Thailand and Vietnam are the two most popular Southeast Asia trips for Israeli travelers. Both are beautiful, both are affordable, and both get mentioned in the same breath — but the actual costs diverge in ways that matter. Here's the real comparison based on a 14-day trip for one traveler from Tel Aviv.
The headline numbers
| Category | Thailand | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| Round-trip flight from TLV | ILS 2,000–3,500 | ILS 2,200–3,800 |
| Daily cost (mid-range) | ILS 320/day | ILS 260/day |
| Daily cost (budget) | ILS 150/day | ILS 120/day |
| 14-day trip total (mid) | ILS 6,480 | ILS 5,440 |
| 14-day trip total + flight | ILS 9,980 | ILS 9,240 |
Vietnam wins the headline by about 8–10%. But flights to Vietnam are slightly pricier and less frequent from TLV, which eats into the daily-cost advantage. In practice the gap is smaller than blog posts make it seem.
Where Vietnam is genuinely cheaper
Food
Vietnamese street food is a league cheaper than Thai street food. A bowl of pho costs ILS 8–15; bun cha, ILS 12; banh mi, ILS 6. Thai street food is still cheap — ILS 20–30 for pad thai — but the gap is real, especially if you eat 3 meals a day from stalls.
Beer and coffee
Bia hoi (fresh Vietnamese beer): ILS 2–4 a glass. That is not a typo. Thai beer in a restaurant: ILS 20–30. Vietnamese egg coffee: ILS 8–12. Coffee culture alone makes Vietnam an easy win for light travelers.
Internal transport
Long-distance buses and sleeper trains in Vietnam cost 30–50% less than Thailand's equivalents. Grab rides in Hanoi and Saigon run half the Bangkok rate.
Where Thailand is better value
Hotels and accommodation
This surprises people. Thailand's tourism infrastructure is far more mature, which means better hotels at every price point. ILS 180/night in Chiang Mai gets you a properly nice room with a pool. ILS 180/night in Hoi An gets you a fine, basic guesthouse.
Islands and beaches
If beaches are your thing, Thailand is unmatched in the region. Vietnam's beaches (Phu Quoc, Da Nang) are pleasant but nowhere near Krabi, Koh Lanta, or Koh Tao in quality. The cost of an island week in Thailand is also surprisingly reasonable.
Internal flights
Thailand's domestic flight network (AirAsia, Nok Air) is extensive and cheap — ILS 80–150 one-way between major cities. Vietnam's domestic flights are pricier by 30–50%.
What about a combined trip?
Totally doable in 18–21 days. Fly into Bangkok, do 7 days in Thailand (Bangkok + one island), then fly to Hanoi for 10 days (Hanoi → Ha Long Bay → Hoi An → Saigon). Open-jaw tickets from TLV (in Bangkok, out Saigon) are usually only slightly more than a round-trip.
Estimated combined cost
- Flight (open-jaw from TLV): ILS 2,800–4,200
- Internal flight Bangkok → Hanoi: ILS 200–400
- 21 days on the ground: ILS 6,000–9,000
- Total: ILS 9,000–13,500 per person
Final verdict
Per-day, Vietnam is cheaper. Per-trip, they're closer than you think. Per-experience, the tiebreaker is personal: food culture vs beach culture, history vs leisure, buzzing street life vs lazy coastlines.
The honest answer is that most first-timers should start with Thailand — the infrastructure is friendlier and it's easier to build confidence. Save Vietnam for trip two, or combine them.