More About Vietnam
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 Health
& Vaccinations
There are no vaccination requirements for international travellers. However, we advise to get vaccination against malaria, dengue, Japanese encephalitis and it is recommended to use mosquito repellent and to avoid a dense forest.
Please don't drink tap water. The Vietnam health system is comparable with many developed countries health systems. Health care in rural areas is extremely basic and it is unlikely that English will be spoken.
Travel insurance is essential as medical bills can run into thousands of pounds. If you are taking prescription medication into Vietnam, we advise carrying it in your hand-luggage and carrying a copy of your prescription.
You can buy some common tablets in a pharmacy without any prescription.
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Customs
** The information below is for general
purposes only. You will need to check the official website
for further
information **
Official website of the Vietnam General Customs (Customs General):
www.customs.gov.vn/English
If you are visiting Vietnam as tourist you will enjoy the benefits established in the Convention on Customs Facilities for Tourism.
You will have the right to enter items for your personal use carried in your check-baggage or in your hand-baggage, that there is no reason to consider
that these rights are being used in excessive quantities and they will be re-exported when leaving the country.
To this effect, personal items are in addition
to clothings and other articles that can reasonably be considered
of personal use by the tourist, taking into account the
circumstances of the trip, and other items according to
the type of tourism, such as:
Photo and video cameras, camping tent,
fishing gear, bicycle, sports equipments, laptop computer,
equipments for recording and reproducing sounds.
If you are only carrying your personal
items and cash not exceeding $7,000.00 USD or its equivalent
in other currencies, YOU DO NOT NEED TO DECLARE IT TO THE CUSTOMS.
The people on entry shall compare their accompanied luggage with duty-free luggage quotas specified by Vietnam before their customs
declaration. If people on entry do not have accompanied luggage, which exceeds the duty-free quotas, which is delivered before or after their trip,
they shall not have to make customs procedures on Vietnam’s exit/ entry declaration forms. People on entry carry luggage, which exceeds the duty-free quotas,
they shall have to make customs procedures on Vietnam’s exit/ entry declaration forms. The excess volume shall be considered import goods, which must comply
with law provisions on import goods and duty and tax legislation. People on entry may select articles to pay duty and tax thereon if the accompanied luggage
contains several articles.
If you import (bring in) motor vehicles, they must be new (less than 100 km) and left-hand drive. They will be subject to 150% duty the value as assessed
by customs officials. An import permit, certificate of Registration, Car papers are required. Pets are duty-free, but documents required: Rabies vaccination
papers, health certificate (not more than 7 days old), sanitary certificate, letter authorizing destination agent to handle customs clearance on customer’s
behalf, providing destination agent with the type of pet, name, breed, sex, colour, size or weight and age of the animal.
You WILL NOT import (bring
in with you into Vietnam) the following Articles and/or Products
unless a Licence or Previous Permits from the Ministry of
Informatics and Communications has been issued:
Firearm and ammunition, narcotics; pornographic, cultural or politically sensitive material; radio transmitters, satellite dishes,
any political or historical books about Vietnam.
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Nightlife
Nightlife is concentrated in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Nha Trang Beach and in the major tourist resorts. Ho Chi Minh City is the best place where you can enjoy and relax 2 hours on cruise along the river while your dinner is being served.
If you want to enjoy and learn something about the local people, why don’t you walk around the Sword Lake in Hanoi, where you can see some Vietnamese people doing Tai Chi around the lake. Then, you can enjoy a cup of Vietnamese coffee or a glass of draught beer “Bia Hoi” in some shops nearby.
Shopping in local markets or shopping centres is another option which is quite common: Ho Chi Minh City (Ben Thanh Market, Tax Centre Building, Le Loi Street), Hanoi (Old Hanoi Ancient Town – 36 Commercial Street), Hoi An Town,.... We are sure that you will be pleased with a tailor – made suit or a pair of shoes, material of which are your choice.
After 11 pm, it is the time to hit the road, to meet friends or to make friends in a few bars and clubs in the tourist areas, backpackers’ areas or enjoy discotheque with local people. Super is quite common now in Vietnam and the places where is specific for tourists are Ben Thanh Night Market or Ky Hoa Night Market.
You not only find hundreds of favourite international dishes, but can also choose a good souvenir gift with a good deal for your love.
Karaoke, Vietnamese people really love Karaoke and we think you do as well. Let’s go to a Karaoke room, pick a song in any languages as you want and show your companions your voice, your vocals. You will be surprises how good you are.
Theatre and Concert are not quite common for local people, so the performance schedule is also irregular. However, you still can check with local box offices to get more information. Exceptionally, Music Stages, Stand-up comedy, Water Puppetry Theatres are open daily in both Hanoi and Saigon.
Cinemas: most films in cinemas are normally dubbed in Vietnamese, some of them might have subtitle in English or speaking English. For more information on where to go during your stay, please write to us with your preferences.
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Electricity
210-230V, 50 Hz. American-styled flat blade plugs or two-round pin 220V is the norm everywhere in Vietnam though most hotels have 220V sockets.
In any case, make sure you bring with you an international adaptor, voltage converted adaptor and always read the label of your equipments before plugging in.
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Weights & Measures : Metric with US and International variations.
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Time: + 7 GMT
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Currency
You should check with your bank before you leave the UK to confirm that your debit/credit/cashpoint cards will work and will be accepted in Vietnam. If your bank cannot confirm this then you should bring suitable Sterling or Euro alternatives, preferably in cash. You should also be aware that there are different charges for Traveller’s Cheque (1% - 2%), Debit/Credit Card (3% - 4%), Amex (>5%). However, there is no charge for cash.
You should also be aware that Scottish and Northern Irish bank notes/coins cannot be exchanged in Vietnam.
In order for travellers to pay locally, US Dollars are accepted in most areas: hotels, shops, tourist agency, local markets (very few), taxi, etc. The local banks will update the exchange rates - the Vietnam Dong (VND) - everyday, and they are different from each other.
When withdrawing cash from ATM machines or anywhere else, it would seem that you are getting charged between 3%-4% (Maximum VND 2,000,000/1 time, if you need more, please repeat the command) but in reality what is happening is that VND's are getting converted into US Dollars, GBP (hence the 3% more) and then the US dollars are taken to whichever currency your card works with. Most ATMs in Vietnam are set up with 6-digit PIN numbers. Therefore, you can only use your cards in Vietcombank’s, ACB’s, Sacombank’s ATMs.
We understand that you sometime cannot spend all local currencies. Then, you can change from VND into US Dollar only, but remember to take your passport or ID Card with you to change any currencies.
The wider use of the Vietnamese Dong (VND) to include the tourist industry has inevitably meant an increase in the number of forged VND banknotes of all denominations but in particular VND 100,000 and VND 500,000. You are strongly advised not to change money anywhere other than at Vietcombank’s Agents, Asia Commercial Bank’s (ACB’s) Agents, Sacombank’s Agents, Eximbank’s Agents, hotel exchange bureaux or banks. Individuals offering exchange facilities to avoid queues should be avoided, and where possible small denomination bills should be requested.
The Vietnamese Dong has both coins and notes. There are VND 200; 500; 1,000; 2,000; 5,000 notes and coins; VND 10,000; 50,000; 100,000; 200,000; 500,000 notes only in circulation.
Furthermore, we believe that the best exchange against the Sterling is normally obtained at Eximbank and Vietcombank, but you should not put too much emphasis on this unless you plan to spend more than a few hundred pounds and this is, obviously, something that you take as a general advice only.
In a nutshell, the exchange rate between VND and GBP would normally be approximately 3% less. Example: if 1 GBP = 33,000 VND, then 1 GBP = 32,000 VND.
For an accurate Exchange Rate from the Vietcombank please click here here
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Embassies
& Consulates
All major consulates and embassies are in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. United Kingdom: Central Building, 4th Floor, 31 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hanoi (Tel +844.3936.0500, Fax: +844.3936.0561); or 25 Le Duan Blvd., District 1, HCMC (Tel: +848.3825.1380, Fax: +848.3822.1971). United States: 4 Le Suan Blvd., District 1, HCMC (Tel: +848.3520.4200, Fax: +848.3520.4244). The other embassies and consulates are Spain, France, Canada,....
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Basic Costs
Cigarettes VND 15,000; a burger VND 20,000; a soda VND 10,000; a sandwich VND 15,000; a beer VND 15,000, a bottle of water VND 7,000; an average lunch in restaurants or private licensed restaurant VND 50,000 – 250,000; a bottle of a decent champagne or a bottle of a decent wine VND200,000.
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Tipping
It is only but fair to tip those who have done a good job. People who deserve a VND 20,000 per day tip include tour guide who give you a complete tour, hotel porters who watch and transfer your luggage, helpful drivers, attentive wait staff or anyone in the service industry who goes beyond the call of duty. Sometime you may need to offer money to officials to obtain preferential treatment; governmental corruption is happening rarely in Vietnam. For other services, the charge 7 - 20% of the bill is also rare.
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Telecommunications
Internet Access: Internet Access is becoming more common and available in Vietnam. Although "real" Internet Cafes are popular everywhere, Internet Access is available at almost all hotels. Some hotel may have free internet for wi-fi, while the others may charge daily rate - range from USD 1 per hour to USD 5 per day. In some hotels, there are certain business centre offices equipped with computers and Internet access. In order to use these, you must ask at reception or and attendants. In most cases, you can use it free for 30 minutes and will have to pay additionally for the extra time.
Telephone Calls: You can make international phone calls from your hotel room, through any International Telephone Centre or using local SIM cards. You may travel with your own mobile. Do check with your provider beforehand. For direct dialling to Vietnam, you must first dial Vietnam’s code (84), followed by the code of the city or town and then the desired number. For direct dialling from Vietnam to any country in the world, you should first dial 00+178 (the rate is cheaper; it may not work sometime), followed by the code of the country, then the code of the city, and the desired number. To make national phone calls whilst in Vietnam, you must dial 0, then the code of the province and immediately the desired number. Making international phone calls from Vietnam is expensive. Using your mobile phone will cost about VND 30,000 a minute on calls to Europe, and phoning from your hotel room will cost even more. So, we always advise our clients to buy a local SIM card (please ask our reps for help) which has credit already (VND 100,000), then you can make a phone call, rates are VND 1,500 per minute for a domestic call and VND 10,000 per minute for a international call. You can buy a voucher to top up when you run out the credit. There are some providers: Mobiphone, Vinaphone, Viettel.
IMPORTANT: If you call a Vietnamese number (mobile or landline) from your mobile whilst in Vietnam this will be billed as if you were calling from the UK to Vietnam, plus roaming fee (>£1)! So... DON'T CALL OUR REPS FROM YOUR MOBILE unless you want to be faced with a huge bill on your return.
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Language
The official language is Vietnamese, which is spoken in the entire country. It is often peppered with special Vietnamese phonetics, dialects and witty popular metaphors. At Tourist facilities there are highly skilled personnel capable of communicating in various languages, especially English.
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Food and Drink
Vietnamese food is very tasty and healthy, but not oily or spicy. Traditional dishes are 3 courses: Starter – Spring Rolls, Lotus Salad; Main course – Steam or Fried Rice or Noodle, Fried or Roast Meat (Chicken, Duck, Beef, Pork) or Seafood with sauce (fish or soya), Vegetable Soup, Fried or steam vegetable; Dessert – Fruit, Coconut, Jelly or sweet bean soup. However, with local people, they have 3 meals a day; Breakfast – Rice with fried meat and eggs, noodle soups, very strong Vietnamese coffee (Black, white or ice), and ice tea; Lunch – Set on the table: Rice, Salad, Meat or fish in sauce and soup. Local people rarely have dessert after meals. They always have snacks, sweet and fruit in the whole day around. The typical Vietnamese dish or bowl is Spring Rolls, Beef Noodle Soup (with Spring Onion, Parsley, Herb, Bean spout). Chicken, Duck, Beef and pork are the meats of greater demand; it's traditional to cook the pig, chicken, duck to the prong, roasted to the whole furnace. Also much fish, seafood is consumed, mainly in the cities. The most appreciated is the red tilapia, squid, tuna, although also great amounts of shrimps, lobsters and other varieties of seafood are consumed. The Vietnamese kitchen has many special and simple plates, like rice with roast chicken or fried sliced beef mixed with lettuce, tomato and pepper.
The cane juice, lemon juice, sweet bean soup and smoothies are quite popular, particularly in summer. Amongst the spirits the best are beer and Dalat red wine, although in bars the favourites are daiquiri, a drink made of white and dry rum, lemon juice, sugar and pricked ice, and that became famous by the fascination that felt by it the American writer Ernest Hemingway, gin and tonic or rum and lemon juice are very popular even in a small restaurant. A very traditional drink is the fresh coconut, lemon juice, fresh squeezed orange juice, smoothies mixed with condensed milk and ice,...; about alcohol, home-made rice wine, which is very popular for local people, is very strong (>40% vol) and usually served with meals or snack.
Contrary to general belief, there are an increasing number of fantastic hidden gems to dine out on your own, as a group or for a romantic dinner. Therefore, we advise our clients to book meals with us in advance. The restaurants which we book at are not only famous in Vietnamese food, but also European and international food. Please advise us what dishes are your favourite when you book with us.
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Clothing
Bring light clothing, mainly cotton and natural fibres; flat comfortable shoes good for walks and excursions; sunglasses and hats; skin lotions. From November to February, jumpers and jackets may come in handy, particular in the north, centre and highland Vietnam (Dalat, Ban Me Thuot, Kon Tum); a raincoat or an umbrella is advisable for the rainy season: April and October.
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Climate & Weather
Vietnam is a country of southeast Asia, it lies entirely within the tropics. It has a long coastline on the Gulf of Tonkin and the South China Sea. Vietnam spans several climatic zones, resulting in substantial weather condition variations between the north and the south. Average temperatures year round range from 20 to 35 C, so there is no particularly good or bad time to visit Vietnam. Vietnam’s weather is dictated by two monsoons. The winter monsoon comes from the northeast between October and March, bringing damp and chilly winter down to the centre and Nha Trang Beach. From April or May to October, the summer monsoon brings heat, humidity to the whole country except for the mountainous areas. From July to November, violent and unpredictable typhoons hit centre and north of Vietnam. Some travellers like to visit Vietnam during Tet holidays (Chinese New Year), which is the biggest festival in late January or early February. It is holidays for local people, so all services and prices are dramatically high, even accommodations, which are always overbooked. This holiday will last 7 – 30 days. High season in Vietnam runs from November to March, June to August (school holiday), Christmas, New Year and some national days.
For more details on daily forecasts, satellite photos and other general climate information, please click here to visit the official information for weather forecast in the whole country. Another very useful site - in English - can be found by clicking here.
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Transportation
You should not take urban transportation: they are always crowded and unreliable. You should take taxis or tourist buses instead, or walk when it's a short distance. Going by train is not recommended, due to the railway system (monorail), overcrowd, service,... It is cheaper than travelling by air plane, however, it is quite slow (average speed 40km/h) and unreliable particularly in rainy season (collided mud, broken track,...). If you want to go on a tour of the island, your best option is to book the whole package in advance and choose a secured and licensed boat. Meter Taxi is very cheap and popular now in Vietnam (VND 10,000/km). So, there are several scam taxis, particularly at all airports, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang. We strongly advise that you should use taxi service of Mai Linh or Vinasun, please double check their logos and trademarks before using their service. There is no car hire service in Vietnam. Car rental with a driver is an alternative way to travel around if you wish to explore the country yourself. Motorbike rental is very straightforward and cheap (USD 5 per day), no license, no insurance, no experience are required. What you need is your passport and a helmet. However, you will be responsible for any accident claims, loss, damages or fine if any. Vietnam has a comprehensive road network, but traffic is very heavy, particularly rush hour – millions of motorbikes hitting the roads. The condition of road services is variable and signposting can be poor but a small city map should be enough for you to travel around. In the big city, every shop has their address in front, so you will know exactly where you are, even you don’t need to walk to next junction. You must also watch out for animals (dogs, cats, chicken,...) on the road and take extra care when you cross the road. The traffic lights are working quite well, but vehicles may not stop at the light. Park the motorbike or bicycle in a safe and attended place, you may be asked to pay a small fee VND 2,000, but you have a ticket number and it is safe. Do not leave anything valuable in motor vehicles. You are liable for traffic fines; failure to pay would mean incurring a debt for a vehicle’s owner. We recommend you buy a "City Map", a very helpful for finding your way around on the roads. It is customary to give lifts to people.
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Guides on Vietnam
We particularly like the perspective and depth-information of Lonely Planet and Insight Guide. This does not mean that the rest of guides are not good enough or that should only consider these two. We just happen to like and recommend these ones.
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DOs & DON'Ts
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Take extra care when riding in Vietnam. Beware of cyclists, potholes and cars that stop without warning to pick up hitchhikers. Don't travel on the motorways at night if at all possible as serious and fatal accidents can happen on the road. |
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Beware of those offering an unsolicited and unofficial guide service. They may be part of a team of thieves preying on tourists. |
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Bring enough funds for your stay and your return journey. Local banking facilities are not as in Europe and obtaining additional funds through local banking channels can be frustrating, difficult, and not always successful. |
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Take care of your valuables at all times. Don't carry excessive amounts of cash. Bag snatching and pickpockets are common, especially in the area of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Danang,.... Leave valuables, important documents and the balance of your holiday cash in the hotel safe. |
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Report robberies to the police, especially when losing important documents (e.g.: passport, credit cards, etc) or large sums of money. Police reports are needed to obtain a new passport together with Vietnamese visa. Keep a photocopy of your main passport page. |
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Check Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice before
travelling. |
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Enter next of kin details into the back of your passport. |
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Don't leave home without travel insurance. Make sure you are fully covered for medical treatment, hospitalisation and medical evacuation to the United Kingdom. |
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Don't get involved with drugs. Penalties are very severe in Vietnamese law. Don't carry anything through customs for someone else unless you know exactly what it contains. |
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Don't leave belongings visible in your car or elsewhere. They will be an easy target for thieves. |
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Don't buy goods outside hotels and shops. What appears to be a bargain may be fake, illegal and could result in a frustrating and difficult situation. |
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Don't bring many cigarettes and liquor. These will be confiscated on arrival. |
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Don't travel alone at night. Don't stay out late at night in unfamiliar parts of town or in areas of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Danang. |
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Respect Vietnamese law. Prison sentences are imposed for offences that might only incur a warning in the UK.. |
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Visitors must not take photographs/videos of military or police personnel or installations. You may be arrested for spying. |
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Visitors intending to drive should note that traffic accidents that result in the injury or death of third parties are treated as a crime. You are unlikely to be allowed to return home until you have been cleared by police investigation, a process that may take several months. |
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Although not against the law, homosexuality is frowned upon by Vietnam society and law enforcement agencies. However, violence towards homosexuals is null. If you were homosexual, you should expect no problems whatsoever. |
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British nationals require visas that can be acquired through the Vietnamese Embassy or Consulate or on arrival. There is no online application, but we can freely do pre – Visa document which guarantee that you can get Visa on arrival when you book with us. The Visa stamping fee and label on arrival is payable locally USD 25 per person. And remember to take 2 passport sized photos for each of you. |
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