Travel Guide: Vietnam

Vietnam, sometimes spelt Viet Nam, is a truly beautiful country that is growing very quickly. Hanoi, in the North is a masterpiece of French architecture and Saigon in the South is a modern and vibrant city.

Vietnam also offers some amazingly pristine beaches that have largely been untouched by tourism, although this is changing rapidly as the country's tourism industry goes from strength to strength.

Vietnam has a population of around 80 million inhabitants, with 54 ethnic groups. The country is divided into 64 provinces with the capital being Hanoi.

There is a lot of competition between Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi with both cities having their own stock exchanges, but they are both very different.

For tourism, it is fair to say that Hanoi is the capital as there is so much to offer. Whether it be architecture, the lakes, or side trips to beautiful places such as Halong Bay.

Ho Chi Minh, or Saigon, is much more modern and has far less of the beautiful French architecture that can be found in Hanoi. It is a good place from which to visit places such as Dalat, or some of the beach destinations in the summer.

Weather in Vietnam

You can travel to Vietnam all year round, there is always nice weather somewhere. :-)

We've been there in late September/early October. The south was hot and humid with the occassional rain shower (rainy season) while Central and Nothern Vietnam was dry (except Hue), hot but still a tiny bit humid. Average temperature was 30+ degrees centigrade all the time, except in Dalat.

A friend of mine was there in January when it was dry and cooler. You may wish to consider not going during the wet months from August to October in case there is flooding.

Do's and Don'ts When Travelling in Vietnam

The Vietnamese are very appreciative if they see you trying to abide by their customs, and very forgiving when you get it wrong, but just in case here is a quick list of Do’s and Don’ts for traveling in Vietnam.

Don’t:

• Wear shorts or old T-shirts to visit a Pagoda, they won’t let you in. Be sure to dress conservatively and dress for the occasion, you are after all visiting a piece of history 
• Sit with your feet pointing towards a family altar if you are staying in someone’s house.
• Take pictures of anything to do with the military, this can be considered a breach of national security and trust us, you don’t want to see the inside of a Vietnamese jail.
• Take video cameras into the small villages, it is considered very intrusive and they’ll be too polite to ask you to stop filming.
• Display any personal displays of affection! Just don’t do it. Find a hostel, hotel, whatever suits – but anything beyond holding hands is seriously frowned upon.
• Expect to sleep late as Vietnam starts moving at 6am and the noise can be overwhelming.

 Do:

• Dress conservatively, especially you ladies out there. The dress code is more relaxed in major cities but do yourself (and the Vietnamese) a favor - don’t wear booty shorts to the fish market.
• Drink loads of water as you’re wandering around checking out the sights. The heat can be oppressive and heat stroke can be a real killjoy, so take our advice and drink up (water that is)
• Hold your bag in front of you and wrap it around a limb when riding in a Cyclo – bag snatching is a big problem and if you are looking at a Pagoda there’s a good chance someone’s looking at your bag.
• If you’re invited into a local’s home (which is really the only way to travel), be sure to take your shoes off at the entrance.
• Travel by train, it’s one of the best ways to see the country through the eyes of the locals (prepare for the trains to be late and smelly – but that’s part of the charm, right?)
• Carry a bit of toilet paper with you at all times – we won’t go into detail – just trust us.
• Make sure that you have a hotel/hostel business card from the reception desk. This will make your return to the hotel in a taxi or cyclo much easier.
• Do expect to pay less for a beer than a bottle of water – but remember our hydration tip above!

 Transportation

Taxis are the most comfortable way of getting around saigon, and it's easy and safe to flag a taxi anywhere, anytime. But a caveat, some taxis have rigged meters that increase the fare too fast hence you must only ride the accredited taxis like the Siagon Tourist Taxis and more. the flag down rate is 15,000 VND ( $ 0.70) for first 2 kilometers and additonal 8,000 VND every kilometer thereafter and they don't expect tips plus THEY ISSUE RECIEPTS!

Check out the official taxi types in Vietnam.

A personal account by a traveller:

We arrived in the airport around 1230am and in the arrival area, lots of taxis were waiting outside. I know that the taxi drivers will not agree to use their meters (knowing that tourists are everywhere, taking disadvantage is expected) so I asked one of the drivers how much is the fare going to Pham Ngu Lao Road. I was astounded when he said, 2M VND which is somewhat equivalent to 95USD and that's too much! Same offer we had from the other taxi drivers... But I read one of the travel books that the fare from the airport going to our place should not be more than 1M VND. My friends and I waited for a while to think what we should do. I asked one of the janitors if there were any taxi bay nearby, he said to go upstairs in the departure area and that's what we did.

We walked until we reached the end corner of the departure area and then we saw this white "Mailinh" Taxi. The driver was sleeping and we tried to woke him up. We asked him if he can bring us to our hostel. We were so relieved when he nodded and switched on the taxi meter. You wouldn't believe it that we only paid 500,000VND and that's very far form 2M VND right?

So, in choosing taxis, look only for Mailinh and Vinasun taxis. these are the only taxis that use meters and also are the good ones according to the locals we've met.

How to aviod taxi scams in Ho Chi Min. Check it out here

 5 Tips to Cross a Street in Saigon or Hanoi


It takes some time to get used to the hectic traffic of Ho Chi Minh City – the former Saigon. Hundreds of thousands of scooters permanently circulating in the great city of over six million inhabitants make anyone afraid to cross the street.

And the case is not for less. Except at intersections with traffic lights, traffic never slows down and is difficult to find an opening to cross the street.

There are some things you should know before venturing out on the streets of Saigon.

1. Keep Calm
Crossing a street in Saigon is not an exercise for those stressed. Even within the crosswalks do not expect the traffic stop to let you pass. That will not happen. But do not lose your temper. Forget everything your parents taught you about crossing a street.

2. See How Locals Do It
Before venturing to cross an avenue, take the time to look for pedestrians. See how locals cross the road and notice how the traffic behaves.

3.Signal to Cross
If traffic is really heavy, the best thing you can do is extend the arm. Drivers will notice it will start to cross the street. And keep the arm extended until the end of the street, because that will allow drivers more time to realize that a pedestrian is on the way.

4. Do Not Hesistate
At the moment they decide to cross the street, stay on course. Walk quietly, without hesitation, at a steady pace. And – of course – always be aware of traffic.

5. Never Stop in the Middle of the Road
Even if alarmed by the number of scooters that are still in their direction, never stop in the middle of the street. Continue slowly that drivers will divert to themselves.

Crossing the street in Saigon is easier than it seems. Follow these tips and will appear shortly after an authentic site. Except that almost all locals ride their scooter.