Vietnam

Vietnam’s main attractions are beautiful scenery, rich culture, beaches, delightful cuisine, courteous people, Vietnam War sites, hill-tribe cultures and ancient temples, courts and pagodas illustrating Vietnam’s shifting dominant cultures throughout its 4,000-year history.

Vietnam will appeal to adventurous travelers who are interested in Southeast Asian culture and who can maintain a flexible attitude within Vietnam’s still-emerging tourism industry. A handful of luxury resorts have been built around Vietnam’s major tourist destinations, offering relaxation without worry to those who desire to be indulged and pampered on their holidays.

Many of the sights to see in Vietnam are religious or spiritual ones, in keeping with the country’s long traditions of honoring multiple religions, and some of the names of places to see will be familiar to Americans. But, increasingly, the Vietnamese also enjoy visits to more modern attractions, such as theme parks and casinos. There are plenty of choices for visitors, so you can sample in several categories.

Beaches, bicycling and birding are among the prime recreational attractions in Vietnam. Long stretches of tropical white-sand beaches should satisfy any beachcomber’s heart, and the more adventurous may want to put in some scuba time. The country has fewer sports that require fixed infrastructure, such as golf, although there are some courses available.

BEACHES

Vietnam’s best-known beaches are white-sand Cua Dai Beach, which runs the 18 mi/30 km between Da Nang and Hoi An; Nha Trang Beach, 6 mi/8 km of coconut palms and powder sand edging the town of the same name; and the 7 mi/11 km of tropical perfection between Mui Ne and Phan Thiet in the south. Phan Thiet itself is a 13 mi/20 km stretch of beach popular with locals and expats as a weekend escape; there are plenty of resorts, restaurants and bars in the area.

Scuba diving and snorkeling are popular around the islands off Nha Trang, and several PADI- or SSI-certified dive shops there offer scuba instruction. Pleasure-boating and fishing are not popular, as most Vietnamese associate the sea with food and hard work, but kiteboarding and windsurfing equipment and instruction are available in Mui Ne.

BICYCLING

Bicycling is easy along the flat, paved roads of Vietnam’s coastal agricultural plain, though no tourist industry has developed around this pursuit. In the countryside, a bicycle is still the most common form of transportation, and adventurous bikers will find a warm welcome and expert bike repair all along the road.

Bicycles can be hired in most towns and cities in Vietnam and are the ideal way to explore the country. Make sure you get an early start and return by noon, as the temperatures can be extremely high in the afternoon.

A few tour companies (Intrepid Travel is one of the oldest; http://www.intrepidtravel.com) organize guided bike tours of the rugged Central Highlands, with overnight stops at guesthouses or in homestays with ethnic minority villagers. These are designed for experienced bike-riders in excellent physical condition.

Bangkok-based specialist cycle travel company Spice Roads runs several regular tours of Vietnam. The well-respected company has itineraries that range from a three-day off-road ride north of Hanoi to a fabulous 17-day tour from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. There is also a Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok tour. The company employs local Vietnamese guides. Phone 660-2381-7490. http://www.spiceroads.com.

BIRD WATCHING

Spectacular birding can be had in Vietnam’s national parks, especially at higher-altitude Cuc Phuong National Park near Ninh Binh and Bach Na Park just south of Hue. In the hot, humid summer months, birds from the lowlands go to the mountains to enjoy the cool forests and cascading mountain streams. Bird-watching is best in July and August, but visitors should go prepared for hot weather, heavy rains and insect-rife jungle conditions. In May and June, masses of butterflies completely fill the air at Cuc Phuong National Park.

Vietnam Birding is a specialist company that offers bird-watching adventures and escorted small-group birding tours in Vietnam and beyond. Based in Ho Chi Minh City, the company is regarded for its expertise and local knowledge and has more than 15 years of experience arranging travel in Vietnam. It is run by expat birding enthusiast Richard Craik and uses skilled local guides to lead tours. Custom tours ranging from a few days to three weeks are available in some of Vietnam’s most scenic areas. http://www.vietnambirding.com.

From Sapa in the north to Can Tho in the south, shopping in Vietnam is an exhilarating experience. Prices for luxury goods such as silks are absurdly low, and the range of high-quality handmade goods is huge.

Bargaining is an essential skill for everything from heavy teak-wood furniture to a pack of gum. Usually, it’s a good-natured negotiation in which you will end up slightly higher than halfway between the original asking price and what you offered: Keep that in mind when establishing your opening bid.

Vietnamese shop owners are far more skilled at the intricacies of bargaining than the average Western tourist. Avoid being persuaded to spend more by an argument that plays upon your sympathies. Don’t be pushed into a pace that is faster than you can think. Remember that it’s your money. Be willing to walk away. Carry a hand-held calculator for quick monetary conversions, and piece of paper or a notebook and pen, so you can do your negotiating in writing. It will slow the pace and ensure that you are both agreeing to the same number.

At the end of a successful negotiation, the shopkeeper will generally display disappointment at the low price or congratulate you on driving a hard bargain: It’s all part of the script. End the session with a smile and a “thank you,” which will be returned.

To discourage street peddlers, the gesture for “no, go away” is a flat hand moved back and forth in a sharp cutting motion at waist level. Don’t even glance at their wares unless you want to endure a long siege.

Sapa is the place to shop for handwork made by ethnic minority craftspeople, who walk sometimes for hours to reach the daily market. Weaving, carving, basketry and clothing are all laid out for inspection. Manymontagnards (hill people) don’t speak English, so take your pen and paper for some low-key haggling. Sapa is such a popular tourist market, though, that the purchasing price is often very close to the original asking price.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City offer endless possibilities for shoppers, with vibrant markets and chic boutiques. The Hanoi Gallery, in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, is actually more of a street stall. It sells original or reproduction propaganda posters from the 1960s-70s during the U.S. war with Vietnam, and posters from the 1980s, as the Communist government encouraged people to put the war behind them and work to rebuild Vietnam. Also in Hanoi’s Old Quarter is Dong Xuan Market. The three-story market is a fascinating place to explore, and it is home to hundreds of stalls selling anything from fabric to electronic goods, household items and flowers. There’s also a large area where food is sold.

If you want to see silk being woven and to buy items at the source, head to Van Phuc Silk Village, 6 mi/10 km from Hanoi. Skilled weavers have been producing high-quality silk there for hundreds of years.

Halong Bay is famous for pearls from its managed oyster beds, and both Halong City and Cat Ba Island are rife with shops and vendors selling necklaces, bracelets and earrings made from the local product. The pearls are genuine, and the prices are incredibly low. Individual strings fetch the asking price, but successful negotiations can be made on larger purchases.

Near Ninh Binh, Tam Coc is the center of a small hand-embroidery industry where the work is generally of exceptional quality.

Hoi An has hundreds of stores selling woodcarvings, silk-covered bamboo and wood-framed lanterns in many colors and styles, plus a dizzying variety of sophisticated shoes. The town also has an extraordinary number of tailor shops, from the small backstreet workshop to large and professional-looking outlets targeting tour groups. You can usually get measured up and return the next day for a finished suit, blouse or dress.

Every town has a market where local people go to purchase necessities from food to automobile parts at small stalls, usually arranged around a central area where prepared food is sold and consumed. Many of these markets have been operating for more than 100 years. They are often crammed with people, and the maze of aisles and shops can be disorienting. The market is the place to buy T-shirts, smaller gifts and clothing. Sharpen up your elbows, take a deep breath and join the throng. Since the shopping-stall tenants have less overhead than store owners, bargaining in the markets can be very satisfying.

Vietnamese cuisine is superb, as you would expect from a country that learned to combine the best of East and West. Eating out is very inexpensive, with an array of dishes to choose from. The national dish is pho, a spicy noodle soup served with chicken or beef. Its less-spicy cousin is listed on menus as bun. Nearly every city has its own specialty, such as cao lau (thick noodles in gravy, garnished with pork cracklings) and delectable White Rose dumplings filled with shrimp or pork in Hoi An, or ultrafresh seafood in Nha Trang and Mui Ne.

No trip to Hanoi would be complete without sampling cha ca, bite-sized pieces of fish grilled at your table and served with rice noodles and various spices. Lau is a tasty hot pot cooked at your table (every restaurant seems to have a different recipe for this dish). All over the country, ice cream is a staple: You’ll find it in interesting flavors, from coconut to lemongrass.

Crusty baguettes are available everywhere and are usually served with breakfast or any meal that doesn’t involve rice. Street vendors sell sandwiches made with baguettes, tomatoes, cucumbers and either meat or cheese: Available ingredients will be displayed on a shelf behind the food cart’s glass front. Traditional Vietnamese streetfront restaurants have pots of various stews and vegetables set out for inspection. The food is often quite tasty, and if it smells good it’s probably safe to eat. One problem for Westerners, though, is that the plastic chairs and tables in those cafes are very short, similar to ones found in a primary school, so taller visitors will have to fold themselves up quite a bit.

Vietnam is also a coffee-lover’s dream. It seems like every street cafe sells the thick coffee preferred by locals. The typical southern drink is cafe sua-da—sweetened condensed milk and strong coffee. Black coffee, whether hot or on ice, drips slowly from a special steel filter placed directly on the glass, and its slowness is a reminder to take life at a leisurely, contemplative pace.

Fresh fruit is available everywhere. Watermelons, oranges, pineapples and bananas are cheap and plentiful. Try some of the more unusual offerings such as lychees with their spiky red coats, jackfruit (also spiky, but larger and green), tamarind (long, lumpy brown pods) and dragonfruit (hot pink with lime-green trim).

Most tourists avoid the dreaded durian (sau rieng in Vietnamese), and most hotels and buses do not allow durian to be brought in or carried onboard. There’s no sitting on the fence with this rather curious fruit—you’ll either love it or hate its pungent smell. The large spiky fruit, in season September-November, is difficult to open, and skilled durian sellers carefully pry open the fruit with a machete. The durian splits into three to five segments with each segment containing a soft, creamy, yellow pillow of fruit.

Durian is best eaten when it is slightly soft. Its smell, taste and texture are like no other fruit—it is adored by most Asians, who think its taste is delicious, and despised by many Westerners, to whom it smells like a dead mouse in a sewer pipe.

You will come across dog meat, or thit cho, in both restaurants and markets. (There is actually a big trade in dogs coming from Thailand and Laos.) You shouldn’t worry about being served dog meat without knowing it: It’s a costly Vietnamese delicacy that no cook would waste.

• Mango Mango is my personal favorite.
  • https://www.mangomangovietnam.com
• Firefly
  • https://www.facebook.com/fireflyrestaurantbar/
• Red Bean
  • https://hoian.redbeanrestaurants.com
• Excellent traditional Banh Mi sandwiches!
  • https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298082-d2365673-Reviews-Banh_Mi_Phuong-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html
• The Happy Buffalo
  • https://the-happy-buffalo-restaurant-bar.business.site/?m=true

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Vietnamese culture is conservative compared to that of the West, and showing affection in public is much less common. Vietnamese people dress modestly and you should respect this, particularly when visiting a temple or someone’s home. Ensure that you are covered to below the knee and across the shoulders. Shoes should also be removed before entering a temple or home. As in many Asian cultures, it is considered rude to point or touch anything with your feet.

When meeting somebody, the traditional Vietnamese greeting is to press the hands together in front of the body like a prayer gesture and take a slight bow, but shaking hands is now more commonplace. You may find that a Vietnamese woman will simply bow her head slightly and not shake hands.

Vietnamese people are usually punctual and it is rude to be late for a meeting. In a business meeting, cards are exchanged. Offer your card using both hands and receive a card in the same way. Smart-casual attire is appropriate for a business meeting.

Gift giving, such as fruit and flowers, is common in Vietnam, but don’t be surprised if the recipient doesn’t open your gift in front of you. It is considered polite to open it later.

In general, Vietnam is a fairly safe country, and the vast majority of Vietnamese are scrupulously honest. Street crime—pickpocketing and purse- and camera-snatching—does occur in the bigger cities, most often along major roads and around tourist hotels. If you’re riding in a cyclo (tricycle rickshaw), it’s wise to keep your purse tucked away behind you, because purse snatchers have been known to whiz past on motorcycles. If you’re the one on a motorbike, put your purse and valuables between you and the driver, or ask him to put it on the floor between his feet.

It’s been more than 30 years since the fall of Saigon, and Vietnam has worked hard to clear the land of unexploded ordnance, especially near tourist areas. Unless you are hiking in extremely remote regions, it is unlikely to be a problem.

Ho Chi Minh City has a bad reputation for muggings, so be extremely careful there. Do not wear jewelry or keep cell phones in back pockets, and do not drape your camera or handbag over one shoulder. Carrying your camera and valuables in a double plastic shopping bag held firmly in hand will keep them out of view. Purses should be worn around the neck and under one arm, with a protective hand firmly gripping the strap.

Hanoi has a well-earned reputation for imaginative fraud schemes, but they occur in other towns as well. Travelers should be wary of too-good-to-be-true offers. Your hotel will be able to advise you on proposals for tours or “special promotions” from restaurants.

Women traveling solo report moving through Vietnam without problem, though the young and lovely receive their share of romantic overtures. None are harmful or threatening.

In case of an emergency, call 113 for the police, 114 for the fire department and 115 for an ambulance. Be aware that police typically do nothing in response to a street theft, and they may even demand payment in order to file a claim.

For the latest information, contact your country’s travel-advisory agency.

The dong (VND) is the currency of Vietnam. ATMs frequently offer 2-million-VND withdrawals, which takes some getting used to. You will learn to count zeros backward from right to left to determine if you are holding a 1,000- or 10,000-VND note in your hand. U.S. dollars are accepted in most locations, but you’ll have a better time negotiating a good price if you stick to the dong.

The easiest way to obtain local currency is through ATMs, which only dispense dong but are found throughout the country in towns and cities. Banks and better hotels also offer exchange services, but the rates won’t be as favorable. Do not change money on the street.

All major credit cards can be used in more upscale locations, but they are rarely accepted in smaller shops and restaurants. Any credit card transactions will incur a 3% or 4% surcharge on the purchase price. As ATMs become more widespread, traveler’s checks are becoming less negotiable and will be subject to at least a 2% surcharge where they are accepted.

Do spend down all your VND before leaving Vietnam, because VND cannot be converted back into U.S. or Canadian currency, nor is it possible to exchange VND for the currency of any neighboring countries.

To view the most current exchange rates, please click here. 

Value-added-tax, or VAT, is levied at 10% in Vietnam. Hotel rates are subject to 10% government tax and 5% service charge.

Tipping is fairly new in Vietnam, and it’s more commonly seen in the southern part of the country. Gratuities usually aren’t necessary in inexpensive restaurants, but even a small tip will be greatly appreciated. If you’re going to visit a restaurant regularly, a tip is a worthy investment to ensure prompt service, and good service should always be acknowledged with a small tip left behind on the table. Upscale places will often tack on a 5%-12% service charge.

Tips for taxi drivers are purely optional (and most appreciated, however small).

The weather in April is usually between 80-90 degrees with lows in the 70’s. 

It is best to check with your provided to see what international plans are available or charges will be incurred for using your phone during your vacation. 

PREPAID SIM CARD FOR PHONE DATA
A prepaid Vietnam SIM card means you can easily use your phone while you’re out and about without clocking up huge charges. Some plans include voice calling but really this is about being able to access Google Maps and other useful data services while you’re on the move and outside the realms of hotel wi-fi.

You can pick up SIM cards with internet packages once you land from kiosks based at any international airport in Vietnam. They’re also available in phone shops and stalls in almost any city/town but it’s generally more convenient to sort it at the airport.
For around 200,000 dong (10 US dollars), you can generally get a month’s unlimited data.

The Vietnamese postal system is dependable, but costs for large parcels are comparable to a private carrier such as DHL. The process of filling out all the required forms in duplicate, by hand, can take up most of the morning. Don’t bother to tape your package shut, as postal workers will need to approve all contents, and you must list them item by item on the shipping form.

DHL and FedEx have offices in the major cities, and their protocol is considerably easier to follow. DHL offers packaging, even for odd-shaped and bulky items.

The post office will pack your treasures up, too, but often in a collection of used cardboard cobbled together with yards of packing tape. Some postal workers are grand masters of this useful craft, and it’s fascinating to watch them fabricate a sturdy box out of bits and scraps.

Tourist Offices