Destination Guides - Vietnam

Vietnam

The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi but the largest and most populous city is the Saigon. Vietnam is subdivided into 64 provinces and has a tropical climate with average humidity and tends to vary considerably from place to place. Last Modified On: Wednesday, 06/August/2008 22:05:41pm Back to Previous

Destination Guides Thailand Myanmar Laos Cambodia Vietnam

Vietnam is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east. With a population of over 86 million, Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world.

Emerging from a long and bitter war, the war-ravaged nation was politically isolated. The government’s centrally-planned economic decisions hindered post-war reconstruction and its treatment of the losing side engendered more resentment than reconciliation. In 1986, it instituted economic and political reforms and began a path towards international reintegration. By 2000, it had established diplomatic relations with most nations. Its economic growth had been among the highest in the world in the past decade. These efforts culminated in Vietnam joining the World Trade Organization in 2007 and its successful bid to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2008.

A 30-day tourist visa is obtainable at the Vietnamese Embassy or Vietnam diplomatic missions abroad, upon presentation of a passport with at least 6 months of validity remaining, however, as the cases may be visas can be obtained with passport validity remaining at least 30 days plus proposed visa duration. In order to facilitate obtaining a visa, travelers are encouraged to apply through their travel agency. We can take care for the formalities if the traveler provides us with his or her passport details, arrival date and point of entry at least seven days before the anticipated arrival date in Vietnam.

The local currency in Vietnam is the Dong. The official exchange rate as of May 2006 was approximately 15,978 VND/USD. US dollars are also widely accepted. Major credit cards such as VISA, American Express, Master Card and traveler’s cheques are accepted in hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and more up market establishment.

Although the entire country of Vietnam lies in the inter-tropical zone it has a remarkably diverse climate between north and south. In the north, there is a winter season from November to April, with frequent cold drizzle during February and March. Summer is from May to October. The annual average temperature in the north is 21c. The southern part of the country enjoys, sub-equator warmth all year round, with an annual average temperature of 27c, marked by two seasons, rainy from June to October and dry from November to May.

Airlines currently operating to and from Vietnam are Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, All Nippon Airlines, Air France, Aeroflot, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Eva Air, Emirates Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines, Lao Airlines, Lufthansa, Philippine Airlines, Qantas Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordania, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Shanghai Airlines,  Siem Reap Airways, Thai Airways and United Airways.

From April 2006, American Airlines and Vietnam Airlines have entered into a code sharing agreement for US-Vietnam services. Vietnam Airlines would place its “VN” designator code on American Airlines flights to Tokyo, Osaka, Paris and Frankfurt from the US, with the services continuing on to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City by Vietnam Airlines. In a later phase, American Airlines will place its “AA” designator code on Vietnam Airlines’ services from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Tokyo, Osaka, Paris and Frankfurt.