Vietnam Planning Your Trip

Before You Go
Passport . Required for citizens of all countries.
Visa . Visas are required of citizens of all countries, except those who have signed a bilateral visa exemption agreement . Allow at least 2 weeks to process visas. In order to officially work or study in Vietnam, you’ll need a sponsor to write a letter of invitation and obtain a business or student visa for you. You can also transfer the status of a tourist visa once in Vietnam.
Special Permits . Travelers need special travel permits to visit certain politically or environmentally sensitive regions in the Central Highlands and Northwest Highlands. These are nearly impossible for casual travelers to obtain. Ask at your embassy or consulate.
Recommended Vaccinations . Diphtheria, typhoid, hepatitis A and B, measles, and polio top the list—you’ll need others if you will be staying for an extended period of time in rural areas, exposed to animals during your stay, or if you are traveling from South America or sub-Saharan Africa.
Vaccination Certificates . You’ll need a certificate of yellow fever vaccination if you are traveling from South America or sub-Saharan Africa.
Other Health Concerns: Malaria pills are recommended for those traveling to malaria risk areas , including much of Vietnam. If your regular medical insurance policy does not cover travel abroad, you may wish to purchase additional coverage.

Embassies And Consulates

Australia: 6 Timbarra Crescent, O’Malley, ACT 2606 (☎ 2 6286 6059 or 6290 1549; http://members.iinet.net.au/~vembassy). Consulate: Ste. 205, Level 2, Edgcliff Centre, 202-233 New South Head ...more

Documents And Formalities

Requirements Citizens of Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US need valid passports to enter Vietnam and to re-enter their home countries. Returning home with an expired passport ...more

Money

The currency chart below is based on August 2006 exchange rates between Vietnam’s local currency, the Œ·ng, and Australian dollars (AUS$), Canadian dollars (CDN$), European Union ...more

Packing

Pack lightly: Lay out only what you absolutely need, then take half the clothes and twice the money. The Travelite FAQ (www.travelite.org) is a good resource for tips on traveling light. The online ...more

Safety And Health

In any type of crisis situation, the most important thing to do is stay calm. Your country’s embassy abroad is usually your best resource when things go wrong; registering with that embassy upon arrival ...more

Transportation To Vietnam

When it comes to airfare, a little effort can save you a bundle. For those flexible enough to deal with the restrictions, courier fares are the cheapest. Tickets bought from consolidators and standby ...more

Transportation

There are numerous ways of getting around Vietnam over land and by plane. Many tourists utilize the open-tour buses operated by tourist agencies in HCMC and Hà Nÿi. Motorbikes—often ...more

Staying Connected

Vietnam likes the Internet. Cybercafes are truly everywhere in larger cities, and your odds of finding somewhere to get online—even in more out-of-the-way towns—are pretty good. Consequently, pricing ...more

Outdoor Recreation

The Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (www.gorp.com) provides excellent general information for travelers planning on camping or spending time in the outdoors.

Travel Concerns

As the number of travelers on the road continues to rise, the detrimental effect they can have on natural environments becomes an increasing concern. With this in mind, Let’s Go promotes the philosophy ...more

Other Resources

Let’s Go tries to cover all aspects of budget travel, but we can’t put everything in our guides. Listed below are books and websites that can serve as jumping-off points for your own research.