VIETNAM
Welcome
Motto: ''Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc
"Independence – Liberty – Happiness"
Anthem: Tiến Quân Ca "Army March"
Vietnam is a splendid country whose geographical silhouette draws the shape of a dragon, symbol of strength and benefits in the Far East.
Capital: Hanoi.
Population: 97.340 million inhabitants.
Gross Domestic Product - GDP (PPP): $770.2 billion.
Official languages: Vietnamese.
Area: 331,212 km2.
Water (%): 6,4.
Currency: đồng (₫) (VND).
Safety rating: Ranked 57 on the Global Peace Index with a score of 1.88.
Food
Vietnamese cuisine has many qualities: it is fine and light, healthy, very inexpensive and very varied. Although it is sometimes inspired by it, it is distinguished from Chinese cuisine by the fact that it uses less sauces, but more herbs and natural vegetables. Vietnam is a beautiful country with adorable inhabitants but as if that were not enough there is also in this country one of the best gastronomies of Asia, fresh products, excellent meat and various influences make Vietnam a real dream for meat lovers. A basic ingredient fundamentally separates Vietnamese and Chinese cuisines: it is nước mắm, brownish sauce obtained by the fermentation of salted fish. A national condiment which is unanimous.
Rice
There are 3 kinds of rice:
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normal rice with round and white grains;
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sticky rice which has opaque grains (it is used to make cakes and offerings);
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the fragrant rice recognizable by its long grains.
Soups
Phở: this noodle soup, originating from the North, has spread throughout the country until it has become a true national symbol. It is served in a large bowl. It is a broth obtained by boiling bones, ginger and nước mắm. Beef or chicken strips, cilantro, anise, spices, and sometimes cloves are added. Although it is eaten at any time in Vietnam, it i recommend this dish for dinner since it is not too heavy and very good!.
Vietnamese pastries
Bánh chưng: the Vietnamese only eat this cake on the occasion of the Tết festival (Vietnamese New Year). Sticky rice cake wrapped in coconut or banana leaves.
Bánh bao: steamed brioche, stuffed with pork, onions, flavored mushrooms.
Bánh dẻo: on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Cake made from glutinous rice flour, filled with candied fruit, sesame seeds, fat. Very sweet, it goes perfectly with a cup of jasmine tea.
Mứt: candied fruit served on the occasion of the Tết festival, but you can still find it the rest of the year.
desserts
There are rarely any sweet desserts in restaurants. The Vietnamese dessert is made up of fresh fruit rather than pastries. The most common are pineapple, banana, orange, papaya (very refreshing) and grapefruit. Exotic fruits are rarer and therefore more expensive: mango, mangosteen, rambutan, longan, jackfruit, durian.
Water
Drink only mineral or purified water (decapsulated in front of you). Tap water in cities is not drinkable, and it is formally not recommended to drink tap water in the countryside. There is a way to purify suspicious water through an individual and economical process, a 0.01 micron pocket ultrafiltration straw.
In stores, there are several brands of mineral and purified water in plastic bottles. Those that have received assistance from French companies (La Vie, Lasska, Vital, the cheapest) and purified water from technical patents from American or other companies (A and B, La Ville, La Villa, La Vigie) are all flawless.
Tea
It is the national drink and is often free in restaurants or at a ridiculous price. The most common is green tea served in small porcelain cups.
Beer
Very popular and inexpensive in Vietnam. You will find cafes serving bia hơi, locally brewed beer or served according to a craft pressure process. Light, good and economical, even more than bottled beers. Saigon, Tiger, 333 (Ba-ba-ba), Larue or Bivina are the best known; the San Miguel has made a breakthrough. Also excellent local brands. In the South, we find the famous BGI (Brasseries et Glacières d'Indochine).
Coffee
Few people know but Vietnam is the world's second largest producer of coffee (robusta variety, stronger than arabica), after Brazil and ahead of Colombia. Coffee is mainly used for export. It is however a popular drink in Vietnam, in the form of filter coffee: you are served a cup topped with a small filter filled with boiling water. They qualify the resulting nectar as "men's coffee", as it is concentrated (it has an almost caramelized taste); mixed with milk, it goes better.
Otherwise, as in many countries, a growing number of Western-style restaurants, cafes and bars serve all kinds of coffee, including espresso and cappuccino.
Transportation
The pedicab
The slowest but also the most ecological means of transport: no engine, no smoke, no noise. However, we see less and less, and even no more at all in some big cities like Saigon.
The motorcycle taxi (xe ôm)
This is basically what has replaced the pedicab in Vietnam. We see them at each crossroads. The race costs little more than what it cost in a cyclo and it is obviously much faster (but more noisy and polluting too). On the other hand, the fearful will avoid this means of transport, especially during rush hour when the traffic is impressive. In big cities, you order your motorcycle taxi via an app on your smartphone, like Grab or Goviet. Most of the time, the driver hands you a helmet, mandatory since 2007 (also in town).
The taxi
There are many taxi companies in the big cities. Price in dồngs displayed on the counter (12 = 12,000 Dg, for example). It is the most reliable and safest means of transport in town, if not the fastest (because of traffic jams). What's more, the rates are very affordable.
Beware, however, of counterfeited counters, which are not so rare! For example, in Hồ Chí Minh-Ville and Hanoi, some small companies display a modest departure package, but the meter gets run up along the way (keep an eye open, or even both).
The bus
It is the cheapest means of transport. Dense network of communications by minibus or bus, medium bus or larger bus from 45 to 50 seats.
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Vietnamese buses have been modernized to meet international standards. The best companies are Phương Trang and Mai Linh, well represented in the south and center of the country, but very few in the North.
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In contrast, public minibuses that travel from village to village are often in poor condition.
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Express buses remain slow but are faster than local buses, which stop everywhere on demand.
Disadvantages of bus travel: bus stations are often located on the outskirts of cities. It is therefore necessary to add the price of the taxi to that of the ticket.
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Private buses and minibuses (Open Tour)
A practical way (and hardly more expensive than the classic bus) to travel from one end to the other of the country: the Open Tour formula. These are buses chartered by private companies and serve certain major cities and tourist places on the Hanoi - Huế - Hội An - Nha Trang - Dalat - Hồ Chí Minh-Ville route, and vice versa. Of course, with that, you mostly travel with other backpackers and tourists from around the world, not with the locals. Also note that, on arrival, the bus drops travelers off in front of the agency's office or in front of a partner hotel. It is up to you to then reach your hotel.
For any departure (even if there is one every day), you must reserve your seat 24 hours in advance. The bus will pick you up there on the day of departure, except at Hồ Chí Minh-Ville (where you have to go to the agency that sold you the ticket).
The train
The rail network is improving year by year. Vietnamese trains leave and arrive approximately on time. The express trains connecting Hanoi to Hồ Chí Minh-City are called Reunification express. There are four a day in each direction. Despite everything, the journeys remain rather slow. That said, it's not slower than the bus, it's safer and more comfortable.
vr.com.vn: official site of the Vietnam Railways. Times and prices with English translation. Click on "Train schedule" and you will arrive at giotaugiave.vr.com.
vnrailways.com: Vietnamese site in English offering an online reservation & payment service (Visa/MasterCard).
baolau.com: On this site in English, we find the timetables and prices of the trains. You can reserve your place and pay online with a payment card.
seat61.com: Railway information site in English.
There are also special wagons for night trips, which are attached to regular trains. Intended for foreigners, they contain more comfortable and luxurious compartments, including 2 or 4 berths. These special cars are called Livitrans Express, Violette, Sapaly, Fansipan, Chapa, Victoria. They run on the Hồ Chí Minh-Ville / Nha Trang-Hanoi / Huế, and Hanoi / Lào Cai lines. Ticket prices are higher.
- Tip: the top bunk is the cheapest.
Rental car
Only holders of a Vietnamese driver's license are allowed to drive in Vietnam. Admittedly, the international permit has been theoretically accepted since 2015, provided that it is accompanied by a translation certified in Vietnamese by the local police. In addition, the foreign driver must take a Vietnamese guide in the car.
Driving yourself in Vietnam is a real danger! The only advice I would give: rent a car with driver. Possibility to rent a car with driver in many agencies, whether they are state (Vietnam, Hanoi and Saigon Tourism for example), or private. It is the easiest solution, and it is not that expensive. Compare prices and, if possible, group yourself. The prices range between 50 and 100 US $ per day, but it all depends on the category of the car and the mileage.
The bike and the scooter
In cities and flat regions, especially deltas, cycling is a great way to explore freely. In large cities and many tourist sites such as Tam Cốc or Mai Châu in the North, many hotels make them available free of charge to their customers.
Vietnam recognizing the international license since January 1, 2015, the rental of scooters and motorcycles of more than 50 cc is now legal and possible. In general, rental companies do not require a permit. In theory, you have to have an international driving license. In the field, very few police checks require this document. On the island of Phú Quốc it seems that the police are tougher than elsewhere due to the number of motorcycle accidents.
Important: you must be covered by your own insurance.
Driving on a scooter or motorbike is done at the driver's own risk. Helmets are mandatory and speed limits must be observed. In the mountains, do not rent automatic motorcycles because they do not have an engine brake.
Traffic is anarchic in Saigon and Hanoi. Beware of the many "red light burners", especially when your light turns green. In the mountains, it is better to honk your horn at the entrance to the turns because, here, everyone drives in the middle of the road. Helmet mandatory and watch out for speed limits (30 km / h in towns and villages), speed cameras are numerous.
Roads. In Vietnam, they drive on the right. You never drive fast in Vietnam: either because the speed is limited by law, with speed cameras, or because of the tumultuous traffic (in cities, suburbs and on major roads), or because of the mountainous nature of the roads where we hardly exceed 30 km / h (80% of the country is covered with mountains and hills).
The plane
Vietnam Airlines, the national airline, is serious and of good reputation. Twenty cities are served in the country, at affordable prices. There are also 3 low-cost airlines that serve the main cities of Vietnam: Jetstar, VietJet Air and Bamboo Airways.
Best things to do
Take a stroll through the alleys of the 36 corporations district in Hanoi. Attend the Tết party. Go up the Perfume River in Huế. Take a night stroll through the alleys of the small town of Hội An. Dive in the waters of Cham Island. Walk on the Hồ Chi Minh trail, in the mountains and jungles of the Annamitic mountain range. Spend a few days on the island of Phú Quốc, on the edge of a beach with blue waters. Stay with locals, in the heart of the Mekong Delta, and navigate the maze of rivers and streams under lush tropical vegetation.
For a first trip to a country, we often look for the list of its essential sites. About Vietnam, travelers tend to travel the country from North to South or vice versa, through the main tourist cities: Hanoi, Sapa, Ninh Binh, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh city and the Mekong Delta.
A trip from North to South, or vice versa, in Vietnam requires at least 2 weeks. If you have more time, don't miss the northern mountains where there are fabulous rice terraces and several ethnic villages. You can also spend a few days by the sea in the center (Hoi An, Cham Island, Nha Trang) or in southern Vietnam (Mui Ne, Phu Quoc Island…).
On the other hand, traveling from North to South or vice versa is not always a good idea. This requires more time and means to get around. Some travelers prefer to stay in a specific region for a long time, and
discover it more deeply.
Few ideas I recommend
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Northern Vietnam seems to have the most beautiful natural sites and villages of authentic minority ethnic groups. you can spend 2 weeks or more in this beautiful region.
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Travel in the north + the center + the temples of Angkor in Cambodia. After visiting the north and the remarkable sites of the center, one can take the plane from the city of Da Nang, in the center to visit the temples of Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Travel in the north of Vietnam + the north of Laos. After visiting northern Vietnam, you can then go to Laos by bus from Dien Bien Phu, or by plane from Hanoi.
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Travel in the south of Vietnam + Cambodia. After his trip to the south of Vietnam, we can then go to Cambodia by bus, speed boat or plane.
In short, several route options are possible.
Best time to visit
For the south of the country, the months of July and August are those of the monsoon. The best period, hot and dry, is between November and June.
In the north, the winters in Hanoi are cool and humid (from January to mid-March), the summers very hot. The best months are November, April, May and June.
For the Center (Huế, Đà Nẵng, Hội An), avoid the period between September and November (typhoons) and end of January, humid and windy. North of Vietnam In the mountainous region of the North West (Điện Biên Phủ) in winter, the climate is much more favorable, less humid and warmer. The rice terraces of the mountains are beautiful and colorful in May and September. In the center of Vietnam, the best period is from February to May. For the South of Vietnam the best period is from December to April.
Quick tips
Do not drink tap water; Prefer water in capped bottles, of local origin or imported. Otherwise, filter the water and boil it before consumption.
Also avoid ice cubes in small restaurants.
You can ask to soak your drinks in a large bowl of water filled with ice cubes, this usually cools them quickly.
