So my cousin Priya got back from her Vietnam trip like three weeks ago (she went with her husband Karan for their first anniversary) and I met her for coffee last Saturday. And honestly? The stuff she told me was NOT what I expected. Like, I had this whole image in my head of what Vietnam would be like for an Indian couple, and apparently I was wrong about pretty much everything.

She started telling me about their trip and I'm sitting there with my chai getting cold because I'm so into the story. They'd booked some Vietnam honeymoon tours thing through this travel agent in Delhi (I think his office is in Connaught Place? somewhere around there). And Priya was like "Diya, nothing went the way we thought it would."

Wait, let me back up a second.

The whole "Vietnam is cheap" thing... yeah, not really

Okay so everyone kept telling them Vietnam would be super budget-friendly. Like, all their friends who'd been were like "oh you can eat for ₹200, hotels are nothing, it's so affordable!"

Lies. Well, not complete lies but... misleading?

Here's what actually happened. Yes, street food is cheap. Yes, you CAN find budget hotels. But (and this is a big but) if you're an Indian couple who's used to certain things – like, you want AC that actually works, or you don't want to share a bathroom with cockroaches, or you'd prefer your food not completely mystery-level spicy – you end up spending way more than expected.

Priya said they budgeted around ₹80,000 for the whole week (flights not included because they used points or something). They ended up spending closer to ₹1,20,000. Maybe more. She was a bit vague about the final number lol, I think Karan doesn't know the complete damage yet.

The thing is, Vietnam honeymoon packages look amazing on paper. Beautiful photos, great itineraries, decent prices. But nobody tells you about the hidden costs. Like, their package included breakfast but the breakfast was so weird (she couldn't eat half of it) that they ended up going to restaurants anyway. That's extra money right there.

The coffee situation (I'm still processing this)

So in India, when we say coffee, we mean... you know, coffee. Preferably with lots of milk and sugar. Something comforting.

Vietnamese coffee is a completely different creature. Priya's first morning in Hanoi (I think it was Hanoi? or was it Ho Chi Minh City first... wait, let me think). Okay yeah, Hanoi. She orders a coffee thinking it'll be normal. The waiter brings this tiny glass with super dark coffee and a layer of condensed milk at the bottom.

She said it was so strong she could feel her heart racing for like three hours after. Karan loved it apparently (he's weird about coffee, always trying fancy stuff). But Priya was desperately searching for normal tea the rest of the trip.

Hot take: I know everyone raves about Vietnamese coffee and sure, it's "authentic" or whatever, but if you're like Priya and just want a regular latte, you're gonna have a rough time. The western cafes are there but they're expensive and kinda defeat the purpose of being in Vietnam? I don't know, it's a weird situation.

Nobody speaks Hindi (obviously) but also... not much English?

This reminds me of when I went to Thailand and thought everyone would speak English because it's so touristy. Wrong again.

Priya said outside of the major hotels and super touristy spots, communication was really hard. Like, taxi drivers don't speak English. Random restaurant staff don't speak English. People at train stations – yeah, no.

They ended up using Google Translate for EVERYTHING. Which sounds fine except her phone battery died in the middle of trying to order dinner one night and they just... pointed at random things on the menu and hoped for the best. (They got some kind of fermented fish thing. Karan ate it. Priya did not.)

Here's what I think happens with these Vietnam honeymoon tours – the travel companies don't really prepare you for the language barrier because they assume you'll always be with a guide. But you won't be. You'll want to explore on your own, especially if you're on a honeymoon and want alone time. And that's when it gets tricky.

I'm terrible at explaining but... it's not a dealbreaker, just something to actually prepare for? Download offline translation apps. Learn like five basic phrases. Take pictures of your hotel address in Vietnamese. Basic stuff that sounds obvious but they didn't do it and regretted it.

The food thing is REAL (and complicated)

Okay this is gonna sound stupid but I didn't realize how different the cuisine would be. Like yes, I knew it wouldn't be Indian food obviously. But I thought it'd be like... Chinese food? Which I can eat?

Priya's vegetarian (not super strict but mostly vegetarian). Karan eats everything. This became a whole issue.

Vietnamese food has fish sauce in EVERYTHING. Even things you wouldn't expect. She'd order something that looked vegetarian and then taste fish sauce. Or shrimp paste. Or some other non-veg thing hidden in there.

She told me by day four she was living off of spring rolls and french fries. On her honeymoon. That's kinda sad honestly.

I might be wrong about this but I think the Vietnam honeymoon packages should mention this more clearly? Like, "hey if you're vegetarian, here are your actual options" instead of just saying "vegetarian food available" which technically is true but... barely.

The Indian restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City were crazy expensive (like ₹800-1000 per person for basic dal and roti) and not even that good. Priya said it tasted like someone who'd never eaten Indian food tried to make it from a recipe they found online.

Halong Bay is beautiful but also kind of a tourist trap?

People are gonna hate me for this but whatever.

Everyone talks about Halong Bay like it's this magical once-in-a-lifetime experience. And sure, the limestone karsts are gorgeous, the water is pretty, it's very photogenic. But.

It's SO crowded. Like, bumper-to-bumper boats. Everyone doing the exact same cruise. The same stops. The same cave tour. The same kayaking route.

Priya said they paid extra for a "luxury cruise" (this was part of their Vietnam honeymoon tour package or maybe they added it separately, I can't remember) and it was... fine. Nice enough. But she said it felt weirdly manufactured? Like Disney but for nature?

I know this sounds cynical and maybe I'm just being negative (I haven't even been to Vietnam myself so who am I to judge) but from her description it sounded less romantic and more... assembly line tourism.

The food on the cruise was good though. She admitted that. Fresh seafood, proper Vietnamese food made well. Karan said it was his favorite meal of the trip.

The scooter situation (aka organized chaos)

Oh man. So Karan really wanted to rent a scooter because he saw all these photos of couples riding scooters through Vietnamese streets looking all cute and romantic.

They lasted approximately 15 minutes before returning it.

The traffic in Vietnam is INSANE. Not Delhi insane – different kind of insane. It's like... everyone's on scooters, nobody follows any rules, but somehow it all just flows? Except when you're not used to it and then it's terrifying.

Priya said she was gripping Karan so hard she left nail marks on his shirt. They almost got hit by another scooter, a taxi, and a random guy carrying like 50 boxes on his bike. All in 15 minutes.

Hot take number two: the Instagram photos of couples on scooters in Vietnam are lies. Or those people have a death wish. Or they're way braver than me and Priya.

They took Grab (it's like Uber) everywhere after that. Which actually worked out fine and wasn't that expensive.

Random things nobody mentions:

The humidity is NO JOKE. Priya said she showered three times a day and still felt gross. Her hair was a disaster the entire trip (she's got curly hair like me, so I felt that pain).

Vietnamese people are actually really nice? Like, super friendly and helpful even with the language barrier. Some random lady helped them find their hotel when they were lost, walked them like 10 minutes out of her way.

The war museums are heavy. Like, emotionally heavy. They went to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and Priya said it kind of killed the mood for the rest of that day. Which makes sense but wasn't something they'd thought about when planning.

Bargaining is expected at markets but it's different from India. Less aggressive? More playful? Priya couldn't figure out the right energy for it.

The beaches (they went to Da Nang) are actually really beautiful and way less crowded than Goa. This was maybe her favorite part of the whole trip.

So would she recommend it?

Yeah, actually. Despite all the surprises and complaints, she said it was a great trip. Just... different from what they expected.

Her advice (which I'm passing on I guess) is to go in with realistic expectations. Don't believe everything you read about Vietnam being super cheap – budget higher than you think. If you're vegetarian, research restaurants in advance or be prepared to compromise. Don't try to fit too much into one trip because the country is bigger than it looks on a map.

And maybe don't book one of those Vietnam honeymoon packages that tries to cram in 15 cities in 7 days? Their friends did that and apparently spent more time in airports and buses than actually seeing things.

Does that even make sense? I'm rambling sorry.

I think the main thing is Vietnam is amazing for Indian couples but it's not Thailand, it's not Bali, it's its own thing. And that's good! Just be ready for it to be different.

Anyway I need to go figure out dinner. But yeah, that's everything Priya told me basically. If you're planning a Vietnam couple tour or looking at those Vietnam honeymoon packages, just... keep all this in mind I guess.