30/03/2016
TRAVEL TIPS FOR THE FIRST TIME TO VIETNAM
1/ Check Vietnam Visa: First and foremost, check to see if you require a visa to come to Vietnam and that your passport is in date and has enough pages left in it. You can apply visa online here: http://www.vietnamvisaprovider.com/
2/ Prepare Vietnamdong: While various companies, hotel etc do quote in US Dollar, the official currency is the D**g. Use it whenever possible.
3/ Check weather: What part of Vietnam you are going to and the time of year will determine what clothing to bring. The Northern part of Vietnam has 4 seasons, whereas the South is either in the dry or rainy season. Temperatures in the North can get close to freezing in winter. The South is always warm / hot and humid. Although you can buy clothing in Vietnam, if you are over 5 feet 9 in (1.75) you might well have problems getting clothes to fit without going to upmarket stores (with prices to match). There is no dress code except when going to temples etc. It will usually be very hot and humid further south, so hats and lots of water are the order of the day.
4/ Medicines: There really is no need to pack lots of medicines. Pharmacies are everywhere and certainly in the cities any normal medicines for stomach upsets etc can be bought. If you need prescribed medicine it would be a good idea to either bring it with you or at least have the generic name for it written down. Any medicines obtained should be checked for expiry date etc. Make sure you have travel insurance. Nappies, baby food etc can be found fairly easily in the supermarkets, even at Vietnamese markets. Sunscreen and bug spray can also be found in the supermarkets, pharmacies.
5/ The Vietnamese love westerners, be prepared for lots of questions. Children will be adored, especially if of fair complexion as it is so different. The roads are chaos: countless thousands of motorbikes carrying families, fridges, pigs- its madness. Also, crossing the road takes extra care as bikes do not stop; they go around you. Not for the faint-hearted. Always look both ways when crossing as motorbikes will quite frequently run along the roads the wrong way. They are also driven and parked on the pavements. While the pavements are fine in some places, in a lot of others you will end up walking in the road. This is normal.
6/ Haggling can be good fun but always approach it with a smile. If the price seems too high, walk away. If there is still mileage to be made, quite often the vendor will continue to haggle as you walk away. Washing your hands before meals is always recommended and take a toilet paper roll for when you are out and about. Wipes and tissues are generally available everywhere, indeed when you sit down for a meal, wet wipes are generally provided (at a cost).
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