(French version of this post further below)

It’s my first time traveling to Asia. Despite the stories I had heard about Viet Nam from friends and family, I felt very unprepared. So, call me an over planning-girl if you’d like, I simply couldn’t leave without a guidebook. My bible is called ”Le Guide du Routard,” and it’s an excellent one for people who travel on a low-budget, just like us.

Being healthy

Before I left, my first concern was to ensure-as much as possible- that I’d be healthy during my entire experience in Viet Nam. After several talks with my sister who studies medicine, and with a very good friend who seemingly knows it all about tropical medicine, I paid a visit to my doctor to get vaccined against typhoid fever and rabies. Luckily, I was almost immune to rabbies already. Had it not been so, I would have needed two more shots- which are expensive. (Besides, I was already immune to Hepatitis A and Meningitis.)

I know it is unlikely that I come across a rabid dog or get the malaria in Ho Chi Minh City. But since I’m hoping to travel to the countryside, I decided to protect myself from rabies and to bring a box of malaria treatment, as a precautionary measure.

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