Guide to Vietnam

Weather in Vietnam

The climate in Vietnam is split between the north being more temperate low teens in winter to mid thirties in summer and the south with it being more tropical and the temperature being mid-twenties to mid-thirties all year round.  The wet season monsoons arrive in May and depart the north in September and the south in October, there is little rain through out the rest of the year.

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Visa Requirements for Vietnam

Citizens of the following countries do not require a visa for a stay of not more 30 days:

Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand

Philippines (not more than 21 days)

Denmark, Finland, Japan, Norway and South Korea Sweden (not more than 15 days)

All other citizens require a visa to travel to Vietnam.  Tourist Visas are valid for maximum of between 30-90 days .
For applications made to the Vietnam Embassy in London
1. Passport (validity must exceed that of the visa by at least one month).
2. One completed (Vietnam visa form).
3. One passport photo
4. Visa fee
A 30 day, single entry visa costs £44 and £50 for business purposes.   

A 30-day, single entry visa in the fast-track
service
costs £59 for tourist purposes and £65 for business purposes
 
An up to 30-day, tourist, multiple-entry visa
Fee cost £75 and £85 for business purposes
in the standard processing. The visa fee
for fast-track processing is £95/passport
for tourist purposes and
£100/passport for business purposes.
  
A 90-day, tourist, single-entry visa fee cost £75 and £80 for business purposes in
the
standard processing. The visa fee
for fast-tracking processing is £95 for
tourist and business purposes in the fast-track processing.

A 90-day, tourist, multiple-entry visa fee
cost £95 and £110 for business purposes in the normal processing. The visa fee for fast-track processing £115 for tourist purposes and £130 for business purposes.

Please note if your children are also on your
passports, they will be exempted. Otherwise, they will need separate
visas and
will be charged as such. You do not need, however, to file
separate application forms for them.
For Application in person: payment can be made in CASH only.
For Application by post: payment should be in guaranteed cheque, postal order or bankers draft only.
 In case of application by post, passport and visa will be returned by post by Special Delivery. A self-addressed envelope (not stamped) and postal delivery service charge are required:
one passport: GBP 8 per passport
two or three passports (if only posted back in one package): GBP 6 per passport
four to seven passports (if only posted back in one package): GBP 5 per passport
Processing time
Normal: 5 workings days
Express: Two working days (additional fee required).
Application by Fax: Application by Fax is available in the Express Processing only. You can send the application form and the main page of your passport by fax TWO DAYS in advance; and then collect the visa upon presenting your passport and paying for the visa fee at the Embassy.
Same-Day Processing: Is available but you would need to consult with Embassy.
 

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Health in Vietnam

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Vietnam Currency

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Best Time to Visit Vietnam

If travelling in January or February it may be wise to check the Dates of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) as you may find that transport and hotels are busier and therefore more expensive.

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Security in Vietnam

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What to Take to Vietnam

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Trains in Vietnam

Travelling by train is an excellent way to see Vietnam. The section hugging the coastline between Hue and De Nang is particularly stunning. All trains offer some level of sleeper carriage, and many offer comfortable 4 berth 'soft sleeper' carriages. Soft sleeper carriages come with air conditioning and on the more modern SE class of train often come with an airline style meal included in the ticket price. Hard sleepers are open dorm style carriages with rows of 3 bunks. Hard sleepers do not always have air-conditioning and western style toilets.

The train network in Vietnam can be a little limited, but many of the most popular destinations are either served by train or are near a train station. The main (reunification) line runs north to south between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The line stops directly at Hue and Nha Trang, but you can also visit Hoi An (nearest station De Nang) and Mui Ne (nearest station Phan Thiet) using the train. There are separate lines from Hanoi serving Halong Bay (station is Haiphong) and Sapa (station is Lao Cai.)

Train travel in Vietnam is cheap and sleeping compartments save you the cost of a night accommodation. In terms of cost the train is around twice the price of the tourist buses, but when you are comparing $7 with $18 (bus versus train from Nha Trang to Hoi An) neither is expensive yet the train is significantly better.

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Vietnam Flights

Vietnam Airlines operates the bulk of internal flights in Vietnam. You may find cancellations and late flights more common on domestic routes than on their international services. It can often be cheaper to book Vietnam Airlines flights in advance with a local travel agent.

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Vietnam Tours

As well as the better known tour operators, there are a number of motorbike touring operations which Vietnam is justly well known for. You can often organise one of these trips through your hostel (Drift Backpackers in Hanoi offers some cool motorbike trips) or just find guys from 'Easy Riders' hanging out in popular backpacker spots.

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Buses in Vietnam

The cheapest way to travel the main coastal route in Vietnam is using one of the many tourist buses that offer 'open' tickets. They all tend to run between Hanoi and Saigon and offer stops in Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Dalat and Mui Ne. The tickets are dirt cheap and there is a certain element of convenience in that the buses do stop in the main tourist destinations (so you don't need to make your own way from Phan Tiet to Mui Ne for example, which does add cost to your trip.) There are some significant downsides though. Apart from the obvious fact that you are unlikely to meet many locals on the buses, the operators have a very shady reputation, which can quickly be seen from comments from past users.

I personally used TM Brothers although there are a number of operators as far as I am aware there is little to recommend any of them ahead of another. My personal experiences were fairly mild with unhelpful/dishonest staff, a decrepit vehicle and extreme lateness. Other travellers report more significant problems, one of the main ones being that they are abandoned at out of town hotels (which pay commissions) are drivers refuse to take them to their pre-booked hotels.

It's cheap and many travellers use the service but remember you get what you pay for.

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Driving in Vietnam

Driving in Vietnam can be a terrifying experience. The only saving grace is that although the roads are filled with scooters there are very few cars. Legally you can not ride a motorbike or scooter in Vietnam without a licence although in practice this is rarely (if ever) enforced. You will be able to rent scooters easily, but be aware that you are involved in an accident dealing with your insurance company or the police may not be an easy or pleasant experience.

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Boats in Vietnam

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Crossing Boarders in Vietnam

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