Vietnam Travel Blog

It you are looking for action, Vietnam can increasingly deliver. Biking and hiking are taking, off up and down the country, while offshore there is kayaking and surfing above the water and diving and snorkelling beneath. If it all sounds like too much hard work, rent a motorbike and let the engine take the strain.

Cycling

For distances near and far, cycling is an excellent way to experience Vietnam. A bicycle can be rented in most tourist centres for around US$1 a day.

The flatlands of the Mekong Delta region are an ideal place for a long-distance ride through the back roads. The entire coastal route along Hwy 1 is an alluring achievement, but the insane traffic makes it tough going and dangerous. Better is the new inland trunk road Hwy 14, also known as the Ho Chi Minh Rd, which offers stunning scenery and little traffic.

North of the old Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), cycling is a bad idea in the winter months, particularly if heading from south to north, thanks to the massive monsoon winds, which blow from the north.

For some laughs, as well as the lowdown on cycling in Vietnam, visit the website www.mrpumpy.net.

Diving & Snorkelling

The most popular scuba-diving area in 5 Vietnam is around Nha Trang.There are several reputable dive operators here, whose equipment and training is up lo international standards. It is also possible to hire snorkelling gear and scuba equipment at several beach resorts along the coast, including Ca Na and China Reach. Phu Quoc Island has ihe potential to be the next big thing in underwater exploration, bu! there are no dive operators on the island just yet.

Golf

Mark Twain once said that playing golf was “a waste of a good walk” and apparently Ho Chi Minh agreed with him. Times have changed and government officials can often be seen fraternising on the fairways.

All over East Asia playing golf wins considerable points in the “face game”, even if you never hit a ball. For maximum snob value you need to join a country club, and in Vietnam memberships start at around US$20,000. Most golf clubs will allow you to simply pay a guest fee.

The best golf courses in Vietnam are located in Dalat and Phan Thiet, but there are also courses in and around Hanoi and HCMC.

For information about golf package deals visit www.vietnamgolfresorts.com.

Kayaking

Kayaking has taken off around Halong Bay in the past few years, following in the fool-steps of Krabi in Thailand. Several companies offer kayaking itineraries around the majestic limestone pinnacles, including overnights on islands in the bay.

Motorbiking

Motorbiking Vietnam’s ‘deep north’ is unforgettable. For those seeking true adventure there is no better way to go. If you are not confident riding a motorbike, it’s comparatively cheap to hire someone lo drive it for you. Four-wheel-drive trips in the north are also highly recommended, though the mobility of two wheels is unrivalled.

Rock Climbing

Well, it’s still early days, hut with the sheer range ol limestone karsl.s found up and down the country, it is only a matter of time before the word gets out. For now, it is likely to be Halong Bay that emerges as the premier spot, but in time Ninh Binh  and Phong Nha could offer some competition.
                          

Surfing & Windsurfing

Surfing and windsurfing have only recently arrived on the scene, but they are quickly catching on. The best place to practice these pursuits is at Mui Ne Beach, but experienced surfers head for China Beach in Danang.

Trekking

Vietnam offers some excellent trekking opportunities, notably in its growing array of national parks and nature reserves. There are ample opportunities to hike to minority villages in the northwest, northeast and central highlands regions. Anything is possible, from half-day hikes to a six-day ascent of Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest mountain. The best bases from which to arrange treks are Sapa, Bac Ha  and Cat Ba, all in northern Vietnam; Bach Ma National Park in central Vietnam; and Cat Tien and Yok Don National Parks in the south. Tour operators in Hanoi and HCMC offer a variety of programmes that feature hiking and trekking.

Bear in mind that you may need to arrange special permits, especially if you want to spend the night in remote mountain villages where there are no hotels.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Vietnamese people rise early and consider sleeping in to be a sure indication of illness.

Offices, museums and many shops open between 7am and 8am and close between 4pm and 5pm. Post offices keep longer hours and are generally open from 6.30am to 9pm. Banks are generally open from Sam to 11.30am and 1pm to 4pm during the week and Sam to 11.30am on Saturday.

Most government offices are open on Saturday until noon but are closed on Sunday. Most museums are closed on Monday while temples and pagodas arc usually open every day from around Sam to 9pm.

Many of the small privately owned shops, restaurants and street stalls stay open seven days a week, often until late at night.

Lunch is taken very seriously and virtually everything shuts down between noon and 1.30pm. Government workers tend to take longer breaks, so figure on getting nothing done between 11.30am and 2pm.

Popularity: 43% [?]

Just as you’re about to dig into the scrumptious Vietnamese meal you’ve ordered, you feel a tug on your shirt sleeve. This latest “annoyance” is a bony, eight-year-old boy holding his three-year-old sister in his arms. The little girl has a distended stomach and her hungry eyes are fixed on your full plate.

Beggar Fatigue

This is the face of poverty. How do you deal with these situations? If you’re like most of us, not very well. Taking the matter into your own hands by giving out money or gifts to people on the streets can camore damage than good. The more people are given hand-outs, the more reliant and attracted to life on the streets they become. When money is tight, people recognise that life on the streets is no longer so fruitful. This will hopefully discourage parents and “leaders” forcing children and beggars onto the streets.

One way to contribute and help improve the situation is to invest just a few hours to find out about local organisations that work with disadvantaged people; these groups are far more likely to make sure contributions are used in the most effective way possible to help those who need it.

However, if you want to do something on the spot, at least avoid giving money or anything that can be sold. The elderly and the young are easily controlled and are ideal begging tools.

So if you are going to give something directly to a beggar, it’s better to give food than money; take them to a market or stall and buy them a nutritious meal or some fruit to be sure they are the only beneficiaries.

Noise

Not just any noise, but a whole lot of noises that just never seem to stop. At night there is most often a competing cacophony from motorbikes, discos, cafes, video arcades, karaoke lounges and restaurants; if your hotel is near any or all of these, it may be difficult to sleep.

Fortunately most noise subsides around 10pm or 11pm, as few places stay open much later than that. Unfortunately, however, Vietnamese are up and about from around 5am onwards. This not only means that traffic noise starts early, but you may be woken up by the crackle of loud speakers as the Voice of Vietnam cranks into life at 5am in small towns. It’s worth trying to get a room at the back of a hotel.

One last thing…don’t forget the earplugs!

Scams

Con artists and thieves are always seeking new tricks to sepal ate naive tourists from their money and are becoming more savvy in their ways. We can’t warn you about every trick you might encounter, so maintain a healthy scepticism and be prepared to argue when unnecessary demands are made for your money.

Beware of a motorbike-rental scam that some travellers have encountered in HCMC. Rent a motorbike and the owner supplies an excellent lock, insisting you it. What he doesn’t tell you is that he has another key and that somebody will follow you and “steal” the bike at the first opportunity. You then have to pay for a new bike.

More common is when your motorbike won’t start after you parked it in a “safe” area with a guard. But yes, the guard knows somebody who can repair your bike. The mechanic shows up and quickly reinstalls the parts they removed earlier and the bike works again. That will be US$10, please.

Beware of massage boys who, after a price has been agreed upon, try to extort money from you afterwards by threatening to the police on you (these threats are generally empty ones).

Despite an array of scams, however, it is important to keep in mind the Vietnamese are not always out to get you. One concerning trend we’re noticing in Vietnam, relative to neighbouring countries such as Cambodia and Laos, is a general lack of trust in the locals on the part of foreigners. Try to differentiate between who is good and bad and not close yourself off to every person you encounter.

This is not always an easy thing to do. Even one of the original authors of this book, a veteran travel writer and Vietnam hand, was duped by a long-time Vietnamese friend who, unbeknown to him, had tried to collect fees from hotels and ri-otaurants that wished to be included in this guide!

One final word of advice: we’re seeing an awful lot of travellers in Vietnam with their noses dug too deep inside guidebooks. The paranoia people develop from being hassled so much seems to result in many refusing to believe anyone if it’s “not in the book”. For better or worse, often it’s not. Try to keep an open mind, be aware of what can happen and what things “should” cost, and then this information in conjunction with your own better judgment.

Sea Creatures

If you plan to spend your time swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving, familiarise yourself with the various hazards. The list of dangerous creatures that are found in seas off Vietnam is extensive and includes sharks, jellyfish, stonefish, scorpion fish, sea snakes and stingrays. However, there is little cafor alarm as most of these creatures avoid humans, or humans avoid them, so the number of people injured or killed is fairly small.

Jellyfish tend to travel in groups, so as long as you look before you leap into the sea, avoiding them should not be too hard. Stonefish, scorpion fish and stingrays tend to hang out in shallow water along the ocean floor and can be very difficult to see. One way to protect against these nasties is to wear shoes in the sea.

Theft

The Vietnamese are convinced that their cities are full of criminals. Street crime is common place in HCMC and Nha Trang, but it doesn’t hurt to keep the antennae up wherever you are.

HCMC is the place to really keep your wits about you. Don’t have anything dangling from your body that you are not ready to part with, including bags and jewellery, which might tempt a robber. Keep an eye out for drive-by thieves on motorbikes - they specialise in snatching handbags and cameras from tourists on foot and riding cycles in the city.

Pickpocketing, which often involves kids, women with babies and newspaper vendors, is also a serious problem, especially in the tourist areas of HCMC. Many of the street kids, adorable as they may be, are very skilled at liberating people from their wallets.

Avoid putting things down while you’re eating, or at least take the precaution of fastening these items to your seat with a strap or chain. Remember, any luggage thai you leave unattended for even a moment may grow legs and vanish.

There are also “taxi girls” (sometimes transvestites) who approach Western men, give them a big hug, sometimes more, and ask if they’d like “a good time”. Then they suddenly change their mind and depart, along with a wristwatch and wallet.

We have also had reports of people being drugged and robbed on long-distance buses. It usually starts with a friendly passenger offering a free Coke, which turns out to be a chloral-hydrate cocktail. You wake up hours later to find your valuables and new-found “friend” gone.

Despite all this, don’t be overly paranoid. Although crime certainly exists and you need to be aware of it, theft in Vietnam does not seem to be any worse than what you’d expect anywhere else. Don’t assume -  that everyone’s a thief - most Vietnamese are poor, but honest.

Undetonated Explosives

Four armies expended untold energy and resources for more than three decades mining, booby-trapping, rocketing, strafing, mortaring and bombarding wide areas of Vietnam. When the fighting stopped most of this ordnance remained exactly where it had landed or been laid; American estimates at the end of the war placed the quantity of unexploded ordnance at 150,000 tonnes.

Since 1975 about 40,000 Vietnamese have been maimed or killed by this leftover ordnance. While cities, cultivated areas and well-travelled rural roads and paths are safe for travel, straying from these areas could land you in the middle of a minefield that is completely unmarked.

Never touch any rockets, artillery shells, mortars, mines or other relics of war you may come across. Such objects can remain lethal for decades. And don’t climb inside bomb craters - you never know what un-detonated explosive device is at the bottom.

Popularity: 66% [?]

Vietnam has something for everyone - from the fleapit to the five star - and we cover them all. Most hotels in Vietnam quote prices in a mix of Vietnamese dong and US dollars. In the provinces the lower dong price is usually reserved for locals, while foreigners pay the higher dollar price. Prices are quoted in dong or dollars throughout this book based on the preferred currency.

Talking about budget, we mean guest-houses or hotels where the majority of rooms cost less than US$15. These are usually family-run guesthouses, mini-hotels or, traditionally the least-appealing choice, government-run guesthouses that time forgot. Budget rooms generally come well equipped for the money, so don’t be surprised to find air-con, hot water and a TV for less than 30 bucks.

Moving on to mid-range, you’re looking at the US$15 to US$50 range, which buys some pretty tasty extras in Vietnam. At the lower end of this bracket, many of the hotels are similar to budget hotels but with bigger rooms or balconies. Flash a bit more cash and three-star touches are available, like access to a swimming pool and a hairdryer hidden away somewhere.

At the top end are a host of international-standard hotels and resorts that charge from US$50 a room to US$500 a suite. Some of these are fairly faceless business hotels, while others ooze opulence or resonate with history. There are some real bargains when compared with the Hong Kongs and Singa-pores of this world, so if you fancy indulging yourself, Vietnam is a good place to do it. Most hotels at the top end levy a tax of 10% and a service charge of 5%, displayed as ++ (“plus plus”) on the bill.

Peak tourist demand for hotel rooms comes at Christmas and New Year, when prices may rise by as much as 25%. There is also a surge in many cities during Tet, when half of Vietnam is on the move. Try and make a reservation at these times so as not to gel caught out. During quiet periods it is often possible to negotiate a discount, whether by email in advance or over the counter on arrival, as there is now a surplus of hotel beds in many destinations.

Passports are almost always requested on arrival at a hotel. It is not absolutely essential to hand over your actual passport, but at the very least you need to hand over a photocopy of the passport details, visa and departure card. Most people end up handing over their passports, but make sure il comes back with the yellow departure card.

Accommodation prices listed are high-season prices for rooms with attached bathroom, unless stated otherwise. An icon is included if air-con is available, otherwise, assume that a fan will be provided.
                             

Camping

Perhaps becaso many Vietnamese spent much of the war years living in tents, as either soldiers or refugees, camping is not the popular pastime it is in the West.

Some innovative private travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Hanoi offer organised camping trips to national parks, plus camping out in beauty spots like Halong Bay. See under Travel Agencies in Hanoi and HCMC.

Guesthouses & Hotels

Many of the large hotels (khach san) and guesthouses (nha khach or nha nghi) are government-owned or joint ventures. There has also been a mushrooming of mini-hotels -small, smart private hotels that represent good value for money. The international hotel chains are now well represented in Hanoi and HCMC.

There is considerable confusion over the terms “singles”, “doubles”, “double occupancy” and “twins”, so let’s the record straight here. A single contains one bed, even if two people sleep in it. If there are two beds in the room, that is a twin, even if only one person occupies it. If two people stay in the same room, that is double occupancy. In some hotels “doubles” means twin beds, while in others it means double occupancy.

While many of the newer hotels have lifts, older hotels often don’t and the cheapest rooms are at the end of several flights of stairs. It’s a win-win situation: cheaper rooms, a bit of exercise and better views!

Many hotels post a small sign warning guests not to leave cameras, passports and other valuables in the room. Most places have a safety deposit system of some kind, but if leaving cash (not recommended) or travellers cheques, be sure to seal the loot in an envelope and have it counter-signed by staff.

Popularity: 67% [?]

The first currency of Vietnam is the dong, which is abbreviated to “đ”. Banknotes come in denominations of 200d, 500d, 1000d, 2000d, 5000d, 10,000d, 20,000d, 50,000d and 100,000d, 500,000d.

Now that Ho Chi Minh has been canonised (against his wishes), his picture is on every banknote. Coins have recently come into circulation, including 500d, 1000d and 5000d. The second currency is the US dollar and that needs no introduction.

The dong has experienced its ups and downs. The late 1990s Asian economic clisis, which wreaked severe havoc on the regional currencies, caused the dong to lose about 15% of its US-dollar value. Since then the dong has slowly weakened, but is pretty stable at around 16,000d to the US dollar.

Where prices are quoted in dong, we quote them in this book in dong. Likewise, when prices are quoted in dollars, we follow suit. While this may seem inconsistent, this is the way it’s done in Vietnam and the sooner you get used to thinking comparatively in dong and dollars, the easier your travels will be.

ATMs

It used to be just a couple of foreign banks in Hanoi and HCMC that offered ATMs, but Vietnamese banks have now got into this game in a big way. Vietcombank has the best network in the country, including most of the major tourist destinations and all the big cities. Every branch stocks a useful leaflet with a list of their nationwide ATMs. Withdrawals are issued in dong, and there is a daily limit of 2,000,000d (about US$125). Cash advances for larger amounts of dong, as well as US dollars, can be arranged over the counter during office hours.

Black Market

The black market is Vielnam’s unofficial banking system that is almost everywhere and operates quite openly. Private individuals and some shops and restaurants will exchange US dollars for dong and vice versa. While the practice is technically illegal, law enforcement is virtually nonexistent. Ironically, black market exchange rates arc usually worse than the official exchange rates, so the only advantage is the convenience of changing money when and where you like.

If people approach you on the street with offers to change money al rates better than the official one, you can rest assured that you are being up for a rip-off. Don’t even think about trying it! Remember, if an offer seems too good to he true, thal’s becait probably is.

Cash

Most major currencies can be exchanged al leading bunks in Vietnam, but away from the tourist centres the US dollar remains king. Vietcomhank is the most organised of the local banks for changing cash and can deal with euros, pounds and pretty much anything else you are packing. The US dollar exchange rate worsens the further you get from the tourist trail, so stock up on dong if you are heading mto remote areas.

The relatively low value of Vietnamese banknotes means that almost any currency exchange will leave you with piles of banknotes to count; changing US$100 will make you an instant millionaire! In small town it can be difficult to get change for the larger notes, so keep a stack of smaller bills handy.

It’s a good idea to check that any big dollar bills you take do not have any small tears or look too tatty, as no-one will want to touch them in Vietnam.

You cannot legally take the dong out of Vietnam but you can reconvert reasonable amounts of it into dollars on departure.

Credit Cards

Visa, MasterCard and JCB cards are now widely acceptable in all major cities and many tourist centres. However, a 3% commission charge on every transaction is pretty common; check first, as some charge higher commission than others. Some merchants also accept Amex, but the surcharge is typically 4%. Better hotels and restaurants do not usually slap on an additional charge.

Getting a cash advance from Visa, Master Card and JCB is possible at Vietcombank in most cities, as well as at some foreign banks in HCMC and Hanoi. Banks generally charge a 3% commission for this service. This is handy if you want to get out large sums, as the ATMs have low daily limits.

Tipping

Tipping is not expected in Vietnam, but it is enormously appreciated. For a person who earns US$50 per month, a US$1 tip is ahoul half a day’s wages. Upmarket hotels and some restaurants may levy a 5% service charge, but this may not make it to the staff. 11 you slay a couple of days in tlie same hotel, try and remember to tip the staff who clean your room.

You should also consider tipping drivers and guides - after all, the time they spend on the road with you means time away from home and family. Typically, travellers on minibus tours will pool together to collect a communal tip to be split between the guide and driver. About US$1 per day (per tourist) is standard.

It is considered proper to make a small donation at the end of a visit to a pagoda, especially if a monk has shown you around; most pagodas have contribution boxes for this purpose.

Travellers Cheques

It is wise not to rely entirely on travellers cheques by keeping a reasonable stash of US dollars on hand. Travellers cheques can only be exchanged at authorised foreign-exchange banks, but these aren’t found throughout Vietnam. Strangely, there are no banks at most of the land border crossings. The only way to change money at these places is on the black market.

If you only have travellers cheques, stock up on US dollars at a bank, which will usually charge anywhere from 1.25% to 3% commission to change them into cash. Vietcombank charges no commission for exchanging travellers cheques for dong.

If your travellers cheques are in currencies other than US dollars, they may be useless beyond the major cities. Hefty commissions are the norm if they can be exchanged at all.

Popularity: 56% [?]

Most bookshops in Vietnam stock a good range of maps. A must for its detailed road maps of every province is the Viet Nam Administrative Atlas, published by Ban Do. It is perfect for cyclists or motorbikers looking for roads less travelled and costs 68,000d.

Ban Do also publishes reasonable tourist maps of HCMC, Hanoi, Danang, Hue and a few other cities. Unfortunately, maps of smaller towns are practically nonexistent. Most of the listings mags produced in Vietnam have good city maps of Hanoi and HCMC, and there are a couple of good hand-drawn 3D maps of Hue and Sapa available from Covit, a local publisher.

Vietnamese street names are preceded with the words Pho, Duong and Dai Lo - on the maps in this book, they appear respectively as P, Đ and ĐL.

Popularity: 44% [?]

Every city has a general information service (tel: 1080) that provides everything from phone numbers and train and air timetables to exchange rates and the latest football scores. It even provides marriage counselling or bedtime lullabies for your child – no kidding! You can usually be connected to an operator who speaks English or French.

Domestic Calls

Phone numbers in Hanoi and HCMC have seven digits. Elsewhere around the country phone numbers have six digits. Telephone area codes are assigned according to the province.

Local calls can usually be made from any hotel or restaurant phone and are often free. Confirm this with the hotel so you don’t receive any unpleasant surprises when you check out. Domestic long-distance calls are reasonably priced and cheaper if you dial direct. up to 20% by calling between 10pm and 8am.

International Calls

Charges for international calls from Vietnam have any phone in the country; just dial 17100, the country code and the number.

International and domestic long-distance calls can be made at hotels, but it’s expensive. A cheaper alternative is to make these calls from the post office, which have handy displays telling you the cost of the call.

Reverse charges or collect calls are possible to most, but not all. Western countries including Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, the UK and the USA.

Mobile (Cellular) Phones

Vietnam is putting a lot of money into its cellular network. Vietnam uses GSM 900/1800, which is compatible with most of Asia, Europe and Australia but not with North America.

If your phone has roaming, it is easy enough, if expensive, to make calls in Viel-nam. Another option is to buy a SIM card with a local number to in Vietnam.

Rival companies Vina Phone and Mobi Phone battle it out in the mobile-phone market with gimmicks galore to attract new customers. Both of these companies have offices and branches nationwide.

Be aware that mobile-phone numbers in Vietnam start with the prefixes tel 0903 or 0913, and cost more to call than a local number.

Fax

Most post offices and hotels offer fax ser­vices. Hotels charge considerably more than the post office.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Vietnam has some fantastic shopping opportunities so it is well worth setting aside half a day or so to properly peruse. Hotspots include Hanoi, Hoi An and HCMC, each of which has a tempting avant-garde art to sumptuous silk suits. Some of the best buys on the block include gorgeous glazed pottery, classic lanterns, “almost” antiques, embroidered tablecloths, fine furnishings, and lavish silk and linen creations in designer boutiques.

Art & Antiques

There are several good shops to hunt for art and antiques, but Vietnam has strict regulations on the export of real antiques, so be sure the items are allowed out of the country. Most reputable shops can provide the necessary paperwork.

Both traditional and modern paintings are a popular item. Cheaper mass-produced stuff is touted in souvenir shops and by street vendors. More sophisticated works are displayed in art galleries, with paintings from US$50 to US$500, but some of the hottest Vietnamese artists now fetch up to 10 times that. It’s important to know that there are forgeries around -just becayou spot a painting by a ‘famous Vietnamese artist’ does not mean that it’s an original.

A Vietnamese speciality is the ‘instant antique’, such as a teapot or ceramic dinner plate, with a price tag of around US$2. Of course, it’s OK to buy fake antiques as long as you aren’t paying genuine-antique prices.

Clothing

Forget the rubber sandals and pith helmets, Vietnam is emerging as a regional design centre and there are some extravagant creations in the boutiques of Hanoi and HCMC. Beautiful silk dresses cost a fraction of what they would at home, and men can get in on the action with some flamboyant shirts or sharp suits.

Ao dai (ow-zai in the north, ow-yai in the south) is the national dress for Vietnamese women and is a popular item to take home. Ready-made ao dai cost from US$10 to US$20, but custom numbers can cost a lot more. There are an dai tailors nationwide, but those in the tourist centres are more familiar with foreigners.

These days more and more hill-tribe gear is winding its way to shops in Hanoi and HCMC. It is brightly patterned stuff, but you may need to the dyes yourself so those colours don’t bleed all over the rest of your clothes.

Women all over the country wear conical hats to keep the sun off their faces, though they also function as umbrellas in the rain. The best-quality conical hats are produced in the Hue area. T-shirts are ever popular items with travellers. A printed shirt costs around 20,000d while an embroidered design will cost about 50,000d.

Handicrafts

Hot items on the tourist market include lac-querware, boxes and wooden screens with mother-of-pearl inlay, ceramics (check out the elephants), colourful embroidery, silk greeting cards, wood-block prints, oil paintings, watercolours, blinds made of hanging bamboo beads, reed mats, carpets, jewellery and leatherwork.

War Souvenirs

In places frequented by tourists, it’s easy to buy what looks like equipment left over from the American War. However, almost all of these items are reproductions and your chances of finding anything original are slim.

The fake Zippo lighters engraved with platoon philosophy are still one of the hottest-selling items. You can pay extra to gel one that’s been beat up to look like a war relic, or just buy a brand-new shiny one for less.

Bargaining

Some bargaining is essential in most tourist transactions. Remember that in Asia “saving face” is important, so bargaining should be good-natured. Smile and don’t get angry or argue. In some cases you fill be able to get a 50% discount or more, at other times this may only be 10%. And once the money is accepted, the deal is done - if you harbour hard feelings becayou later find out that someone else got it cheaper, the only one you are hurting is yourself.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Tourist offices in Vietnam have a different philosophy from the majority of tourist offices worldwide. These government-owned enterprises are really travel agencies whose primary interests are booking tours and turning a profit. Don’t come here hoping for freebies. Vietnam Tourism and Saigon Tourist are old examples of this genre, but nowadays every province has at least one such organisation. Travel cafes, budget agencies and your fellow travellers are a much better source of information than any of the so-called “tourist offices”.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Tourist visas allow visitors to enter and exit Vietnam at Hanoi, HCMC and Danang air-ports or at any of its nine land borders, three each with Cambodia, China and Laos.

Tourist visas are valid for a single 30-day slay. The government periodically talks about issuing visas on arrival to certain favoured nationalities, but as yet this sensible scheme has failed to materialise. Arranging the necessary paperwork for a Vietnamese visa has become tairly straightforward, but it remains quite expensive and unnecessarily time-consuming. Processing a tourist-visa application typically takes four or five working days in countries in the West.

In Asia the best place to pick up a Vietnamese visa is Cambodia, where it costs just US$30 and takes as little as 15 minutes. Bangkok is also a popular place as many agents offer cheap packages with an air ticket and visa thrown in.

If you plan to spend more than a month in Vietnam, or if you plan to exit Vietnam and enter again from Cambodia or Laos, arrange a three-month multiple-entry visa. These cost around US$70 in Cambodia, but are not available from all Vietnamese embassies.

In our experience personal appearance influences the reception you receive from airport immigration - if you wear shorts or scruffy clothing, look dirty or unshaven, you can expect problems. Try your best to look “respectable”

Business Visas

Business visas are usually valid for three or six months, allow multiple entries and the right to work. Getting a business visa has now become fairly easy. The main drawback is the cost - a business visa is about four times the cost of a tourist visa. It is generally much easier to apply for a business visa once in Vietnam.

Student Visas

A student visa is usually arranged after your arrival. It’s acceptable to enter Vietnam on a tourist visa, enrol in a Vietnamese language course and then apply at the immigration police for a change in status.

Visa Extensions

If you’ve got the dollars, they’ve got the rubber stamp. Tourist-visa extensions cost around US$20, but it is easier to pay more and sort this out through a travel agency. The procedure takes two or three days and you can only extend one time tor 30 days.

In theory you should be able to extend your visa in any provincial capital. In practice it goes smoothest in major cities, such as HCMC, Hanoi, Danang and Hue, which cater to mass tourism. In Hue the place to arrange a visa extension is at the immigration police.

Re-Entry Visas

It’s possible to enter Cambodia, Laos or any other country from Vietnam and then re-enter without having to apply for another visa. However, you must apply for a re-entry visa be fore you leave Vietnam. If you do not have a re-entry visa, you will liave to go through the whole Vietnamese visa nonsense again.

Re-entry visas are easiest to arrange in Hanoi or HCMC, but you will almost certainly have to ask a travel agent to do the paperwork for you. Travel agents charge about US$25 for this service and can complete the procedure in a day or two.

Popularity: 20% [?]