1. Usefull Information

Language

Vietnamese is the official language of
Vietnam. Learning foreign languages, particularly English, is now in vogue among young people in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Danang, and other cities. Tour guides speaking English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and Japanese are available.

Currency

Vietnamese Dong (VND) is the official currency in Vietnam.

Paper notes include: VND 500,000; 200,000; 100,000; 50,000; 20,000; 10,000; 5,000; 2,000; 1,000; 500; 200 and 100. Coins include VND 5,000; 2,000; 1,000; 500 and 200.

Cheques with value as Vietnamese dong include: VND 1,000,000 and 500,000.
Foreign currencies and tourist cheques can be exchanged into Vietnamese Dong at banks or foreign exchange agencies.

Credit cards are popularly used, especially in cities and big tourist centers.
Before leave Vietnam, Vietnamese Dong can be changed into foreign currencies at the airport.

Electricity Water  Supply

The voltage system in Vietnam is 220 volt.

Tap water is already filtered and sterilized, but it should be boiled before drinking.

Health

In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there are some international clinics and hospitals open to foreign tourists for medical consultations and treatments.

Before leaving for Vietnam, all travelers should make sure to receive the appropriate vaccination (especially against typhoid and hepatitis A).

Post & Communications

Internet Services

Internet service includes E-mail, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet and World Wide Web (WWW)

- VNN/Internet access number: 1260

- Support number for VNN/Internet: 18001260

»VNN 1268/1269 services: VNN 1268/1269 are managed and charged on accessing telephone number. No monthly subscription charge.

 »ISDN (Integrated service digital network): ISDN telecommunication service fully meets requirement of many types of information(text, audio, visual) by high quality and high speed digital transmission. ISDN Service can be applied in video-conference aI1d remote education.

»ADSL Service (Mega VNN): ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber line) - an application of  broad band communication, providing high speed internet access via telephone line by dividing it into two channels: a higher speed channel for Internet and the remained for telephone and fax.

»VNN - Infogate Service: VNN - Infogate service allows the subscribers of  VNN-Internet to send messages such as symbol, picture, E-mail, text, ringtail, business schedule,... from serviced websites to paging subscribers, mobile phone subscribers of VNPT.

Postal Services

»Local, International mail service: Letters & Postcards publications, publications for the blind, small packages. (Weight limit of small package is not over 2kg).

»Parcels - Local and Overseas: Weight limit of local parcels is defined by post. office of each province. General maximum weight for one parcel is 31.5 kg.

»Press Distribution: Newspapers and magazines are retailed at any Post Office and Kiosk.

»Express Mail Service (EMS): EMS delivers letters, parcels, mail items, goods.. domestically & internationally on schedule of VNPT as announcement to each region & country. Weight limit for EMS parcels to overseas depends on the agreement with target country. EMS is available in 54 cities and provinces within Vietnam and to 51 countries in the world.

»Other Postal services:

- Consignment post service

- Subscribing mail boxes service

- Unaddressed mail drop service

- PTN service (From Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ninh, Haiphong, Hai Duong).

How to make long-distance calls

»To provinces and cities within Vietnam:

0 + Area code + Tel. Number or

171 (177, 178) + 0 + Area code + Tel. Number (economic call).

»To other countries:

00 + Country code + Area code + Tel. number

171 (177, 178) + 00 + Country code + Area code + Tel. number (economic call) or

171 + 1 + Waiting for connective tone + Country code + Area code + Tel. number

Telephone Services

»Multi - frequency service: Allows the subscriber to connect quickly and more conveniently.

»Speed dialing service: Allows the subscriber to dial more efficiently by substituting for 2 digits, for the entire telephone number.

»Data transmission service: Allows data transmission of the following types:

- PC to PC.

- PC to computer network.

- Computer network to computer network.

- PC or computer network to database site.

»Leased line: A point-to-point line of the following types may be leased:

- Long distance.

- Telex.

- Radio and Television.

- Data transmission.

»Public telephone agents: Telephone with operator service at post offices, post agents, public telephone agents...

»VoIP services: VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) is telephone service applications based on internet through telephone network.

- “1717 call” service: 1717 is prepaid VoIP telephone service, using VoIP technology, provides domestic and international long-distance calls. Service code is 1717. Customers – who want to use “1717 calls” service must buy 1717 card.

Bookshops - Newspapers & Magazines

It is possible to find books in foreign languages (mainly English and French) in the Xunhasaba bookshops and also on Trang Tien St. in Hanoi, and Nguyen Hue St. in Ho Chi Minh City.

Newspapers and magazines are mainly written in Vietnamese. However, there are some newspapers and magazines available in English and French, such as the Vietnam Investment Review, Vietnam News, Saigon Times, Investment News, Vietnam Economic News, Vietnam Today, Vietnam Pictorial, and Le Courier du Vietnam.
Street vendors and big hotels also sell foreign newspapers and magazines, including the Bangkok Post, New Nation, Business News, News-week and Times, Indochina, Asian Weekly, etc.

Shopping

Vietnamese arts and crafts products have been displayed at many international fairs. Articles made of  lacquer, rattan, bamboo, and palm are quite popular. Vietnamese are also experts in making items out of wood, animal hide and horns, tortoise and oyster shells. Other items such as embroidered articles, objects inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ceramic objects, gold and silver jewelry, and paintings are also very popular. These can be purchased in shops or directly from the manufacturers.

Time & Business Hours

- Vietnamese Time: GMT + 7 hours.

- Governmental agencies work 8 hours/day from 7.30am to 4.30pm (excluding one-hour lunch). Saturday and Sunday are close.

- Banks are open from 7.30am or 8am to 11.30am and from 1pm to 4pm. Saturday and Sunday are close.

- Private shops are open from 8am or 8.30am to 9pm or 10pm.

Public Holidays

- January 1 - New Year's Day (one day holiday)

- April 30 - Saigon Liberation Day (one day holiday)

- May 1 - International Labour Day (one day holiday)

- September 2 - National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
(one day holiday)

»Vietnam Traditional Lunar New Year Festival - Tet Nguyen Dan: (four day holiday).

Tet holiday usually falls at the end of January or middle of  February by solar calendar. The holiday begins on the last day of  the last lunar month and lasts through the first three days of the Lunar New Year (Tet Nguyen Dan).

2. Embassies/Consulates in Vietnam