Vietnam

Traveling in Vietnam

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Vietnam Guide
Diplomatic representations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation: Motorbikes, bicycles, cars and then buses.
Maps of urban networks: Vietnam Department of Survey and Mapping
Google Map

Transportation from Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car rental
Hanoi - Noibai (HAN)	22 km / 14 miles	USD 10 / 40-50 min	USD 3 / 40 min
Haiphong - Cat Bi (HPH)	6 km / 4 miles	USD 4 / 20 min

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation: Mainly in motorbikes, cars and coaches. Then train, boat and plane.
Rail companies: Vietnam Railways

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic flights	International flights
Vietnam Airlines	National	Yes	Yes
Jetstar Pacific Airlines	Low cost	Yes	Yes

You can consult the list of airlines banned within the EU. Look also the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation: There are good taxi networks in big cities. Taxis are affordable and the best way to travel. 1USD for the first 1,5km. There is also a good network of buses. Taxi drivers in big cities can speak English, Chinese.
Road maps: Vietnam Department of Survey and Mapping
Find an itinerary: Vietnam Department of Survey and Mapping

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical: - In the North: temples and pagodas, old towns...
- In the Centre: Hue imperial palace/ tombs, Panguranda, Pagodas, Old Towns ...
- In the South: palaces, museums, theatres, churches, Cu Chi Tunnel, markets...
Cultural: Festivals and Ceremonies

Vietnam Traditional Clothes

Vietnam Traditional musics and Traditional instruments

Vietnam Religions

Vietnam Arts
Nature: National Parks and Natural Reserves (Cuc Phuong, Phong Nha - Ke Bang, Yok Don...)
Religious: Pagodas where buddists ceremonies are conducted. There are three important buddhist festivals following lunar calendar, in mid January, mid April and mid July.

Churchs: The most important festival in the year is Christmas.

Temples: There are temples of other religions as Hoa Hao, Khome...
Thermal: Water Parks in the big cities:

Dam Sen Warter Park -

Suoi Tien Water Park (in Hochiminh City)

Ho Tay Water Park (in Ha Noi city).

Beaches in the whole country
Beach: The beaches of Vietnam stretch out from the North to the South. Tourists can bathe, taste sea foods, take a boat or canoe to get to islands.
Winter sports: No
Outdoor activities: Picnics, mountain climbing, boating, visiting fruit farms...
Shopping: The most popular items for foreign travellers are:
- Carved wooden furniture, fine lacquerware (these can be shipped home on request).
- Ao dai, Traditional Vietnamese hand-made silk dresses, kimonos, embroideries...
- Antiques, fine ceramics, old watches or Zippo lighters...
- XQ hand embroidery Painting, Copies of famous paintings.

They are sold in most touristic destinations.

Top highlights of the capital city
Hochiminh President Temple
Ba Dinh Square
Presidental Palace
Hochiminh Museum
Quan Thanh Temple
Mot Cot Pagoda
Temple of Literature
West Lake
Ha Noi Old Town
Hoan Kiem Lake

Top highlights of the country
Halong Bay
Hoi An Ancien Town
Hue Imperial City
Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park
My Son Sites
Da Lat City
Nha Trang City
Hochiminh City
Hanoi City
Beautiful Beaches

Tourism organizations: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism

Living conditions

Health and safety

Health precautions: Vaccination for children is free and mandatory in Vietnam. For visitors, vaccinations against tuberculosis and hepatitis B are sometimes advised. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Unpasteurised milk should be boiled. However, pasteurised milk is widely available now. Avoid dairy products that are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.
International hospitals: Familly Medical Practice, FV Hospital
For further information on sanitary conditions: Ministry of Health
For further information on safety conditions: The Government Website - Department of Safety and Security.

Emergency numbers

Police	113
Fire	114
Ambulance	115
Telephone	116
Consulting	1080

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference: It is %T:%M %A in Hanoi (GMT+7)
Summer time period: No

Map of the time zone

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of climate: Vietnam has a Tropical climate. There are 4 seasons in the north (spring, summer, automn and winter) but only two in the south (rainy and dry season). In the north, temperatures range from 5°C in December and January, to more than 37°C in April. They average 27 to 28° in the South from January to December.
For further information: National Center of Meteorology and Hydrology

Average annual temperatures and rainfall

Climate

Eating

Food specialties: Main dishes are based on pork, chicken, beef, fish and other sea food. The most known dishes are Nem, Pho and Banh cuon. For dessert, there are amongst many other dishes, lots of different sweet soups.
Drinks: Beverage, beer, water, alcohol, fruit juice.
Dietary restrictions: There are no culinary restrictions in the Vietnam.

Paying

Domestic currency: Vietnamese Dong
ISO Code: VND
To obtain domestic currency: Local currency can be withdrawn at ATM, in banks and in the major commercial centres.
Possible means of payment: Most of the credit card, Master card, Visa, American Express are usually used, but cash is the most important means of payment.

Speaking

Official language: Vietnamese
Other languages spoken: French and Chinese are also spoken.
Business language: Vietnamese, then English and Chinese. French, Japanese and Korean are also spoken.
Getting some knowledge: For more information on Vietnamese language go to this link.
Free translation tools: vdict.com - English-Vietnamese-English Dictionary
Web Dictionaries - English-Vietnamese-English Dictionary