🇻🇳 Vietnam or 🇯🇵 Japan
Which one, honestly
Vietnam leads on value for money and the sea. Japan leads on getting around and cities.
A normal day costs about $70 in Vietnam and $165 in Japan.
Side by side
- 🇻🇳 Vietnam🇯🇵 Japan
- Mar, Apr, Oct, NovBest monthsMar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov
- $70A normal day$165
- 12h to HanoiNonstop from London14h to Tokyo
- Very goodBeaches and seaNot the draw
- Very goodCities and cultureExceptional
- ExceptionalFoodExceptional
- ExceptionalNature and hikingExceptional
- ExceptionalValue for moneyGood
- GoodEasy to get aroundExceptional
- Cheap domestic flights and sleeper trains, because the country is longGetting aroundThe best rail network in the world, buy the pass before you arrive
- The north in January, cold and grey, and the centre during the autumn typhoonsWhen to avoidGolden Week in early May, when the whole country travels at once
Pick by what you want
🇻🇳 Choose Vietnam if
you want the best street food in Asia on the smallest budget, and you do not mind a long thin country that takes time to cross.
🇯🇵 Choose Japan if
you want somewhere that feels genuinely different, you like cities and food, and you want everything to work perfectly.
Full Vietnam guide →Full Japan guide →
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Compare something else
Written and checked by hand. Nothing here about visas or entry rules: those change often and depend on your passport, so check an official source.