GENERAL INFORMATION

Vietnam is bordered on China in the North, Laos and Cambodia in the West, and the Pacific Ocean in the East. Located  in the centre of South-East Asia. Vietnamese territory stretches from Lung Cu village (Ha Tuyen province) in the North to Rach Tau hamlet (Minh Hai province) in the South.

Vietnam's mainland covers 331,689 square kilometers and its coast prolongs over 3,000 kilometers in length. This S-shaped peninsula, with thousands of offshore islands and archipelagoes; Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) are the biggest ones of Viet Nam.

As the crow flies, the distance from North to South is about 1600 kms. The North, formerly Tonkin, is the greatest part of 600 kms in width, whereas the Southern part - ancient Cochin China, is only 400kms. And the narrowest part – Quang Binh province, old Annam, is just a strip of land of 50kms. This part is bordered on one side by Laos and on other side by Oriental sea.

In the past centuries, under  the dominance of different consecutive colonialism and imperialism, Vietnamese people have had plenty of  fight for a long time to protect their territory and their culture. During the period of 1945- 1975, under the clear – sighted leadship of Ho Chi Minh, he was constantly fighting for  independence and freedom and reunification.

Today, the bombardments  of  Yankee  are stopped dropping, and replaced by the stream of travellers from over the world. They come and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of Vietnam country that is called  "Mountains and Sea". According to the legend, the first Vietnamese people were descended from the Dragon Lord Lac Long Quan and the Immortal Fairy Au Co. They have had 100 sons. One day, they have decided to part away. 50 of them have gone with their mother to the mountains, and the others  to the sea with their father. The eldest son has become the first earliest Vietnamese king.  People has called him as Hung King (Hung Vuong Dynasty). The Hung kings named their country as Van Lang, It  has been located on the Red River delta; today it’s the northern Vietnam. People of Van Lang have been known as the Lac Viet.

WEATHER

Vietnam is located in the tropical and temperate zone. It is characterized by a strong monsoon influence, a considerable amount of sunny days, and with a high rate of rainfall and humidity. Some places located near the tropics or in mountainous regions are endowed with a temperate climate. Average temperatures for the year range from 22o to 27oC. The climate in Vietnam is divided into two distinguished seasons : The cold season (from November to April) and the hot season (from May to October).

The most noticeable seasonal changes in temperature are found in the northern provinces, where a difference of 12oC is possible. The difference in temperature, estimated at 3oC, between the two seasons in southern Vietnam is almost unnoticeable. Four distinct seasons are most evident in the northern provinces: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter.

 PEOPLE

Ethnic Groups: At present, in Vietnam community there are 54 different elements of people. The Kinh (Viet) is the major one who is represented nearly 90% of  Vietnam total population. There are  also 3% of Chinese and major ethnic minority groups as the Tay, Thai, Muong, H'Mong, Dao and Khmer. . and other mountain tribes. Vietnamese culture originated from the plains of the Red River and the Ma River where the Vietnamese are farming in the fields.

They live a simple farming life in the small village, usually around the public house of village. Today most rural people live in this lifestyle. Vietnamese people are influenced  by the doctrine of Confucius (Confucianism), in particular they live on principle to respect the  elders.
Each nationality has its own language, script, tradition and custom. This feature makes Vietnamese culture colorful and plentiful. 

LANGUAGES

Vietnamese language used for all nationalities beside the tribal dialects (Khmer, Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian). However, Vietnamese people demonstrate to the world that they can speak  almost the foreign languages such as Russian, French, English, Chinese, Japanese, German.. . .

RELIGION

Apart from popular religious belief, Vietnam still has some major religions such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Cao Dai and Hoa Hao

CUSTOM

- In principle, we do not touch the heads of little girls (and children in general).

- Clothing Question: No  nudity on beaches.  In town, please avoid  be bared torso. Formal dress in temples and pagodas (where it has to remove generally their shoes before entering).
- Do not come in a house or apartment without being invited.  There again, we take off  our shoes mostly.

- Do not enter  first into the house at  Lunar New Year Eve -  after midnight. Doing like this you  may  cause the ruin of  the unfortunate family for all the year!

- Do not take offense if  the Vietnamese  do not open the gift that you gave him. Because, to his point of view, it would be impolite to do that.

- Begging is not  only a real problem in the south, but also a little bit  in the north. Please always have change ready if you want to donate money. Do it discretetly, at the risk of  keeping all the others on the back (including many professionals!).

- In fact, white is the color of mourning.

CURRENCY

The Dong (VND) is the official currency in.
Bank- note are currently in denomination of Vietnamese monetary system: 200 / 500 / 1,000 / 2,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / 20,000 / 50,000 / 100,000 / 200,000 and 500,000 Dong.
Notes under 500 Dong have little value and are rarely used.

The U.S. dollar is more or less a second currency in Vietnam. Other foreign currencies are  rarely accepted. A large supply of US$1, US$5 and US$10 is almost essential for small expenses, for tipping taxi driver or  porter at the hotel….. U.S. dollars are  very common that the exchanges normally take place.

You could  take an unlimited amount of foreign currency as long as it is declared in  the form which is provided by customs officers. Foreign currency can be exchanged for dong at your hotel or at the Vietnam State Bank.

 

THINGS TO KNOW

• Population: About 78 Million People

• Capital: Hanoi

• Flag: The flag of Vietman is red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center.

• Shop Hours: Shops open from 7 or 8am to 11 or 11:30pm. Some are opened from 1 or 2pm to 4 or 5pm.

• Bank Hours: Most banks are opened from 7am or 8am to 11am or 11:30am Some are opened from 1pm or 2pm to 4pm or 5pm.

Holidays
January 1	Solar New Year's Day
January/February	Tet (Tet Nguyen Dan). The most important Vietnamese annual festival. This marks the new lunar year and the advent of spring. This is a three-day holiday, usually at the end of January or the beginning of February (according to the solar calendar).
February 3	Anniversary of the Foundation of the Communist Party of Vietnam
April 30	Liberation Day ( before it was Saigon, today it's Ho Chi Minh City). People celebrate the national reunification anniversary.
May 1	Labour Day
May 19	Birthday of President Ho Chi Minh
September 2	National Day of Vietnam

Time: +7:00, Vietnam is 11 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and 14 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.
Tipping: In Vietnam, It is not customary to tip but it is greatly appreciated.

A 5-10% tip for a meal is a very small amount of money, but to the average Vietnamese, it could be easily equal to a day's wages. Don’t tip too much, because it will be a done thing for others.

Restaurants: All restaurants are allowed by Governments to add 10% service charge to the tourists’ bill.

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS

Porters: Porters, if they are available, can be tipped with American coins.

Hotel maids: All hotels are allowed by Governments to add automatically 10% service fee to the tourists’ bill

Taxis:  Tips are not necessary. However, a small gratuity is expected by car drivers.

Duty-Free Items

Visitors could import 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco, 1 liter of wine, 1 liter of alcohol and an unlimited amount of film. Commercial goods and high value items are taken out of Vietnam must be shown the permits of Customs Service. The antiques are confiscated permanently. No local currency may be taken out of the country.

The Customs Service Headquarters

21 Ton Duc Thang St.
Ho Chi Minh City

Tel 3890095

TRAVEL TO THE COUNTRY

Airports
Noi Bai International Airport
Hanoi
Tan Son Nhat Airport
Ho Chi Minh City
Fares are significantly lower  to compare with other flights  to Ho Chi Minh City. Even the available flights from the capital of Southeast Asia, as well as from Sydney and Melbourne, the best seats from Bangkok where visas are easily issued

Trains
There are no currently railway that links Vietnam and neighbouring countries.

Bus and Omnibus trans-Vietnam

More modern than rail network, road network is  in very good condition, now ,  from North to South Vietnam. Express buses depart from bus stations, bus stops have all along Vietnam. Here, we  buy tickets and seats before boarding.

For the omnibus, whereas the price of the trip has to discuss with the driver or co-driver, and stop is depending on  the customer's request

Ships and Ferries
There are no official passengers services. There are boats that sail from Cambodia to Chau Doc and in the reverse direction, in the Mekong River.

EMBASSIES & CONSULATES GENERAL:

EMBASSIES
- Algeria: 13 Phan Chu Trinh - Hanoi - Tel: 38 253865 - Fax: 38 260830
- Argentina: Daeha Building 360 Kim Ma - Hanoi - Tel: 38 315263 - Fax: 38 315288
- Australia: 8 Dao Tan - Hanoi - Tel: 38 317755 - Fax: 38 317711
- Austria: 8th fl. 53 Quang Trung - Hanoi - Tel:  39 433050  - Fax: 9 433055
- Bangladesh: 7th fl. Daeha Building - Hanoi - Tel:  37 716625  - Fax: 37 716628
- Belgium: 9th fl. Hanoi Tower - Hanoi - Tel:  39 346179  - Fax: 39 346183
- Brazil: T72 - 14 Thuy Khue - Hanoi - Tel: 38 432544 - Fax: 38 432542
- Brunei: 4 Thuyen Quang - Hanoi - Tel: 38 264816 - Fax: 38 222092
- Bulgaria: Van Phuc Quarter - Hanoi - Tel: 38 452908 - Fax: 38 460856
- Cambodia: 71 Tran Hung Dao - Hanoi - Tel: 38 253788 - Fax: 38 265225
- Canada: 31 Hung Vuong - Hanoi - Tel: 38 235500 - Fax: 38 235333
- China: 46 Hoang Dieu - Hanoi - Tel: 38 453736 - Fax: 38 232826
- Cuba: 65 Ly Thuong Kiet - Hanoi - Tel: 38 254775 - Fax: 38 252426
- Czech Republic: 13 Chu Van An - Hanoi - Tel: 38 454131 - Fax: 38 233996
- Denmark: 19 Dien Bien Phu - Hanoi - Tel: 38 231888 - Fax: 38 231999
- Egypt: 106 Nghi Tam - Hanoi - Tel: 38 294999
- England: 31 Hai Ba Trung - Hanoi - Tel: 38 252510 - Fax: 38 265762
- Finland: 6th fl. 31 Hai Ba Trung - Hanoi - Tel: 38 266788 - Fax: 38 266766
- France: 57 Tran Hung Dao - Hanoi - Tel: 38 252719 - Fax: 38 264236
- Germany: 29 Tran Phu - Hanoi - Tel: 38 430245 - Fax: 38 453838
- Hungary: 360 Kim Ma - Hanoi - Tel:  37... - Fax: 37 715716
- India: 50-60 Tran Hung Dao - Hanoi - Tel: 38 244990 - Fax: 38 244998
- Indonesia: 50 Ngo Quyen - Hanoi - Tel: 38 253353 - Fax: 38 259274
- Iran: 54 Tran Phu - Hanoi - Tel: 38 232068 - Fax: 38 232120
- Iraq: 66 Tran Hung Dao - Hanoi - Tel: 38 254141 - Fax: 38 254055
- Israel: 68 Nguyen Thai Hoc - Hanoi - Tel: 38 433140 - Fax: 38 435760
- Italy: 9 Le Phung Hieu - Hanoi - Tel: 38 256246 - Fax: 38 267602
- Japan: 27 Lieu Giai - Hanoi - Tel: 38 463000 - Fax: 38 463044
- Korea (Republic of): 360 Kim Ma - Hanoi - Tel: 38 315111 - Fax: 38 315117
- Laos: 22 Tran Binh Trong - Hanoi - Tel: 38 254576 - Fax: 38 228414
- Libya: A3 Quartier de Van Phuc - Hanoi - Tel: 38 453379 - Fax: 38 454977
- Malaysia: 6B Lang Ha - Hanoi - Tel: 38 313400 - Fax: 38 313402
- Mongolia: Villa 5 Van Phuc - Hanoi - Tel: 38 453009 - Fax: 38 454954
- Myanmar: A3 Van Phuc Quarter - Hanoi - Tel: 38 453369 - Fax: 38 452404
- Netherlands: Daeha Office Tower - Hanoi - Tel: 38 315651 - Fax: 38 315655
- New Zealand: 32 Hang Bai - Hanoi - Tel: 38 241481 - Fax: 38 241480
- Norway: 7th fl. 6 Ly Thai To - Hanoi - Tel: 38 260211 - Fax: 38 260222
- Palestine: E4B Quartier Trung Tu - Hanoi - Tel: 38 524013 - Fax: 38 263696
- Philippines: 27B Tran Hung Dao - Hanoi - Tel: 38 257948 - Fax: 38 562760
- Poland: 3 Chua Mot Cot - Hanoi - Tel: 38 452027 - Fax: 38 236914
- Romania: 5 Le Hong Phong - Hanoi - Tel: 38 452014 - Fax: 38 430922
- Russia: 58 Tran Phu - Hanoi - Tel: 38 454631 - Fax: 38 456177
- Singapore: 41-43 Tran Phu - Hanoi - Tel: 38 233965 - Fax: 37 377627
- Slovakia: 6 Le Hong Phong - Hanoi - Tel: 38 454334 - Fax: 38 454145
- Spain: Daeha Building - Hanoi - Tel:  37... - Fax: 37 715206
- Sweden: Van Phuc Quater - Ha Tay - Tel: 38 454824 - Fax: 38 232195
- Switzerland: 15th fl. Melia Hotel- Hanoi - Tel:  39 346589  - Fax: 39 346591
- Thailand: 63-65 Hoang Dieu - Hanoi - Tel: 38 235092 - Fax: 38 235088
- Turkey: 4 Da Tuong - Hanoi - Tel: 38 222460 - Fax: 38 222458
- United States: 7 Lang Ha - Hanoi - 38 431500 - Fax: 38 431510

CONSULATES GENERAL:
- Australia: 5B Ton Duc Thang - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 296035 - Fax: 38 296031
- Belgium: 115 Nguyen Hue - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 219354 - Fax: 38 219304
- Cambodia: 41 Phung Khac Khoan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 292751 - Fax: 38 292744
- Canada: 235 Dong Khoi - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 245025 - Fax: 38 294528
- China: 39 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 292437 - Fax: 38 295009
- Cuba: 45 Phung Khac Khoan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 297350 - Fax: 38 295393
- Czech: 176 Nguyen Van Thu - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 292179 - Fax: 38 299191
- Denmark: 20 Phung Khac Khoan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 228289 - Fax: 38 224888
- England: 25 Le Duan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 298433 - Fax: 38 221971
- France: 27 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 297231 - Fax: 38 291675
- Germany: 126 Nguyen Dinh Chieu - D.3 - HCMC - Tel: 38 291967 - Fax: 38 231919
- Hungary: 22 Phung Khac Khoan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 290130 - Fax: 38 292410
- India: 49 Tran Quoc Thao - D.3 - HCMC - Tel:  39 303539  - Fax: 39 307495
- Indonesia: 18 Phung Khac Khoan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 223799 - Fax: 38 299493
- Italy: 17 Le Duan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 298721 - Fax: 38 298723
- Japan: 13-17 Nguyen Hue - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 225314 - Fax: 38 225316
- Korea (Republic of): 107 Nguyen Du - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 225757 - Fax: 38 225750
- Laos: 93 Pasteur - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 297667 - Fax: 38 299272
- Malaysia: 2 Ngo Duc Ke - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 293132 - Fax: 38 299027
- Netherland: 29 Le Duan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 235932 - Fax: 38 235934
- New Zealand: 29 Le Duan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 226908 - Fax: 38 226904
- Norway: 21-23 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 296869 - Fax: 38 296866
- Panama: 7A Le Thanh Ton - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 250344 - Fax: 38 236447
- Philippine: 29 Le Duan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 233157 - Fax: 38 233158
- Poland: 2 Tran Cao Van - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 245244 - Fax: 38 290114
- Russia: 40 Ba Huyen Thanh Quan - D.3 - HCMC - Tel:  39 303936  - Fax: 39 303937
- Singapore: 8th fl. 65 Le Loi - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 225173 - Fax: 38 214766
- Sweden: 8A/11D1 Thai Van Lung - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 236800 - Fax: 38 236817
- Switzerland: 270A Bach Dang - District de Binh Thanh - HCMV - Tel: 38 412211 - Fax: 38 412028
- Thailand: 77 Tran Quoc Thao - D.3 - HCMC - Tel: 38 222637 - Fax: 38 291002
- United States: 4 Le Duan - D.1 - HCMC - Tel: 38 229433 - Fax: 38 229434

Airlines

Vietnam Airlines (International)
116-118 Nguyen Hue Blvd.
Ho Chi Minh City
Tel  (08) 3292118 
Vietnam Airlines (Domestic)
27b Nguyen Dinh Chieu St.
Ho Chi Minh City
Tel  (08) 3299980 
Air France
Dong Khoi and Le Loi St. (Caravelle Hotel)
Ho Chi Minh City
Tel  (08) 3241278 
Aeroflot
4H Le Loi St.
Ho Chi Minh City
Tel  (08) 3893489 
Thai Airways
116 Nguyen Hue Blvd.
Ho Chi Minh City
Tel  (08) 3292118 
Philippine Airlines
Ho Chi Minh City
Tel  (08) 3292200 
MAS
116 Nguyen Hue Blvd.
Ho Chi Minh City
Tel  (08) 3830695