Here I've put together a few hints and tips on general things in Vice City Stories:
The Thirst to Burst
Burst those red balloons as quickly as you can, the rewards you get are a great help during the story missions.
Mr. Bulletproof
Take over the 30 empire sites to get bulletproof vehicles outside. These are extremely handy for mission strategy.
Big Spender
The daily money income from managing empire sites around VC should be put forward into buying ammunition for missions.
Kill or be Killed
When you've taken over a site, members of that gang will attack you on the streets out of the blue. Make sure you are always armed and ready to fend them off.
Dumb and Dumber
The Artificial Intelligence of characters in VCS is terrible, so watch out for you dumb mission assistants jumping into your line of fire.
Pay 'n' Spray Everyday
Pay 'n' Spray's are always open, as long as you aren't in a law vehicle. If you hit up a wanted level in a mission and are not specifically told to go to a Pay 'n' Spray, it doesn't mean you can't. What's $100?
The Right Way to Travel
Make a good decision on what vehicle you are going to use for certain missions. If you have a time limit, then you'll be looking for speed, so something like a JetSki would be suitable. If you need to survive for a while, then you should be looking for durability, like a Packer or Flatbed.
Save to be Safe
It's always good thinking to save your progress as often as possible. If your game crashes and you haven't saved, there's no way to get what you may have achieved back.
...And that's all for now, folks!