differs a little: see what is considered rude in Thailand and in Vietnam.

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