Vietnam

From Imakoopedia

Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. Its neighboring countries are China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the east.

Table of contents

1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By Road 6 Get around 6.1 By plane 6.2 By train 6.3 By bus 6.4 By car 6.5 By cycle 6.6 By motorcycle taxi 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 10.1 Coffee 10.2 Beer 10.3 Soft drinks 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay Safe 14.1 On the road 14.2 Crossing the road 14.3 Nightlife 15 Stay Healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 18 External Links

Regions

• The North
• The Central Coast
• The Central Highlands
• The South (Ho Chi Minh City)
• The Mekong Delta

Cities

• Hanoi / Hà N?i
• Nha Trang
• Da Nang / Ðà N?ng
• Hue / Hu?
• Hoi An -- and the ruins of My Son
• Ho Chi Minh City / Thành Ph? H? Chí Minh -- aka Saigon / Sài Gòn

Other destinations

• Ha Long Bay
• Mekong Delta
• Mui Ne nice beach resort
• Cu Chi Tunnels
• Tay Ninh main temple of the Cao Dai
• The DMZ
• Sapa
• Da Lat

Understand

France occupied all of Vietnam by 1884. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forces under H? Chí Minh, who took control of the north. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later North Vietnamese forces overran the south. Economic reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult.

Get in

Most visitors to Vietnam (except citizens of ASEAN countries and Japan) require a visa in advance. A single-entry tourist visa valid for 30 days costs around €35 (although exact fees vary depending on issuing country) and takes around 4-7 days to process; express visas take 2-3 days at twice the price. Visas are now generally valid for all entry and exit points.

A fairly convoluted visa on arrival process has recently been introduced, but this requires a prior application to Hanoi and is generally intended mostly for groups and citizens of countries without Vietnamese embassies.

By plane

Vietnam has three international airports: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, and Da Nang. Direct flights are available from Thailand, China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore. After the long-awaited signing of an aviation agreement direct flights to the United States are expected to commence in 2005.

By train

Trains from Beijing, China cross the border at Dong Dang and terminate in Hanoi.

Due to landslides the rail link to Kunming, China is closed until further notice.

By Road

Get around

By plane

Flights are the fastest way to travel the distance of this long country; the trip from Hanoi to HCMC will take about 2 hours by plane. The major operators are Vietnam Airlines and Pacific Airlines. Formerly highly discriminatory fares have been reduced, but foreigners still pay a surcharge when flying on Vietnamese carriers. Make sure to verify your domestic flights, it is very easy to get bumped.

By train

There is only one train line in Vietnam, the 1700-kilometer trunk between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, on which the Reunification Express runs. It's a good way to travel, and far more comfortable than buses.

By bus

Long-distance bus services connect most cities in Vietnam. Due to their unreliable nature, most depart early in the morning to accommodate breakdowns along the way. Also, taking in mind that since tour companies charge very little, they make a lot of commission on their stop-offs; they are notorious at stopping off for "washroom breaks" which are really just souvenir shops. The estimated time for a bus trip may not be accurate and may be an additional couple hours sometimes, due to the number of stop offs.

In addition, hotels and tour companies provide chartered minibuses.

By car

While car rentals don't exist, it can be quite easy to hire a car and driver for excursions and day trips. Hotels and tourist cafes can usually take care of this.

By cycle

Adventurous travelers may wish to see Vietnam by motorcycle or bicycle. Most of the population gets around on two wheels, so it's an excellent way to get closer to the people, as well as off the beaten path.

In cities like Saigon and Hanoi, parking bicycles on the sidewalks is not allowed, and you'll have to go to a pay parking lot.

By motorcycle taxi

"MotoBike?" as some xe om(literally 'wheel hug') drivers will yell to you as you walk by. They are reasonably cheap, about average 5000 Dong. You should be able to get anywhere within a city for about 5000-10000 Dong, since the city is usually densely populated and everything is reasonably close by. But watch out, some drivers will try to get you to pay more after you negotiated a price. But be firm on the price.

Another alternative is to rent your own motorbike. Traffic is reasonably easy to follow and people don't go very fast, since there are always lots of people on the road. As long as you don't break any traffic rules police will not pull you over. Many people drive without a license.

Talk

Vietnamese, spoken by most of the population, is a tonal language and definitely not easy to master. It is written using the Latin alphabet, which makes maps and signs fairly easy to understand. The vocabulary borrows heavily from Chinese, so travelers fluent in other East Asian languages may find some similar words.

Many young people have a basic grasp of English, and almost everyone wants to learn it. Especially in the south, it is not uncommon to meet people who learned English from American soldiers during the war. French is not widely spoken any more. If anything, you're more likely to meet a young student learning French to capitalize on modern-day tourists than anyone who learned it back in the days of "Indochine".

Buy

The national currency is the dong (d?ng), which has stabilized in the past few years but is difficult to find or exchange outside Vietnam. Bills are available in denominations of 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, 50000, 100000 and 500000 dong. In 2003, coins were also introduced in denominations of 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000 dong, but these remain a comparatively rare sight.

U.S. dollars are widely accepted, the standard exchange rate (as of 2004) for small quantities being 15000 dong to US$1; this is some 5% below the bank rate, so it's usually better to pay in dong. Also note that dollar bills in less than perfect condition may be rejected.

Prices such as hotel and bus fares are, by government mandate, significantly higher (typically three times) for "foreign guests" as for locals.

You can bargain on practically anything in Vietnam. Most merchants will start off charging foreigner prices, which you can easily bring down.

Eat

Vietnam's national dish is ph?, rice noodles in a beef broth garnished with herbs and vegetables. Ph? is a breakfast food, though it is also eaten for lunch. Unless you really go out of your way, expect to eat at least one bowl of pho a day.

Streetside eateries in Vietnam typically advertise "ph?" and "com". Though com means rice, it stands for just about any simple dish consisting of meat and vegetables with rice.

One aspect of French colonialism that probably won't be driven out for a while is cuisine. French pastries are widely available in the cities. Bánh mì are French bread sandwiches, filled with liver paste, ham, or chicken, with herbs and vegetables.

Drink

Coffee

Cà phê s?a is strong brewed coffee served with sweet condensed milk. It's sometimes accompanied with a pot of hot water so you can thin it down. With ice, it's cà phê s?a dá.

The best Vietnamese coffee is said to come from the Buon Ma Thuot area in the Central Highlands.

Beer

Don't miss out on bia hoi, or draft beer. It's available throughout Vietnam, mostly from small bars on street corners. You will rarely see other travellers drinking anywhere other than the western type bars and backpacker eateries. Bia hoi bars will give you the opportunity to relax drinking in a typical Vietnamese bar surrounded by the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Few travellers know these bars exist and fewer still understand what the brew is that the locals are enjoying. The beer is freshly brewed and each bar will take a delivery of a fresh batch every day. It's a very light (3%) refreshing lager at a fraction of the cost of bottled beer in the Western-style bars.

For bottled beer, the best-known Vietnamese brand is 333, pronounced "ba-ba-ba". It's decent but somewhat bland and generic; for a bit more flavor, look out for Saigon Special and Biere Larue.

Soft drinks

Coconut water is a favorite in the hot southern part of the country.

Nuoc mia, or sugar cane juice, is served from distinctive metal carts with a crank-powered crushers.

Sleep

Learn

Work

Stay Safe

On the road

Be careful! When travelling within the confines of the city it is fine, as speed is pretty tame. However, getting on the freeway is dangerous, there are a lot of traffic fatalities on the freeways in Vietnam, and some locals will not even venture on them, if not in a big vehicle(car or bus). Taking a bicycle or motobike on the freeway is not advised. There are transport buses and tour buses that go about 80 km/hour that pay very little attention to what is going on around them (as is usually the way people adhere to traffic in Vietnam). This often lead to many accidents, where frequently you will see many bodies lying on the road with a blanket over them and incense burning around them.

Crossing the road

Mummy and Daddy will have put much energy into teaching you this very important lesson as a child. In Vietnam you must forget everything you ever did regarding crossing the street back home. If you are to die in Vietnam, then more than likely you will be on the road. Be it in a car or under one. Vietnamese cities are crowded and the roads are absolutely packed. You will take life in your own hands on several occasions during your stay in any on Vietnam's major cities, by simply crossing the street. When crossing the road you should always pick a gap, walk slowly looking directly at the on coming motors and cars, these you can be assure, prefer that you walk slowly, and do not change your direction or pace, they can then move out of your way. If you run, step back or stop once you have started there will be problems. Have fun!!

Nightlife

Vietnam has a great night life and is reasonably safe compared to most developing countries. However, Vietnam is still a developing country, and people are still very poor. Petty crime, prostitution and drugs are still rampant. Basically don't go looking for trouble, if you do, you are sure to find it. Remember Vietnam is still a communist country and though they are lenient towards foreigners you shouldn't try your luck. Also, things tend to get a little bit empty at night, since there is a curfew for shops to close, which is usually around 10ish. Alleyways, which there are a lot of in Vietnam, are usually safe, but walking in one coming out of a nightclub, half drunk at 3am in the morning in an area you don't know too well isn't too good an idea. Use common sense.

Stay Healthy

Tropical diseases such as malaria and Japanese encephalitis are endemic in rural Vietnam. Malaria isn't as much a concern in the bigger cities such as Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. Most foreigners don't take any malaria pills, as cases of malaria in the city are rare and the side effects of the pills are pretty bad.

Respect

Souvenir shops in Vietnam sell lots of T-shirts with the red flag and portraits of "Uncle Ho". Though they may make good souvenirs, you are advised not to wear them in overseas Vietnamese communities back home!

Contact

External Links

• http://home.freiepresse.de/uwdel/vietnam2.html Information and experiences of a backpacker holiday