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Match Thailand or Vietnam? Bangkok and Hanoi on the tape

Thailand Vietnam

The two first-trip countries of Southeast Asia. One now asks for an e-visa, the other for a digital arrival card and a shorter visa-free stay than it used to give.

toltips editorial · facts verified 15 September 2026

Tale of the tape

Six facts a Portuguese or EU passport holder needs before choosing. Every cell names the page it was read from and the date.

ThailandTemples, islands, the easiest first Asia trip VietnamA long coast and a louder kitchen
No visa up to 30 days (from 15 Sep 2026); digital arrival card portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt, read 2026-09-15 Entry on a Portuguese or EU passport e-Visa required (30 days or less for tourism) portaldascomunidades.mne.gov.pt, read 2026-09-15
14 h to Bangkok (BKK), 10,706 km davidmegginson.github.io, read 2026-09-15 Flight from Lisbon (estimate) 13 h 45 min to Hanoi (HAN), 10,516 km davidmegginson.github.io, read 2026-09-15
Baht (THB) www.six-group.com, read 2026-09-15 Currency Dong (VND) www.six-group.com, read 2026-09-15
Nov to Jan worldweather.wmo.int, read 2026-09-15 Best months (climate normals) Nov to Apr worldweather.wmo.int, read 2026-09-15
50, well below Portugal api.worldbank.org, read 2026-09-15 Price level, Portugal = 100 46, well below Portugal api.worldbank.org, read 2026-09-15
Chiang Mai and Phuket www.tatnews.org, read 2026-09-15 Named sights (tourism board) Ha Long Bay and Hoi An vietnam.travel, read 2026-09-15
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Month by month
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The rounds

Four rounds scored by a stated rule on the numbers above; one round, the sights, by our judgement. Ties on the card go to the sights round.

Round 1: Getting in

Thailand

Thailand: visa-free on a passport. Visa exemption for stays up to 30 days from 15 September 2026, and every arrival must file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within 72 hours before landing. Vietnam: an e-visa applied for before travel. A visa is required; for tourist stays of 30 days or less an e-visa from the national immigration portal is enough. Passport valid six months at entry. Thailand's visa exemption for Portuguese citizens is 30 days from 15 September 2026 (it was 60), plus the online arrival card within 72 hours of landing. Vietnam requires an e-visa for any tourist stay. Thailand is still the lighter touch.

Rule: Fewer hoops wins: ID card, then visa-free, then on-arrival permit, then e-visa, then consular visa.

Paperwork, fewer is better
Thailand: 1 Vietnam: 3

Round 2: Getting there

Vietnam

From Lisbon, Bangkok is 10,706 km on the great circle, about 14 h nonstop; Hanoi is 10,516 km, about 13 h 45 min. Fourteen hours either way and always a connection from Lisbon. Hanoi is a quarter of an hour nearer on the great circle, so the rule gives it the round; Bangkok has more connections at better fares.

Rule: Shorter estimated flight from Lisbon wins.

Hours in the air (estimate)
Thailand: 14 h Vietnam: 13.75 h

Round 3: When to go

Vietnam

Bangkok's normals give 3 months in the comfortable band (Nov to Jan); Hanoi's give 6 (Nov to Apr). Bangkok's normals put only November to January inside the comfortable band; Hanoi's give November to April. Vietnam's north has a real cool season, and the round goes to it.

Rule: More months with a mean of 14 to 27 C and under 80 mm of rain wins.

Comfortable months
Thailand: 3 Vietnam: 6

Round 4: What it costs

Vietnam

On the World Bank's consumption price level, with Portugal at 100, Thailand sits at 50 (well below Portugal) and Vietnam at 46 (well below Portugal). Vietnam is the cheaper country on the index, and street food, trains and guesthouses confirm it.

Rule: Lower price level relative to Portugal wins.

Price level, Portugal = 100
Thailand: 50 Vietnam: 46

Round 5: What you came for

Vietnam

Thailand's board leads with Chiang Mai and Phuket; Vietnam's with Ha Long Bay and Hoi An. Chiang Mai and Phuket against Ha Long Bay and Hoi An. Thailand has the easier beaches and temples; Vietnam has the more varied country, from the northern mountains to the delta, and a better food story. Vietnam, narrowly.

Rule: Editorial. The one round we score by judgement, and we say why.

1:4

Vietnam on points, Thailand for the first time

Vietnam wins the flight by a whisker, the season, the price and the sights round; Thailand wins the paperwork. For a first long-haul trip Thailand is still the easier country to be new in. For anyone who has done Thailand, Vietnam is the better second, and the numbers above say it is also the better value.

Ringside questions

Do EU citizens need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes. The Portuguese foreign ministry's page says a visa is required, and that an e-visa from the national immigration portal covers tourist stays of 30 days or less.

How long can I stay in Thailand without a visa?

30 days from 15 September 2026, per the foreign ministry's page, and every arrival must file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within 72 hours before landing.

When is the best time to go to Vietnam?

November to April in Hanoi on the climate normals used here. The south is warm all year; the centre has its wet season in autumn.

The two corners, in numbers

Thailand

Hub
Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
From Lisbon
10,706 km, about 14 h nonstop
Entry
Visa exemption for stays up to 30 days from 15 September 2026, and every arrival must file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online within 72 hours before landing.
Money
Baht (THB); price level 50 against Portugal's 100 (2025 data)
Climate
Bangkok station, 1961-1990: July mean 28.3 C, January mean 25.9 C; 3 comfortable months (Nov to Jan)
Board names
Chiang Mai; Phuket (Tourism Authority of Thailand)

Temples, islands, the easiest first Asia trip

Vietnam

Hub
Hanoi, Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
From Lisbon
10,516 km, about 13 h 45 min nonstop
Entry
A visa is required; for tourist stays of 30 days or less an e-visa from the national immigration portal is enough. Passport valid six months at entry.
Money
Dong (VND); price level 46 against Portugal's 100 (2025 data)
Climate
Hanoi station, 1991-2020: July mean 29.9 C, January mean 17.3 C; 6 comfortable months (Nov to Apr)
Board names
Ha Long Bay; Hoi An (Vietnam National Authority of Tourism)

A long coast and a louder kitchen

How this card was scored

The tape holds six facts per side, each read from an official page on 15 September 2026: the Portuguese foreign ministry's travel advice for entry rules, the WMO's climate normals as supplied by each national weather service, the World Bank's consumption price level, the ISO currency list, the OurAirports coordinates for the flight estimate, and the national tourism board for the named sights. Rounds one to four are decided by the rules printed under each round. Round five is the one call we make ourselves, and the paragraph says why it went to Vietnam.

Flight times are an estimate of a nonstop from Lisbon at 800 km/h plus half an hour; many of these routes connect, and the connection is where the real difference lies. Price levels are national averages; a capital's hotel district can sit well above them. Visa rules move: the source page and its read date sit in every cell so you can check the rule before you fly.

Sources and last verified