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Vietnam Travel Tips

Geography

Land area : 330,991 km2
Population : More than 78 million
On the world map, Vietnam lies at the center of South East Asia making an S-shaped stretch of land on the East side of the Indochina peninsula, facing the Eastern Sea ( South China Sea) on the Pacific Ocean. Vietnam's coastline is more than 3,260 kms in length or almost twice that of the country from North to South, a natural endowment that gives it a great tourism potential. Vietnam has common borders with many countries: to the North with China, East and Southeast with Laos and Cambodia. Other neighboring countries include Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei.

The topography is very diverse with mountain ranges, rivers, forest, sea, highland, deltas, etc. Although it is a country that is located entirely in the tropical region, it has areas that enjoy conditions of temperate zone like Sa Pa or Da Lat, which has been dubbed Switzerland of South East Asia by passionate travelers.

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Climate

Vietnam is located in the tropical zone characterized by sunshine, high rainfall, humidity and monsoon. Most mountainous regions are temperate. The annual average temperature is from 22ºC to 27ºC with two distinguished seasons in general: the cold and dry one from November to April and the other hot and wet from May to October. Especially the North has four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The best time to visit the country is from October to April.

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Currency

The Vietnamese currency is Dong (VND). Banknotes in circulation are 100 Dong, 200 Dong, 500 Dong, 1,000 Dong, 2,000 Dong, 5,000 Dong, 10,000 Dong, 20,000 Dong, 50,000 Dong and 100,000 Dong recently issued by The State Bank of Vietnam. The rate of exchange is approximately 1 USD = 14,950 dong. Foreign currencies can be exchanged at the bank, exchange bureau or hotel reception desk. Travelers' cheque and most of Credit cards are accepted in the major cities.

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Visa

The entry visas are obtainable from the nearest Vietnamese Embassy, a travel agent or upon arrival. The validity of tourist visas is about one month and could be extended. Photo, passport and personal data required should be given.

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Local Transportation

Bus, train, taxi, cyclo, taxi-motor "Xe Om", Xe Lam ( like Tuk Tuk in Thailand ) and car, motor & bike for rent are available in the major cities.

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Emergency Call

Police: 113. Fire Brigade: 114. First Aid: 115.

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Healcare Centers

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Airport

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Electricity

Electric current in Vietnam is 220 volts at 50 Hertz but outlets of 110 volts at 50 hertz are somewhere also available. Today, most outlets are flat pins. The rest are round pins.

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Post and Telecommunication

Vietnamese postal system offers you most telecommunications services. At present, telecommunications fee in Vietnam is said to be the most expensive in all over the world. But the situation is changing overtime. Otherwise, you could find herein some special services such as: EMS ( Express Mail Service ), DHL Worldwide Express, Freight Forwarders...

Email & Internet : Thank to the technology, E-mail and Internet services are available in most hotels and posts in Vietnam. An other place where you could find the same service is Cafe Internet in the street of major cities. Normally the post will charge you 100 VND per minute for internet service ( about 0.006 USD ) but it could be 150 VND ( 0.009 USD ) or more in the hotel or Cafe Internet. Evident, isn't it ?

Telephone Box & Telephone Card : Telephone box is the cheapest way for you to call home . You can find telephone box at post offices or in the street of major cities. Telephone cards are on sales at GPO, shops, restaurants, book stores...

Mobile phone : In Vietnam, GMS ( Global Mobilephone System ) is presently operated by two main suppliers: VINAPHONE and MOBIFONE so your mobile phone could be used here by roaming service. These suppliers offer also VINA and MOBI Pre-Paid Card service. The best way for you to use mobile phone in the country is to rent a mobile phone and buy a pre-paid card. It is easy to rent a mobile phone at your hotel or at a Mobile Phone Service Center in the street.  According to Officials, CDMA will be operated from January 2002 and replace GMS time over time.

Time : Like Thailand, Vietnamese timing zone is seven hours ahead of GMT/UTC. So close to the equator, Vietnam has no daylight saving time (summer time ).

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Film and Photography

It is so easy to find in Vietnam popular color print film brands including Kodak, Fuji, Konica, AFGA. Western-made slide film, batteries and spare parts for cameras are also available. You can develop your roll at any Photo Processing Shop by the latest Japanese one hour color printing equipment.

One thing to keep in mind: recheck your roll store before going to visit somewhere and buy more film immediately in the street if it is not enough film for you to take photo because you will be charged by sellers at tourist spots at an extremely expensive price when buying film these.

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Business Hours

Office hour is from 07h30 to 12h00 and 13h00 to 16h30 and working days from Monday to Friday. Some offices are open on Saturday until noon. Museums are usually closed on Monday but you can visit temples and pagodas every day. Opening hour for most shops is at about 08h00 till 18h00. In busy streets, shops are closed later at night.

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Public Holidays

The following are vietnamese official public holidays :

01 January : New Year`s Day
Late January to mid-February: Vietnamese Lunar New Year ( 04 days off ).
03 February : Vietnamese Communist Party Foundation.
30 April : Saigon Liberation Day
01 May : International Workers`Day.
19 May : Birthday of the president Ho Chi Minh.
02 September : National Day.

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Food

Every day, Vietnamese people eat rice by bowl and chopsticks as western people eat bread by knife, fork and dish. There is a wide range of sauces, snacks, soups, noodles, desserts and tropical fruits. Travelling to Vietnam is a good time to taste these delicious dishes. Otherwise vegetarian food, dietary dishes and western menu are also available at restaurant.

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Drinks

At some hotels in Vietnam, water are potable but you can not drink it from public water system in the street. There are too many kind of drinks such as: coffee, tea, mineral water, fruit juices, soft drinks, alcohol, wine, champagne and liquor... The most suitable for you while travelling is the mineral water sealed in plastic bottles ( well-known marks like La vie - Vittel France... ). At leisure, you can drink coffee and Vietnamese green tea or coconut milk, coca-cola, Pepsi. If you like alcoholic drinks, you should taste local beer 333 and Hanoi Beer or local alcohols made from rice. Otherwise if you are curious or adventurous to try a little bit of snake wine or the like. It said to be more powerful for men. Frozen drinks usually are better than drinks with ice.

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Accommodation

In the whole country, there are enough kind of accommodation for your choice from dormitories, camping, guest houses, mini-hotels to luxurious hotels. On the other hand, a system of houses, apartments and residences for rent are also available. If you want to be more independent and come back to the nature, camping in jungle is at your disposition or you want to discover the local life, you can share and pass the night at a house of local inhabitant in some remote areas.

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Entertainment

Cinemas, opera house, theatres, discos, karaoke ( sing along ), pubs, video games, video parlours, sport clubs, fitness centers and other recreations are available for you in major cities.

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Information provided by Vietnam Tourism Board.

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