Must-know information about Vietnam background

You are travelling to Vietnam soon. Below are must know essential information about Vietnam which will be so useful for your trip.

Vietnam is a majestic country which has many things to offer travelers. It creates an exciting trip with the mixture of adventure and culture.From the north to the south ofthe country, Vietnam boasts numerous stunning natural wonders raging from spectacular mountains and cultural charms of local life in Mekong Delta, to white-sand beaches in central coastal cities and the magnificent Halong Bay. Moreover, rich history contributes substantially to cuisine and architecture there that create cultural diversity.

If you are planning to visit Vietnam either for holiday or for business, it is highly recommended to get must know information about Vietnam.

General Information

• Name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
• Population: 90.5 million
• Capital City: Hanoi (6.5 million)
• People: 54 ethnic minorities
• Language: Vietnamese
• Currency: Vietnam Dong (VND)
• Time Zone: GMT +7 Hours
• International Dialing Code: +84

Passport and visa

Passports should be valid for six months from the date of entry into Vietnam. It is highly advisable that your passport should be photocopied or scanned, then kept carefully in somewhere separate just in case it could be lost.

Visa: Except those who belong to a list ofVietnam visa exemption, other visitors must apply for a Vietnam visa. Depending upon how long they are staying in Vietnam and how they are getting to Vietnam, they either can take Vietnam visa at Vietnam Embassy or get Vietnam visa on arrival. A tourist visa would last either 30 days or 90 days which is valid for single or multiple entries.

Currency

The Vietnamese Dong (VND) is official currency in Vietnam and it circulates through the country. In addition, the United States dollars still are widely used and accepted in special spots such as: large stores, supermarkets and touristic destinations (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang).

Payment can be made by Visa and Master card that are used widely in most of hotels, large stores and restaurants. There are a large number of international banks in both big cities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh), as well as the availability of ATMs for cash withdrawal throughout the country. You can also exchange money quite easily at airports, banks, even in the hotels, shops.

Internet and phone service

Making a call to another countries from Vietnam is completely possible, however, the fee for telephone connections are pretty expensive. The most economical option is to use a Vietnamese SIM card that you need to have your phone unlocked for it to work. For instance, it costs around 200,000 VND ($10) for 45-minutes call to the United Kingdom.

Besides, it is absolutely reliable to use the postal service in Vietnam including courier ones. Please noted that a postcard should be put to your hotel to post or delivered to a post office by yourself instead of putting it into letter boxes.

Internet access is available in all most hotels and WiFi is free in most coffee shops in developed areas.

Traffic and Transportation

Transport modes in Vietnam are quite diverse including: taxi, private vehicles and public transportation, which make the traffic become busy most of the daytime. Its chaos may frighten you but do not worry, the traffic seems to be slow so that you just need to shake your whole hand at waist height in order to cross the road, everything will be alright.

Taxis is one of the common ways to get around the cities, many cheap options serve you like Grab, GoViet, VinaSun and much more. It generally costs half a dollar per kilometer.

If you are in big cities such as: Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh, you can take a cyclo to enjoy a city trip with less than 100,000 VND ($5) per journey.

Motorbike taxis: Motorbike is the most popular mean of transportations in Vietnam however, travelling by unlicensed motorbike is not safe and it is not recommended.

Climate

Climate in Vietnam is relatively diverse depending on seasons and regions:

North Vietnam(Hanoi to Sapa)

• April to October: Average temperatures ảound30-35°C with heavy rains at times
• December to March: 15-25°C. The weather may be colder in the mountain regions,even having snow in the winter (Sapa)

Centre Vietnam (Hue to Nha Trang)

• Nha Trang: The weather is relavetively favordable withsunshine all year round, however, some heavy rain will appear within from November to December
• Dalat: Located in highland so the climate iscooler than otherarea.
• Da Nang and Hue: typhoons can be concentrated from mid-October to mid-December in these cities. Please pay atttention to avoid an unexpected trip.

South Vietnam(Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet)

• May to November: rainy season (the weather is usually wet and hot)
• December to April: dry season with highly humid condition

Also, you can find the best time to visit Vietnam here.

Hope that these information is useful for your upcoming trip to Vietnam. If you need more futher information about Vietnam tourism, feel free to comment below or contact us directly via:

Hotline: +84 969 255 515

Email: support@vietnamvisavoa.com