AIR PORT TAX: All the airport tax and fees are included in the flight ticket from November 2006 except some budget airlines 

 CUSTOMS and FORMALITIES: All visitors when arrival to Vietnam must fill the declaration forms and show their luggage to customs officials on request. Visitors can bring unlimited amounts of foreign currency, objects made of gold, silver, precious metals and gemstones or plated with silver or gold, all of  these things must be declared in detail on the customs forms.

ENTRY: Tourists are authorized to bring in the following items duty-free: Cigarettes: 400, Cigars: 50-100, Tobacco: 100 gram, Liquor: 1.5l.
Gilt: small gift items valued at not more than US$ 500.
Note: There is no limit to the amounts of cash, precious metals and gems people can bring in, but amounts of over US$ 7,000 must be declared.

It is prohibited for any visitor to bring into Vietnam the followings: 
1. Weapons, explosives and inflammable objects. 
2. Opium and other narcotics. 
3. Cultural materials unsuitable to Vietnamese society.

EXIT: Goods of commercial nature and articles of high value require export permits issued by the Customs Office. Antiques, some precious stones and animals listed in Vietnam's red-book may not be brought out of the country.

 REGISTRATION: Hotels and private hosts must register your presence with the police. You will be expected to hand over your passport, together with your visa number. It is suggested to photocopy your passport details several times and than hand this copy in instead of your original passport.

 COURTESY: Vietnamese people are very friendly, polite and generous in general and will make every effort to have foreign guests feel comfortable. In the cities and country towns alike, do not be surprised to be invited home to meet the family of someone you have just met, these are the experiences that will enrich your visit to Vietnam.

We are conservative in our dress. Wearing shorts are tolerated, unless you enter a culturally sensitive area such as a temple or pagoda. Keep in mind that, although tolerant, people may be judgmental.

Unfortunately, there are still some problems with petty theft and pickpockets. This is more prevalent in Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon) and Nha Trang. You should not be paranoid about this but just be aware of your surroundings

 FOOD: The Vietnam cuisine would bring a surprising gift for visitors and definitely a part of Vietnam experience not to be missed. One of the characteristics of Vietnamese food is that it is always fresh being purchased the same day from market. Food is usually prepared with minimum of oil and served with Fish sauce. Some Typical Vietnamese dishes you can expect to try include Pho ( a kind of rice noodle with beef or chicken), Cha gio ( Pork pie or Beef pie), Deep fried spring rolls, Goi ngo sen ( a kind of salad including lotus root, shirms, peanut, herb). Vietnamese is influence by Buddhism so vegetarian food is widely available.

 ELECTRICITY:  Mainly 220V but in some areas 110V is also used. The 2 prongs plug is suggested to bring.

 TELECOM:  International phone charges are steep in Vietnam and many hotels, especially up market ones add extra fees. International phone would suggest to be made by internet phone at some internet cafe is much cheaper.
        
Faxes can be sent from hotels bussiness centers and post offices. Again rates vary. You will be able to use your mobile phone as long as it is programmed for roaming internationally. You may also rent a mobile phone, which may be easier, or buy a pre-paid phone card. There are several mobile telecom company got widely cover like Vinaphone, Mobiphone, Viettel, be side that is S-phone in main city. 

 E-mail and Internet services are available in most hotels and posts in Vietnam. In major cities, there are also a number of internet cafes available.  

 USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS 

 WATER: It is not advisable to drink the tap water in Vietnam, but bottled mineral water is safe and available everywhere. Ice in drinks is generally Ok in good standard hotels and restaurants but it is best to avoid it on street stalls or in country areas.

 BUSINESS HOURS: Offices are usually open from Monday to Friday from 07.30 or 08:00 until 16:30 or 17:00 and often close for lunch between 11:30 to 13:00. Some offices are also open on satuday morning or whole day. Shops and Restaurants open early and close at about 18:00 and 22:00. Most of the shops open 7 days a week.

 CURRENCY and EXCHANGE: Vietnam currency is Dong (VND) bank note are available of 200D; 500D; 1000D; 2000D; 5000D; 10,000D; 20,000D; 50,000D; 100,000D; 200,000D; 500,000D. The exchange rate at this time of typing (Jan 2008) is vnd 16,000vnd to one US dollar.

       Most of hotel and restaurant in main city are accepted credit card, you also can use your credit card to withdraw money at ATM in all the main city in Vietnam.

 WHAT TO BRING: One medium sized back pack and a day pack bag will provide enough room for you to carry during the trip in Vietnam. There are plenty of goods available at all main city so don’t be worry about running out of somethings. You can follow some demo check list as below.

- Wearing: Lightweight and quick dry clothing for summer months and warmer clothing for the winter months, sun hat, swimming suite, raincoat or umbrella, good hiking shoes

- Travel documental: Passport, visa, travel insurance, air tickets, a torch, alarm clock, sunglasses, Sunscreen, insect repellent, personal first aid kit, cable lock, personal toiletries.

- Money: US dollars or travelers cheque or credit card, most of hotel and restaurant in vietnam accept credit card.

 LANGUAGE: Vietnamese is the only official language of Vietnam and spoken by great majority of the population (around 90%), those who do not speak it is largely ethnic minorities in the rural highlands. vietnamese itself was originally written in Chinese characters, which is adapted to fit the indigenous vocabulary, the Chinese transcrition was called Nôm. in Seventeenth century French Jesuit misionary Alexandre de Rhodes adapted Vietnamese to Latin alphabet, using  an ingenious system of diacriticals to transcribe the tonal qualities of words. The result call Quoc Ngu ( National language) and today it is exclusive written form of Vietnamese.

* Foreigner languages: Special for English is popular among young people. Tourist guides are available for English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, Russian, Spainish.

* Some useful words  and phrares when you travel to Viet nam 
 

  
  PUBLIC HOLIDAY 

01 Jan’s 06                   International new year
28 Jan – 31Jan’s 06       Lunar new year
30 Apr’s 06                   Liberation day
01 May’s 06                  Labor day
02 Sep’ 06                    National day

 WEATHER: Hanoi and the north of Vietnam have a distinct winter and summer season with the mainly dry winter lasting from November through to April with average temperatures of 18-20ºC. Summer lasts from May to October and is hot and humid with temperatures around 30ºC. Hue and Danang in the center of the country have very hot, dry weather from February to August with temperatures reaching the mid 30s-Celsius, but can experience some quite heavy rainfall between September and January. Ho Chi Minh City and the south have a hot, dry season from December till April with average temperatures around 28ºC and a rainy season lasting from May through till November. It rarely rains for long periods even in the rainy season with most rain coming in short, heavy bursts

 INSURANCE and HOSPITAL: It is advise to buy the travel insurance at your country before your trip start.

* Useful telephone and address of Vietnam Hospital