Technology is our friend. Being on the go and not having a smartphone would be troublesome for most people except those who are born to be explorers, looking at the stars and asking for directions, adapting as they need to.
Most of us, however, require our smartphones to navigate the world and find our way through its many obstacles and challenges. Vietnam is a country that is more than just worth exploring, a lovely place to visit.
Visiting it without the appropriate applications would be more difficult so here are the best ones for your next trip to Vietnam.
BusMap
This is an application that has bus maps for cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang. It also has maps for Bangkok, but that is quite outside Vietnam. A bus map is always good to have if you don’t want to use taxis and other means of transportation.
Knowing all the bus lines and having the schedule at your hand will be key ingredient to getting around without much hassle.
Grab
With no Uber or BlaBlaCar, one must resort to a local application which is the relative of such ride-sharing applications. Transportation is important and getting from place A to B might not be possible without a ride-share.
Why pay more when you don’t have to and you can travel by car, meet new people and get tips on what to visit and where to go. It is an easy way to save money, meet people and perhaps, make friends.
Foody
Everyone likes food and why not get the local version of Yelp to help you find the thing you want to eat in Vietnam. With their own version of a food service provider review aggregator, you can find which restaurant or fast food place has a good reputation, and straight from the locals.
You might want to have a translating app handy, such as Google Translate, which would be the next recommendation, but it goes without saying, when you travel to a country with a vastly different language.
A good alternative is Happy Cow, which shows all the vegan and vegetarian places. Some Vietnamese people practice Buddhism, so finding a vegan-friendly place shouldn’t be difficult.
Zalo
A Vietnamese local version of a chat app, similar to Messenger or WhatsApp. This is an essential application because most businesses plug it in their advertisements. It is a helpful one, though you would have to use a translating app separately.
Google Maps
A maps application is mandatory one wherever you are going. Google Maps has more than decent coverage of Vietnam and you can download offline maps for a better experience since wasting data while roaming is costly.
Maps.me is a good alternative, which is an offline-only map application, a great alternative to always have as a backup or even main app.
These are the essential applications you want to have installed if you plan on visiting Vietnam. Enjoy your stay!