Here are a few points you should plan for before heading over to Vietnam. Ideally, you should start acting on these at least one month before your trip as processes and appointments may take some time.
Visas
As with any other country, make sure you have at least 6 months of validity left on your passport by the date of entry into Vietnam. Citizens from most countries do require a visa to enter the country. Among those exempted are nationals of ASEAN countries for a limit of up to 30 days as well as those of South Korea, Japan, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland for up to 15 days.
Overseas Vietnamese are able to obtain a visa exemption status that is valid for the duration of their passport's validity. They must provide their or one of their parent's Vietnamese birth certificate or citizenship card. The processing fee varies by country of the applicant but is roughly equivalent to the cost of a single entry visa. Vietnam's official site containing all information and forms can be found here.
There are three ways of obtaining a visa (1 up to 3 months): on arrival, pre-arranged with an agency or in your home country with the Vietnamese consulate or embassy. I strongly recommend getting the visa done before your trip if you have an embassy or consulate (or travel agent willing to do it on your behalf) that is not too inconvenient for you to get to. I have heard many complaints about lengthy delays in obtaining an a visa on arrival, although it seems the wait times are very erratic on any given day. You cannot get a tourist/visitor's visa longer than 3 months and must either re-enter Vietnam or apply for renewal.
Visa from Embassy/Consulate
You can get or maybe download (depending on your country) a visa application form that is pretty much straightforward to fill out. You will need to give them one or two passport-sized photos with a PLAIN WHITE background along with the completed form, your passport, and a fee. Here is a sample from the UK's embassy.
Visa on arrival
Getting a visa on arrival will usually be cheaper. You can expect the cost to be around 20 USD for a single entry and 50 USD for multiple entry. Remember to bring some passport-sized photos of your self against a plain white background.
Visa pre-arranged
There are a number of agencies you can find online with a quick search. I have never used them myself, but from reading the forums it seems like quite a few people already have. You submit your information and payment online at the agency's website. They send you a letter that you must print out and bring with you along with some passport-sized photos. Your visa will be waiting for you at the airport. I presume the costs are somewhere between the two options mentioned above and as is the risk.
Vaccines
It is best to guard yourself against the tropical diseases that reside in Vietnam and other countries of the region. Not many things can ruin a trip like being confined to bed and very ill. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides excellent information on disease prevention in the area. In short, everyone travelling here should get vaccines for Hepatitis A & B and Typhoid. Arrange an appointment with or go to your local clinic about 4-6 weeks before leaving. For those spending significant time in rural areas or jungles should get additional vaccines for Japanese encephalitus and malaria. Malaria vaccines are usually take orally and only while you're exposed to it. Some of these malaria vaccines, however, can cause rather severe side effects so take them only if you really are in danger.
There are a number of diseases you cannot get vaccinated for (like cholera) and even some for which there is no treatment (dengue fever). There is no need to worry as long as you keep proper hygene when eating and taking steps to keep mosquitoes at bay. Countless expats have lived here for several years without contracting anything worse than the occasional upset stomach.
What to pack
In general, it's best to pack as lightly as possible. Don't worry about all the scenarios in which you may need something - almost everything you could possibly need is sold rather conveniently here already. In fact, things are relatively cheap and you will probably want to save some luggage space to bring some stuff back home.
What you should bring in addition to your personal effects and clothes for sunny and hot weather:
- suncreen
- insect repellant (if going into rural areas)
- antibiotics (preferably something recent like Zithromax. Cipro has been largely rendered useless thanks to over prescription and incomplete treatments)
- a bit of cash
- any medicine you might need (meds in Vietnam sometimes have dubious sources and dispensing practices)
- hand sanitizer
- photocopies of your documents and phone numbers for your credit cards
- adaptor especially if you have 3-pronged plugs (elctric sockets here are compatible with both Euro and North American plugs but usually only for two prongs)
- ear plugs if you are sensitive to street noise at night
Access to internet
Internet and wifi is fairly ubiquitous, especially at coffee shops and hotels. One thing to be aware of is Vietnam's unofficial policy to block certain websites such as Facebook. Unlike in other countries that employ similar measures (ex. China), there is an easy fix MOST of the time depending on the ISP you're using. You simply need to specify a different DNS address in your computer settings. This is something you can do right away and shouldn't affect your usual online activities. There are a few options, and I prefer Google's DNS the best followed by OpenDNS.
For a complete how-to, Google provides complete instructions for various operating systems here.
Alternatively, if you have problems facing FB or any other programs, you can use a free proxy program, UltraSurf. All you need to do is launch it, which should then open up your default browser. This will work for all your web browsers on your computer.
Important dates
The only regular date you really have to be wary of is the Lunar New Year (often referred to as Chinese New Year by Westerners), known as "Tet" by the Vietnamese. This is the primary holiday period for Vietnamese and many Asians, so have to be prepared for a shutdown in services in places such as hotels, restaurants, and shops for several days and even weeks. Tourists who aren't aware of and prepared for the magnitude of this holiday period often complain about not finding any places to eat or things to do. Many Vietnamese return to work after one week but some can take as long as month! There are number of festivals and street decorations taking place immediately on and after Tet, but afterwards the main cities of Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi empty out as people return to their home provinces. It's usually best for foreigners with no family ties to Vietnam to avoid most of this period.
Because the Lunar New Year is based on the lunar calendar (hence the name), it does not fall on the same date every year according to the Gregorian calendar. Here is a page that lists the dates on which the Lunar New Year falls going forward.
As for the rest of the public holidays, here is a list and their dates:
- January 1: New Year (Western)
- 10th day of 3rd lunar month: Hung Kings Commemoration
- April 30: Liberation/Reunification Day
- May 1: International Worker's Day
- September 2: National Day
Laws you should know about
The Vietnamese legal system is based on Communist legal theory and French civil law. The only thing of major note is its very tough stance on drugs. The dealth penalty may be applied for those carrying enough to be considered a distributor.
