Vietnam Travel Guide - Wikitravel PDF

3/8/2016
VietnamtravelguideWikitravel
FromWikitravel
Earth:Asia:SoutheastAsia:Vietnam
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Vietnam(http://www.vietnamtourism.com/)(VitNam),officiallythe
SocialistRepublicofVietnam(CnghaXhiChnghaVitNam)
isalong,thincountryinSoutheastAsia.Itsneighbouringcountriesare
Chinatothenorth,LaosandCambodiatothewest.
Oncealesserknowndestination,Vietnamhasbecomewidelypopular
inrecentyears.WithHanoiconsistentlyrankedamongtheworld'stop
10destinationsbyTripAdvisor,onecannowfindEuropeantouristsas
farasinHaGiang,oneofthemostremotemountainousprovinces.
Location
Understand
CARTUCHO EPSON T011712AL NEGRO
History
Precio por internet
Vietnam'shistoryisoneofwar,colonisationandrebellion.
OccupiedbyChinanofewerthanfourtimes,theVietnamesemanaged
tofightofftheinvadersjustasoften.Atvariouspointsduringthese
thousandyearsofimperialdynasties,Vietnamwasravagedanddivided
bycivilwarsandrepeatedlyattackedbytheSongs,Mongols,Yuans,
Chams,Mings,Dutch,Qings,FrenchandtheAmericans.Thevictories
mostlybelongedtotheVietnamesebut,evenduringtheperiodsin
historywhenVietnamwasindependent,itwasmostlyatributarystate
toChinauntiltheFrenchcolonisation.Vietnam'slastemperorswerethe
NguynDynasty,whoruledfromtheircapitalatHufrom1802to
1945,althoughFranceexploitedthesuccessioncrisisafterthefallofT
ctodefactocoloniseVietnamafter1884.BoththeChinese
occupationandFrenchcolonisationhaveleftalastingimpacton
Vietnameseculture,withConfucianismformingthebasisofVietnamese
socialetiquette,andtheFrenchleavingalastingimprintonVietnamese
cuisine.
AfterabriefJapaneseoccupationinWorldWarII,theCommunistVit
MinhundertheleadershipofHChMinhcontinuedtheinsurgency
againsttheFrench,withthelastEmperorBoiabdicatingin1945
andaproclamationofindependencefollowingsoonafter.Themajority
ofFrenchhadleftby1945,butin1946theyreturnedtocontinuethe
fightuntiltheirdecisivedefeatatinBinPhin1954.TheGeneva
Conferencepartitionedthecountryintotwoatthe17thparallelof
latitude,withaCommunistledNorthandNgnhDimdeclaring
himselfPresidentoftheRepublicofVietnamintheSouth.
$189
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Flag
QuickFacts
Capital
Government
Currency
Area
Hanoi
SocialistRepublic
ng()
total:331,690km
land:325,360km
water:4,200km
Population
91,700,000(2015est.)
Language
Vietnamese(official),
minoritylanguages
Religion
Buddhism(mainly
Mahayana,withsmaller
numbersofTheravada),
Taoism,Confucianism,Hoa
Hao,CaoDai,Christian
(predominantlyRoman
Catholic,someProtestant),
indigenousbeliefs,Muslim
Electricity
220V/50Hz(Americanplug
insouth,Europeanplugin
north)
Countrycode +84
InternetTLD .vn
TimeZone
UTC+7
COCINA PATRICK 51 CM
CPF2151BVS MULTIGAS
BLANCA
Precio por internet $5999
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FightingbetweenSouthVietnamandtheNorthVietnamesebackedVit
CngescalatedintowhatbecameknownastheVietnamWar
althoughtheVietnameseofficiallyrefertoitastheAmericanWar.US
economicandmilitaryaidtoSouthVietnamgrewthroughthe1960sin
anattempttobolstertheSouthernVietnamgovernment,escalatinginto
thedispatchofhalfamillionAmericantroopsin1966.Whatwassupposedtobeaquickanddecisiveactionsoon
degeneratedintoaquagmireandUSarmedforceswereonlywithdrawnfollowingaceasefireagreementin1973.
Twoyearslater,on30April1975,aNorthVietnamesetankdroveintotheSouth'sPresidentialPalaceinHoChi
MinhCityandthewarendedwiththeconquestofSouthVietnam.Anestimated800,000to3millionVietnamese
andover55thousandAmericanshadbeenkilled.
TheVietnamwarwasonlyoneofmanythattheVietnamesehavefought,butitwasthemostbrutalinitshistory.
http://wikitravel.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Vietnam&printable=yes
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Overtwothirdsofthecurrentpopulationwas
bornafter1975.Americantouristswillreceivea
particularlyfriendlywelcomeinVietnam,as
manyyoungVietnameseapeAmericanmores
andvenerateUSpopculture.
Politics
Vietnamisaonepartyauthoritarianstate,with
thePresidentastheHeadofState,andthePrime
MinisterastheHeadofGovernment.The
Vietnameselegislatureistheunicameral
NationalAssembly,fromwhichthePrime
Ministerisselected.Inpractice,thePresident's
positionisonlyceremonial,withthePrime
Ministerwieldingthemostauthorityin
government.Although,theGeneralSecretaryis
consideredtoexerciseaconsiderableamountof
powertoo.
Thetankthatendedthewar,HoChiMinhCity
Economy
Economicreconstructionofthereunitedcountryhasproven
difficult.Afterthefailuresofthestateruneconomystartedto
becomeapparent,thecountrylaunchedaprogramofiMi
(renovation),introducingelementsofcapitalism.Thepolicy
hasprovedhighlysuccessful,withVietnamrecordingnear
10%growthyearly(exceptforabriefinterruptionduringthe
Asianeconomiccrisisof1997).Theeconomyismuch
strongerthanthoseofCambodia,Laos,andother
neighbouringdevelopingcountries.LikemostCommunist
countriesaroundtheworld,thereisafinebalancebetween
allowingforeigninvestorsandopeningupthemarket.
Inpracticalterms,you'llfindrampantcapitalismatthe"retail"
level,withshopkeepersandsellersfromcartsexercisinggreat
flexibilityinpricingandhowtheydobusiness.Asthose
businesspeoplegouplevelsofpermissionstooperate(e.g.,
wheretheydobusiness),governmentcontrolsquicklytake
over.
AURICULARES PHILIPS
SHL3060PK/00 ROSA
Precio por internet
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CHINA [215.310] Stock:362u.
BustlingcentralHanoi
Thereusedtobeextremerestrictionsonforeignersowningpropertyorattemptingtosell.However,anew
propertyregulationannouncedon1July2015nowallowsforeignerstoownandleaseapartmentsinVietnam.
Itisverydifficultforthemtotradewithoutnegotiating'fees'.Businesscanbedonevialocalpartnershipswithall
theattendantrisks.
Powerandservicesisanotherissue.Thereareoften'rollingblackouts'whenthereisnotenoughelectricityat
times.Forthisreason,manyshopshaveportablegenerators.
AccordingtogovernmentestimatesVietnamsees3.3mtouristarrivalseachyear.Vietnamhasareturnrateofjust
6%comparedtoThailandswhopping50%.
People
MostpeopleinVietnamareethnicVietnamese(Kinh),thoughthereisasizeableethnicChinesecommunityinHo
ChiMinhCity,mostwhoaredescendedfrommigrantsfromGuangdongprovinceandarehencebilingualin
CantoneseorotherChinesedialectsandVietnamese.Therearealsonumerousotherethnicgroupswhooccupythe
mountainouspartsofthecountry,suchastheHmong,MuongandYaopeople.Thereisalsoaminorityethnic
groupinthelowlandsneartheborderwithCambodiaknownastheKhmerKrom.
Buddhism,mostlyoftheMahayanaschool,isthesinglelargestreligioninVietnam,withover85%ofVietnamese
peopleidentifyingthemselvesasBuddhist.Catholicismisthesecondlargestreligion,followedbythelocalCao
ireligion.OtherChristiandenominations,Islam,andlocalreligionsalsosharesmallfollowingsthroughoutthe
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southernandcentralareas.
Culture
DuetoitslonghistoryasatributarystateofChina,aswellasseveralperiodsofChineseoccupations,Vietnamese
cultureisheavilyinfluencedbythatofSouthernChina,withConfucianismformingthebasisofVietnamese
society.TheVietnameselanguagealsocontainsmanyloanwordsfromChinese,thoughthetwolanguagesare
unrelated.BuddhismremainsthesinglelargestreligioninVietnam,thoughlikeinChinabutunlikeintherestof
northernSoutheastAsia,thedominantschoolofBuddhisminVietnamistheMahayanaSchool.
Nevertheless,VietnamesecultureremainsdistinctfromChinesecultureasithasalsoabsorbedculturalelements
fromneighbouringHinducivilizationssuchastheChampaandtheKhmerempires.TheFrenchcolonizationhas
alsoleftalastingimpactonVietnamesesociety,withbaguettesandcoffeeremainingpopularamonglocals.
Climate
Vietnamislargeenoughtohaveseveraldistinctclimatezones.
TheNorthhasfourdistinctseasons,withacomparativelychillywinter(temperaturescandipbelow
15C/59FinHanoi),ahotandwetsummerandpleasantspring(MarchApril)andautumn(October
December)seasons.However,intheHighlandsbothextremesareamplified,withoccasionalsnowinthe
winterandtemperatureshitting40C(104F)inthesummer.
IntheCentralregionstheHiVnPassseparatestwodifferentweatherpatternsoftheNorthstartingin
LngC(whichishotterinsummerandcoolerinwinter)fromthemilderconditionsSouthstartingin
Nng.NorthEastMonsoonconditionsSeptemberFebruarywithoftenstrongwinds,largeseaswellsand
rainmakethisamiserableanddifficulttimetotravelthroughCentralVietnam.Normallysummersarehot
anddry.
TheSouthhasthreesomewhatdistinctseasons:hotanddryfromMarchtoMay/JunerainyfromJune/July
toNovemberandcoolanddryfromDecembertoFebruary.Aprilisthehottestmonth,withmidday
temperaturesof33C(91F)ormoremostdays.Duringtherainyseason,downpourscanhappenevery
afternoon,andoccasionalstreetfloodingoccurs.Temperaturesrangefromstiflinghotbeforearainstormto
pleasantlycoolafterwards.Mosquitoesaremostnumerousintherainyseason.DecembertoFebruaryisthe
mostpleasanttimetovisit,withcooleveningsdowntoaround20(68F).
Holidays
ByfarthelargestholidayoftheyearisTt,celebrationoftheNewYear(asmarkedbythelunarcalendar),which
takesplacebetweenlateJanuaryandMarchontheWesterncalendarandusuallycoincideswiththeChineseNew
Year.
IntheperiodleadinguptoTt,thecountryisabuzzwith
preparations.Menonmotorbikesrusharounddeliveringpotted
tangerinetreesandfloweringbushes,thetraditionalhousehold
decorations.Peoplegetalittlebitstressedoutandtheelbowsget
sharper,especiallyinbigcities,wheretheusualhecticlevelof
trafficbecomesalmosthomicidal.ThenafewdaysbeforeTtthe
pacebeginstoslowdown,asthousandsofcityresidentsdepart
fortheirancestralhometownsintheprovinces.Finallyonthe
firstdayofthenewyearanabrupttransformationoccurs:the
streetsbecomequiet,almostdeserted.Nearlyallshopsand
restaurantscloseforthreedays,(theexceptionbeingafewthat
caterespeciallytoforeignvisitorsandhotelsoperateasusual.)
LunarNewYeardates
TheyearoftheHorsestartedon31Jan
2014
TheyearoftheGoatwillbeginon
19Feb2015
TheyearoftheMonkeywillbegin
on8Feb2016
TheyearoftheRoosterwillbegin
on28Jan2017
Inthemajorcities,streetsaredecoratedwithlightsandpublicfestivitiesareorganizedwhichattractmany
thousandsofresidents.ButforVietnamese,Ttismostlyaprivate,familycelebration.Ontheeveofthenewyear,
familiesgathertogetherandexchangegoodwishes(frommorejuniortomoresenior)andgiftsof"luckymoney"
(frommoreseniortomorejunior).Inthefirstthreedaysoftheyear,thedaytimehoursaredevotedtovisiting
housesofrelativesonthefirstday,closestfriendsandimportantcolleaguesonthesecondday,andeveryoneelse
onthethirdday.Manypeoplealsovisitpagodas.Theeveninghoursarespentdrinkingandgambling(men)or
chatting,playing,singingkaraoke,andenjoyingtraditionalsnacksandcandy(womenandchildren.)
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VisitingVietnamduringTthasgoodpointsandbadpoints.Ontheminusside:modesoftransportarejammed
justbeforetheholidayasmanyVietnamesetraveltotheirhometownshotelsfillup,especiallyinsmallertowns
andyourchoiceofshoppinganddiningisseverelylimitedinthefirstdaysofthenewyear(withafewplaces
closeduptotwoweeks).InSaigon,mostshopsareclosedforawholeweekafternewyearsday.Restaurantsmay
chargeahigherthannormalprice,e.g.addinga20%"HappyNewYear"fee.Bewarethatcrowdedplacesareideal
forpickpockets.Ontheplusside,youcanobservethepreparationsandenjoythepublicfestivitiespagodasare
especiallyactivenoadmissionischargedtothosemuseumsandhistoricalsitesthatstayopenandtheforeigner
orientedtravelindustryofbackpackerbusesandresorthotelschugsalongasusual.Visitorsalsostandachanceof
beinginvitedtojointhefestivities,especiallyifyouhavesomelocalconnectionsormanagetomakesome
Vietnamesefriendsduringyourstay.WhenvisitingduringTt,it'swisetogetsettledsomewhereatleasttwodays
beforethenewyear,anddon'ttrytomoveagainuntilacoupleofdaysafter.
Lesserholidaysinclude:
NewYear1January.
HngKings'Festival(GitHngVng)onthe10thdayofthe3rdlunarmonthcommemoratingthe
firstkingsofVietnam.
LiberationDay(NgygiiphngminNam)on30April,markingthefallofSaigonin1975.
InternationalWorkers'Day(NgyQuctLaong)1May,thetraditionalsocialistlabourday.Around
thosetimes(Vietnameseoftencall30Apr1MayholidaythesecondlongestholidayafterTt),trainsand
planestendtobesoldout,andaccommodationsatholidaydestionationsarehardtofind.Besttobookfarin
advance.
NationalDay(Quckhnh)2September.
Regions
NorthernVietnam(Hanoi,BacHa,BaBeNational
Park,CaoBang,CatBa,CucPhuongNationalPark,
DienBienPhu,DongDang,DongHoi,HaLongBay,
Haiphong,LaoCai,NinhBinh,HaGiang,Sapa,Bac
Giang,SonLa)
Harbourssomeofthemostmagnificentviewsof
Vietnamaswellasthecapitalcity,theiconicHaLong
Bayandthechancetovisitindigenoushilltribes.
CentralCoast(ChamIslands,DaNang,DMZ,Dong
Ha,HoiAn,LangCo,Hue,MySon,NaMeo,Nha
Trang,QuiNhon,ThanhHoa,Vinh)
TheancientcityofHueisthehomeofthestillrecent
VietnamesekingsandinHoiAnfeaturesoneofthe
nicestoldseacoasttownsinVietnam.
CentralHighlands(BuonMaThuot,Dalat,Kontum,
NgocHoi,Pleiku)
Lushforestcoveredhillsfeaturingindigenoustribes
andtheoccasionalelephant.
SouthernVietnam(CatTienNationalPark,ConDao,
CanTho,ChauDoc,CuChi,HoChiMinhCity,Long
Xuyen,MuiNe,MyTho,PhanThiet,PhuQuoc,Vung
Tau,TayNinh,VinhLong,TraVinh)
TheeconomicengineofVietnam,builtaroundHoChi
MinhCitybutalsocoveringthelushandlittlevisited
MekongDelta,thericebasketofVietnam.
Cities
MapofVietnamwithregionscolourcoded
Hanoi(HNi)thecapitalandsecondlargestcity
HaGiang(HGiang)thenorthpoleprovincewith
amazingscenery
Haiphong(HiPhng)thethirdlargestcityandamajorportinnorthVietnam
Dalat(Lt)largestcityinthehighlands
HoChiMinhCity(ThnhphHChMinh)thelargestcityandthemaineconomiccentreofVietnam,
formerlySaigon(SiGn)
HoiAn(HiAn)delightfullywellpreservedancientportneartheruinsofMSn
DaNang(Nng)thefifthlargestcity,themostimportantcityofthecentralcoast
Hue(Hu)formerhomeofVietnam'semperors
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NhaTrangburgeoningbeachresort
PhanThiet(PhanThit)"theresortcapital"withMuiNebeach
VinhthemajorcityinnorthcentralVietnamwithCuaLobeach
CanThothefourthlargestcityandthecenteroftheMekongDelta
Otherdestinations
CatTienNationalParkjungle,rareprimates,birdsand
crocodiles,3hoursfromSaigon
ConDao(Cno)islandofftheMekongDelta
CuChi(CChi)siteoftheCuChiTunnels
CucPhuongNationalParkhometosomeofAsia'srarest
wildlifeandtheMuonghilltribe
TheDMZ
DongVan(ngVn)DongVanKarstPlateauGeoParkis
uniquecombinationbetweenGeoheritagesandcuturalheritages
HaLongBay(VnhHLong)famousforitsunearthlyscenery
Kontumrelaxedlittletownprovidingaccesstoanumberof
BanGiocWaterfalls,intheCaoBang
ethnicminorityvillages
Province
MySonancientHinduruinswhichareaaUNESCOWorld
HeritageSite
PhongNhaKeBang(QungBinh)themostbeautiful,magnificent&magiccaveinSouthEastAsia
TamCoc(TamCc)unNinhBinhprovincesouthofHanoiwithHaLongBaylikescenery
MocChau(McChu)hightlandMocChauistravelexperience
QuangNgaiMyLaiMassacreMuseum
Getin
Visitorswithpassportsfromthesecountriesdonotrequirea
visaforstaysuptothedaysspecified:
14daysBrunei
15daysBelarus,Denmark,Finland,France,Germany,
Italy,Japan,Norway,Russia,SouthKorea,Spain,
Sweden,UnitedKingdom(note:forFrance,Germany,
Spain,ItalyandtheUK,thevisaexemptionprogram
whichwasendingonJune30th2016hasbeenextended
untilJune30th2017)
21daysPhilippines
30daysIndonesia,Laos,Malaysia,Singapore,
Thailand,Cambodia
Allothernationalitieswillrequireavisainadvancetovisit
Vietnam.
ListofcountrieswithvisaexemptiontoVietnamas
ofJuly1,2015(ConsulateofVietnamin
Sihanoukville)
IfpurchasingyourvisafromtheVietnameseembassyin
London(http://www.vietnamembassy.org.uk),asofJanuary
2013a30daysingleentryvisawillcostyouGBP54(GBP69for2dayservice,GBP75fornextday),whilea30
daysmultipleentryvisacostsGBP85(GBP105for2dayservice,GBP115fornextday).Youmustalsopayupto
GBP8postageperpassport(dependingonhowmanyarebeingprocessed)ifyouneeditpostedbacktoyou.
IfpurchasingfromtheembassyofVietnaminWellington,NewZealand,asofMay2014,a30daysingleentry
visawillcost$120,30daymultipleentryfor$140,$220fora90daysingleentryand$240fora90daymultiple
entry.Inpersonorbypost.Ifbypost,encloseapaidforcourierbag.Eitherway,processingtimearound3days.
InCambodia,VietnamvisascanbeobtainedattheembassyinPhnomPenhorattheconsulatesinBattambang
andSihanoukville.Theuniformcostfora30dayvisaisUSD40usd(dec2015,travelagencieslieclaimingits
60$)Visaprocessingofficiallytakes48hoursinPhnomPenhandBattambang.Onthespotvisaissuanceisonly
possibleinSihanoukville.Travelagenciescanobtainthevisaforyouforafee(USD15).
(dec2015)consulatecanissueavisaonaseperatedocument(savesapageonyourpassport)
TheconsulateinVientiane,Laos,offersthemforUSD70withdeliverythedayafter(payinginlocalcurrencyis
moreexpensive).
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TheconsulateinLuangPrabang,Laosat427428ThatBosotVillageoffersavisaservice.OfficehoursMF
07:3011:30&13:3016:30Tel254748/254749Fax:254746Email:tlsqlpb@yahoo.com.It'sbettertodoyour
visaherethangoingtoagents,asagentschargeanextraUSD15.VisapriceisUSD40andtakes3workingdays.
GototheTouristInformationforthelocationifyou'renotsure,theywillbeabletohelpyou.It'sonlya10min
walkfromtheTouristInformation.October2012:theclerkwhofillsoutthereceiptasksforanadditionalUSD5
(orLAK40,000)forthehandling.April2014:usingtheVietnameseConsulateofPakse(SouthernLaos)willcost
youUSD70(!)and3workingdays...
VietnamEmbassyinBangkokisonThanonWitthayu(AKAWirelessRoad),neartheotherembassies.It'saquick
process(1015min)aslongasthereisn'taqueue.Nov2012VietnamEmbassyinBangkokcharges1,800baht(c.
USD62)fora30daysingleentryvisa,4workingdays.2,700bahtfor30daysingleentryvisa,next(Working)
day.BearinmindthatifyougoonaFriday,youstillhavetowaituntilMondaytogetyourvisaevenifyoupaid
fornextday.Ifyoudon'thaveapassportphoto,gooutoftheembassy,turnleftandahundredmetresuptheroad
ontheleftisabigshoppingcentre,calledAllSeason'sPlace.Onthe3rdfloorthereisaKodakshopcalledSprint
PhotoFastwhichwilldo6passport/visaphotosforTHB120.MakeSUREtotellthemit'sforaVietnamvisaas
passportphotosandvisaaredifferentsizesfordifferentcountries.Vietnamrequiresa2inx2inphoto.Ifstaying
onKhaoSanroad(whichalotoftravellers/backpackersdo),taxi/tuktukdriversmaybeunwillingtotakeyou
hereonthemeter,especiallyclosetorushhour,asitisquitefarandinanawkwardplaceontheonewaysystem.
They'dratherscamacoupleotherpeopleinthesametimeitwouldtake.
May2015next(working)daynolongerappearstobeanoptioncostis2,450THB(~USD70)andtakes4
workingdays.Dropofffrom911:30and13:3016:30pickupafter15:00or16:00(seemstochange).Checkthe
website(http://www.vietnamembassythailand.org/en/nr070521170031/nr150307104530/ns150307113012)for
holidaystheofficeisclosedonbothVietnameseandThaipublicholidays(i.e.,alot).Honestlydespitethe
scaremongeringyouarebetteroffdoingvisaonarrivalifyouareflyingin.
ChinaYoucangetavisafromnearbyNanningorKunming(additionallytoBeijingandotherreportedmajor
cities).Kunmingregular1monthsingleentrytouristvisacostsCNY400forstandard3daysprocessoradd
CNY150forsamedayservice(submitmorning,receiveat17:00).+8687163522669.Nanningregular1
monthsingleentrytouristvisacostsCNY450,but(!)youcanaskthemtoprearrangeyourvisabyemailingthem
theneededinformation(passportsscansandapplicationform).tlsqvn@rediffmail.com+867715510561/560.
MF9:0012:00&14:0017:30.No55JinhuRoad,onthewestsideofWuxiangSquare,(YahangCentreBuilding
withredChinaBankonthegroundfloor)Nanning.TheConsulateisonthe27thFloor,andgetreadyforalong
linefortheelevatorinthemorningatthebuilding.(Nov2014)
TheVietnameseConsulateinKhonKaen,Thailandalsoofferstouristvisas.(UPDATED:March2013)Asingle
entrytouristvisavalidfor30dayscostsTHB2500.Asingleentry3monthtouristvisacostsTHB4000.Amultiple
entry,3monthvisacostsTHB5500.TheconsulateonlyacceptsThaibahtincash(noothercurrenciesorcredit
cards).Visascanbepickedupthesamedayifsubmittedinthemorning.Ifsubmittedintheafternoon,youcan
pickupyourvisathenextmorning.Theconsulateisclosedonweekends.SomeconsularstaffspeakEnglish.You
willneedapassportphoto(bring2justincase),applicationform(availableattheconsulate),andpayment.
May2014TheVietnamEconomicandCulturalOfficeinTaipeialsooffersvisaservices,bothtoTaiwan
residentsandtouristsinTaiwan.Addressis65SongjiangLu,hoursMF8:3012&1416:30.Youonlyneedyour
passport,applicationform,andonepassportphoto(NoARCrequired,even"highrisk"nationalitiessuchas
Pakistanicitizensdon'tneedanyotherdocumentationorapprovalletter).Visapriceis1850TWDforstandard
Singleentry30days,3dayprocessing.Samedayandnextdayprocessingisavailable,alongwithmultiple
entriesforahigherprice.
November2010theVietnameseMissiontotheUNinNewYorkCitychargesUSD80fora30daysingleentry
visa.Cashormoneyorderisaccepted.Processingtakes6businessdays.Expeditedservice(4businessdays)is
availableforUSD110.
June2012asingleentrytouristvisavalidfor30dayscostsUSD90atWashingtonDCandtakesaround47days
toprocessexpressvisastake23daysforanadditionalUSD30.Amultipleentry,1monthvisaisUSD140and
multipleentry,3monthvisaisUSD170.
February2013TheConsulateGeneralofVietnaminSanFrancisco,UnitedStateschargesUSD100fora30day
singleentryvisa.Cashormoneyorderisaccepted.December2015Pricesseemtohavechanged,USD100fora
90daysingleentry.
April13,2014TheConsulateGeneralofVietnaminVancouver,CanadachargesCAD100fora30daysingle
entryvisa.
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November2010VietnamEmbassyinCanberra,AustraliachargesAUD75fora30daysingleentryvisa.Approx
3daystoprocess.Otherconsularservicesatthisembassyhavebeenreportedasslowandcostly(4weeksforEx
Vietnameseseeking5yearVisaexceptionsandthepassportmusthave5yearsoflifeleft).AsofSeptember
2015,thecostisAUD$95,andtheyonlyacceptcashorcheque(VietnameseEmbassy,Sydney).
June2011theVietnameseEmbassyinKualaLumpurchargesMYR200fora30daysingleentryvisa,takes5
workingdaysMYR3002workingdays.
January2015TheConsulateGeneralofVietnaminHongKongcanissuevisaswithin2workingdays.Asingle
entry,30dayvisawith2workingdayservicecosts$580HKD.Nextworkingday($640HKD)andsameday
($720)servicearealsoavailable.Longertermandmultipleentryvisasarealsoavailable(upto6monthsw/
multipleentriesfor$3000HKD2workingdays,+200HKDforsamedayservice).
February20,2015theVietnameseEmbassyinSingaporechargesSGD105(aboutUSD85)fora30dayssingle
entryvisa,6workingdaystoprocess
March17,2015theVietnameseEmbassyinSingapore[1](http://www.vnembassysingapore.gov.vn)charges
SGD155(aboutUSD110)fora30dayssingleentryvisaforIndianpassport.6workingdaystoprocess
December14,2015theVietnameseConsulateinNYCchargesUSD135fora30daymultipleentryvisa(USD80
fora30daysingleentry).
Embassiesarerecalcitrantinpublishingascheduleoffees,astherelativelyhighvisacostisasourceof
embarrassment,revenue,andatourismdeterrent(EUandUS).Aslowdownintouristnumberarrivalshasbeen
disguisedbytheremovalofvisafeesforcertainnationalities(butnotformerVietnamese)resultingin
neighbouringcountriesnumbersfillingthevacuum.VisafreetravelforneighbouringcountriesispartofVietnam's
commitmenttovisafreetravelforfellowcitizensofASEAN(TheAssociationofSouthEastAsianNations)
ForeigncitizensofVietnameseorigincanapplyforvisaexemptionthatallowsmultipleentryfor3monthsata
timewhichisvalidforthedurationofthepassport.
Visas
Visaonarrival
ThismethodisavailableonlyforAirtravel.
ThetermvisaonarrivalisabitofamisnomerinthecaseofVietnamasaletterofapprovalhastobeobtained
beforearrival.ThisishandledbyagrowingnumberofonlineagenciesforachargeofUSD1021(Aug2014).
Mostagenciesacceptpaymentbycreditcard,someacceptpaymentbyWesternUnionorPaypal.Youalsohaveto
paystampfeeattheairportwhenarrival.Youneed1photo.
Thevisaonarrivalfees20152016
OnemonthsingleentryUSD25
OnemonthmultipleentryUSD50
Threemonthssingleentrycoststhesamewithonemonthsingleentry
ThreemonthsmultipleentryUSD50
SixmonthsmultipleentryUSD135
TheForeignandCommonwealthOfficeofHerMajesty'sGovernmentinLondon
(http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelandlivingabroad/traveladvicebycountry/asiaoceania/vietnam)states"Weare
awarethattherearenearly1000travelcompaniesthatareabletoarrangelegitimatevisasonarrivalbutthis
mustbedonepriortoarrivalinVietnam.Therehavealsobeenreportsofboguscompaniesthatclaimtobeableto
arrangeforavisaonarrival.AstheBritishEmbassyandConsulatecannotconfirmwhetheracompanyhasa
legitimatearrangementinplace,thesafestwaytoobtainavisaisviathenearestVietnameseEmbassy.Vietnamese
visasareusuallyvalidforonlyoneentry.IfyouplantoleaveVietnamandreenterfromanothercountrymake
sureyouobtainavisaallowingmultipleentries."
ThesituationiscomplicatedbythefactthattheInternethighleveldomain"gov.vn"doesnotnecessarilydenotea
governmentagency!
(http://wikitravel.org/en/Talk:Vietnam#Continual_breaches_of_Wikitravel:External_links.23What_not_to_link_to)
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TheagentlocatedinVietnamobtainsfromtheDepartmentofImmigrationaletterofapprovalbearingthe
traveller'sname,dateofbirth,dateofarrival,nationalityandpassportnumber,andthenforwardsthatlettertothe
traveller(inPDForJPEGformat)byemailorfax,usuallywithinthreeworkingdays.Itiscommontogetthe
letterwithseveralotherapplicantspassportdetails(passportnumber,dateandplaceofbirth,fullname,etc.).You
mightshareyourpersonalinformationwithupto1030otherapplicantsonthesameletter(s).Forpersonswhoare
concernedabouttheirprivacyorsecurity,itisrecommendedtocheckfirstiftheagencieshaveanoptionfora
separateorprivateapprovalletter(PrivateVietnamvisaonarrival)ontheirwebsite.Veryfewonlineagencies
havethisoption.Anothersolutionistoapplyforaregularvisathroughanembassytokeepyourpersonaldetails
private.
Afterlandingatoneofthethreeinternationalairports(Hanoi,HoChiMinhCityandDaNang),thetravellergoes
tothe"LandingVisaCounter"beforethepassportcontrolandshowstheletter,fillsinanadditionalarrivalform
(canbeprefilledbeforedeparture),provideaphotoandreceivesavisastickerinhisorherpassport.AsofSep
2015avisafeeincash,ofUS$45orUS$65forasingleormultipleentryvisarespectively,ispayableatthetime
onlyU.S.dollarsorVNDareaccepted(noothercurrencyorcreditcard)andthenotesmustbeinreasonablygood
conditionortheywillberefused.Onepassportphotoisrequired(often4X6cm).For$2theycantakeaphotofor
you.
Notethatvisasonarrivalarenotvalidforarrivalatthelandcrossings,andtheofficialvisastampcanonlybe
obtainedatthethreeinternationalairports.Therefore,travellersarrivingbylandfromCambodia,LaosorChina
mustbeinpossessionofafullvisawhentheyarriveattheborder.
Athirdalternative,'VisaCode'appearstobeanotheroption[Morereferencesneeded]whereonlineapprovalis
firstobtainedwithacode,thenyoutakethepassporttotheEmbassyforthevisatobe'stamped'.Thecostfor
servicefeeischeaperthanattheembassyinEuropeorAmerica.InAsiathecostwillbealmostthesameasthe
regulartotalvisafee.However,youwillavoidtogobackandforthtotheembassy.
PassengersofAirAsiaandsomeotherairlinestravellingtoVietnammustpresenttheapprovalletteratcheckin.
Vietnamhasmovedawayfromarrival/departurecards.
DependingonthepresentlevelofSARSandavianfluyoumaybesubjectedtoasocalledhealthcheck,whichas
ofSep2015consistonlyfromathermalscanneryoupassthroughonyourwaytopassportcontrolthereareno
formstofill.
Visaextensions
Priorto2015itwasrelativelysimple(andinexpensive)toobtainaonetime,30dayextensiontoyourstandard
singleentrytouristvisa.Thisisnolongerthecase!AsofMay2015,obtaininga30dayextensiontook10days
andcostUS$185althoughthestampstillstates"10(mi)USD".Similarly,overstayingyourvisahasbecome
considerablymoreexpensive(ontheorderofUSD50/day).
Byplane
VietnamhasinternationalairportsatHanoi,HoChiMinhCity,andDaNang.Nonstopflightsareavailablefrom
Australia,Cambodia,China,France,Germany,TheNetherlands,HongKong,Japan,SouthKorea,Laos,
Malaysia,Philippines,Poland,Russia,Singapore,Brunei,Thailand,Taiwan,Indonesia,Macau,Qatar,Turkey,
DubaiandtheU.S.However,mostdirectflightsareservedbyflagcarrierVietnamAirlineswhileplentyofother
longhaulflightsareavailablewithtransitsviaBangkok,Doha,Dubai,HongKong,Singapore,KualaLumpurand
Taipei.
Hueairport(HUI)isalsoclassifiedasinternational,butcurrently(2015)hasnointernationaldepartures/arrivals.
Bytrain
TherearedirectinternationaltrainservicesfromNanningandBeijinginChinatoHanoi.Mostrequireachangeof
trainsattheborderatPingxiang/DongDang,buttheChineseoperateddailyNanningexpress(T8701/MR2)runs
through,althoughitstillspendsaboutfourhoursattheborderforimmigration.
ThedailytrainfromNanningstartsaround18:00andarrivesaround05:00toHanoi.HardSleeperc.CNY180and
softsleeperc.CNY295.(YoucanconsidertakingthebusfromNanninginsteadwhichisacheaperandpretty
convenientdayjourney.
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TheKunmingHanoilinewasshutdownbylandslidesin2002and,asof2011,remainsclosed.Therearenotrain
linkstoLaosorCambodia.
Byroad
Cambodia
ThemaincrossingistheMocBai/BavetcrossingontheHoChi
MinhCityPhnomPenhroad.Busesbetweenthetwocitiescost
USD12andtakearound6hr.Passengersvacatethevehicleat
bothcountries'checkpoints.Onlyonepassportphotoisrequired
foraCambodianvisaonarrival.ToursoftheMekongDelta
(USD2535,23days)canprovideamoreinsightfuljourney
betweenthetwocities.
ThroughticketstoSiemReaparealsoavailable(US$18),though
itischeapertobuyatickettoPhnomPenhandthenarrange
onwardtransportononeofthemanyconnectingbuses.
ClosetothecoastistheXaXia/PrekChakborder.Cambodian
visasareavailableonarrival.BusesrunbetweenHaTienin
VietnamtoSihanoukvilleandPhnomPenhinCambodia.The
VietnameseconsulateinSihanoukvilleissues30daytouristvisas
onasamedaybasis.
Alert
SeveralHoChiMinhtoPhnomPenhbus
operators,suchasKumhoSamco,scam
foreigntouristsbycharginganextraUS$5
fortheCambodianvisaonarrival.Not
agreeingtotheextrachargeand
attemptingtoobtainthevisa
independentlywillresultinbeingstranded
attheborderwithoutyourbelongings.
MekongExpressrunssamefeeplusdrops
passengersafewkmsouthofdowntown
PPandtriestoscam$12fortaxiby
claiming"sofar"away.MaiLinhBus
companiesarethemostreliableand
reputablebusinessesoperatingonthis
route.*
CoastalareasarealsoservedbytheTinhBien/PhnomDenborder
nearChauDocinVietnam
TheXaMat/TrapeangPhlongcrossingontheHoChiMinhCityKampongChamroadisnotwellservedby
publictransportbutmaybeusefulforaccessingKampongChamandEasternCambodia.
BanlunginNorthEasternCambodiaisconnecttoPleikuinVietnambyacrossingatLeTanh/OYadaw.Visasare
avaiableonarrival,onephotorequired.ChangebusesatLeTanh.
China
TherearethreebordercrossingsbetweenChinaandVietnamthatcanbeusedbyforeigners:
DongxingMongCai(byroadonwardtravelMongCaitoHaLongbyseaorbyroad)
HekouLaoCai(byroadand/orrail,butnointernationalpassengertrainservices)
YouyiGuanHuuNghiQuan(FriendshipPassbyroadand/orrail)
ThereareseveralDaybusesfromNanningrunningeveryday,atleastat10:00and13:50andcostsaboutCNY160
(Nov2014),reachingHanoiatevening(around22:00althoughinChinatheymaytellyouthearrivalisbefore
22:00),withabreakforlessthananhourtocrosstheborderandtransferbusesallarrangedintheticketandno
furtherhassleorarrangementsbyyourself.ThismaybemoreconvenientthanthenighttrainfromNanningto
Hanoiat18:00reachingHanoiaround05:00,whichisalsomoreexpensive.Therideitselfispicturesque,andyou
receiveawaterbottleandsomesnacksatthebus.Atthebordercrossingtherearemoneychangingladiestryingto
getyourdollarsorrenminbiforadeal.
Laos
ThereareatleastsixbordercrossingsbetweenLaosandVietnamthatcanbeusedbyforeigners.
BewaryofcatchinglocalbusesfromLaostoVietnam.Notonlyaretheyoftencrammedwithcargo(coalandlive
chickens,oftenunderfoot)butmanybusesruninthemiddleofthenight,stoppingforseveralhoursinorderto
waitforthebordertoopenat07:00.Whilstwaiting,youwillbeherdedoffthebus(forseveralhours)whereyou
willbeapproachedbypushylocalsofferingassistanceingettingaLaosexitstampinexchangeformoney(usually
USD5+).Ifyoubargainhard(tiring,at04:00)youcangetthefiguredowntoaboutUSD2.Themenwilltakeyour
passports,whichcanbeincrediblydisconcerting,butwillactuallyprovidetheservicetheypromise.Itisbetterto
gettheLaosexitstampyourselfforfreeattheborderstation.ThesleepingbusfromVientainetoHanoiisfairly
niceasallcargoisstoredinthecargoholdandyouareallowedtosleepinthebusatthebordercrossinguntilit
opensat7AM.ThereisalsoaVIPbusfromSavannakhet.
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Theseinclude:
DonsavanhLaoBao
KaewNeuaCauTreo(KeoNuaPass)
NamCan(Vietnam)toXiengKhuang(Laos)
TayTrang(Vietnam)toPhongSaLy(Laos)
Byboat
BoatscanbetakenfromPhnomPenhtotheVietnamesebordertownofChauDoc.Suchajourneytakesroughly5
hoursandincludesbriefstopsbothtoexitCambodiaandenterVietnam.MakesureyoucarryafewUSdollarsto
tiptheboatporterswith,soastoavoidlosingyourluggageintheMekongwhenalightingorchangingboats.
LongertourslastingmultipledaysmayalsobeavailablefromPhnomPenh.Checkwithyouraccommodation
provideroralongSisowathQuay.
Getaround
Byplane
Travelingbyplaneischeapandfast.Forlongerdistancesitis
probablythebestwaytogetaround.ThetripfromHanoito
HCMCwilltakeabout2hoursbyplane.Therearemanyflights
connectingthetwolargestcities,HanoiandHCMC,tomajor
townssuchasDaNang,HaiPhong,CanTho,Hue,NhaTrang,
DaLat,PhuQuoc.
Bookingonline
Whensearchingforflights,makesureto
checkdirectlywiththecarrierorthatyour
favoriteflightsearchengineissetto
Vietnam.Otherwiseyouriskpayingupto
$100morethannecessary.
ThereareseveraldomesticcarriersinVietnam:
VietnamAirlines
VietnamAirlines(http://www.vietnamairlines.com/),aSkyTeamalliancemember,isprobablythebestandmost
comfortableairlineinVietnam.Passengersaregenerallyallowedtotakeonefreecheckedbagupto22kgsand
onefreecabinbagupto7kgplusalaptopbagorahandbag.Alsothecarryonweightisrarelyenforcedaslongas
thebagsizelooksreasonable.
Onsomeflightstheyservedrinksandsandwiches,onothershorterroutestheyonlyservewater.
Bookviaitswebsite(http://www.vietnamairlines.com/)asExpediaandothersseemtoonlyshowClassYfaresfor
domesticrouteswhicharethemostexpensivefaresandifyoubookearly,youcangetmanycheapdeals
("SuperSaver").AflightbetweenSGNandHANshouldcostabout1.600.000VND(70USD).Planesareusually
quitenewAirbusA320s,andthereisreasonablelegroomspace.Thisairlineismostlyontime,anddelaysarerare.
VietJetAir
VietJetAir(http://www.vietjetair.com/Sites/Web/enUS/Home)isaprivatelowcostcarrier.Thisairlineis
infamouslynickanamedlocallyas"DelayJet"asmostofitsflightsareinvariantlydelayed,oftenformanyhours
andmore.Whileitappearstohavemoreflightsavailablewhenbooking,itissimplyamarketingtrickinreality
mostofthoseflightswouldbemergedtogetherintooneortwoflights,typicallyleavingmanyhoursafteryour
initialdeparturetime.Soinsteadofflying6timesadayontheroute,therewouldbeoneortwoflightsonly
packingthepassengersfromall6itineraries.VietJetcallsit"rescheduling",andyoucangetyourfirst
"rescheduling"notificationsometimejusthoursafterpurchasingtheflight.Flightsarealsooccasionallycancelled,
althoughthisislessfrequentnowasincaseofcancellationtherefundisdue,whilenorefundoranykindof
compensationisdueincaseofanyflightdelays.Occasionallyyouarenotifiedabouttheflightchangesviaemail
andphone,butthenotificationsnotalwayshappendonotassumeifyoudon'treceiveanynotificationsthanthe
flightisontime(asitalmostneverisanyway).
AlmostallpassengersonthoseflightsareVietnamesebuyingsupercheaptickets(aslowas99,000VNDless
than$5)monthsinadvance,whocannotaffordVietnamAirlinesandthereforearewillingtospendlonghoursor
evendaysatcrowdedairportswaitingfortheirflight.Ifyoudonotbelongintothiscategoryandcareaboutyour
itineraryatall,itisnotrecommendedtoflyVietJetAir.
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Personalexperience:inSep2015allthreeofmyVietjetAirflightsweredelayedfor4,9and14hours
respectively).Whileflightsaremuchcheaperwhenpurchasedwellinadvance,oncethesupersaverfaresaregone,
theflightsareonlyslightlycheaper(SGNHANforunder1.000.000VNDor50USDversus$70onVietnam
Airlines).
PlanesareAirbus320swithwesternpilots.Howevertheseatsaretiny,andthereisalmostnolegroom.Ifyou're
over5"6makesureyoubook(andpayfor)anexitroworpremiumseat,asotherwiseyousimplymightnotfitin.
Youarealsochargedforcheckedbaggage,andfreecarryonallowanceisonlyonepiecenotexceeding7kg.Your
carryonwillbeweightedduringcheckin,andifitexceeds7kg,youcannotcarryitonandmustcheckitinfora
fee.
JetstarPacific
JetstarPacific(http://www.jetstar.com/vn/en/index.aspx)isanotherlowcostcarrier.FormerlyknownasPacific
Airlines,itbelongsnowtotheJetstarAirwaysnetwork.AccordingtolocalsitisasdelayproneasVietjetAir.
AirMekong
AirMekongisadefunctdomesticairline.Itslicensehasbeenrevokedin2015.
Bytrain
TherailwayistheleastdevelopedtransportationinfrastructureinVietnam.Mostofthenetworkwasbuiltduring
theperiodofFrenchcolonizationandsincethenithasnotbeenexpanded.Therehavebeenvariousprogramsfor
rehabilitationinthelastdecadebutthenetworkstillhasmanydeficiencies.Nevertheless,trainsareundoubtedly
themostcomfortablewaytotraveloverlandinVietnam,althoughpricesaremoreexpensivethanbuses.
Thenetworkcurrentlyhas7linesinoperation,withatotallengthof2,632km.
TheNorthSouthrailwaylineconnectingHanoiandHoChiMinhCity
TheHanoiLaoCairailwayline
TheHanoiQuanTrieurailwayline
TheHanoiDongDangrailwayline
TheHanoiHaiPhongrailwayline
TheSaigonQuyNhonrailwayline
TheSaigonPhanThietrailwayline
ThemainrailwaylineistheNorthSouthline,alsoknownastheReunificationExpress,connectingHanoiwith
SaigonstationinHoChiMinhCity.Ithasatotallengthof1,726kmandtherearetwotypesofservice,express
(designatedasSE)andlocal(designatedasTN),withdifferentdurationsdependingonthenumberofstops.Each
oftheSEandTNcodedtrainsendwithanumber.IfthenumberisoddittravelsfromNorthtoSouthifitiseven,
ittravelsfromSouthtoNorth.
ThefastestservicerunsbetweenHanoiandHCMCinalmost30hours,stoppinginthemaincities:NhaTrang,Da
Nang,HueandVinh.Thedurationistoolongtocompletethewholejourneyatonce,soovernighthopsare
usuallyrecommended.BesidestheserviceHanoiSaigon,therearepartialservicesforthemostimportantsections
oftheNorthSouthline,suchas:HanoiVinh,HanoiHue,HueSaigon,NhaTrangTuyHoaandNhaTrang
Saigon.SomesegmentsoftheNorthSouthlinepassnearthecoastorthroughauniquemountainscenery,likethe
HaiVanPassbetweenDaNangandHue.ThetrainisdefinitelyagoodwaytoseethecountrysideofVietnam.
ItsisrecommendedthatyoubookyourtrainticketsinadvancebeforecomingtoVietnam,asitmaydifficultto
buythematstationinthesamedayorevenfewdaysinadvance.Duringpeakholidayseason,ticketsforsome
specificdatesmayselloutthepreviousweeks.
Bytheendof2014,thenationalrailwayoperatorngStVitNamDSVN(VietnamRailways)launchedthe
websitedsvn.vn(http://dsvn.vn/)tosellticketsonline.ThewebsiteisavailableinVietnameseandEnglish.
Customerscanpaywithcreditcardandreceivetheireticketsbyemailreadyforboarding.
PleasenotethattheofficialwebsiteofVietnamRailwaysiswww.vr.com.vn(http://www.vr.com.vn/)andthe
officialonlineticketingsiteisdsvn.vn(http://dsvn.vn/).Otherwebsitessuchasvietnamrailway.com,vietnam
railway.net,vietnamrailways.netareactuallytravelagenciespretendingtobeVietnamRailways,butthesearenot
maintainedorhaveanyrelationshipwiththestaterailwaycompany.
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Besidestheofficialticketingsitetherearesomereputablewebsitesthatselltrainticketschargingafeeormarkup
fortheirservice.Sincetherailwayoperatorintroducedelectronictickets,theseagencieswillsendtheofficiale
ticketsissuedbyVietnamRailwaysaswell.
Astrainticketsarenowelectronic,youshouldavoidanyticketagencyormiddlemanthatoffersyoutodeliverthe
physicalticketstoyourhotel.Mostofthesewillsimplyprinttheticketissuedbydsvn.vnsystemandchargean
expensiveamountfordeliveringinpersoninsteadofsendingbyemail.
Finally,bookingatthetrainstationitselfisgenerallyasafeandpracticalway.Justprepareonapieceofpaper
withthedestination,date,time,numberofpassengersandclassandgivetothestaffattheticketcounter.
Incaseyoubooktheticketatthestationpleasebeawareofinfamousticketresellerswhomayapproachandoffer
ticketsfortrainsthatarealreadysoldout.BeadvisedthatallelectronicticketsissuedbyVietnamRailways
includetheinformationofthepassenger,nameandID/Passportnumber,sothesearenontransferable.Train
conductorsoftenverifytheticketsbeforeboardingthetrain,soiftheidentifyofthepassengerdoesn'tmatchthe
boardingwillbedenied.
Forticketchangesandcancellations,youmustprocessatthetrainstation.AccordingtoVietnamRailwayspolicy,
aticketchangerequiresacancellationofthereservationandtheissuanceofanewticket.Thecancellationfeeis
10%.
ThereareseveraltypesoffaresforseatsandsleeperberthsinVietnamesetrains.Thetypeofthefareismarkedon
theticketanditfollowsthisnotation:
BGhngicng:Hardseat
BDHGhngicngH:HardseatwithA/C
AGhngimm:Softseat
ADHGhngimmH:SoftseatwithA/C
BnGingcng:Hardbed
BnDHGingcngH:HardbedwithA/C
AnGingmm:Softbed
AnDHGingmmH:SoftbedwithA/C
Softsleeperroomsare4berth(2berthsbyside,designatedasT1andT2),whereashardsleepersare6berth(3
berthsbyside,designatedasT1,T2andT3).Youcansitcomfortablyonalowerbedina4berthroombutina6
berthyouwillhavetobeveryshortinordertositupstraight.
Havingaprivatetravelagentbookticketswillquiteoftenresultinyoupayingtheagentforasoftsleeperbutthe
agentwillbookahardsleeperandyouwillnotknowuntilyouboardthetrainanditistoolatetomakechanges.
Thisisoneofthemostcommonscams!!!Assoonastheagenthandlesyouthetickets,identifythefarewrittenon
itandcheckthatit'sthefareyoupaidfor.Otherwisemakeacomplainandrequestcompensation!
ACsoftseatoptionisnottoopainfulifyouaretravellingforabout15hours!However,unlessyouaretravelling
inasleepercaritisnomorecomfortablethanbuses.JustthinkaboutitinthecontextofaflightfromLondonto
Sydneywhichtakesover20hours.Onthetrain,youwillhavethefreedomtomoveabout,standup&stretch,no
seatbeltwear,alotoflegroom,etc.Seatsarenumberedinthiscarriageanditappearsyoucannotrequestaseat
basedonyourpreference.Thereservationsystemwillassignoneforyouatthetimeofbuyingit!
Don'talwaysbelievethepicturesoftraincarriagesyousee!TheTNtrainshavetheoldestanddirtiestcarsandare
theslowesttherefore,arenotrecommended.TheSEtrainshaveslightlybetterqualitycarsbuttheytooareold.
Luggagestorageisverymuchrestrictedtotheoverheadracksinnonsleepercompartments.Theserackswould
takealargecaseonwheelsbutyouwillhavetoliftitupthere!Youwillseelocalsboardingtrainswithlargecases
orboxesandtheseusuallyendupinthepassenger'sfootwell(i.e.theyputtheirfeetontopofthecase)orinthe
corridor.Thelatterisnotagoodideaespeciallyonlongdistancetrainssincethemeal&drinkstrolleysgoupand
downthecarriagesfrequently.Insleepers,yourluggagehastobeinyourroom.Ifyouhavealotofluggage,abus
orplanewouldbeabetteroption.
Thechancesare,yourneighbourswouldwantchattoyoubutit'snotuncommoninVietnam.
Bytheway,ifyouaregoingonalongjourney,donotforgettotakealoorollwithyou!
Bybus
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LongdistancebusservicesconnectmostcitiesinVietnam.Mostdepartearlyinthemorningtoaccommodate
trafficandlateafternoonrains,orrunovernight.Itisimportanttonotethataverageroadspeedsaretypicallyquite
slow,evenwhentravellingbetweencities.Forexamplea276km(172mi)journeyfromtheMekongDeltatoHo
ChiMinhCitybybuswilllikelytakeabout8hours.
PublicBusestravelbetweenthecities'busstations.Inbiggerplaces,youoftenhavetouselocaltransporttoget
intothecitycentrefromthere.Busesaregenerallyinreasonableshape,andyouhavethechancetointeractwith
locals.
VietnamesebusesaremadeforVietnamesepeoplebiggerWesternerswillbeveryuncomfortable,especiallyon
overnightbuses.Also,manyVietnamesearenotusedtoridingonlonghaulbuses,andwillsometimesgetsick
notverypleasantifyouarestuckonanovernightbuswithseveralVietnamesethrowingupbehindyou.
Evenifyouaresometimesbussick,itisadvisabletobookaseatatthemiddlesectionratherthanatthefrontof
thebus.First,youwillavoidviewingdirectlytheshortsightedrisksthedriveristakingontheway.Second,you
willsomewhatescapetheloudnoiseofunceasinghonkings(eachtimethebuspassesanothervehicle,thatisabout
every10seconds).
ThelonghaulbuslinesrunfromNorthtoSouthandbackontheonlymainroad(QL1).Beawarethatifyoutake
abusgoingfurtherthanyourdestination,thebuswilldropyouoffatthemostconvenientcrossroadsforthedriver
andnot,asyoucouldhaveexpected,atthebusterminalofyourdestination.ForHu,thiscrossroadis13kmfrom
thecitycentreandforNhaTrang,10km.Atthesecrossroads,you'llfindtaxisormototaxistogetyoutoyour
hotel.
Ifyoutravelwithabicycle,negotiatetheextrafeewiththedriverratherthantheticketcounterbeforebuyingyour
ticket.Thebicyclefeeshouldbenomorethan10%oftheticketprice.
Ascamthatyoumayencounteristhatafterarrivingatyourlocation,guideswillaskyouwhetheryouhave
bookedahotel.Eventhoughyouhaven't,saythatyouhaveandpreparethenameofahotel.Ifyousayyouhave
notbookedone,theywillcharterataxiforyouandprobablydropyouatahotelwheretheycancollect
commission.Ifyoudecidenottostay,thingsmaygetalittleugly,astheywilldemandthatyoupaythetaxifare,
whichtheymayquoteasseveraltimestheactualfareforatenminuteride.
OneofthemajorbuscompaniesisHoangLong[2](http://hoanglongasia.com/en/).Theyhaveanexcellent
websiteinenglishthatprovidesallrateinformationaswellaslocationsofbusterminalsinallcitiestheyservice.
Youcanbypassthetravelagentsaltogetherandheadstraightforbusstationsincetheagentwillsimplysellyou
theverysameticket.IfyouchoosetogothelazyrouteandusethetravelagentatleastreferencetheHoangLong
websiteforwhatthebusticketshouldcostyou.Donotgivethetravelagentacommissionofmorethanadollar.
OpenTourbusesarerunbyamultitudeoftourcompanies.Theycaterespeciallytotourists,offeringridiculous
lowrates(HanoitoHCMC:US$2025)anddoortodoorservicetoyourdesiredhostel.Youcanbreakthejourney
atanypointandcontinueonabusofthesamecompanyanytimelater,orsimplybuyticketsjustforthestage
you'rewillingtocovernext.Ifyou'renotplanningtomakemorethan34stops,itmightbecheapertobuy
separateticketsasyougo(ieHanoitoHuecanbeaslowasUS$5).Alsotheopenticketlimitsyoutousingonly
onecompanyanddoesnotguaranteeyouaseatonanybus.Mosthotelsandguesthousescanbookseatsforany
connection,althoughyou'rebettertoshoparoundattravelagents,aspriceswillvaryonanygiventicket/bus
company.Goingtothebuscompanyofficemaynetyouacommissionfreefare.C
Althoughthebuscompanywillusuallybehappytocollectyouatyourhotelorguesthouse,boardingatthe
companyofficewillguaranteeachoiceofseatsandyou'llavoidgettingstuckatthebackorunabletositnextto
yourtravellingcompanions.Theofficesaregenerallylocatedinornearthetouristareaoftown,andashortwalk
mightmakeyourtripthatmuchmorepleasant.
Sincetourcompanieschargeverylittle,theydomakecommissionontheirstopoffswhichareoftenatsouvenir
shops,whereyoudonothavetobuytheyalwayshavetoiletsanddrinksandwateravailableforpurchase.The
estimatedtimeforabustripwillnotbeaccurateandmaybeanadditionalcoupleofhourssometimes,duetothe
numberofstopoffs.Collectingthepassengersatthestartofthejourneycanalsotakequiteawhiletoo.Alwaysbe
atleasthalfanhourearlytocatchthebus.Trynottodrinktoomuchwater,asreststops,especiallyforovernight
buses,maybejustsomewherewheretherearealotofbushes.
WARNINGBeverycarefulofyourpossessionsontheovernightbus,people(includingbusemployees)have
beenknowntolookthroughpassengersbag'sandtakeexpensiveitemssuchasiPodsandphonesandsellthemon
forprofit.IfyouaretravellingwithaniPodDONOTFALLASLEEPWITHITINYOUREAR,asthechances
areitwillbenowheretobefoundinthemorning.Simplygetapadlockforyourhandluggageandlockeverything
upintherebeforeyougotosleep.
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Bycar
InternationaldrivinglicencesarenotacceptedinVietnam.Theconceptofrentingacartodriveyourselfisalmost
nonexistent,andwhenVietnamesespeakofrentingacartheyalwaysmeanhiringacarwithadriver.(Aftera
shorttimeonlocalroadswiththeircrazytraffic,youwillbegladyouleftthedrivingtoalocal.)
SincefewVietnameseowncars,theyhavefrequentoccasiontohirevehiclesforfamilyoutings,specialoccasions,
etc,andathrivingindustryexiststoservethatneed.Vietnamesecaneasilyhireanythingfromasmallcartoa32
seatbus,foronedayorseveral.Touristscantapintothatmarketindirectlybywayofhotelsandtouragentsfound
ineverytouristarea.Additionally,internationalcarbrandshavestartedtosurface.BudgetCarRental,oneofthe
largestcarrentalcompaniesintheworld,nowofferschauffeurdrivenservicesinVietnam.Hiringasmallcarfora
daytripreturningtothepointoforigincostsaroundUS$60for8hours(thoughthepricechangeswiththecostof
fuel.)(Ifyoushoparoundandbargainhardforthelowestpossibleprice,youwillprobablygetanolder,more
beatupcar.Ifyouarepayingmorethanbareminimum,it'sworthaskingwhatsortofcaritwillbe,andholding
outforsomethingcomfortable.)FewdriversspeakanyEnglish,somakesureyoutellthehotel/agentexactly
whereyouwanttogo,andhavethatcommunicatedtothedriver.
It'salsopossibletohireacaranddriverforintercitytravel,atsomewhathighercost.AsmallcarfromSaigonto
thebeachresortofMuiNe,a4or5hourtripdependingontraffic,costsaboutUS$70,andDalattoMuiNeabout
US$90.Longdistancetravelbycarmaybeagoodchoiceforseveralpeopletravellingtogether,asitprovidesa
flexiblescheduleandflexibleaccesstoremotesites.KeepinmindthatlongdistanceroadtravelinVietnamby
whatevermeans(busorcar)isslow,withaveragespeedslessthan50km/hour.Highway1,thenorthsouth
backboneofthecountry,usuallyoffersbutonelaneeachwayformassesofbuses,trucks,carsandmotorbikes.In
thefrequentcities,townsandvillages,localsoftenwalk,slowlymotorbikeorpushcartswithininchesof"fast"
throughtraffic.Vietnamesenewspapersfrequentlylamentveryhighratesoffatalaccidents,manyalongthisroute.
Generallyspeaking,describingVietnamesedrivinghabitsasatrociouswouldbeanunderstatement.Roadcourtesy
isnonexistentanddriversgenerallydonotchecktheirblindspotorwingmirrors.Vietnamesedriversalsotendto
usetheirhornveryoftentogetmotorcyclistsoutoftheirway.Inaddition,mostroadsdonothavelanemarkings
andevenonthosethatdo,driversgenerallyignorethelanemarkings.Assuch,drivingyourselfinVietnamisnot
recommendedandyoushouldleaveyourtransportationneedsinthehandsofalocal.
Bybicycle
AdventuroustravellersmaywishtoseeVietnambybicycle.Severaladventuretraveltoursprovidepackagetours
withequipment.Mostofthepopulationgetsaroundontwowheels,soit'sanexcellentwaytogetclosertothe
people,aswellasoffthebeatenpath.
Bicyclescanberentedcheaplyinmanycities,andareoftenagreatwayofcoveringlargerdistances.Goodspots
forcyclingareDalat,HoiAn,HueandNinhBinh.Ontheotherhand,attemptingtocycleinHanoiorHCMCis
virtuallysuicidewithoutproperexperienceoftrafficrules(orlackthereof,'properexperience'inthiscasemeans
understandingthateveryonearoundyoucouldpotentiallychangedirectionatanymoment.)
IncitieslikeHoChiMinhCityandHanoi,parkingbicyclesonthesidewalksisnotallowed,andyou'llhavetogo
toapayparkinglot.2000dongperbike.
Bymotorcycletaxi
Thexem(literally'huggingvehicle')isacommonmodeoftransportforVietnameseaswellastourists.Theyare
widelyavailableandreasonablycheapabout10,000dongfora10minutetrip,whichshouldgetyouanywhere
withinthecitycentre.Walkthecitystreets,andeverycoupleofminutesaguywillflagyourattentionandsay
"You!!MotoBike?"Longertripstooutlyingareascanbenegotiatedfor20,00025,000dong.Alwaysagreeonthe
farebeforestartingyourtrip.Aswithmostthings,atouristwilloftenbequotedanabovemarketpriceinitially,
andyouneedtobefirm.Ifquotedanythingover10,000dongforashorttrip,remindthedriverthatyoucouldtake
anaircontaxifor15,000dongsoforgetit.Occasionallydriverswilldemandmorethanthenegotiatedpriceatthe
end,soit'sbesttohaveexactchangehandy.Thenyoucanpaytheagreedamountandwalkaway,endof
discussion.
Bymotorcycle
The110ccmotorbikeisthepreferredmodeoftransportfortheVietnamesemasses,andthelargecitiesswarm
withthem.Thereareanestimated37millionmotorcyclesinVietnamandit'scommontoseewholefamiliesof
fourcruisingalongonasinglemotorbike.Inmostplaceswheretouristsgo,youcaneasilyrentyourown,with
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pricesrangingfrom100,000to160,000dongperday.Beforereadingon,however,youshouldbeawarethatitis
illegalforforeignerstorideamotorbikeinVietnamunlesstheyareinpossessionofatemporaryVietnamese
motorcyclelicence,whichinturnrequiresyoutohaveacurrentlicenceissuedbyyourhomecountry/countryof
residenceoranInternationalDrivingPermit.
ToconvertyourlicenceorInternationalDrivingPermitintoatemporaryVietnameselicenceyoumustholda
Vietnameseresidencepermitofatleastthreemonths'validityorathreemonthtouristvisa.InHanoiyoushould
applytotheCentreforAutomotiveTrainingandMechanism,83aLyThuongKietStreetinHCMCtotheOffice
ofTransportation,63LyTuTrongStreet,District1.
Youshouldalsobeawarethatifyourideunlicensedandhaveanaccidentinwhichathirdpartyisinjuredorkilled
youcouldbesubjecttoatermofimprisonmentof1020years,aswellaspayingalargesumincompensationto
thevictimorthevictim'sfamily.Moreover,evenifyourtravelinsurancepolicycoversyouformotorcycling
(checkthesmallprintasmanydon't),ifyouareinjuredwhenridingillegallytheinsurancecompanywillnot
recompenseyouformedicalattention,hospitalisation,evacuationtoanothercountryforhospitalisationor
repatriation,thecostofwhichcanrunintotensofthousandsofdollars.
Deskclerksatsmallhotelsoftenrunasidebusinessrentingmotorbikestoguests,orhaveafriendorrelativewho
does.Tourboothscanusuallydothesame.Insmalltownsandbeachresortswheretrafficislight,e.gPhoQuoc,
it'sadelightfulwaytogetaroundandseethesights,andmuchcheaperthantaxisifyoumakeseveralstopsor
travelanydistance.Roadsareusuallydecent,thoughit'sadvisablenottoridetoofastandalwayskeepaneyeon
theroadfortheoccasionalpothole.
Ridinginthebigcities,especiallyHoChiMinhCity,isaverydifferentmatter,andnotadvisableunlessyouare
anexperiencedriderwithaverycoolhead.Trafficisintenseandchaotic,withalonglistofunwrittenrulesthat
don'tresembletrafficlawsanywhereelse."Rightofway"isanearlyunknownconcept.RidinginHCMCislike
findingyourselfinthemiddleofa3Dvideogamewhereanythingcancomeatyoufromanydirection,andyou
onlyhaveonelife.Expatswhobravethetrafficatalltypicallyhaveanapprenticeshipofafewweeksormonths
ridingonthebackofothers'motorbikestolearnthewaysofthetraffic,beforeattemptingtoridethemselves.
Extremecautionisadvisedforshorttermvisitors.
Ridinglongdistanceinthecountrysidecanalsobeharrowingdependingontherouteyoutake.Majorroads
betweencitiestendtobenarrowdespitebeingmajor,andfulloftourbuseshellbentonspeed,passingslowtrucks
wheremaybetheyshouldn'thavetried,andleavingnotmuchroomattheedgeformotorbikes.
Twomaincategoriesofmotorbikeareavailabletorent:scooters(automatictransmission)andfourspeed
motorbikes,thegearsofwhichyoushiftwithyourleftfoot.TheubiquitousHondaSuperCubisacommon4
speedbikethathasasemiautomaticgearboxienoclutchsoisrelativelyeasytoride.Othermodelsmaybefully
manualandthereforeyoumustalsooperatetheclutchusingyourlefthandthistakesalotofskillandit'salltoo
easytooverrevandpullawheelieorstalltheengineifyouendupwithsuchabikethenpracticereleasingthe
clutchgentlybeforehittingtheroads!DirtbikesarebecomingpopularforrentinHanoi,othercitiesarenotyet
readyforthesebeasts.Rentalagentstendtosteerforeignerstowardscootersifavailable,onthe(plausible)
assumptionthattheydon'tknowhowtoridemotorbikesthatrequireshiftinggears.Motorcyclesof175ccand
aboveareonlylegaltorideifyoumakeaconnectionwithaVietnamesemotorcycleclub.
TheKUBcafe(KustomUrbanBike)#12ng264uC,TyH,HNioffersagreatstartingpointforyour
journeybymotorbikeoragreatplacetoendyourtripinVietnam,It'srunbybikersforbikersofallsizes.They
giveoutgreatadvisetohelpyouonyourjourneybymotorbike.
Mostplacesyouwouldwanttostophaveparkingattendantswhowillissueyouanumberedtagandwatchover
yourbike.Sometimestheseparkingoperationsareoverseenbytheestablishmentyouarevisiting,andsometimes
theyarefreelanceoperationssetupinplaceswherealotofpeoplego.Youwillusuallyseerowsofbikeslinedup
parked.Dependingoncircumstance,youmightparkthebikeyourself,orjustputitinneutralandletthestaff
positionit.Inallbutrarecasesyoukeepthekey.Parkingissometimesfreeatrestaurantsandcafes(lookfor"giu
xemienphi").Elsewhere,feesrangefrom2,000to5,000dong.
Trafficpoliceinthecitiespulloverlotsoflocals(oftenforreasonsthatarehardtodiscern),butconventional
wisdomhasitthattheyrarelybotherforeignersduetothelanguagebarrier.Obeyingthetrafficlawsis
neverthelessadvisable,especiallyifyouhavefailedtoobtainaVietnameselicence.CitieslikeHoChiMinhhave
severalonewaystreet,anditistooeasytojuststeerintothemunknowinglyastherearelimitedsignswarning
you.BESUREthatifyoubreaklaw,thepolicewhoaresneakingjustattherightspot,willaskyoutopullover
andwillfineyou.Theywillalsothreatentoconfiscateyourbike.Thequotedpriceforthefinemaybenegotiable,
andbeingapologeticandfriendlycangetyoubackonroadquickly,withafewdollarslessinyourpockets.
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HelmetshavealsobeenrequiredbylawsinceDecember2007,soifyoudon'thaveonealreadyaskyourrental
agenttoprovideyouwithone.
Ifbuyingabikefromadealer,donotbelieveany"buyback"guarantee.Theyareinvariablyalietoencourage
youtobuy.
Bycyclo
Whileslowlybeingsupplantedbymotorbikes,cyclopedicabsstillroam
thestreetsofVietnam'scitiesandtowns.Theyareespeciallycommon
inscenicsmaller,lessbusycitieslikeHue,whereit'spleasanttocruise
slowlyalongtakinginthesights.Thoughtheridewillbeslow,hotand
sometimesdangerous,you'llgenerallyneedtopaymorethanfora
motorbikefortheequivalentdistance.Ontheplusside,somedrivers
(particularlyintheSouth)areveryfriendlyandhappytogiveyoua
runningcommentaryonthesights.Cyclodriversarenotoriously
mercenaryandwillalwaysaskforahighpricetostartwith.Sometimes
theywillalsodemandmorethantheagreedpriceattheend.(Japanese
CycloinHue
tourists,especiallywomen,aremostoftentargetedwiththisscamsince
theyaremoreresponsivetothethreatthatthedriverwillcallthepolice
andmaketroubleforthemiftheydon'tpayasdemanded.)Areasonablepriceisabout20,000dongforupto2km
(1.2mi),andifthedriverdisagrees,simplywalkaway.(Youwon'tgetfarbeforethatdriveroranothertakesyour
offer.)Pricesforasightseeingcircuitwithintermediatestopsaremorecomplextonegotiateandmoresubjectto
conflictattheend.Ifyouplantostopsomewhereforanylengthoftime,it'sbesttosettleupwiththedriver,make
nopromises,andstartfreshlater.Somedriversstartwithaverylowratetogetyouintotheircycleandthenif
requiredtowaitforyouorotherwisevarytheagreedprice,bringoutatypeduppricelistoftheir"standardrates"
whichareinflatedbeyondbelief.Ifevenslightlyunsureaskthedrivershowyouhislistofcharges.Thennegotiate
fromthatpointorwalkaway.Toavoidtrouble,it'salsobesttohaveexactchangefortheamountyouagreedto
pay,soifthedrivertriestorevisethedeal,youcanjustlayyourcashontheseatandleave.
Byboat
YouwillbemissingabigpartofVietnameselifeifyoudonotspendsometimeonaboat.Dobecarefulthough
becausemanyboats,althoughseaworthy,arenotdesignedtofirstworldstandards.Anexampleistheferryfrom
PhuQuoctothemainland.Thisferryhasonetinyentranceforallpassengerstoboard.Whenfull,whichitusually
is,thereareapproximately200peopleonboard.Intheeventofanaccident,thechanceofeveryonegettingoutof
theboatfastenoughwouldbeverysmall.Theideaofanemergencyexitdoesnotexist.
TourboatscanbecharteredforaroundUS$20foraday'stourbutbewareofsafetyissuesifyoucharteraboat.
MakesuretheboatisregisteredforcarryingTouristsandhasenoughlifejacketsandothersafetyequipmenton
board.OryoucanbookatourthroughatourcompanybutbeawarethatinVietnammostTourAgentscharge
whatevermarkuptheywantandthereforethetouristisoftenpayingmarginsof3040%andtheboatownerand
operator(ofanythingfromavantoaboat)arepaidverylittleofthetotalamount!
HaLongBayisafamousdestinationfor13dayboattripsamongitssceniclimestoneislands.Problemisthatall
theboatsseemtovisitthesameplacesandwithhighpricesandpoorqualityboatsandservicerealvalueishard
tocomeby!ManyboatshaveaUS$10corkagefee,andforbidBYOalcohol,withonboardalcoholandseafood
aboutthesamepriceasEuropeonsomeboats!Ifthereisrain,mistorlowcloud,youmaynotseemuch.Tryto
pickaclearday.
DozensofsmallfamilyoperatedboatsplytheriverinHuetakingvisitorstotheimperialtombssouthwestofthe
city.Thisjourneyislongbecausetheboatsareslow,takingabout4hoursorsotomakethejourneyinone
direction.
SnorkelfishinglunchtripsareavailablefromNhaTrang,HoiAn,andPhuQuoctonearbyislands.InCentral
Vietnam,theNorthEastmonsoonseasonlimitsmanyseaboattoursduringthemonthsSepFebotherpartsof
Vietnamseemlessaffected.
A90minutehydrofoilboatoperatesfromSaigontotheseasideresortofVungTauforabout120,000dongeach
waythefastestwaytoreachthebeachfromthecity.
Rivertoursareperhapsthemostinteresting.AdaylongboattripformsthecoreofalmostanytouroftheMekong
region.
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Talk
TheofficiallanguageofVietnamisVietnamese.LikeThaiand
Mandarin,Vietnameseisatonallanguagethatusesachangeinpitchto
inflectdifferentmeanings,andthiscanmakeitdifficultforWesterners
tomaster.WhileitisverydifferentfromWesternlanguages,atraveler
maybesurprisedtolearnthatthebasicgrammarisprettysimple.Verbs
arestaticregardlessofthepastorfutureandpartsofspeecharepretty
straightforward.Themajordifficultieslayontonesandcertainsounds.
TombofKhaiDinh,Hue
Vietnameseconsistsof4maindialects:thenortherndialectspoken
aroundHanoi,thenorthcentraldialectspokenaroundVinh,thecentral
dialectspokenaroundHue,andthesoutherndialectspokenaroundHoChiMinhCity.
WhiletheHanoidialectistakenasthe'standard'andwidelyusedinbroadcasting,thereisnodefactostandardin
theeducationsystem.Northernersnaturallythinkthatsouthernaccentisfor'hailua'(countrymen)andwillalways
recommendyoutobesticktothenorthernaccent,butthechoiceofaccentsshoulddependonwhereyouplanto
live.IfyouareworkinginHoChiMinhCity,themaineconomiccentreofVietnam,thesouthernaccentiswhat
youwillheareveryday.
Forlearners,theLatinalphabetisarelief.UnlikeEnglish,Vietnameseorthographyreflectspronunciationclosely,
althoughusingcertainletterstorepresentdifferentsoundsandcontainingsoundsnotfoundinEnglish.
TheVietnameselexiconhasbeenheavilyinfluencedbyChineselanguages.Somewordsareloanwordsfrom
Chinese,likehotel(khchsn),children(nhing),Communistparty(ngcngsn)someareformedbasedon
Chinesecharacters(roots),likerepresentative(idin)orbirdflu(cmg).KnowledgeoftheChineselanguage
willmakeitmucheasiertolearnVietnamese.VietnameseisalsofullofloanwordsfromFrenchandEnglishfrom
morerecenttimes.
AlthoughtheVietnamesepeopledoappreciateanyefforttolearntheirlanguage,mostseldomexperienceforeign
accents.Learnersmayfinditfrustratingthatnoonecanunderstandwhattheytrytosay.Staffinhotelandkids
tendtohaveamoretolerantearforforeignaccentsanditisnotunheardofforakidtoeffectivelyhelptranslate
your'Vietnamese'intoauthenticVietnameseforadults.
GoogletranslatenowsupportsVietnameseandthiscanbedownloadedtosupporteddevicestoworkin"offline"
mode.TheVietnamesecertainlyappreciatetheattempttocommunicate,albeitnonverbally,intheirown
language.Beawarethatnotallcanreadthough.
BesidesVietnamese,HoChiMinhCityishometoasizeableethnicChinesecommunity,manyofwhomspeak
Cantonese.Themoreremotepartsofthecountryarealsohometomanyethnicminoritieswhospeakvarious
languagesbelongingtotheMonKhmer,TaiKadaiandAustronesianlanguagefamilies.
MostVietnameseyouthslearnEnglishinschool,somanyyoungpeoplehaveabasicgraspofEnglish,but
proficiencyisgenerallypoor.However,mosthotelandairlinestaffwillknowenoughEnglishtocommunicate.
DirectionalsignsaregenerallybilingualinbothVietnameseandEnglish.
DespiteIndochina'scolonialhistoryinwhichFrenchwasthemediumofeducation,Frenchisnolongerwidely
taughtinVietnameseschoolsandasidefromafeweducatedeliteamongtheelderly,ismuchlessusefulthan
Englishwhentryingtocommunicatewithlocals.Howeverinrecentyears,therehasbeenarevivalofthelanguage
inboththegovernmentandeducatedelite.Inthebigcities,someofthebiginternationalluxuryhotelchainswill
havestaffwhoareabletospeakFrenchandotherforeignlanguagessuchasMandarin,JapaneseorKorean.
Downloadgoogletranslatetoyourphone.Youcandownloadalanguagepacksothatitworksoffline.Note,whilst
themajority(albeitnotallmanycannotread)Vietnamesewillunderstandwhatyoutypein,theyoftencan'ttype
areplythatgoogleunderstands...
See
Simplywalkingtothenearestintersectionandmerelywatchingthedrivinganticsisamazing.Keepwatchingand
youmayseeTV'sandFridgesandotherunlikelyobjectsimpossiblybalancedandsecuredwithstringontheback
ofamotorcycle.Watchhowotherpeopleandlocalscrosstheroad.
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Youwillneedtoobservethetrafficetiquettebeforeyoucrosstheroad.Somesuggestavoidingcrossingwhen
trucksandlorry'sarearound,astheyarelessagilethanmotorbikes.
Ifyouhappentobearoundduringto/fromschoolhours,thisisthebesttimetoobserveaglimpseofpushbikes,
traditionalclothingandaodaimixingitwith'normal'traffic,evenintheheaviestoftorrentialdownpours.Thisis
anexampleofthemotivationoftheschoolchildren!
Asyoutravelabout,youwillfindthereareclustersofshopsallsellingsimilargoodslike20sewingmachine
shopstogether,then30hardwareshopsalltogether,200motorcyclerepairshopsinthesameblock.Thismakes
forverycompetitiveprices!
Bewaryofwatchshopssellingoriginalauthenticfakes.Otherfakewatchesareavailablebutnotascheapasother
surroundingcountries.Piratedsoftwareisoddlyveryhardtofindandnotsoldopenly.HoweverMovieDVD'sof
differingqualityarewidelyavailablefromUS$1,althoughnotallmayhaveEnglishonthem.Thelocalpostoffice
willstrictlynotallowthemtobepostedabroad.
VietnamclaimsHealthtourismisontherise.Hygiene,infectioncontrolandpropersterilizationisveryimportant,
asdrugresistant'bugs'arealwaysaconcern,anywhere.
Do
Motorbikingispopularwithlocalsandtouristsalike.Giventhatmotorbikesarethemainmodeoftransportin
Vietnam,theycangiveaparticularlyauthenticviewoftravellingthroughthecountry.
Rentingorbuyingabikeispossibleinmanycities.AlsoconsiderMotorbikeadventuretours,whichinvolve
beingguidedonmultidaydrivestoremoteregionsofthecountry.Mosttoursincludeaccommodation,petrol,
helmets,driversandentryticketstolocalplacesofinterest.GuidesusuallyspeakgoodEnglishorFrenchandoffer
customisedtoursifdesired.MotorbikeSightseeingToursaresimilarbuthaveamorelocalrangespecifictoone
cityorareaandcanfocusonfood,shoppingorsightseeing.
Asmentionedintheworksectionbelow,manytravelersliketospendsometimeworkingwiththelocal
communityasavolunteer.Mostoftheseprogramsrequirethevolunteertopayfeeswhichcovermeals,
accommodationandwhichalsoallowthelocalorganisationstofundsocialprograms.Thesefeescanvaryfroma
hundreddollarsaweektoseveralthousandsoitisagoodideatoresearchthoroughly.
Besides,therearelotsofoptionstodoinVietnam:
First:TakeacruisetriptovisitHalongBay.Youcanspend1dayofHanoiHalongBaycruiseHanoi,or2
dayswith1nightoveroncruise,or3dayswith2nightsoveroncruise.ThetransferbyroadfromHanoito
HalongBaytakesabout4hours.Youmayselectseatincoachbus,orprivatetransfer.Also,youmaychoose
joiningcruise,orprivatecharter.TherearehundredsofcruisesinHalongBaywithwiderangeofstandardfrom
budgettoluxury.
Second:TakeatriptoSapa.Therearetwoways:Sapabytrain,andSapabyroad.ForSapabytrain,take
overnighttrainfromHanoitoLaoCai,youwillarriveSapainearlymorning,thenideallyspend2daysinSapa,
andtakeovernighttrainbacktoHanoiwhenyouwillreachHanoiinearlymorninginthefollowingday.Please
notethatthereisnotdaytrainbetweenHanoiandLaoCai.ForSapabyroad,ittakesabout4hourstotransfer
betweenHanoiandSapatown.
Third:Takeacookingclass.Vietnamesecuisineisdiverseandtastyandoneofthemanyhighlightsofavisitto
thecountry.TherearelotsofcookingclassoptionsinHanoi,inHoiAn,andinHoChiMinh.Youmaytakehalf
dayorfulldaycookingclass.However,pleaseselecttheclasswithmarketvisitarrangementsothatyoucan
experiencethelocalmarket.
Forth:TakearivercruisetripinMekong.StartfromHoChiMinhCity,youmayendthecruiseatVinhLong,at
CanTho,atChauDoc,evenendatPhnomPenhorendatSiemRiep.
Fifth:JustrelaxandchilloutwonderfulbeachsideinVietnam.BestdestinationsareNhaTrang,MuiNe,Phu
Quoc.
Sixth:CuChiTunnelsisamustvisitifyouhaveachancetocometoHoChiMinhCity.Crawlingthroughthe
CuChiTunnelsisauniqueexperienceofyourVietnamtrip.
Seventh:It'sanoffthebeatentrackwhenyoutakeahomestaytrip.MaiChauVillageinthenorthandhome
stayinMekong(VinhLong,CanTho)areamongthebests.
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DTWTravelWorldCo.,Ltd.isatrustedcompany(listedontripadvisorwithgreatcomments)canmakeVietnam
tripamazingandeasy.
Buy
Thenationalcurrencyisthedong(internationallysymbolisedasVND,butwrittenasnginVietnam),whichis
difficulttofindorexchangeoutsideVietnamchangemoneyonarrivalandtrytogetridofanyleftoversbefore
leavingthecountry.Continuinginflationandaseriesofdevaluationscontinuestosteadilypushdownthevalueof
thedong,withUSD1worthover22,000donginMay2016.Banknotesareavailableindenominationsof500,
1000,2000,5000,10,000,20,000,50,000,100,000,200,000and500,000dong.In2003,coinswerealso
introducedindenominationsof200,500,1000,2000and5000dong,althoughthesearerarelyseen.
PricesarewidelyadvertisedinUSdollars,namelybecauseofthe
Exchangingdong
unstablecurrencyvaluationofthedong,butunlikeneighbouring
AccordingtoVietnameselaws,foreign
Cambodia,forinstance,paymentisoftenexpectedindongonly,
currencycanbeeasilychangedintodong
especiallyoutsidemajortouristdestinations.Itisalsoeasierto
butnotviceversa.Exchangingdongis
bargainwithdong,especiallysincedollarpricesarealready
quiteacomplicatedprocedurerequiring
rounded,andalsobecauseofferingthepriceindollarsmarksyou
sometimeandpatience.Inorderto
asa"tourist"or"newcomer"andasapotentialtargetfor
changedongintoanothercurrencyone
scams/overcharging.Travelrelatedestablishments(guesthouses,
shouldshowone'sticketasaconfirmation
travelagencies,etc.)whichquotetheirpriceindollars,onthe
ofleavingVietnamandone'sID.These
otherside,maytrytogetfromyouslightlymoreifyouwishto
documentswillbephotocopiedbythe
paythemindongratherthandollars(e.g.calculating$1as21,000
bankemployees.Then,onefillsouta
oreven22,000whilethegoingratewas20,800)inthiscaseit's
specialformstatingthesum,purposeof
actuallycheapertopaythemindollars.Dollarbillsinlessthan
theexchangeanddestinationcountry.Not
perfectconditionmayberejected.USD2bills(especiallythose
allVietnamesebanksperformexchangeof
printedinthe1970's)areconsideredluckyinVietnamandare
dong,butVietcombankisonethatdoes.
worthmorethanUSD2.Theymakeagoodtip/gift,andmany
Vietnamesewillkeepthemintheirwalletforluck.USD50and
US$100notesgetahigherexchangeratethannotesoflowerdenominations.
MostvisitorsopttokeepthebulkoftheircashinUSdollarsandexchangeorwithdrawdongasneeded.Thereis
oftenaconsiderablespreadindongbuy/sellrates,andsometimesthesamehotelhasdifferentratesfordifferent
services!Inadditiontobanksandofficialexchangecounters,youcanexchangemosthardcurrencies(Sterling,
Yen,SwissFrancs,Euroetc.)atgoldshops,oftenatslightlybetterthanofficialrates.Thisistechnicallyillegal,
butenforcementisminimal.Hotelsandtravelagenciescanalsoexchangemoneywithdifferingexchangeratesso
lookforthebestrate.
Forcreditcardpayments,thereisusuallya3%surcharge,socashmaybeadvantageousforlargetransactions.
Travellerchequesofwellknowncompaniesarewidelyaccepted,butusuallyasmallfeeischarged.Feesmight
alsobetheonlythingthatwouldkeepyoufromgettingcashadvancesonVisaorMasterCardatmostbanks.
ThroughbothwaysyoucanalsogetholdofUSdollars,thoughtherewillbeevenhigherfees.Therearementions
insomepopulartravelbooksaboutVietcombanknotcharginganycommissionfeestocashAMEXtravellers
cheques.However,thisisnottrueanymore.
ATMsarebecomingmoreandmorecommonandcanbefoundinmostbiggercitiesandeverytouristdestination.
Theywillacceptaselectionofcreditandbankcards,includingVisa,MasterCard,MaestroorCirrusandseveral
othersystems.Typicallywithdrawalsarelimitedto2,000,000dongpertransaction,andwillincura20,000dong
servicefee.
UsuallyATMsdisclosethecommissionbeforethetransaction.
EXIMBANKallowsupto2,000,000dongpertransactionwithnocharge.
ANZBankallowsupto4,000,00010,000,000dongpertransaction(15,000,000dongperday)witha
40,000dongcharge.
Vietcombankallowsupto2,000,000dongpertransactionwitha20,000dongcharge.
Techcombankallowsupto2,000,000pertransactionwitha30,000dongcharge
VIBBankallowsupto2,000,000pertransactionwitha50,000dongchargethatisnotdiscloseduntilafter
thetransactioniscompleted.
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BIDVBankallowsupto3,000,000dongpertransactionwitha60,000dongchargethatisnotdisclosed
untilafterthetransactioniscompleted.
Agribankallowsupto3,000,000dongpertransaction(25,000,000dongperday(?))witha20,000dong
charge.
SeABankallowsupto2,000,000dongpertransactionwithnocharge.
CitiBankallowsupto8,000,000dongpertransactionwitha60,000dongcharge
MIlitaryBank(MB)upto5,000,000dongpertransactionwithnocharge.
Theratesprobablydependonyourbank.
TherearebranchesofmoneytransfercompanieslikeWesternUnion,butthisisalwaysoneofthemore
expensivewaystogetmoney.
OnmostlandbordersconnectingtoCambodia,China,andLaostherearefreelancemoneychangerstotakecare
ofyourfinancialleftovers,butbeassuredthey'llgetthebetterofyouifyoudon'tknowthegoingrate.Notefor
travellersdepartingfromHanoiairport:Therearenomoneyexchangeestablishmentsonceyoufinishyour
immigration,soexchangeyourdongbeforeyouenterthedeparturehallunlessyouplantoshop.
Bargaining
OvercharginghaslongbeenanissueinVietnamtourism.Itcanhappenanywhereonanythingfromanhotelroom,
arideontaxi,coffee,meal,clothing,basicgrocerystuff.Yourcoffeesuddenlybecomes100%moreexpensiveand
arestaurantmaypresentyouanEnglishmenuwithinflatedprices.Afriendlylocalwhospent30minutestalking
withyoumayalsofeellikeoverchargingyouonanything.
Inmanyplacesovercharginghappensthroughnonobviousmeans.Atypicalexamplewouldbetonegotiatea
roompriceinUSdollars,butuponcheckoutapaymentisdemandedindongs,usingaveryunfavorable
conversionrate.Don'tdiscusspaymentincurrencyotherthandongwithoutconfirmingfirstthatthiscurrency
wouldbeaccepted.Notethatinalmosteverycaseitischeapertonegotiateindongandthenchangeyourhard
currencyintodong.
VietnameseholdadiverseviewonoverchargingbutingeneralitismorecommoninVietnamthanother
neighboringcountriestoseeitsociallyacceptabletooverchargeforeigners.Theymayargueinflatedpricesare
stillcheapandtheymayblameonthecheapcostoflivingwhichattractsalotofbackpackerswithbarebone
budgets.Accordingtothisschoolofthought,iftouristscomplainaboutit,it'sbecausethey'restingy.Richtourists
shouldnothaveaproblembeingovercharged.Itisthesamemindsetas"stealingalittlefromwealthyisokay"and
isevenseenasaformofsocialjustice.KeepinmindthatinVietnam"wealthy"isdefinedas"hasmoremoney
thanme",andisnotlimitedtotourists,ortowhitesforexample,thepeopleinNorthernVietnamroutinely
overchargeVietnamesevisitingfromSouthernVietnam.
Thegoodnewsisthatstandardpriceismuchmorecommonthanearly90s.Youwillabsolutelyspoilyourtravelif
youassumethateveryoneischeatingyou,justtrytobesmart.Inarestaurant,learnsomecommondishnamesin
Vietnamese,insistthatyouneedtoreadVietnamesemenu,andcompareit.Ifownersarguethattheportionof
dishesintheEnglishmenuisdifferent,it'sdefinitelyascamandmovetootherplaces.LearnsomeVietnamese
numbersandtrytoseehowmuchalocalpaysavendor.Alsotrybasicbargainingtactics:Thinkhowmuchitis
backhome,askforbigdiscountandwalkaway,pretendingthatthepriceisn'tright.Manyproductstendtobe
standardizedandcomparemore.
Trytobeasclearaspossibleontheagreedprice.Youmayagree20,000dongwitha"XeOm"driverforaspecific
trip,butattheendhemayclaimyouaredue40,000dong.Thenyoupay20,000dong,smileandsaygoodbye,
becauseyouhaveagoodmemory.
Costs
Vietnamisstillcheapbymoststandards:amonth'sstaycanstartfromUSD250usingbasicrooms,localfoodand
openbustransportation.
TippingisnotexpectedinVietnam,withtheexceptionofbellhopsinhighendhotels.Inanycase,theprice
quotedtoyouisoftenmanytimeswhatlocalswillpay,sotippingcanbeconsideredunnecessaryinmost
circumstances.Toavoidpayingatipwhenataxidriver,forexample,claimstheydon'thavesmallchange,always
trytohavevariousdenominationsavailable.
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Eat
Withunbelievableabundanceoffreshvegetables,herbs,fishand
seafood,Vietnamhasalottooffer.Itcanbementionedherearangeof
widelyadmireddishessuchasnoodleservedwithbeeforchicken(
pho),springroll,eelorsnailvermicelli,crabfriedwithtamarind,crab
soursoup,ricespaghetti,steamedrollsmadeofriceflour,ricepancake
foldedinhalf(andfilledwithashrimp,meatandsoyabeansprouts).,
etc.
FoodsitsattheverycentreofVietnameseculture:everysignificant
Gicunfreshspringrolls,caolu
holidayontheVietnameseculturalcalendar,alltheimportant
noodles(aspecialtyofHoiAn),nc
milestonesinaVietnameseperson'slife,andindeed,mostofthe
mmdippingsauceandlocalbeer
importantdaytodaysocialeventsandinteractionsfoodplaysa
centralroleineach.Specialdishesarepreparedandservedwithgreat
careforeverybirth,marriageanddeath,andtheanniversariesofancestors'deaths.Morebusinessdealsarestruck
overdinnertablesthanoverboardroomtables,andwhenfriendsgettogether,theyeattogether.Preparingfoodand
eatingtogetherremainsthefocusoffamilylife.
Vietnamesecuisinevariesslightlyfromregiontoregion,withmanyregionshavingtheirownspecialties.
Generally,northernVietnamesecuisineisknownforbeingblandwhilesouthernVietnamesecuisineisknownfor
beingspicy.
Atthesametime,theVietnamesearesurprisinglymodestabouttheircuisine.(Andoldproverb/jokesaysthata
fortunatemanhasaWestern(French)house,Japanesewife,andChinesechef.)Highendrestaurantsmayserve
"Asianfusion"cuisine,withelementsofThai,Japanese,andChinesemixedin.ThemostauthenticVietnamese
foodisfoundatstreetside"restaurants"(Acollectionofplasticoutdoorfurnitureplacedonthefootpath),with
mostwalkinrestaurantsbeingmainlyfortourists.Definiteregionalstylesexistnorthern,central,andsouthern,
eachwithuniquedishes.Centralstyleisperhapsthemostcelebrated,withdishessuchasmiquang(wheatnoodles
withherbs,pork,andshrimp),banhcanhcua(crabsoupwiththickricenoodles)andbunboHue(beefsoupwith
herbsandnoodles).
ManyVietnamesedishesareflavoredwithfishsauce(ncmm),whichsmellsandtasteslikeanchovies(quite
saltyandfishy)straightfromthebottle,butblendsintofoodverywell.(Trytakinghomeabottleoffishsauce,
andusingitinsteadofsaltinalmostanysavorydishyouwillbepleasantlysurprisedwiththeresults.)Fish
sauceisalsomixedwithlimejuice,sugar,water,andspicestoformatastydip/condimentcalledncchm,
servedonthetablewithmostmeals.Vegetables,herbsandspices,notablyVietnamesecoriander(raurm),
cilantro(raumiorraung),mint(rauhng)andbasil(rauhngqu),accompanyalmosteverydishandhelp
makeVietnamesefoodmuchlighterandmorearomaticthanthecuisineofitsneighboringcountries,especially
China.
Vietnam'snationaldishisph(pronouncedlikethefuin
funny,butwithtone),abrothsoupwithbeeforchickenand
ricenoodles(aformofricelinguiniorfettuccine).Phis
normallyservedwithplatesoffreshherbs(usuallyincluding
Asianbasil),cutlimes,hotchilesandandscaldedbeansprouts
whichyoucanaddinaccordingtoyourtaste,alongwithchili
paste,chilisauce,andsweetsoybeansauce.Phb,the
classicformofph,ismadewithbeefbroththatisoften
simmeredformanyhoursandmayincludeoneormorekinds
ofbeef(skirt,flank,tripe,etc.).Phgisthesameidea,but
withchickenbrothandchickenmeat.Phistheoriginal
Vietnamesefastfood,whichlocalsgrabforaquickmeal.
Mostphplacesspecializeinphandcanserveyouabowls
asfastasyoucouldgetaBigMac.It'savailableatanytimeof
theday,butlocalseatitmostoftenforbreakfast.Famousph
restaurantscanbefoundinHanoi.Generallyspeaking,theph
servedatroadsidestallstendstobecheaperandtastebetter
thanthoseservedinfancierrestaurants.
Pho
StreetsideeateriesinVietnamtypicallyadvertisephandcm.Thoughcmliterallymeansrice,thesignmeans
therestaurantservesaplateofriceaccompaniedwithfishormeatandvegetables.Cmisusedtoindicateeating
ingeneral...evenwhenriceisnotserved(ie:ncmcha?Haveyoueatenyet).Thoughtheymaylookfilthy,
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streetsideeateriesaregenerallysafesolongasyouavoidundercookedfood.
Inruralandregionalareasitisusuallysafesttoeatthelocallygrowntypesoffoodastheseareusuallybought
eachdayfromthemarket.Itisnotuncommon,thatafteryouhaveorderedyourmealayoungchildofthefamily
willbeseenrunningoutthebacktowardsthenearestmarkettopurchasetheitems.
Mostrestaurants/cafesinVietnamwillhaveabewilderingvarietyoffoodavailable.Itisverycommonformenus
tobeupto1015pages.ThesewillincludealltypesofVietnamesefood,plussometokenwesternfood,possibly
someChineseandmaybeapadthaiaswell.Itisgenerallybesttostickwiththespecialtyoftheareaasthisfood
willbethefreshestandalsothebestprepared.
Beadvisedthatwhendininginarestaurant,itiscommonpracticeforthewaitstafftoplaceaplasticpacket
(stampedwiththerestaurant'sname)containingamoisttoweletteonyourtable.Theyarenotfreetheycost
between2,0004,000VND.Ifyouopenit,youwillbechargedforit.Also,peanutsorothernutswillbeoffered
toyouwhileyouarebrowsingthemenu.Thosearenotfree,either.Ifyoueatany,youwillbecharged.
VegetarianfoodisquiteeasytofindanywhereinVietnamdueinlargeparttotheBuddhistinfluence.These
restaurantswillrunfromupscaletostreetstall.BasicallyanyVietnamesedishwithmeatcanbemadevegetarian
withtheabundanceoffakemeats.BesidestheBuddhistinfluenceoftwovegetariandaysamonth,CaoDaipeople
eatvegetarian16days,andfollowersofthebizarreQuanYinmethodeatvegandaily.Lookforanysignthatsays
ComChayorsimplyrememberthephraseAnChay.
Coffee,baguettes,andpastrieswereoriginallyintroducedbythe
Frenchcolonials,butallthreehavebeenlocalizedandremainpopular
contemporaryaspectsofVietnamesecuisine.Moreoncphbelow,
butcoffeeshopsthatalsoservelightfarecanbefoundinalmostevery
villageandonmultiplestreetcornersinthebiggercities.Bnhmare
Frenchbreadsandwiches:freshlybakedwhitebreadbaguettesfilled
withgrilledmeatsorliverorporkpt,plusfreshherbsand
vegetables.Mostpastryshopsserveavarietyofsweetsandquick
foods,andarenowownedbyVietnamese.
Bnhm:Frenchbaguettestuffedwith
Ifyoulikeseafood,youmayfindheaveninVietnam.Theultimate
pt,herbsandpickles
seafoodexperienceistravelingtoaseasidevillageorbeachresortarea
inthesouthtotrythelocalseafoodrestaurantsthatoftenserveshrimp,
crab,andlocallycaughtfish.Followthelocalstoagoodrestaurant:
thefoodwillstillbeswimmingwhenyouorderit,itwillbewellprepared,veryaffordablebyWesternstandards,
andoftenservedinfriendlysurroundingswithspectacularviews.
AllVietnameserestaurantsarecontrolledbygovernment,andsomearefullyownedbygovernment.Most
restaurants'openingtimesare10:00to22:00,someopenat07:00andsomeat06:00or08:00.In24hour
restaurants,therewillbetwoprices,thepriceisnormalfrom06:00to22:00,anddoubledfrom22:00to06:00.For
example,rice(com)usuallycosts10,000dong,butifyouorderafter22:00,thepricewillbe20,000dong.This
projectismadebygovernmenttodiscouragepeoplefromeatinglate.Somedishesarenotservedafter22:00.
Inmanyrestaurants,youwillusuallyget"erroredcuisine"translateddishes,suchasfriedfishwithlemonsauce
insteadoffishsauce,orricewithteainsteadofchili,andsomedishesarenotavailableforonemonthlongwithout
anyannouncement.
Toknowwhichrestaurantsanddishesarehighlyratedbylocals,trydownloadingpopularfoodappsamonglocals
suchasMenuX,Foody,orLozionappstores.TheyareavailableinEnglishandworkwithbothAndroid&iOS.
Note:restaurantsoftenofferyouawetnapkin(khn)attheendofamealtowashyouhands.Beawarethatusing
thisincursanextrachargeonyourbill.
Drink
Thelegalpurchasingageofalcoholicbeveragesis18.However,thereisnolegaldrinkingage.
Donotdrinktapwater,it'sagameofRussianRoulette.Drinkonlybottledwater.Watchoutforiceindrinks.
Factorymadeiceisgenerallysafe,butanythingelsecanbesuspect.
Pubs/bars
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DrinkinginaVietnamesebarisagreatexperience.Oneoftheinterestingthingsisthatduringtheday,itisalmost
impossibletoseeabaranywhere.Oncethesungoesdownthough,dozensseemtoappearoutofnowhereonthe
streets.
Beer
Don'tmissoutonbiahi,(literally"airbeer"),
ordraughtbeermadedaily.It'savailable
throughoutVietnam,mostlyfromsmallbarson
streetcorners.Biahoibarswillgiveyouthe
opportunitytorelaxdrinkinginatypical
Vietnamesebarsurroundedbythehustleand
bustleofeverydaylife.Everytravelercaneasily
findthesebarstoexperiencewhatthelocalsare
enjoying.
Thebeerisbreweddailyandeachbargetsa
freshbatchdeliveredeverydayinplasticjugs.
It'saverylight(3%alcohol)refreshinglagerata
fractionofthecostofdraftorbottledbeerinthe
Westernstylebars.Biahoiisnotalwaysmade
insanitaryconditionsanditsmakingisnot
monitoredbyanyhealthagency.Thoughfunfor
WikitravelfounderEvanquaffingbiahoiinHoiAn
thenoveltyfactor,thisbeermayproduceawful
hangoversforsome.Forthosepeople,sticking
withbiachai(bottledbeer)mightbemoreadvisable.
Themostpopularbeer(draft,bottleorcan)amongtheSouthernVietnameseisSaigonDo(RedSaigon).Forthe
NorthernVietnameseBiaHanoi(Hanoibeer)isthemostpopularbrand,whereasCentralVietnameseprefer
FestivalbeerorBiaHuda.333,pronounced"bababa"isalocalbrand,butit'ssomewhatblandforabitmore
flavor,lookforBiaSaigoninthegreenbottleandabiggerbottlethanBiaSaigonSpecial.BiaSaigonisalso
availableaslittlestrongerexportversion.BireLarueisalsogood,andyoucanfindlocalbrandsineverylarger
city.
It'sregularpractiseforbeerinVietnamtobedrunkoverice.Thismeansthatthecansorbottlesneednotbe
chilled.IfyouaredrinkingwithVietnamesepeopleitisconsideredpolitetotopuptheirbeer/icebeforerefilling
yourowndrink.Itisalsoconsiderednecessarytodrinkwhenatoastisproposed...mot,hai,ba,do(one,two,three,
cheers).Mottram,mottramimpliesyouwilldrink100%.
Microbreweries
Beerconsumptionisdominatedbybottledbeersandbiahoibuttherearealsoplentyofmicrobreweriesin
Vietnam.YoucanfindmicrobreweriesinHoChiMinhCity,NhaTrang,MuiNe,HaiDuong,HaiPhongand
Hanoi.MostofthemmakeCzechstyledbeerswithimportedmaltandhops.Themarketingofthesebreweriesis
moreorlessnonexistentsotheycanbehardtofind,butthefulllistcanbefoundonline(http://www.beervn.com).
Thepriceofa300mLglassofbeerisnormallyVND30,000.Mostofthebreweriesserveoneblackandoneblond
beer,aresmallandproduceabout34thousandlitresamonth.Therearemorethanthirtymicrobreweriesin
Vietnamwhichismorethaninmanyothercountriesintheregion.RecentlyagroupfromColoradohassetupthe
PasteurStreetBrewingCompany(http://www.pasteurstreet.com/)inSaigon.TheyservegreatAmericanstyle
microbrewswithalocalingredientsaddinganicetwist.
Wineandliquor
Vietnamese"ruoude"orricealcohol(ruoumeansalcohol)isservedintinyporcelaincupsoftenwithcandiedfruit
orpickles.It'scommonlyservedtomaleguestsandvisitors.Vietnamesewomendon'tdrinkmuchalcohol,wellat
leastinpublic.It'snotrecommendedfortourists.
DatingbacktoFrenchcolonialtimes,Vietnamadoptedatraditionofviticulture.Dalatisthecenterofthe
winelands,andyoucangetextremelygoodredandwhitewineforaboutUSD23,howeverthisisveryhardto
find.MostwineisAustralianthatisservedinrestaurantsandyouwillbechargedAustralianpricesaswellmaking
winecomparativelyquiteexpensivecomparedtodrinkingbeerorspirits.
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CoconutwineRudaruoudua:iveThisisspecialVietnamesewinethathastheacidityandalcohol
concentrationofgrapewine,butthetasteandfragranceofcoconut.Itmakesanattractivedrinkbecauseitis
servedinthewholecoconutandsippedthroughanaluminumtube.Itismadebyplacingtraditionalingredients
suchasstickyriceandpuresapintoawholecoconuttoferment.Itisbelievedthecopra(thewhitemeat)ofthe
coconutcanpurifyaldehydesthataretypicallyfoundinricewinewhichcancausehangoversymptomssuchas
headachesandtirednesswhenconsumedinexcess.Soyoucanfeelmorefreetodrinktoyourdrinkingpartners
health!
RicespiritandlocalVodkaisincrediblycheapinVietnambywesternstandards.RussianChampagneisalsoquite
available.WhenatNhaTrang,lookforthe'allyoucandrink'boattripsforaroundUS$1015foranalldaytrip
andpartywithonboardband.
Softdrinks
Coconutwaterisafavouriteinthehotsouthernpartofthecountry.ncma,SieuSachorsugarcanejuice,is
servedfromdistinctivemetalcartswithacrankpoweredsugarcanestalkcrushersthatreleasethejuice.Another
thirstquencheristhefabuloussinht,aselectionofslicedfreshfruitinabigglass,combinedwithcrushedice,
sweetenedcondensedmilkandcoconutmilkwhichshouldcost20,000dongatmaximum.Youcanalsohaveit
blendedinamixer.Youcouldplaceanyfruittypeafterthewordsinhte.g.sinhtb(avocadosmoothie)or
sinhtda(pineapplesmoothie).Ifyouprefertohaveorangejuice,youwon'tusethewordsinhtbutnc
(literally:water)ornccamifyouwouldliketohaveanorangejuice.Juicesareusuallywithoutcondensed
milkorcoconutmilk.
Coffee
Anotherpopulardrinkamonglocalsandtouristsalikeisthecoffee(cph).Dobecarefulwhendrinkinglocally
preparedcoffeeasthelocalstendtodrinkitincrediblystrongwithabout4teaspoonsofsugarpercup.Itisusually
servedblackorwithsweetenedcondensedmilk.Definitelyanacquiredtaste.
Vietnamesecoffeebeansarefried,notroasted.Ifyouarepicky,bringyourowncoffee.
Sleep
LodgingisnotanissueinVietnam,evenifyou'retravellingonaprettytightbudget.AccommodationinVietnam
rangesfromscruffyUS$6anightdormaccommodationinbackpackinghostelstoworldclassresorts,bothin
largecitiesandinpopularcoastalandruraldestinations.
Evenbackpackinghostelsandbudgethotelsareoftenfarcleanerandnicerthaninneighboringcountries
(Cambodia,Thailand,Laos),andcheaphotelsthatchargeUS$810foradoubleroomareoftenverycleanand
equippedwithtowels,cleanwhitesheets,soap,disposabletoothbrushesandsoon.
Inhotelscostingafewdollarsmore(US$12perroomupwards,moreinHanoi)youcanexpectanensuite
bathroom,telephone,airconditioningandtelevision.Aswithhotelselsewhereintheworld,minirefrigeratorsin
Vietnamesehotelsareoftenstockedwithdrinksandsnacks,butthesecanbehorriblyoverpricedandyouwould
bemuchbetteroffbuyingsuchitemsonthestreet.Adequateplumbingcanbeaprobleminsomehotelsbutthe
standardisconstantlyimproving.
Itisalegalrequirementforallhotelstoregisterthedetailsofforeignguestswiththelocalpolice.Forthisreason
theywillalwaysaskforyourpassportwhenyoucheckin.Theprocessusuallyonlytakesafewminutes,after
whichtheywillreturnyourpassport.However,becausenonpaymentbyguestsisbynomeansunknown,some
hotelsretainpassportsuntilcheckout.Ifaplacelooksdodgythenaskthattheyregisteryouwhileyouwaitand
takeyourpassportwithyouafterwards.ItishelpfultocarrysomephotocopiesofyourpassportaswellasVietnam
visa,whichyoucanthenhandovertothehotel,insistingifnecessarythatyouractualpassportisnotinyour
possessionbutratheratatravelagencyforpurposeofvisaextension(whichisalegitimatesituation).
Alternatively,youcantrytoextendanadvancepaymentratherthanallowthemtokeepyourpassport.
MosthotelsthroughoutVietnamnowhavehighspeedInternetaccess.Facebook,Twitter,andothersocial
networksareblockedbutaquickgooglesearchcanexplainhowtoeasilybypassthisbanausefulhotelbooking
engineVnbooking(http://www.vnbooking.com),too.Theuseofcomputersisgenerallyfree,althoughsomehotels
levyasmallcharge.
Themorehighendhotelsofferamultitudeofamenitiessuchaselaboratebuffetswithlocalcuisine,spa
treatments,localsightseeingpackages,etc.
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HanoinowhassomehostelsforfamiliescalledHanoiFamilyHostels.Roomsherearelargeandwithmorebeds
forchildren.
Homestayaccommodationiseasilybookedthroughtravelagents.However,sometouristsaredisappointedto
learnthatthe"homestay"theybookedisreallyacommercialhotelortheaccommodationissituatedinaseparate
buildingfromthefamilyhome.
Responsiblehotels,greenhotelsorclaimedtobesohotelsareincreasinginVietnam.Thereisnostandardor
accreditationschemebutthisisapositivesignthatVietnamesepeoplearepayingmoreattentiontotheimpactof
tourismonenvironment.Bysaying"yes"toresponsibleaccommodation,youcanhelpprotectthelocalnature,
environmentandcommunitywithoutwithoutsacrificingyourenjoyment.Ecofriendlyhotelscanbefoundin
northernmountainousareasaswellassomeLodgesinMekongDelta,aVietnamthatmanydreamaboutwithlush
ricepaddies,endlesswaterwaysandlaidbackvillages.
Learn
Ifyouwanttomeetlocalpeople,stopbyaschool.InHoChiMinhCity(akaSaigon),visittheAmerican
LanguageSchool,whereyou'llbewelcomedenthusiasticallyandinvitedtogointoaclassandsayhello.You'll
feellikearockstar.
TheVietnameselovetomeetnewpeople,andteacherswelcometheopportunityfortheirstudentstomeet
foreigners.
AnexcellentnovelsetinmoderndayVietnamis"DragonHouse"byJohnShors.DragonHouseisthestoryof
twoAmericanswhotraveltoVietnamtoopenacentretohouseandeducateVietnamesestreetchildren.
FormerBBCreporterinHanoi,BillHayton,haswrittenagoodintroductiontomostaspectsoflifeinVietnam
theeconomy,politics,sociallife,etc.It'scalledVietnam:risingdragonandwaspublishedinMayof2010.
Work
YoucanvolunteerasanEnglishteacherthroughmanyvolunteerorganisations.However,ifyouhavea
TEFL/TESOLqualificationandadegreethenit'sveryeasytofindpaidteachingwork.Withoutqualificationsit's
alsopossibletofindwork,butittakesmorepatiencetofindajob,andoftenthereareconcessionstomakewith
payment,schoollocationandworkinghours(weekends).Mostteachingjobswillpay$15to$20anhour.Thereare
alsomanypaidvolunteeringorganisationswhichallowyoutohelplocalcommunities,suchas:Love
Volunteers[3](http://www.lovevolunteers.org/programs/childcarevolunteersvietnamcommunitywork
volunteersvietnam),itoi[4](http://www.itoi.com/teachenglishabroad/vietnam.html)andGlobalVolunteers[5]
(http://www.globalvolunteers.org/vietnam/default.asp).
Staysafe
Crime
RuralVietnamisarelativelysaferplacefortouriststhanurbanVietnam.Lowlevelstreetcrimeslikebag
snatchingregularlyoccurinmajorcitieslikeHanoiandSaigon.Fewinstancesofknifeattacksduringrobberies
havebeenreported.
Avoidfightsandargumentswithlocals(especiallygroups).Keepinmindthatyellingishighlyinsultingto
Vietnamese,sothereactionofaVietnameseinsuchasituationmaybeunexpected.
Asaforeigner,Vietnameseexpectyoutoactacertainwayintheircountry.Youshouldrespectthegenerallawof
theland.Mostoftheseargumentscanbeavoidedeasilybyshowinggeneralcourtesy,andtoleratingcultural
differencesthatmayseemrudetoyou.
Streetrobbery
TouristyareasandhighpopulationcitiesinVietnamareareastowatchforthieves,pickpockets,andscammers.
Theyespeciallytargetforeigners.PickpocketsandmotorbikesnatchinghavefoundtheirhomeespeciallyinHo
ChiMinhCity,HanoiandNhaTrang.Thievesonmotorbikeswillsnatchbags,mobilephones,cameras,and
jeweleryoffpedestriansandothermotorbikedrivers,anditisacrimecommittedsoregularlythatevenlocal
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Vietnamesearecommonvictims.Avoiddanglingyourbagsalongtrafficroads.Talkingonyourmobilephonenext
tocarsontheroadandputtingyourbagonthefrontbasketofamotorbikewilltemptarobber.Itcouldhappenday
ornight,inacrowdedroadwithhundredsofdrivers.Pickpocketsarewellorganizedandoperateingroups.
Ifyoutravelbymotorbike,beawarethatcrookscancauseserioussecurityissues.Reportsofpeopleclaimingthat
"yourmotorcycleisonfire"andofferingtorepairitorpassersbythatthrownailsatforeignersonmotorcyclesare
frequent.
Theft
Alsoinfamouslycommonaretheftsonpopularbeaches.Neverleaveyourbagunattendedonbeaches.Inhotel
rooms,includingfivestarones,reportsthatbelongingsarestolenhavebeenheardregularlybyhotelstaff,
especiallywhenitcomestosmallpersonalitemsofhighvalue(cash,digitalcameras,etc),sotakeyourcashorput
itinasecuritydepositbox,andthesamewithsmalldigitalequipment.Therearemanyplaceswhereleavinglarger
electronicslikelaptopsintheroomisperfectlyfine.Also,hotelemployeesareknowntotrytopickpadlocksas
soonastheyseeone(<thevalidityofthisstatementisquestionable).Themosteffectivepreventativestepisto
onlybookhotelroomsatplacesthathaveagoodreputationandreviews.
Conmen
Oneofthetricksemployedbyconmenistargetingtouriststravelingonbikesbydeliberatelycrashingintotourists
bikestoblamethemtoextortmoney.
ShowspecialcautionwhendrinkingwithVietnamesemen.
Scams
Vietnamprobablyhasthemostscamspersquarefoot,andsignificantlymorethaninsurroundingcountries.One
certaintraitofVietnamesescamsisthatthereseemstobenolimittowhatpeoplewouldtrytooverchargeyou.It
isprettycommonforthescammerstoattempttooverchargeyoubytenorfiftytimesandsometimesevenmore.
Averycommononeiswhentheorganizersclaimthatthebusbrokedownandthetouroperatorsforcepeopleto
payhugeamountsforcrummyhotels"whilethebusisrepaired".Becarefulwhengoingtoashoporrestaurant
thatdoesn'thavepriceswrittendown.Beforeeatingameal,askforthepriceoryoumaybeinforasurprisingbill.
Whenyouembarkonatouristtour,beindependent:knowwhereyouareatalltimesandbeawareofalternatives
thetourmightsuddenlyfallapart.
Thepoliceareprobablytheworstcrooksofthemall.Theyareknowntostealitemsfrompeople(bothlocalsand
tourists)andaskforasteepbribetogettheiteminreturn.Also,don'tcountonthemforanyhelpifyouarevictim
ofcrime.
MostscamsinVietnamareintransport,hotelpricesandthetwomenussystempracticedbysomerestaurants.
Hotelownersmaytellyouthattheroompriceis200,000dong.However,whencheckingout,theymayinsistthat
thepriceisUSD20,chargingyoualmostadouble.Anothertrickistotellcustomersthata"room"isafewdollars,
butfollowingdaythey'llsaythatpricewasforafanroomonlyandit'sanotherpriceforanairconroom.These
days,legitimatehotelownersseemtobeawareofthesescamsandareusuallywillingtohelpbywritingdown
howmuchtheroomisperpersonperday(inUSdollarsordong),ifithasairconornot.Staffoflegitimatehotels
alsoneveraskforpaymentfromaguestwhentheycheckin.Watchoutiftheyinsistthatyoushouldpaywhenyou
checkoutbutrefusetowritedownthepriceonpaper.
Somerestaurantsareknowntohavetwomenus,oneforlocalpeopleandanotheroneforforeigners.Theonlyway
todealwithitistolearnafewVietnamesephrasesandinsistthatyoushouldbeshownonlytheVietnamesemenu.
Iftheyhesitatetoshowyouthelocalmenu,youbetterwalkaway.Onrareoccasionsrestaurantshavetwo
(English)menuswithdifferentprices.Takingpicturesofallmenusmightbeexcessive,butifyoususpectthatthe
foodhadadifferentpricewhenordered,standyourground.Weusuallymemorizethepricesofwhatweorderand
payexactlythat.Theownersrarelymakeabigdealoutofitbecausetheyknowtheycheated.Otherwiseaskfor
thepolice.
ManytaxidriversinSaigonandHanoiinstallriggedmeters,chargingupto2to8timesmore.Thebestwayto
reduceyourchancesisbytakingataxifromreputablecompaniessuchasMaiLinh(+8438383838)and
VinasuninSaigonandMaiLinhandHanoiTouristforHanoi(butnotethattakingthesecompaniesisnota
guarantee,andtravelershavehadproblemsevenwithreputablecompanies).Ifyoudon'tknowwhatareasonable
fareis,itisgenerallyabadideatoagreeonapriceinadvance.SpokenforSaigon,thetworecommended
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companieshavequitereliablemeters.Vinasuntaxisusuallyhavenoticesexplainingthatthemetervalueshouldbe
multipliedby1000toobtainthefare.Somedriverswilltakeadvantageoftheambiguity,andtourists'lackof
knowledgeaboutwhatthefareshouldbe,soitisbesttohavethingsclearlywrittenout.
TaxisareabundantinSaigonandyoucangetataxiatanytimeofthedayor(night).YoucanalsocallaTaxi,
andusuallypeopleatcallcenterswillbeabletoeitherconverseinEnglish,orwillpassonthephonetosomeone
whocan.Ruleofthumbtodetectscammers:ifthetaxidoesn'thavethefarechargeswritten,ordriversnameand
photoonthedashboard,immediatelyaskthetaxitostopandgetout.It'sadefinitescam.
Whenleavingtheairport,thetaxidrivermayinsistthatyoupaytheairporttoll.Hemightnotbeveryforthcoming
aboutthepriceand,ifyougivehimcash,hewillpaythetollandpockettherest.
ManytaxidriversinSaiGonandHaNoitrytooverchargethinfaced,justarrived,andgullibletravelers.You
shouldconsultsomeguidebooksandtravelforumstoprepareyourselfforthosepettyscamsandtolearnmore
abouthowtoavoidthem.TheairporttollfeeinSaigonis10,000dong(asofJuly2012)thisisalsowritten,along
withthefare,onthedashboardofthetaxi.Youcanconfidentlysay"airporttollonly10,000"andrefusetopay
anythingelsesuchasparkingetc.(unlessthereweremoretollroadsinbetween).Usually,thedriverwillnotargue
itout.InSaigon,atriptoBackpackersStreetshouldnotcostmorethan250,000dongfromtheairportinanycase.
InseveralothercitiesofVietnam,suchasDalat,HoiAn,NhaTrangetc.DONOTtravelbymeter.Theairports
areasfaras3040kmfromtheseplacesandmeterwillcostyoufrom500,000to650,000dong.However,youcan
eithertakeabusfromtheAirporttothecitycenter,orprenegotiaterateswithtaxisfrom200,000300,000dong.
Refertoindividualsectionsfordetails.PayattentiontosidesoftaxiusuallyarateforAirportdropiswrittenon
thedooritself.
Taxiandcyclodriversmayclaimthattheydon'thavechangewhenacceptingpaymentforanagreeduponfare.
Thebestwaytohandlethisistoeithercarrysmallerbillsorbereadytostandyourground.Generallythedriveris
onlytryingtogetanextradollarorsobyroundingthefareup,buttopreventthisscamfrombecomingmore
popularitisadvisedtostaycalmandfirmabouttheprice.
Whenyoumeetanoverfriendlycyclodriverwhosays,"nevermindhowmuchyouwouldpay"or"youcanpay
whateveryoulikeattheendofthetrip".Heeventriestoshowyouhisbookofcommentsfrominternational
tourists.Thiskindofdriverhastobeascammer.Ifyoustillwanttousehisserviceyoushouldmakeitclearabout
theagreedpriceanddon'tpaymorethanthat.Justbeclearwhatyouarewillingtopaythecyclodriversarejust
tryingtomakealiving.
Corruption
CorruptionisabigprobleminVietnamandlocalsareconvincedthatthepolicearenottobetrusted.Police
officersmaystopmotorcycleridersforanyreasonincludingmissinginsurancepapersoramissingdrivinglicense,
andfineyouaroundUSD$20foreachoffense(theaveragetrafficfineshouldonlybeaboutUSD$5$10).
Remembertostandyourgroundandallofficersarerequiredtowritealltrafficviolationsintheirnotebookand
giveyouareceiptwithdirectionstopaytothestation(nottheofficer).Ifyouhaveacellphone,threatentocall
yourembassyandhemaybackdown.However,youmightjustfinditeasiertopaythefineandgetonyourway.
Immigrationofficersareknowntotakebribes.DuringtheearlyDoiMoi(thereforminthe90s),bribescouldbea
fewUSdollarsorafewpacksof555cigarettes.Today,althoughsomeofficersstillseemtofeelokayattaking
bribes,itisabsolutelyriskfreeandacceptableifyoudon'tbribe.
TheinternationalmonitoringgroupTransparencyInternationalhasratedVietnamasoneofthemostcorrupt
nationsinAsia.
Prostitution
ProstitutionisillegalinVietnam,butitisneverthelesswidespread.Duetoconservativecultureitislessvisible,
thereisnostreetprostitutionorgogoclubs.Howeveritthrivesbothintraditionalestablishments(massageparlors
andspas,nightclubs,hourlyrentals)andinsomeplacesyouwouldneverexpect,suchashairsalons.Rickshaw
driversalsoofferprostitutestotouristsateverytouristdestinations,andinlessreputablehotelsthestaffmayoffer
themaswell.
Especiallypayspecialattentionifyouwantamassageinatouristarea.Inlegitimatemassageestablishments,a
maleistypicallymassagedbyamalemasseuse.Youcanaskforamalemasseuse,andwhilemosttouristserving
establishmentswon'thaveone,itwillinformthemthatyou'rereallylookingforamassage(andnotforother
activities).
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Theageofconsentis18.Vietnamhaslawsonthebookswithpenaltiesupto2040yearsinprisonforsexually
exploitingwomenandchildren,andinthecaseofunderageprostitution,thoselawsareindeedenforced.Also,
severalnationshavelawsthatallowthemtoprosecutetheirowncitizenswhotravelabroadandengagein
intercoursewithminors.
Traffic
ThefirstdiscoveryformanytouristswhojustarriveinVietnamisthattheyneedtolearnhowtocrossaroadall
overagain.Youmayseeatouriststandingontheroadfor5minuteswithoutknowinghowtocrossit.Trafficin
Vietnamisanightmare.Backhome,youmayneverwitnessthemomentofcrash,seeinginjuredvictimslyingon
theroad,orhearingtheBANGsound.StayinginVietnamformorethanamonth,youwillhavefairchanceof
experiencingallthese.
Roadsarepacked.Someintersectionsinmaincities(Hanoi,HoChiMinhCity)havetrafficlightspatrolledby
police.
Tocrosstheroad,don'ttrytoavoidthecars,letthemavoidyou.Stepconfidentlyforward,alittlemore,andyou
willseemotorcycledriverstoslowdownabit,orgotoanotherway.Makeyourpaceandpathpredictableand
obvioustootherdrivers.Don'tchangeyourspeedordirectionsuddenly.Thenmoveforwarduntilyouhityour
destination.Thebeststrategyisjusttokeepwalkingforwardatacomfortablepace.
Thesimplestway,ifavailable,istofollowalocal,standnexttothemintheoppositesideofthetraffic(ifyouget
hit,hewillgetitfirst)andhewillgiveyouthebestchanceofcrossingaroad.
Ifyouareinjured,don'texpectthatlocalpeoplearewillingtohelpforevencallinganambulancebecauseitisnot
free.Makesureyoutelllocalclearlythatyouwillpaytheambulancefee.Hospitalswillalsonotacceptyour
admissionunlessyouprovethatyoucanpaythebill.
Highwaysarealsoriskywithanaverageof30deathsadayandsomelocalswillnotevenventureonthemifnotin
abigvehicle(carorbus).Takingabicycleormotorcycleonhighwaysisanadventureforrisktakers,definitely
notforafamilywithchildren.
Nightlife
Pettycrimeinnightclubscanhappen.AvoidquarrelingwithlocalpeoplebecausedrunkenVietnamesecanbe
violent.Clubsarefullofprostituteslookingfortheiradmirersbutbeawarethattheymayalsostealyourwallet
andmobilephone,etc.Walkingverylatebyyourselfonthestreetsinthetouristareaisoftenunsafe.
Avoidaskingthecabdriversforrecommendednightspots.MostcabdriversarepaidbyKTVsandloungesto
bringinforeigntourists.Usuallywhenyouwalkintheywilltellyouasetofpricingwhichseemsreasonablebut
whenyoucheckoutthebillwillincludeanumberofextravagantcharges.Doyourhomeworkbeforehandandtell
thecabdriverswhereyouwanttogo.Insistongoingtowhereyouwanttogodespitetheirpersuasion.Therearea
numberofreputablepubsanddiscoaround.Trygoingtothosewhichhaveapreponderanceofforeigners.
Wildlife
MuchofVietnam'secologyhasbeenseverelydamagedandverylittlewildliferemains,letaloneanything
dangeroustohumans.Venomoussnakes(suchasCobras)maystillbecommoninruralareasbutvirtually
everythingelsehaseithergoneextinctorexistinsuchsmallnumbersthatthechancesofevenseeingthemare
remote.Tigersmayexistinverysmallnumbersinremoteareas,butthisisyettobeproven.Saltwatercrocodiles
oncethrivedinsouthernVietnambuthavebeenlocallyextinctforatleast20years,althoughareintroduced
populationofSiamesecrocodilesthrivesatalakeinCatTienNationalPark.
Stayhealthy
Tropicaldiseasessuchasmalaria,denguefeverandJapaneseencephalitisareendemicinruralVietnam.Malaria
isn'tasmuchaconcerninthebiggercitiessuchasHoChiMinhandHanoi,butalwaysremembertotake
mosquitoliquidrepellentwithyou.Itmaybeveryuseful,especiallyinthecountrysideandcrowded
neighbourhoods.
Thankstomuchimprovedhygieneconditionsinrecentyears,cookedfoodsoldbystreetvendorsandin
restaurants,includingblendedicedrinks,aremostlysafe.Justuseyourcommonsenseandfollowthetipsunder
theTraveller'sdiarrhoeaarticleandyou'llmostlikelybefine.
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Donotdrinktapwater,it'sagameofRussianRoulette.Alwaysdrinkonlybottledwater.
TheUS"CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention"(CDC)alsohaverecommendationsforvaccinesand
stayinghealthywhentravellinginVietnam.(http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/vietnam)
Respect
SouvenirshopsinVietnamselllotsofTshirtswiththeredflagandportraitsof"UncleHo."Manyoverseas
VietnamesearehighlycriticalofthegovernmentofVietnamyoumaywanttoconsiderthisbeforewearingsuchT
shirtsintheircommunitiesbackhome!Alesscontroversialpurchasewouldbeannl(strawhat)instead.
It'scommontobestaredatbylocalsinsomeregions,especiallyinthecentralandnorthernsideofthecountry,
andinruralareas.Southernersareusuallymoreopen.
AsianwomentravelingwithnonAsianmencouldattractattention,beingconsideredlovers,escortsorprostitutes
bysomepeopleandmayevenbeharassedorinsulted.Theseattitudesandbehaviorshavelessenedbuthavenot
yetdisappeared.
ThemostsurprisingthingaboutthetopicoftheVietnamWar(theAmericanorReunificationWar,asitiscalledin
Vietnam)isthattheVietnamesedonotbearanyanimosityagainstvisitorsfromthecountriesthatparticipated,and
intheSouthmanyVietnamese(especiallyolderVietnameseinvolvedintheconflictorwithrelativesinthewar)
appreciateoratleastrespectthepreviousWesternmilitaryeffortsagainsttheNorth.Twothirdsofthepopulation
werebornafterthewarandarequitefondofthewest.Thatsaid,therearesomeattractionswhichpresentavery
antiAmericanviewpointonthewar'slegacy,whichmaymakesomefeeluncomfortable.
Besensitiveifyoumustdiscusspastconflicts.Wellover3millionVietnamesedied,anditisbesttoavoidany
conversationsthatcouldbetakenasaninsulttothesacrificesmadebybothsidesduringthewars.Donotassume
thatallVietnamesethinkalikeasmanyVietnameseintheSoutharestillbitterabouthavinglostagainsttheNorth.
TheofficialgovernmentrelationshipwiththePRChinahasdeterioratedsignificantlyrecentlyasthetwocountries
arelockedinaterritorialdisputeovermaritimebordersstayneutralandbeaware.
Traditionalcostume
YoucanseepeoplewearingVietnamesetraditionalcostumeAodai(odi,longdress)whichhasastrong
bondwithVietnamesetradition,history,culture.Itisalongsilkdresswhichissplitonitsside.Forcenturies,it
hasbeenacknowledgedthatAodaiistherepresentativeofthecountryandpeople.Vietnamissomewhat
influencedbytheChineseincludingtheirwayofdressingduetofourthousandyearsbeingunderChinesereign.
GoingtoVietnam,touristscaneasilycatchsightofVietnamesewearingAodaiinsolemnceremoniessuchasthe
deathanniversaryofHungKings,QuanhoBacNinh,HuongTemplecelebration,newyearsEveandother
importantfestivals.Aodaiwasoriginallydesignedforbothmenandwomen,butitismostlypreferredbywomen
duetoitsslender,elegantdesignthedesignwhichisdefinitelysuitabletohonorVietnamesewomen.Aodaiis
usuallywornalongwithNonla(nnl,leafhat)oraclothwornoveroneshead,knownasKhandong(khn
ng,silkhat).TherearevariousversionsofAodaisuchasminiraglanAodai,turtleneckAodai,etc."Miss
Aodai"pageantisoneofthemostpopularbeautycontestsonourtraditionalcostume.Itaimstopreserveaswell
asintroduceVietnamesetraditionalcostumetofriendsaroundtheworld.TouristswhocometoVietnamcanwatch
thisshowatHoChiMinhCitypalaceofculture.Inaddition,ifyouwishtohaveyourownAodai,herearesome
recommendedbranchesthatyoumaywanttotakealook:ThaiTuanAodai,LienHuongAoDai.Thesebranches
canprovideyouwiththemostauthenticAodai.
Contact
Phone
Police113,
FireBrigade114,
Hospital115,
Time117,
GeneralInformation1080
LandlinenumbersinHanoiandHCMChaveasequenceofeightnumbers,othershaveseven.
Vietnaminternationalcode:+84
Hanoiareacode:(04)
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3/8/2016
HoChiMinhareacode:(08)
VoIPcalls
Telephonebillsare30%to40%cheaperifdialedwith171or178services.
Domesticcall:171(178)+0+Areacode+Number.
Internationalcall:171(178)+00+Countrycode+Areacode+Number.
Sincehotelsandguesthousesoftenchargehigherfortelephonecalls,trytofindapostofficeoranyreliablepublic
service.
Mobilephones
Therearemanymobilenetworkswithdifferentcodes:
Vinaphone:91,94,121,123,125(GSM900)
Mobifone:90,93,122,124,126(GSM900/1800)
Viettel:98,97,165,166,167,168,169(GSM900)
SFone:95(CDMA)
Vietnamobile:92(CDMA)
EVNTelecom:96(CDMA)
Beeline:199,99(GSM900)
YoucanbuyaSIMcardineveryshopsellingmobilephones,orshowingtheirnetwork'sbrands.Thestandard
priceisnohigherthan75,000dong,butforeignersareoftencharged100,000dong.
Prepaidaccountchargesvaryfrom1,7002,500dongperminute.Rechargecardsareavailableindenominationsof
50,000,100,000,200,000and500,000dong.
RoamingontoVietnam'sGSMnetworksarepossiblewithforeignmobilephones,subjecttoagreementsbetween
operators.
Internet
Internetaccessisavailableinallbutthemostremotetowns.Internetcafesareavailableinmosttouristspotsand
ratesarefairlyaffordable,rangingfrom2,00010,000dongperhour.Connectionspeedsarehigh,especiallyinthe
bigcities.ManyhotelsandrestaurantsprovidefreeWiFiorterminalsfortheirguests.
Ifyoubringyourownphone,severalprovidersoffermobileinternetservices(EDGE/3G)servicesforsurprisingly
affordableprices.Forexample,Vietteloffersunlimited(albeitslow)3Ginternetfor70,000dongpermonthasof
June2014afterpurchaseofsimcard.Mobifonehasbetterspeedswithacomparable"unlimitedinternet"pricing
plan.Havingmobileaccesstotheinternetforsuchacheappriceisreallyanobrainer,asitopensthedoorto
findingdirectionswhenyouarelost,lookinguphotelreviews,verifyingreasonablepricingonservices,using
translationwebsites,andsoon.Thiscanreallytaketheedgeoffoftravelingtoanewcity.
Internetcensorshipisappliedtoasmallnumberofinternetservices.Inthepast,FacebookandSkypehavebeen
blocked.AsofJuly2014,FacebookstillcontinuestobeblockedincertainareassuchasHanoi(whichcanbe
bemusingasFacebookisoneofthedefactosocialnetworkingwebsitesusedbylocals).AquickGooglesearch
forsolutionsshouldhelpyoubypassrestrictionsonbannedsitesquiteeasily.OthersitessuchasGmail,YouTube,
andWikipediahavenotbeenaffected.
Thisarticleisanoutlineandneedsmorecontent.Ithasa
template,butthereisnotenoughinformationpresent.Please
plungeforwardandhelpitgrow!
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3/8/2016
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