Winter in Egypt or Vietnam: Visa, Cost, Sea Warmth

Egypt wins on rent and flight time, Vietnam wins on paperwork and on sea warmth from December. One Vietnamese e‑visa covers 90 days, while an Egyptian visa covers 30 days and needs an extension to stretch further. A one-bedroom in Hurghada averages $207 a month on Numbeo, against $527 in Da Nang.

The rules below are checked for a Russian passport on 25 October 2026. Look up your own nationality on the official portals before you book flights, because exemptions differ by passport.

Is the sea warm enough to swim between December and March?

Only Vietnam’s south keeps the sea at bathing temperature all winter. Phu Quoc sits around 28°C in January and Nha Trang near 25°C. Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh drop to 21-23°C from January to March, and Da Nang is about 23°C in January, which feels cool to most swimmers.

Egypt is dry but windy: January days in Hurghada reach about 22°C and nights fall to roughly 12°C, so the wind after a swim bites. Vietnam is wet before it is warm. Da Nang gets 448 mm of rain in November and 218 mm in December, Nha Trang about 225 mm in November, Phu Quoc 164 mm. Phu Quoc turns dry in December, Nha Trang in January, and Da Nang has clear weeks only in January and February. A November arrival suits Egypt better, a December arrival suits Phu Quoc.

How much do rent and food cost in each place?

Numbeo’s figures of 24 October 2026 for a one-bedroom in the centre run from $207 a month in Hurghada through $350 in Sharm el-Sheikh and $408 in Nha Trang to $527 in Da Nang. Outside the centre the figures are $114, $286, $276 and $347. These are crowd-sourced averages, so check live listings for your dates.

Food and utilities pull the other way. A cheap lunch costs $2.32 to $2.67 in Vietnam and $3.72 in Hurghada, and dinner for two is $23 in Nha Trang against $39 in Hurghada. Utilities for an 85 m² flat run $77 in Vietnam and $24.50 in Egypt, largely because air conditioning runs all year. Home internet costs $8 to $9 in both countries. The Egyptian pound sits near 53 to 55 per dollar in late October, and Numbeo converts at about 55.

Which visa gets you to 90 days in each country?

Vietnam gets you to 90 days with a single e‑visa: $25 for one entry or $50 for multiple entries, valid for up to 90 days. Russian passport holders also get 45 days visa-free under Resolution 44/NQ-CP until 14 March 2028, as do citizens of 11 other countries including the UK, Germany and France, and that stamp cannot be extended from inside the country.

Egypt gives 30 days, so day 31 needs an extension or a fresh entry. The visa on arrival rose from $25 to $30 on 1 March 2026, and you pay cash in dollars or euros at the airport because cards are not accepted. The e‑visa from the official Egyptian portal costs the same $30 for one entry, and articles still quoting $25 are out of date. Thailand changed its rules on 15 September, and the details are in Thailand cuts visa-free stay to 30 days.

What goes wrong with payment and entry, and who fixes it?

Vietnam’s portal evisa.gov.vn does not accept cards from Russian banks and many foreign ones, so the payment fails and the whole application stalls. Egypt’s e‑visa portal wants a Visa or Mastercard from a foreign bank, so a Russian card cannot pay there either. A wrong entry point on the Vietnamese form can also get you turned back at the airport.

You can fill in the form yourself in an evening if you hold a card the portal accepts. This is the part I take over at BestBus Vietnam: I pay the government fee with my own card, set the entry point for your flight, and if the application is refused I resubmit for free and return your money. The Vietnam e‑visa for 90 days page lists what is included and the timing. Message me on WhatsApp and I will check your arrival date and city.

Does the free Sinai stamp work for a winter stay?

It does not, because it lasts only 15 days. Russians who fly straight into Sharm el-Sheikh or Taba get the stamp free, and it allows travel only inside the southern Sinai strip: Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, Taba and St Catherine’s Monastery. Hurghada is on the mainland and needs a regular visa.

If you are already on Sinai you can buy the $30 visa there. The 30 days are counted from your first entry, whenever you pay.

Can you extend an Egyptian visa to 90 days?

Usually yes, but nobody can promise the full 90. You apply in person at a passport office, called a gawazat, before the first 30 days end. Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, Cairo and Alexandria each have one. Russians report free extensions in most cities with only a passport needed. Some travellers received another 30 days, others up to two months, and the officer decides on the day.

If the extension is refused, the fallback is to leave and re-enter on a new $30 visa. You cannot book a gawazat slot in advance, so go on a working day with time to spare.

How long is the flight and who flies there?

Aeroflot flies Moscow to Hurghada in about 6 hours 5 minutes and to Sharm el-Sheikh in 6 hours 20 minutes. Moscow to Nha Trang takes about 10 hours, with 12 to 15 Aeroflot flights a week into Cam Ranh. Moscow to Phu Quoc has flown since 15 October 2026, twice a week and three times a week from 25 October.

Azur Air cancelled its winter Nha Trang flights from seven cities in early October, so regional departures need a schedule check before payment.

Egypt and Vietnam side by side

Which one should you pick for three months?

Pick Vietnam if you want the visa settled before you fly and warm water from December. Pick Egypt if rent at half the price and a six-hour flight matter more, and you accept an extension queue in month two. For a November departure Egypt is the safer weather bet, and from December Nha Trang or Phu Quoc win on the sea.

When the flight is days away and a wrong entry point means trouble at the airport, send me your travel dates and I will tell you which e‑visa length fits your winter.

Frequently asked questions