+ ENTERING THE COUNTRY

DO check-up for up-to-date information: regulations change frequently, as do visa lengths and prices. For example, there is a talk of tourist visas being issued on arrival in Vietnam, falling in line with Cambodia and Laos, but at the time of writing, there’s only an emergency possibility of having a visa delivered to the airport in Vietnam where you arrive. If avoidable, this is not recommended, as it is expensive and risky: many airlines refuse to fly passenger without valid papers, because they will be held responsible for flying you gain if there’s a hitch and you don’t get your visa. Once you’re on your way to Vietnam, usually on the flight or when you arrive at the airport, you’ll be asked to fill in an entry/exit form and to keep a copy.

+ ON THE ROAD

Vietnam airlines – the state carrier, provides a wide array of safe and fairly comfortable flights, both international and domestic. Thins have not always been thus, but there is now a very trim fleet of modern, well-maintained planes (mostly French and American: not a Russian Tupolev in sight), flown by well-train pilots. It’s the safest driving you’re likely to experience in Vietnam! DO consider flying if you’re going a long way within Vietnam, because any other means of transport is always much slower and sometimes only slightly cheaper DON’T get stuck in the mud: in the rainy season, road and rail are frequently flooded or even washed away in the region that are hardest hit.

+ SHOPPING

Shopping can be an interesting – but also a very exasperating-experience. So arm yourself with plenty of time and patience and get out there to find the amazing variety of great deals Vietnam has to offer. DON’T miss the markets: among the most atmospheric in Southeast Asia and still the hub of commercial activity everywhere in Vietnam. Notable markets include floating ones in the Mekong Delta, Cho Lon maket in the district of Ho Chi Minh City that bears the same name ( it actually means big market), the large fruit and flower maket in Dalat, any of the major markets in Hanoi, the colourful Sa Pa market and other ethnic minority markets in the mountainous north of the country.

+ VISA TO VIETNAM

Visitors must obtain a visa prior to entry. A tourist visa for Vietnam can be obtained from any Vietnam Embassy or consulate office worldwide. Visas are typically valid for 30 days and can be extended through our head office in Vietnam.

+ Vietnam people

At present there are 54 different ethnic groups inhabiting Vietnam, in which Kinh (Viet) people make up nearly 90% of the whole population, and 53 other ethnic groups represent over 10%. The Vietnamese nation was formed through a process of two major ancient cultures, the Chinese and the Indian. Thus a peculiar trait of Vietnam's culture was formed

+ Vietnam history

Sometime between 200 B.C. and A.D. 200, the intermingling of the Red River Delta's early inhabitants resulted in a distinct Vietnamese people. Virtually from the outset, the Vietnamese were ruled by the Chinese, and they would continue to be until A.D. 938.