Is Vietnam safe? The travel advice, and the numbers to call

The UK's and Canada's advice for Vietnam: petty crime, roads, boats and the numbers to call.

By the Local SIM Vietnam team, checked October 2, 2026

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The short answer

Both the UK and Canada advise care in Vietnam. Canada's advice level is exercise a high degree of caution, due to a high rate of petty crime, and the UK says violent crime against foreigners is rare while pickpocketing and bag-snatching are common. The emergency numbers are 113 for the police, 114 for the fire brigade and 115 for an ambulance.

Canada's advice level: exercise a high degree of caution, due to a high rate of petty crime.
UK advice: violent crime against foreigners is rare; petty theft and bag-snatching are common.
Roads: motorbike accidents are common; official taxis and hotel-arranged pickups are safest.
Emergency: 113 police, 114 fire, 115 ambulance, answered in Vietnamese.

Checked October 2, 2026

What the advice says

Topic	The advice
Petty crime	Common in tourist areas and on transport; the UK notes a rise around Christmas and Tet.
Roads	Motorbike accidents are common; the UK calls bus and coach crashes not uncommon.
Boats	Check safety standards and equipment, especially for overnight trips in Ha Long Bay.
Emergency numbers	113 police, 114 fire, 115 ambulance; the lines are in Vietnamese only.

Petty crime
The advice
Common in tourist areas and on transport; the UK notes a rise around Christmas and Tet.
Roads
The advice
Motorbike accidents are common; the UK calls bus and coach crashes not uncommon.
Boats
The advice
Check safety standards and equipment, especially for overnight trips in Ha Long Bay.
Emergency numbers
The advice
113 police, 114 fire, 115 ambulance; the lines are in Vietnamese only.

Where travellers run into trouble

Bag-snatching
Thieves on motorbikes snatch bags and phones. Keep them on the side away from the traffic, and be aware of riders as you walk.
At the airport
Canada reports criminals posing as taxi drivers targeting arrivals at Noi Bai; arrange the pickup with your hotel or use authorised airport taxis.
Nights out
The UK reports drink spiking and methanol poisoning, including in licensed venues; buy your own drinks, keep them in sight, and seek help if you feel ill.

The bottom line

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Questions

Is Vietnam safe for travellers?

The official advice is to take normal care: violent crime against foreigners is rare, while petty theft is common in tourist areas. Keep your bag and phone secure, use official transport, and save the emergency numbers 113, 114 and 115.

What is the emergency number in Vietnam?

The police are on 113, the fire brigade on 114 and an ambulance on 115. The lines are answered in Vietnamese only, so have a translator with you if you can.