Vietnam Travel Tips

Vietnam is a great country and a wonderful, eye-opening holiday destination. Here's some practical information about Vietnam and some handy traveller hints. Enjoy!

Vietnam is known for its many valleys, the famous Mekong Delta and the warm and friendly Vietnamese people. It shares borders with China, Laos and Cambodia and has tall mountains, rice paddy terraces on rolling hills, white sandy beaches and beautiful waterways. Most travellers start their trip in Hanoi and end with a few days at the beach. It's also possible to fly into Saigon. These days the city is known as Ho Chi Minh City, after the people's hero ‘Uncle Ho’. 

More than 86 million people live in Vietnam. Most live in the larger cities; however there are still quite a few mountain tribes, especially in the far north. We strongly recommend spending some time in the mountainous area of Sapa trekking and meeting the locals. For a taste of Vietnamese culture, you can visit the town of Hué and if you're looking for fun, visit Hoi An.  You can cycle through the surrounding rice paddies, visit a nearby beach or take a cooking class to learn how to make traditional Vietnamese dishes.

Time difference: It's 6 hours later in Vietnam than the UK. An additional hour is added during our winter time.

Best time to travel: December to May, although you can travel at anytime really.

Language: Vietnamese is the official language, however many people understand English. Menus and books are also available in English. In some areas you may even hear people speaking French, since Vietnam was once a French colony. 

Currency: The Vietnamese Dong, although many places accept and quote prices in US$. The exchange rate fluctuates on a daily basis, but to give you some indication £1 is about 25,450 VND (Vietnamese Dong).

Telephone calls: You shouldn't have any problem using your mobile, but this could be quite expensive. It's possible to buy an international phone card that you can use from a telephone box. 

 Internet: You can find Internet access almost anywhere in Vietnam. At times you'll have Internet access from your hotel room, in other hotels you'll have access to an Internet lounge. 

Photography: Keep in mind that you may not be allowed to take pictures all over Vietnam; always ask permission and show restraint when taking photos.

Voltage: Electricity in Vietnam is 220 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second. If you travel to Vietnam with a device that does not accept 220 Volts at 50 Hertz, you will need a voltage converter. The electrical sockets are different from what you're accustomed to, so it's best that you bring along a universal plug adaptor.

Vietnam travel tips - National holidays:

January 3, 2010 - Enlightenment of Buddha

February 3, 2010 - Communist Party of Viet Nam Foundation Anniversary

February 11 - 19, 2010 - TET Festival (rings in the year of the Tiger)

April 30, 2010 - Liberation Day

May 1, 2010 - Labour Day

May 2, 2010 - Buddha's Birthday

May 19, 2010 - Ho Chi Minh's Birthday

September 2, 2010 - Independence Day

September 3Free Web Content, 2010 - Anniversary of Ho Chi Minh's Death

Visa to Vietnam, Vietnam Travel Tips

No matter which way of access you choose, a Vietnamese entry visa is required for all foreigners, except for citizens of countries having bilateral agreements on visa exemption with Vietnam.

Types of visa to Vietnam

Diplomatic and official visa: No fees unless otherwise agreed upon between Vietnam and applicant’s country. On applying this visa, you must submit an official letter from the concerned agencies of local government, foreign embassies or consulates accredited to the country, international organizations, or other accredited organizations based in that country.

Business visa: On applying this visa, you should obtain an approval through your sponsor in Vietnam. It’s generally much easier to apply once in Vietnam. Multiple entry and stay of three-month or six-month is possible.

Tourist visa: (short staying time)  It's what you need to enter Vietnam! Available one-month single-entry visa (maximum stay in Vietnam of one month). Tourist visa may be extended one time for 30 days after your arrival in Vietnam.If you plan to spend more than a month in Vietnam, or if you plan to exit Vietnam and re-enter from Cambodia, Laos or China, you will need a three-month multiple-entry visa with the approval from local agents.

How to apply visa to Vietnam

You can either apply yourself at Vietnamese embassies or consulates in your country or have a local travel agent (your sponsor) to do a part or full its procedure.

By yourself:

Required documentations:you have to submit:  passport of six months’ validity,  visa application forms, and  probably some others required by Vietnamese embassy or consulates in your country. Visa forms are available by getting directly or by mail with a stamped, self-addressed envelope addressed to their Visa section. Request by email is perhaps acceptable (in some cases).

Time:processing tourist visa application typically takes four or five working days.

Cost:fees vary from embassy to embassy; about $50 in Bangkok and $85 in Washington, for example.

By local agent:

Provide two types of visa services: Visa Application letter and Full-packaged service (on-arrival visa).

Visa arrangements

Choose one of two following options for your Vietnam visa arrangement:

1. Visa on Arrival

You don't have to do anything except bring along the Approval Letter (sent by us). Upon your arrival at the airport, our staff will go to meet and assist you with filling out the Visa form at Immigration.  

2. Visa Approval Letter

This service includes the Visa Approval Letter from Vietnam Immigration Department only. You have to apply for visa stamp by yourself at Vietnam Embassy/Consulate in your country.  

General procedure for Vietnam visa application

STEP 1:  Send us your personal information as following:

Full names (include gender) 

Date of birth

Nationality

Passport No. (valid at least six months) 

Date of arrival 

Port of arrival: Noi Bai (Hanoi), Tan Son Nhat (Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City) or Danang.

Length of stays (one month for tourist visa).

Place where you like to get visa (Name the capital or city where the most convenient Vietnam Embassy or Consulate located in your country)

STEP 2:  We will  submit these information to the Vietnam Immigration Office in Vietnam to get the approval letter.

STEP 3:

For Visa Approval letter: After four (4) working days, the Vietnam Immigration Office will issue an Approval letter. This approval letter will be sent simultaneously to us and to the Vietnamese embassy or Consulates in your country.

For Visa on arrival service: After four (4) working days, the Vietnam Immigration Office will issue an Approval letter. This original Approval letter will be sent to us and simultaneously fax to the Immigration Department at  your arrival airport in Vietnam.

Then we will send a copy of the Visa Approval letter to you before boarding to Vietnam.

STEP 4:  We will scan and email the "Approval letter" to you. You just have to print it out.

For Visa Approval letter: You just take your Visa Approval letter with your original passport to Vietnam embassy or consulates in your country to get  Visa stamp. You have to pay the visa stamp fee. The visa stamp fee might be different depending on Vietnam Embassy in each country.

For Visa on-arrival service: you just show the Approval letter to the airlines when you check-in and show it to the Immigration officer at the airport upon arrival to get visa stamp. You are then required to fill out the visa form, attach photos and pay the visa stamp fee (see the visa stamp fee below) to the Immigration officer. In the Visa on-arrival full service, our staff will go to meet you at Immigration and help you fill the form out properly.

Note:

Please remember to bring along two (2) recent passport size photos (3cm*4cm)

Stamp fee:      One-month visa: US$ 25     Three-month visa: US$ 50     Six-month visa: US$ 1000

Vietnam Visa

The mystery of the extension of the Visa waiver for Vietnam is dissolved. Today (at the first of July.2016) we received official reports from Vietnam where announced that the wishes of the Vietnamese Ministry of Tourism are realized and the Visa exemption for citizens of five European countries is extended for one more year, until the 30.06.2017 becomes. But for some Vietnam vacationers this news comes too late, as they have already applied for their Vietnam Visa.

Visa exemption for Vietnam is extended

Review:

abolition of Visa requirements for Vietnam

In June 2015 the Vietnamese government announced the abolition of Visa requirements for citizens of five European countries. This Visa exemption for Vietnam concerned the citizens of France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK, with a maximum stay of 15 days in Vietnam. Before re-entry without a Visa in Vietnam also one month needed to be elapsed. This Visa project of Vietnamese was bounded for on a year from 01.07.2015 to 30.06.2016 (ITI HOLIDAY reported in detail). In recent weeks, before the deadline there were numerous of speculations because the Vietnamese government took its time with official information’s about the end of the Visa exemption. From official Vietnamese side there was neither an endorsement nor a denial to whether these regulations will be ending or extended.

Speculations: Visa exemption for Vietnam

While the affected Vietnamese embassies (for example, the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin) in recent weeks gladly claiming that the currently valid Visa exemption expires on 30.06.2016 and will not be renewed, came from some unofficial site in Vietnam other notifications. From Vietnam it was said unofficially that the Visa exemption in Vietnam for the citizens of France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK not will be just extended but also enhanced for stays up to 30 days. Several months ago for example the Vietnamese daily press reported about these new regulations but unfortunately without providing any relevant evidence.

the cat is out of the bag:

Vietnam Visa exemption extended

Today at the 01.07.2016 it has become officially established. The Visa waiver in Vietnam shall be extended for citizens of France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK for one year more to the previous terms and ends on 30.06.2017. The first concerned Vietnamese diplomatic missions, like the Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin have been published these news already on their websites. Others, like the Vietnamese embassy in London still claimed yesterday that there is no official confirmation from Vietnam about these rumors.