Tourist information about Vietnam

General information about Vietnam and holidays

As the hero of one film about Vietnam said: You understand a lot in Vietnam in five minutes, but the rest is not enough for life.

Welcome to the world of exotic Vietnam-a world of harmony and natural beauty, rich spiritual heritage and interesting history. Vietnam tourist offers today interesting historical, cultural and natural attractions; rich and interesting national cuisine; traditional crafts, the results of which can be brought home as souvenirs; well-developed tourist infrastructure at low prices for services and Recreation; a wide variety of leisure activities from thoughtful acquaintance with the history of the country when visiting museums and attractions, to active water sports on wonderful beaches. But the most popular type of recreation, as usual in warm countries, is a beach holiday.

Ho Chi Minh City mausoleum in Hanoi

Vietnam has relatively recently opened its doors to mass tourism, and the flow of Russian tourists, albeit with a long delay, has flowed widely through these doors. It became especially interesting for those who have already visited other countries of Southeast Asia, especially in the popular Thailand. But don't think Vietnam is like Thailand. Yes, these countries are competitors for the Russian tourist today, but you need to understand that you can't get such an abundance of entertainment and freedom as in Thailand.

Much is possible in Vietnam and almost everything can be found, but stricter mores and traditions, as well as a political course, will most likely never make Vietnam the same as Thailand. Here you will not find, as in Thailand, an abundance of sex tourism; there is no high-quality medical tourism; shopping is a little more modest, although prices are somewhat lower than in Thailand; the number and scale of ancient historical attractions is much smaller, and this can not be corrected.

Vietnam Beach

Even 10 years ago, Russian-speaking tourists in Vietnam were not so easy to meet, and the Russian language could be heard only in the most popular resorts of Mui Ne or Nha Trang. Menus or signs in Russian were very rare. But today many resorts in Vietnam have become almost Russian. In the popular resorts of Mui Ne and Nha Trang, signs, up to road signs, are duplicated in Russian, and only a rare restaurant does not invite visitors to the Russian menu and "Barkers" who meet them with the words: "Good evening, check out our menu". And foreign tourists are surprised to ask each other: "Why are there so many Russians, we did not accidentally confuse the country?".

Index in Nha Trang in Russian

However, there are not many Russian tourists in every resort, and there are still tourist places and attractions in Vietnam, where the foot of the Russian mass tourist has not set foot. Of course, for some, a large number of fellow citizens vacationing nearby is not an incentive for recreation, but the presence of a large number of Russian-speaking staff and information in Russian makes it much easier for those who are not experienced travelers and do not speak a foreign language to stay in the country. At popular resorts in Vietnam, you can safely come without knowledge of the language, and you will not experience any difficulties.

Theoretically, Vietnam, being a Socialist Republic, is building socialism. But, with the natural inclination to entrepreneurship inherent in the Vietnamese nation, Terry capitalism reigns in the country today, which has reached unprecedented proportions. Almost every inhabitant of the country, by our standards, is an entrepreneur. Everyone sells something, produces, repairs, provides some services. It is difficult to find a Vietnamese house on the ground floor of which would not be equipped with a shop, workshop or guesthouse. The offer of services and the sale of goods does not always seem appropriate to Russian tourists (sometimes goods or services are simply imposed without your consent, and at rather high prices for Asia). It is possible to get into a trap and suddenly become a buyer of some unnecessary product or service here at every step, and all this is easily perceived as fraud or deception, although for the Vietnamese themselves this is just a traditional form of doing business. These are the traditions, and it remains only to accept it as it is, having previously prepared for it.

There are a lot of places in Vietnam where you can easily go on vacation today. Among theresorts in Vietnam there are those where you can spend at least a month sunbathing all day on the beach. There are very interesting sightseeing places, in which, however, you should not linger for more than a few days. Here is just a brief overview of some of them:

Ruins of Michonne in Hoain

in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, visit the famous Hoan Kiem Lake early in the morning to see the morning Gymnastics of the locals, or in the evening, when the benches around the lake are occupied by elderly and young couples in love. Visit Uncle Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum near the presidential palace for a touch of Vietnam's recent history.

From Hanoi, be sure to go on an excursion to Halong Bay, where you will take your breath away from the view of more than 2000 limestone islets.

If you want to know the life of an ancient people, go to the high mountain town Sapa and spend the night in a real village house with members of ethnic tribes.

To experience the cultural and spiritual heartbeat of Vietnam, stop in the old imperial capital city of Hue. It is a haven of palaces and pagodas, burials and temples.

In the ancient town of Hoi An, you will wander for hours along the bustling streets between numerous souvenir shops, countless cafes and restaurants, between sewing and shoe workshops, where everything will be sewn to order. Near Hoi An is a typical port city Da Nang, known throughout the world for its magnificent beaches.

To escape the "buzzing" of millions of motorcycles of Vietnam's big cities, you can head west to the moist green rice paddies and quiet villages of the Mekong Delta. To relax on the white sands of the warm beaches, head to Fukuoka Island. To get snow-white beaches and lots of active entertainment, visit Nha Trang, Mui Ne and Phan Thiet in southern Vietnam.

Are you ready for the journey? If so, don't forget to read our Vietnam notes and recommendations one last time and hit the road.

What you need to know about Vietnam

• State structure

  Vietnam-Socialist Republic (Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam). The head of State is the president. The supreme legislative body and body of state power is the unicameral National Assembly. Administrative-territorial division: 57 provinces, 4 cities of Central subordination.

• Population

  A total of 60 nationalities and ethnic groups about 88% of the population are Vietnamese (Kinh). The official language is Vietnamese, belongs to the Austroasiatic family. Believers-55% are Buddhists, 7% are Catholics, among the mountain peoples (Yao, etc.) traditional beliefs are strong. About 90% of the population is concentrated in the valleys of the Hongha and Mekong rivers, on the coastal plains, where the density exceeds 1000 people per 1 km2. The average population density is 247.7 persons/km2. The rural population is 79%.

• Religion

  Vietnam is traditionally considered a country dominated by Buddhism. Indeed, Buddhism in the country adheres to the largest number of followers, but this is only 9.3% of the total population. Then there are Catholics, of which 6.7% and very few other religions. However, contrary to popular belief that Vietnam is a very religious country, in fact a 2005 study shows that up to 81% of Vietnamese are atheists.

• Language

  The official language of the country is Vietnamese (Viet). Part of the population can speak English, French and Chinese. In tourist areas and resort areas almost everywhere you can speak English. The Russian language has become very widespread in Vietnam, and today in the popular resorts of the country almost every Vietnamese associated with tourism can speak broken Russian, or at least knows a few words.

• Nature

  Most of the territory is occupied by mountains. In the North — HR. Hoanglien son (altitude up to 3143 m, Fangshan); along the western border stretch the mountains of Cheong son (Annam). In the southern part of Vietnam — plateaus and plateaus of Kontum, Darlak, etc.; on the coast — lowlands (mainly in the deltas of the Rivers Hongha in the North and Mekong in the South). The highly elongated territory is divided into three parts: north (Bakbo), South (Nambo) and a narrow strip of Chungbo connecting them. Most of the surface of the plains is cultivated. Nature is preserved in Batma-Khayvan National Park, Reserves and reserves.

• Economy

  Vietnam is an agricultural country with a developing industry. Most industrial enterprises were built with the assistance of the USSR. They produce most of the electricity, coal, and engineering products. In the south of the country there are Enterprises built with the help of foreign capital – for the assembly of electronic equipment, bicycles, motorcycles. There are large oil reserves on the continental shelf of the country. Crude oil exports provide the bulk of foreign exchange earnings.

  75% of workers are employed in agriculture. The main crop is rice. Other export crops are Vietnamese coffee, tea.

  The currency of Vietnam is Dong.

Vietnam weather and tourist seasons

Holidays in Vietnam are possible at any time of the year. There is always a warm and sunny corner with excellent weather, you just need to choose the right place and time. Like most countries in Southeast Asia, there are only two seasons of the year - the rainy season and the dry season. The seasons differ by region. Despite the misconception that Vietnam is always hot, this is not entirely true. In the north of the country, in the mountainous areas of the resort of Sapa, it is cold in winter, even snow falls.

Rainy season in Vietnam is not at all like they show in American films – when the rain pours like a bucket and does not stop for weeks. The rains here are abundant, but they go only 20 minutes, and after an hour the sun is already shining and there is no trace of the past downpour. Most often, even at the peak of the rainy season, it rains in the evening or at night.

The season of falling prices throughout Vietnam is from May to September. During this period, it is best to plan a trip for those who want to see the country and save a little. It is at this time that hotels and hostels make discounts on accommodation in their rooms (sometimes reaching up to 30%), special offers of airlines appear, and there are few tourists. The weather does not present any special surprises during this period, with the exception of the central part of Vietnam (Hoi An, Da Nang, Nha Trang), where hurricanes are possible on the coast in September-November.

In the south of Vietnam (Saigon, Mui Ne, Phan Thiet) - the main tourist center of the country, the rainy season runs from May to November, but the inconvenience at this time is not caused by rains, which are not so much here, but by strong wind, waves and sometimes overcast sky that does not let in the sun's Rays. The ideal time to visit this area is the dry season - from December to April.

On the Central Coast (Hoi An, Da Nang), on the contrary, from May to October it is dry and sunny, high humidity begins only in November. You can also relax here throughout the year, however, as mentioned above, there is a possibility of hurricanes in September-November. In December-February there is a very restless ocean and swimming will be quite difficult at this time.

In the north of Vietnam (Hanoi, Ha Long, Sapa), an attractive tourist season lasts from May to October. And from November to April it can be quite cold - from +10 at night to +20 in the afternoon, but hotel prices are falling.

In the mountainous areas of Dalat (1500 m), Buon, Fuot and Sapa, it is quite cool at night throughout the year, and in winter from October to March the temperature drops to +4C. Even in the hottest months-March and April, the temperature rarely exceeds +26C.

Learn more about the seasons in Vietnam and when to go here...

Time in Vietnam

In summer and winter, Vietnam time is +4 hours ahead of Moscow time.

Useful information

Electricity. As well as in Russia, 220V 50Hz is used here. Sockets for two-pin plugs are used, and you will not need any adapters.

Communication, Internet. In all tourist areas you can find internet cafes, and in them you can call home on the international phone. The cost of a call to Russia is simply ridiculous - from 1500 VND (about 2.5 USD) to 5000 VND per minute. The internet is almost everywhere and for free. At the reception of most hotels, even the most inexpensive, there are computers with free internet for guests. Wi-Fi is everywhere, including in some tourist areas there is free network coverage on the street.

Cellular communication in Vietnam. It is unprofitable to use roaming of Russian mobile operators in Vietnam. It is much cheaper to buy a SIM card of a local tour operator, and make calls home from 5 rubles per minute. And the cost of domestic calls throughout the country (the concept of roaming within Vietnam is generally absent) it will be just a penny.

Passport. When you check into a hotel in Vietnam, your passport will be picked up at the reception and returned to you when you check out of the hotel.

Punctuality. punctuality of Vietnamese and their transport, in our opinion, is far from ideal. You can safely add to any appointed time half an hour, or even more. If, for example, when buying a tour you are told that it will end at 18 hours, then with the greatest probability it will end no earlier than 20 hours. Approximately the same applies to tourist buses, especially the time of their arrival.

Excursions. When buying an excursion in Vietnam, be sure to specify what is included in its price, and for what else you will have to pay, and even better read reviews about the excursion on the Internet. The fact is that the Vietnamese, with their inherent entrepreneurial spirit, when selling excursions, may forget to mention that after paying $ 30 for a tour, you still have to pay, for example, $ 5 for admission, $ 5 for climbing the funicular, etc.and sometimes Vietnamese guides, even knowing that everything is already included in the tour, try to take extra money from tourists.

Maps in hotels. In Vietnamese hotels you can not always find free maps of the area, like it happens in Thailand. You can find free advertising maps of the area at airports or in travel agencies( Tourist Information), buy in a store or print in advance from the Internet.

Rains. the best barometer of impending rain is the locals. They determine with 100% accuracy that it will rain soon, so if you notice that they are wearing raincoats and hiding goods, rain will not pass in the next half hour.

Shopping. Do not rush to immediately buy Vietnamese souvenirs and gifts in the markets and in specialized stores. Most goods, including souvenirs, coffee and tea, clothes, toys can be purchased cheaper in large supermarkets such as Big-C, Coop Mart, etc.