[Post Trip] Vietnam & Thailand Trip Expenses for Two Weeks

Usually, after every trip, I like to write up approximately how much money I spent on the entire trip. The most expensive part of this trip (as just about any other trip) is the airfare. This is my best attempt at keeping track of my Vietnam and Thailand Trip Expenses for 2-weeks in October 2016.

Vietnam Visa Costs for US Citizens

Prior to delving into the finances, it should be noted that every single night, we had our own private room since I traveled with a group of 4 people (sometimes 5) people total. There are several areas where we could’ve saved a lot of money, but the experience would have been radically different. We also stayed in a wayyyyy overpriced AirBnB in Pai for the value that it offered. If anything, I recommend that people just show up to Pai and look around the town before booking a place to stay. The 2nd accommodations in Pai was so much cheaper per night for a private room and was so much cleaner than the AirBnB.

The flights from Vietnam to Thailand were a bit more expensive than anticipated. If you’re looking for flights on AirAsia or VietJet, be sure to click all the way thru to the payment page or else you will not see the final price including taxes & fees. The fares they show you are just the cost of the flight without taxes & fees. The largest cost on the flight from Hanoi to Bangkok/Chiang Mai was the country taxes & fees for Vietnam costing ~$40.00.

Food & drink in Southeast Asia is ridiculously cheap. We spent only a dollar or two for each meal. If we had a beer with our meal, it cost just 25-50 cents more.

As far as miscellaneous expenses go, these were not necessities by any means. Unfortunately for us, Vietnam had just changed the rules for Visas for United States citizens just prior to our trip. That added an additional $100 USD to the total.

Hanging Out at the Box Hostel in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Accommodations – 

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Hostel (Townhouse 50)- Sunday, October 9, 2016 – $15.00
Hanoi, Vietnam Hostel (Vietnam Backpackers Hanoi Downtown Hostel) – Monday, October 10, 2016 – $9.40
Cat Ba, Vietnam Hostel (Duc Tuan Hotel)- Tuesday, October 11, 2016 – $6.00
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam – Wednesday, October 12 & Thursday, October 13 – Included in Castaway Tour Price
Hanoi, Vietnam Hotel – Friday, October 14 – $8.00
Chiang Mai, Thailand Hostel (Box Hostel) – Saturday, October 15, 2016 & Sunday, October 16, 2016 – $14.55
Pai, Thailand BnB – Monday, October 17, 2016 & Tuesday, October 18, 2016 – $29.25
Pai, Thailand Hostel (Chill Lom Hostel) – Wednesday, October 19, 2016 – $7.50
Chiang Mai, Thailand Hotel (Rainforest Boutique Hotel) – Thursday, October 20, 2016 – $14.25
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Hostel (Townhouse 50) – Friday, October 21, 2016 – $12.92
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam Hotel (Queen Anne Hotel) – Saturday, October 22, 2016 – $18.17

Total for all Accommodations – $135.04

Signage in O’Hare Airport

Flights – 

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Chicago, Illinois – $38.10
Chicago, Illinois to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (round-trip) – $385.66
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Hanoi, Vietnam – $46.36
Hanoi, Vietnam to Bangkok, Thailand – $68.50
Bangkok, Thailand to Chiang Mai, Thailand – $40.84
Chiang Mai, Thailand to Bangkok, Thailand – $20.81
Bangkok, Thailand to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – $47.98

Total for all Flights – $648.25

Taking a Songthaew in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Other Transportation –

Uber from Ho Chi Minh Airport to Downtown – $2.00
Private Car from Hanoi, Vietnam to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam – $4.00
Uber to Hanoi Airport – $2.00
Taxi from Chiang Mai Airport to Hostel – $2.00
Various Rides Around Chiang Mai – $10.00
Chiang Mai, Thailand to Pai, Thailand – $5.00
Motorbike Rentals in Chiang Mai, Thailand for 2 days – $11.40
Motorbike Rentals in Pai, Thailand for 2 days – $8.50

Total for all Transportation – $44.90

Eating Korean BBQ in Hanoi, Vietnam

Food & Drink –

Daily Food Costs – $5 * 14 days = $70.00
Beer Costs (2 beers per day) – $2 * 14 = $28.00

Total for Food & Drink – $98.00

Zach Getting His Suit Fitted at Phan’s Custom Tailors in Saigon, Vietnam

Miscellaneous – 

Vietnam Visa Approval Letter – $35.00
Vietnam Visa on Arrival (1 year multiple entry/exit) – $135.00
Custom Tailored Suit from Phan’s Custom Tailor – $225.00
Castaway Tour by Vietnam Backpacker’s Hostel – $186.23

Total for Miscellaneous – $581.23

TOTAL EXPENSES – $1,507.42

Again, if I trimmed the fat off of my expenses, I wouldn’t be surprised to get the grand total for 2 weeks in Vietnam (flights included) for $1,000. Granted, I wouldn’t have gone to Thailand at all – I probably would’ve just driven a motorcycle from the South to the North of Vietnam – making a good number of stops along the way.