“So how safe is Vietnam?” I get asked that a lot. Bag snatchings by motorbike, getting sick from the water or the ice, being approached by shady strangers——websites and videos line up warnings like these.
To be clear about where I stand, this article isThis isn't an article telling you "there's nothing to worry about". Watching out for pickpockets, being careful about the water — the things people always say are, I agree, worth taking seriously.
As a starting point, Vietnam is a country with no travel advisory issued by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (as of August 2026). The Ministry also describes the security situation as “generally stable.” At the same time, it keeps issuing warnings about snatch theft, pickpocketing, and bag theft. “A safe country, but not one where you can let your guard down” is probably closest to the reality.
On top of that, I want to set down what I, as someone actually living in this country, feel you really should watch out for, added on to the usual general warnings. The second half, about food, may cover ground you do not often see elsewhere.
① The most realistic threat really is motorbikes
First, traffic. Vietnamese roads are, honestly, frightening to a Japanese sense of things. That is not just an impression: by WHO estimates, road deaths per head of population in Vietnam areroughly 6.6 times Japan'sis the figure given. Ministry of Foreign Affairs statistics also show deaths topping 10,000 in 2025.
When you cross where there is no traffic light, you need to check not just left and right but ahead and behind, make sure no motorbikes, bicycles, cars, or trucks are coming, and cross carefully. The Consulate-General of Japan in Da Nang states plainly that “crosswalks cannot be called safe for pedestrians either, and there are almost no vehicles that will stop.” It is better not to assume a crosswalk means safety.
The single biggest trick is “do not run once you have started crossing”
On top of that, this is what I consider most important.Do not suddenly break into a run partway across。
Motorbikes in Vietnam are always looking ahead, riding around whatever is in front of them. In that act of dodging, I think a tenth-of-a-second negotiation plays out between rider and pedestrian. Do you meet their eyes, or don't you? This person is moving at this pace, so I'll slip through this gap — that call gets made in an instant.
So if you feel “scared” halfway across and suddenly break into a run, riders misread your movement and get flustered, whichit can actually lead to an accident. Do not suddenly break into a run. Walk at a steady pace. And look properly both ways. Those three things are, to my mind, the basics of crossing a road in Vietnam.
Along the road, mind where your phone and bag are
More dangerous than the crossing itself is the edge of the road. Look at your phone on the sidewalk and someone can pull up on a motorbike and take it. Carry your bag on the road side and it gets targeted the same way. This is one of those things where the standard advice really is worth following.
This isn't just my own impression. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifically cites the method of "a perpetrator approaching from behind on a motorbike and snatching a mobile phone or the like as they pass." It's worth knowing that areas where many Japanese gather — Kim Mã and Linh Lang in Hà Nội, the area around Lê Thánh Tôn and Thái Văn Lung in Ho Chi Minh City — are named specifically as places to be careful.
The “safety handbook” from the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam has one line you can put into practice exactly as written.“When calling a taxi late at night, use your phone inside a shop rather than out on the street”. The idea that the split second you open a ride-hailing app is exactly when someone targets you is not one that occurs to you while you are living in Japan.
② Be careful when you call a Grab at the airport
One more thing related to traffic: using the ride-hailing app Grab.
At the airport especially,People who show you a fake screenout there. They show you a screen that looks exactly like a ride-hailing app and pretend to be the driver assigned to you. Make sure you check the car model, plate number, and driver name shown in the app against the actual vehicle.
The Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City issues an official warning about this too. The example in their guidance was exactly this. You are looking for the car you booked on Grab whenSomeone said “Grab?”, I answered “yes,” and I was led to a different car——and then you get taken somewhere other than your destination and hit with an outrageous fare.
The Consulate-General“Fake drivers tend to insist strongly that you sit in the front passenger seat”is also pointed out. And inside the vehicle,“Never show the driver what is inside your wallet, and never hand your wallet over”. There are also reports of a trick where a newspaper is laid over your wallet and it is lifted while you cannot see.
As for payment,paying by credit card basically avoids the problem. Grab lets you prepay by card in the app, so if you're uneasy, I'd recommend that.
If you pay in cash, you can misread the number of digits on a note and overpay. Vietnamese banknotes have a lot of zeros, and on top of that,some pairs are close in colour familyis what makes it tricky. Specifically, watch out for the following two pairs.
| a confusing combination | Color | A word |
|---|---|---|
| 500,000 VND ⇔ 20,000 VND | Both are blue-toned | A 25-fold difference. The most painful mix-up of all |
| 200,000 dong ⇔ 10,000 dong | Both are brownish | swap incidents have actually been reported |
In Nha Trang in 2025, a taxi driver was filmed swapping a foreign tourist's 200,000 VND note for a 10,000 VND note in under a second, and he admitted to it. Reports noted that "the two notes are similar in color, and even Vietnamese people sometimes mix them up." When you pay, take a moment and count the zeros.
③ Food——what I watch more closely than water or ice
This is the main point. People often say “the water and ice in Vietnam are dangerous.” My own sense of it is thathonestly, it depends on the person. People who never get sick never get sick, and people who do, do. That said, this is purely my own impression.
The official position is clearer still. Vietnam's national water quality standard itself is"does not apply to water drunk straight from the tap"is stated explicitly, so by design it isn't produced as drinking water in the first place. Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US CDC, and Japan's quarantine stations all advise against drinking it.
On ice, you often hear that “ice at shops in the cities is factory-made, so it is safe,” butI could not find any official information to back this up. If anything, testing by Ho Chi Minh City found that roughly one in ten ice samples failed to meet microbiological standards. The city's own health authorities say that “it is extremely difficult to judge by appearance whether ice is clean” and that “you should cut down the amount you use as much as possible.”
That said, avoiding ice completely in Vietnam's heat is not realistic. I drink it like anyone else. So the rule is not “absolutely never,” butIf you know your stomach is on the weak side, or you have something important coming up, skip it, is about the right level of caution, I think.
On top of that, there are two things I personally find a bit much.
Things I consider risky, no. 1: congealed blood as an ingredient
Vietnamese noodle dishes havea dark, jelly-like ingredient made from congealed bloodis sometimes in there. In Vietnamese it's called "huyết."
What concerns me is how it's handled. What were the conditions before it was set? And even after setting, it's sometimes left out at room temperature. This is my own view, but if you're worried, avoiding it is the safe call.
That said, when I looked into it again while writing this article,a more important distinction, I found. This is the part I want to say loud and clear.
🔴 What is genuinely dangerous is tiết canh
The huyết that goes into noodle bowls iscooked and set. According to comments from specialists, the bacteria behind it, such as Streptococcus suis,thorough cooking kills them off. The risk of spoilage from being left out at room temperature remains, but as long as it has been heated, the bacteria themselves have been dealt with.
By contrast, as something else entirely, there is"tiết canh"is another dish. This one israw blood simply left to set, and it is not cooked at all. That is the genuinely dangerous one.
In Vietnam, this practice of eating raw blood has causedinfection with Streptococcus suisare reported every year. It causes meningitis and severe sepsis, with a fatality rate put at 3–7%, and higher still once a case turns serious. In 2025 as well, a cluster of patients who fell ill after eating raw blood was confirmed, and around 40 cases a year are reported nationwide. Vietnam's Ministry of Health and WHO“Never eat tiết canh or pork products that have not been thoroughly cooked”is what it recommends.
I doubt many travellers would order it of their own accord, but the chance is not zero that you end up eating it because a local recommended it, or because it is an unusual dish.If you are offered a blood dish, always check whether it has been heated or is raw.This one is not a question of taste.
Thing I consider risky, no. 2: shrimp, and especially the head paste
The other is shrimp. Shrimp can spoil slightly on the way from harvest to transport. And when they're frozen after that,the head —— the so-called shrimp tomalleyis what I suspect is behind the stomach trouble. I have been caught out by it twice myself.
This does not seem to be mere superstition. In food science research,Shrimp spoil fastest from the head (the hepatopancreas) firsthas been established. The head holds a large amount of protein-digesting enzymes, and over time those migrate into the body of the shrimp, driving the flesh to break down. Cold-chain industry manuals also“Because this part deteriorates rapidly, head-on shrimp should be beheaded as soon as possible after capture”is what it states.
In other words, it is not the shrimp itself that is risky, butThe head is the part that loses freshness fastest——that is the point. At a shop where I cannot read how the shrimp was shipped and stored, I hold back on the head and the tomalley alone. That is where I have landed.
The dish I'd point to as the classic example isbánh xèo. It is a dish often introduced as a “Vietnamese okonomiyaki,” with bean sprouts, pork, and shrimp inside.
As an aside, that vivid yellow batter —There is no egg in it at all. The batter is rice flour and coconut milk, colored with turmeric. It looks like an omelet but contains no egg, which is the fun part of this dish.
Back to the point: some versions of bánh xèo come with whole shrimp inside. In that case, pay a little attention to the head.
④ Take a step back from anyone who approaches you in Japanese
The last one is people. There are a fair number of people in Vietnam who speak Japanese. That is exactly whywhen someone strikes up a friendly conversation with you in Japanese, it pays to keep a step backis what I think.
The pattern where someone calls out to you on the street and invites you to “come with me to such-and-such place” or “let me give you a ride” is one to stay wary of. Likewise, if you go along with a Japanese-speaking Vietnamese person you happened to meet at a restaurant, letting yourself be carried along without judging for yourself can land you in real trouble.
This feeling wasn't just something I'd talked myself into. The "safety guide" from the Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City statestwo specific tactics that start with someone speaking to you in Japaneseis posted there.
| The method | Details |
|---|---|
| ① The “show me your banknotes” type | in English or Japanese"Could you show me some Japanese banknotes?"they say, and when you take out your wallet out of kindness it's taken from you and the bills are pulled out |
| 2. The rigged-gambling type | they get friendly with you in broken Japanese, thenInvited to their home. Over the meal you get steered into gambling on a card game, and end up being sent back to your hotel for cash, or made to buy precious metals with your card |
On ②, the Consulate-General has issued repeated warnings in 2024 and 2025. The wording in the guide could not be plainer——“Never accept an invitation to a stranger's home”. Incidentally, gambling is illegal in Vietnam, so even the person who got dragged into it can become a target of investigation.
More serious still isDrugging robbery. The Consulate-General's guidance puts it this way: “A Vietnamese person calls out to you in a friendly way on the street, andbeing made to drink something spiked with sleeping pills, and once your awareness fades, cash, credit cards, and the like are taken.” Depending on what's slipped in,it can even be life-threateningis stated explicitly, and for women the risk of it escalating to sexual assault is also flagged.
The comfort of finding someone who speaks your language is enormous in a foreign country. That is exactly why it is easy to exploit. Just keep in a corner of your mind that “speaks Japanese” does not equal “trustworthy.”
⑤ Not dangerous, but leave slack for flights and immigration
Last, this one isn't about danger — it's about giving yourself some slack. But a collapsed itinerary ruins the whole trip, so personally I think it matters quite a lot.
Flights in Vietnam are often delayed
Vietnam's domestic and international flights aredelays happen fairly routinely. For that reason, it is better to avoid booking flights on a knife-edge schedule.
Connections deserve particular care. If you build an itinerary where you land and get straight onto the next flight, a single delay on the earlier leg brings the whole plan down. When you put together a route that includes a transfer, I strongly recommend building in some slack.
Immigration in Ho Chi Minh City gets seriously backed up depending on the time of day
The other is immigration (passport control). The airport in Ho Chi Minh City isBoth arrivals and departures get extremely crowded depending on the time of day. The queues can stretch a long way and swallow more time than you expect.
This really matters, and it is trouble you can avoid simply by getting to the airport early. On departure especially, working backward from boarding time and cutting it fine is risky, so head over with time to spare.
What I think, living here, is that Vietnam is by no means a “dangerous country.” Walking around at night, I rarely feel a fear that is wildly different from Japan. It is just that the kinds of risk are different. Living in Japan, you do not often think about your life being at stake when you cross a road, and you do not often doubt how the food in front of you has been stored. In Vietnam, you point a little attention at those two things. That alone brings the risk you actually feel down a long way. There is no need to be excessively afraid, but this is not a place to let your guard down either——somewhere in between there is a right distance, and I feel like living here has taught me where it is.
Wrap-up: the usual precautions, plus a little extra
What I've listed here takes the things generally said to be “dangerous in Vietnam” and adds what I actually feel as a resident. Let me pull it together at the end.
| situations | What to watch for |
|---|---|
| Crossing the road | Check left, right, front, and back.Do not suddenly run partway across. Walk at a steady pace |
| Walking along the road | Do not leave your phone out. Carry your bag on the side away from the road |
| Calling a Grab | At the airport, watch out for fake screens. Check the car model, plate number, and name. Paying by card is safer |
| Pay in cash | Always check the number of zeros on the notes |
| Food (water and ice) | Do not drink tap water. Adjust your ice intake to your condition and your schedule |
| Eating (blood dishes) | 🔴Never eat raw-blood tiết canh. If you are still worried, skip cooked huyết as well |
| Food (shrimp) | The head and the tomalley are the fastest to spoil. Judge by picking the right shop |
| Being approached | “Show me your banknotes” and “come to my home” are known tricks.Do not touch a drink you are offered |
| Book your flights | Delays are an everyday thing.Leave plenty of time for connections |
| Heading to the airport | Immigration and departure control in Ho Chi Minh City get badly congested depending on the hour. Arrive early |
Vietnam is a country you can thoroughly enjoy as long as you stay properly alert. Keep just the points listed here in mind, and then throw yourself into the trip.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Vietnam unsafe?
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It isn't an extremely dangerous country, but the kinds of risk differ from Japan. Bag snatching by motorbike and traffic accidents in particular call for care. Going out at night isn't extremely dangerous in itself, but be mindful of how you carry your phone and your bag.
- Are there any tricks to crossing the road?
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Check not just left and right but ahead and behind as well, then walk slowly at a steady pace. Motorbikes ride around pedestrians, so if you suddenly start running halfway across you break their read of you, and that is what makes it dangerous.
- What should I watch out for when eating in Vietnam?
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Do not drink the tap water. With ice, the realistic approach is to adjust according to how you feel and what your schedule allows. Among ingredients, shrimp heads and tomalley are the parts that spoil fastest, so judge by the shop you are in. And absolutely avoid tiết canh, which uses raw blood.
- What is tiết canh, and why is it dangerous?
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It's a Vietnamese dish made from raw blood left to congeal. Because it isn't cooked, there's a risk of infection with Streptococcus suis and similar bacteria, which can cause meningitis or severe sepsis. Cases are reported in Vietnam every year, and the Ministry of Health and WHO advise against eating it. It is a different thing from the cooked blood jelly (huyết) that comes in noodle soups.
- Can I trust people who speak to me in Japanese?
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Speaking Japanese and being trustworthy are two different things. The Consulate-General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City has officially warned about the ploy of asking to “see a Japanese banknote,” and about people who get friendly, invite you back to their home and steer you into a rigged gambling game. Robberies in which victims are given drinks spiked with sleeping pills have also been reported. Do not accept invitations from strangers, and do not touch a drink you are offered.
- Is there anything to be careful about with flights and airports?
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Flight delays happen easily in Vietnam, so leave slack in any itinerary that includes a connection. Immigration and departure control at the Ho Chi Minh City airport also get quite congested depending on the time of day, so I recommend heading to the airport early.
