Self-Guided Seoul Trip Costs 2026: VND 13-25 Million Per Person

Before flying to Seoul, the question that worries many travelers most is usually: “How much money do I need to prepare to travel comfortably?” For a self-guided Seoul trip of 5 days 4 nights, a reasonable budget usually ranges from 13 to 25 million VND per person, depending on when you go, how you book your flights, your accommodation area, and your personal spending habits. This article breaks down each major expense based on real data, along with a reference KRW/VND exchange rate from early 5/2026.

Total cost table by 3 budget levels for a 5-day 4-night Seoul trip

Instead of estimating a number and then going over budget halfway through the trip, you can refer to the table below to get a clearer picture of the spending level that fits your plan.

In a recent 10-trip SIMPM record, most Vietnamese travelers fall into the standard group, around 17 million VND per person, accounting for about 60%. This budget is enough for a decent 3-star hotel, meals at casual restaurants, visits to major attractions, and still leaves some room for cosmetics and gifts.

Round-trip flight ticket SGN/HAN – ICN

Airfare is the biggest expense on a Seoul trip, usually accounting for about 30-40% of the total budget. However, it is also the expense where you can save the most if you book early. Just booking about 2 weeks later can increase the cost by another 1.5-2 million VND. On the other hand, if you book 6-8 months in advance, ticket prices can sometimes drop by nearly half.

Reference fares by airline and season, based on Vietjet Air, Vietnam Airlines and BestPrice in 5/2026:

One detail many Vietnamese travelers overlook is that the Hanoi – Seoul route is usually about 500.000-1.500.000 VND cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City – Seoul, thanks to the shorter flight distance. With Vietjet and Bamboo, during the 10-11 period you can sometimes find round-trip tickets for only about 4.5 million VND, but you usually need to book 6-8 months ahead and accept early-morning or late-night flight times.

C-3-9 visa for Vietnamese travelers

The visa is the expense that often surprises first-time visitors to Korea. The cost of applying for a C-3-9 visa usually ranges from 910.000 to 2.500.000 VND, depending on whether you prepare the documents yourself or use a full-service package.

The basic fee is around 910.000-950.000 VND, including 20 USD in consular fees and the KVAC service fee, according to Vietnam Airlines. If you use the full A-to-Z visa assistance service, the total cost may increase to 1.2-2.5 million VND.

The usual processing time is 7-10 business days. However, during peak periods such as 3-4 for cherry blossom season or 10-11 for autumn foliage season, waiting 18-20 days is quite normal. If you have already booked your flights, you should make an appointment at KVAC Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City at least 1 month in advance to avoid delaying your plans.

Vietnamese travelers are not eligible for K-ETA, so you must apply for a C-3-9 visa before flying to South Korea. The detailed process and document list can be found in the self-guided Busan travel article; the Korean visa section applies to all destinations in Korea, not just Busan.

Hotel 4 nights: Costs by area in Seoul

Choosing where to stay in Seoul is not just about room rates. The area you stay in directly affects your entire travel experience. For the same 100.000 KRW/night, you could choose a youthful atmosphere with lots of late-night cafes in Hongdae, or stay near the old-town area of Insadong to walk to Gyeongbokgung Palace early in the morning.

Hotel costs usually account for about 25-35% of the total budget, so this is an expense worth considering carefully.

Families visiting Seoul for the first time often choose Myeongdong because it is close to Subway Line 4, convenient for getting around, and has a lively late-night food street until around 23h. Couples who love taking photos often choose Insadong, because they can wake up early and walk through the hanok district, then head into Gyeongbokgung wearing hanbok, one of the very “Korean” experiences when visiting Seoul.

For a real example, My Linh, 28 years old, a SIMPM staff member in Ho Chi Minh City, stayed at Ibis Myeongdong for 4 nights and spent 425.000 KRW, equivalent to about 7.8 million VND, or about 1.95 million per night.

Food and drinks 5 days: From traditional markets to restaurants

Food is one of the most enjoyable parts of a Seoul trip, but it can also be one of the easiest ways to go over budget if you eat at restaurants for every meal. The good news is that traditional markets in Korea still offer many delicious dishes at reasonable prices, while staying close to the way locals eat every day.

Three common food budget levels for Vietnamese travelers are:

• Traditional market meal, 5.000-10.000 KRW: bibimbap at Gwangjang Market, kalguksu at Tongin Market, dilbap at Namdaemun. These markets usually only accept cash and get busy from around 11h at lunchtime.

• Casual restaurant meal, 15.000-30.000 KRW: Tosokchon ginseng chicken soup 19.000 KRW, Myeongdong Kyoja kalguksu 11.000 KRW, Hadongkwan gomtang 14.000 KRW.
• BBQ and premium restaurant meal, 40.000-80.000 KRW: Maple Tree House Itaewon 32.000 KRW/person, Mapo Galmaegi grilled pork 16.000 KRW.

The most balanced approach is to have lunch at a traditional market for about 7.000 KRW, dinner at a casual restaurant for about 20.000 KRW, and add one cafe brunch for about 14.000 KRW. That comes to around 41.000 KRW per day on average, equivalent to about 750.000 VND. For a 5-day trip, total food costs are around 3.75 million VND per person, enough to try many signature dishes without too much budget pressure.

Getting around Seoul and intercity travel

For first-time visitors to Seoul, one surprising thing is how convenient the subway system is—you almost don’t need to budget much for taxis. Seoul has 23 rail lines covering the city, including AREX, which connects Incheon Airport directly with the city center. For a 5-day 4-night trip, Vietnamese travelers usually spend only about 30.000-50.000 KRW on inner-city transportation, even less than one day of taxi use in Ho Chi Minh City.

The main transport options you will use include:

• Seoul Subway, 1.400-1.500 KRW/ride: the cheapest option, with automatic discounts when transferring within 30 minutes.
• Regular bus, 1.500-1.700 KRW/ride: suitable for reaching areas not covered by subway, such as Bukchon Hanok or Ihwa Mural Village.
• Taxi, starting fare 4.800 KRW + 100 KRW/131m: convenient for late-night trips or groups of 3-4 people splitting the fare.
• AREX airport train, 4.250-9.500 KRW: travels from Incheon to Seoul Station in about 43-58 minutes, depending on the train type.

If you want to add Busan to your trip, the KTX Seoul – Busan line has a fastest travel time of about 2 g hours 15 minutes, with fares starting at about 59.800 KRW for standard class, according to Korail.

You should buy a T-money card at CU or GS25 inside the airport, priced at about 2.500-4.000 KRW. Preloading 20.000 KRW is enough for 3-4 days of city travel.

See more: Where to buy a cheap and convenient Korean SIM 2026: 4 options for Vietnamese travelers

Attraction tickets and shopping costs

Sightseeing costs in Seoul can be very affordable if you choose the right tickets. For the same 100.000 KRW, you can use a Royal Palace Pass 10.000 KRW to visit 4-5 palaces within 3 month, or just buy one Lotte World ticket and nearly use up that entire amount.

Ticket reference table for 5/2026:

The Discover Seoul Pass 24h costs 39.900 KRW, according to the official Discover Seoul Pass 2026, and includes more than 70 attractions such as Lotte World, N Seoul Tower, and hanok experiences. The 48h version costs 49.500 KRW, and the 72h version costs 90.000 KRW. If you buy the mobile version, you also get a free 5-day unlimited-data eSIM, a small but quite meaningful saving.

For shopping, Olive Young and Myeongdong often make Vietnamese travelers spend about 200.000-500.000 KRW, equivalent to about 3.7-9.2 million VND for a 5-day 4-night trip. Couples on honeymoon often spend more, with total cosmetics, supplements, and gifts reaching 8-15 million VND.

How to save 30-40% without cutting the experience

You can absolutely reduce the cost of a Seoul trip by 30-40% while still keeping the full experience, as long as you know which expenses to save on and which ones not to cut. According to SIMPM hotline data from 1-4/2026, Vietnamese travelers usually apply the 5 methods below:

• Book flights early by 6-8 months: saves 1.5-3 million per person compared with booking close to departure, especially with Vietjet and Bamboo.
• Exchange Won at Ha Trung or Ben Thanh: the exchange rate is usually about 7-10% better than at Incheon Airport, which can save about 700.000 VND for a 5-day trip.
• Have lunch at traditional markets: Gwangjang, Tongin, and Namdaemun have many dishes priced at 5.000-10.000 KRW per bowl, tasty and much less “touristy” than many central restaurants.
• Buy the Discover Seoul Pass 48h instead of individual tickets: priced at 49.500 KRW, it includes more than 70 attractions, including Lotte World at 62.000 KRW and N Seoul Tower at 21.000 KRW. In just one day, you can already save about 33.000 KRW.
• Use a SIMPM eSIM instead of roaming: a 5-day plan costs 280.000 VND, while Vinaphone roaming can be around 1.2 million VND. The difference of nearly 1 million VND can go toward food or sightseeing.

If you apply all 5 methods above, your trip can drop from the standard level of around 17 million to about 12-13 million VND per person, without cutting any attractions or having to eat too frugally.

See more: Seoul travel itinerary 2026: detailed 3, 5 and 7 days

Cost comparison between Seoul and Busan

If you’re deciding between Seoul and Busan, the real costs are not that different. The difference for a 5-day 4-night trip is usually only about 1-3 million VND per person, mainly because flights to Incheon are slightly more expensive than Gimhae and Seoul hotels are on average 10-15% more expensive than Busan.

So the important question is not “Which destination is cheaper?”, but “What kind of experience do you want your trip to have?” Choose Seoul if you like shopping, K-pop culture, historic palaces, late-night food streets, and a city that stays brightly lit all night. Choose Busan if you like the sea, a slower pace, fresh seafood, and hot spring spa experiences in cool weather. You can also refer to the costs and itinerary in the self-guided Busan travel article for 4 days 3 nights, as well as the list of Busan attractions.

Korean eSIM: an easily overlooked saving

One expense that can save you nearly 1 million VND but many Vietnamese travelers often overlook is eSIM. Instead of using roaming or buying a physical SIM at the airport, you can use a Korean eSIM to have 4G as soon as the plane lands.

SIMPM offers eSIMs using the KT network, one of Korea’s three major carriers along with SK Telecom and LG U+. The QR code is sent by email, activation takes about 1 minutes, and you can use it immediately upon arriving in Korea.

Comparing eSIM, airport SIM, and roaming costs

SimPM eSIM is about 4-5 times cheaper than an airport SIM for the same data allowance. The couple Le Anh and Pham Thu Ha from Da Nang, who traveled to Seoul in 4/2026, once bought physical SIM cards at Incheon for 89.000 KRW/person, about 1.6 million VND. On their next trip, when using a SimPM eSIM with the same data allowance for 280.000 VND, each person saved about 1.3 million VND to spend more on food.

SIMPM eSIM plans suitable for a Seoul trip

Vietnamese travelers going to Seoul for 5 days 4 nights usually choose one of the three plans below:

• Plan 5GB / 5 days, 280.000 VND: suitable for a standard 5-day 4-night Seoul trip, enough for Naver Map, photo uploads, and video calls.
• Plan 10GB / 7 days, 480.000 VND: suitable if combining Seoul – Busan by KTX within 7-8 days.
• Plan 3GB / 3 days, 180.000 VND: suitable for a short weekend trip staying only in Seoul.

All plans include unlimited speed 4G/LTE and SIMPM Vietnamese-language support hotline 24/7. If you run into an APN issue in the middle of the night, help is still available.

How to order and activate

You can order a Korean eSIM at SIMPM and receive the QR code by email in about 5 minutes. After scanning the QR code once on your phone, just activate the eSIM on the correct departure day and you’ll have 4G as soon as you land at Incheon Airport.

A self-guided Seoul trip becomes much easier when you prepare your budget, itinerary, and stable internet connection in advance from Vietnam. If you’re planning a trip to Korea, don’t forget to buy a Korean travel eSIM at SimPM so you’re 4G right after landing, making it easy to use Naver Map, look up information, call a car, message, and share your journey without worrying about expensive roaming.