VIETNAM TRAVEL GUIDE

 Vietnam is part of South East Asia, bordered
by ocean on the west and south, with China
to the north and Cambodia and Laos to the
west.
 Official Name: The Socialist Republic of
Vietnam
 Population: 90.5 million
 Capital City: Hanoi, population 6.5 million
 People: Viet (Kinh), 53 difference ethnic
minorities include: Muong, Tay, Khmer,
Mong, Dao, Kadai, Han, Tang.
 Language: Vietnamese
 Currency: Vietnam dong (VND)
 Growth: 7,6% from 2006 to 2008
 Major Industries: Agriculture, Industry and
Service
 Time Zone: GMT +7 hours Electricity:
220V, 50 Hz; 2 pin plugs
 Weights and Measurements: Metric
 International Dialing Code: +84

Passport and visa
Passports should be valid for six months from the date
of entry into Vietnam. We recommend you make a
photocopy of your passport and keep it somewhere
separate, or scan it and keep it in an accessible email
account. Visitors must have a visa before entering
Vietnam. We can arrange this for you. A visa on
arrival can only be obtained with a letter of approval.

Money
The official currency in Vietnam is the Dong (VND)
which is a non-convertible currency. American dollars
are widely accepted in larger stores and supermarkets.
Visa and MasterCard are becoming more accepted in
hotels, restaurants and large stores, especially in the
bigger cities. ATM’s are widely available throughout
the country, and there are a number of international
banks in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

FOOD
Vietnam is a culinary delight! A typical Vietnamese
meal consists of rice or noodles with soup, a stir-fry, and
another main dish and is eaten on a communal basis.
The dishes are usually not spicy and are accompanied
with chili sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce. The
traditional Vietnamese breakfast is Pho – a large bowl
of rice noodles flavored with sliced beef or chicken and
fragrant broth and garnished with fresh coriander and
bean.

CLOTHING
Light, comfortable, easy to launder clothing is
recommended. The temperature during winter months
in Hanoi and the rainy season in the central region can
be cool; a sweater or light jacket can be handy. Good
walking shoes and sandals that can be easily removed
are recommended, especially when entering temples
and people's homes. When entering temples please try
to cover knees and shoulders as a mark of respect.

PEOPLE
The majority of the population is comprised of the Viet
or Kinh (85%) people who speak the tonal Vietnamese.
The minority population is made up of over 50 ethnic
hill tribe people who mainly live in the central and
northern mountainous areas of the country. The best
known hill tribes are the Tay, Hmong, Dzao, White and
Black Thai (both mainly from the north), and the Hoa.
Each hill tribe has its own unique customs and dialect and some are able to speak Vietnamese.

LANGUAGE
Vietnamese, the official language, is a tonal language
that can be compared to Cambodia's official language
Khmer. With each syllable, there are six different tones
that can be used, which change the definition and it
often makes it difficult for foreigners to pick up the
language. There are other languages spoken as well
such as Chinese, Khmer, Cham and other languages
spoken by tribes inhabiting the mountainous regions.
Although there are some similarities to Southeast
Asian languages, such as Chinese, Vietnamese is
thought to be a separate language group, although a
member of the Austro- Asiatic language family. In written form, Vietnamese uses the Roman
alphabet and accent marks to show tones. This system of writing called Quoc Ngu, was created
by Catholic missionaries in the 17th century to translate the scriptures. Eventually this
system,particularly after World War I, replaced one using Chinese characters chu nom), which
had been the unofficial written form used for centuries.

TIME
Vietnam lies in the same time zone with Thailand,
meaning seven hours ahead of GMT/UTC. So close to
the equator, Vietnam has no daylight saving time
(summer time).

CLIMATE
Vietnam's elongated s