Visas and Other
Helpful Information
A
tourist visa is required. Please contact the Vietnam Embassy in Washington,
DC (202-861-0737) or the Vietnamese consulate in San Francisco, and allow
at least one week for processing. You may also download the information
that you will need for your visa from the Embassy webpage at www.vietnamembassy-usa.org.
Generally, you will need to provide the Embassy/Consulate with a completed
application form, two passport photos, a check for the visa fee, your
passport, and a return express mail envelope. Visas are normally good
for 30 days from the date you specify that you will enter the country.
You must also decide your port of entry because this will be written
on your visa and cannot be changed later. If you indicate that you will
be traveling for tourist purposes and arriving by air, your visa will
usually permit you to enter and exit by both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Because
you will be in Vietnam for a short visit, even if you extend for
a few days to visit local institutions, please apply for a tourist
visa. List the hotel where you will be staying as your contact.
It is not appropriate to list IIE because as a foreign organization,
we have no authority over you and are unable to sponsor visas.
If you list the Ministry of Education and Training or a university,
you will be required to have them sponsor your visa, delaying
your application.
When
you arrive in Vietnam, you will first go through immigration where
your passport and entry-exit card are carefully checked. Next
you will pick up your luggage and clear it through customs. Do
not bring videos, or lots of bulk materials for fair distribution
as this may cause delays. If something is held at customs for
review, ask for a receipt and pick up the materials later (most
often it is more trouble for the customs officer to issue the
receipt than it is to clear the materials). Also, make sure to
keep your entry-exit card and customs form together with your
passport as they will be checked when you leave Vietnam.
After clearing customs, follow the flow of passengers out of the
airport. Both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have done a good job
of clearing the immediate area outside the airport of independent
taxi drivers and hotel agents so you can get into the city hassle-free.
In Hanoi: If you do not have a hotel car waiting for you, cross
to the transit island directly across from the exit and take either
a Vietnam airlines or Noi Bai Transport taxi desk. The standard
fare into the city is $10. They will assign a car and driver to
you. In Ho Chi Minh City, if you have not already made other arrangements,
there will be metered taxis lined up outside the airport. You
need only tell the driver where you want to go. Please make sure
that they turn on the meter and do not accept "quoted"
prices.
Leaving
Vietnam
Vietnamese visas specify from which point(s) you are permitted
to leave the country - usually Hanoi Noi Bai Airport or Ho Chi
Minh City Tan Son Nhat Airport. If you indicated that you will
arrive and depart by air, then your visa should automatically
reflect your ability to depart from either airport. If you intend
to exit from a place not specified on your visa, make sure to
have the immigration office adjust your visa accordingly. It is
essential to reconfirm your departing flight as soon as you arrive
in Vietnam. The hotels can assist you. Departure tax is $14 payable
in US dollars or Vietnamese dong.
Traveling
inside Vietnam
If you have already booked in-country flights, it is essential
that you reconfirm them upon arrival. Vietnam Airlines, the main
carrier, has been known to delay, reroute or even cancel local
flights with little or no warning. It is recommended that early
morning flights be used if at all possible. Departure tax at domestic
airports has now been folded into the price of the ticket.
Money
The currency of Vietnam is the "dong" (abbreviated as
VND or "d" with a vertical line through the stem), and
can easily be changed at the hotel, gold shops and of course banks.
US dollars are also acceptable, but shops will only accept clean,
whole bills. USD notes with tears, writing on them, or older notes
(i.e., not the newly issued versions) may not be accepted even
by the hotel or banks. Credit cards can be used at most hotels
and up-scale shops and restaurants, however a 3% commission is
usually passed onto the customer. Traveller's Cheques can also
be used, but it is best to cash them at the State Bank of Vietnam
to avoid all kinds of additional fees and commissions.
Health
Various health authorities recommend travelers to Vietnam get
a slew of vaccines including rabies, hepatitis A, hepatitis B,
BCG (tuberculosis), Japanese encephalitis, polio, typhoid, tetanus
and diphtheria. Yellow fever is not endemic to Vietnam, but you
are required to have it if you are traveling from a yellow fever
area. If you are only planning to stay in Vietnam a few days and
are not leaving the major urban areas, it is probably only necessary
to make sure your regular inoculations are up to date (measles,
tetanus, hepatitis A and B). There are very good international
hospitals and evacuation services in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The hotels will be able to assist you in case of emergency.
Climate
and Clothing
Vietnam has a remarkably diverse climate as a result of its wide
range of altitudes and latitudes. In October, Ho Chi Minh City
will be extremely hot and humid, while Hanoi will be slightly
cooler, and less humid, although it may rain. However the tropical
storm season will be over for both cities. Dress in Vietnam is
more casual than in other Asian capitals, skirts or slacks for
women and short-sleeve dress shirts with ties for men are considered
appropriate.
Warning
Be especially careful of pickpockets in the urban areas (particularly
downtown Ho Chi Minh City and any market area). In Ho Chi Minh
City, it is often better not to carry a wallet and simply carry
your i.d., credit cards, and other money that you believe you
will need on that particular trip out. Also please beware of drive-by-snatchings
as you cross the street or stand at corners waiting to cross.
The most common theft in Vietnam is by motorcyclists snatching
bags of unsuspecting tourists. If you must carry a bag, please
walk with it carried away from the flow of street traffic. Do
not wear the strap across your body as it could cause injury during
a drive-by-snatching if it does not disengage and you are pulled
into traffic. In any event, avoid keeping anything of great value
in your bags when walking on the street. During the fair, please
keep any valuables in your room or the hotel safe as there have
been instances of pickpocketing at past events.
