Staying Healthy

Vietnam tours  Health concerns should comprise an important piece of your preparation for a trip to Vietnam, and staying healthy on the road takes vigilance. Make it a priority. Tropical heat and mosquitoes are the biggest dangers, other than motor vehicle accidents, and travelers should exercise caution over the extreme change in diet and sanitary standards in Vietnam -- especially if eating at local joints. But with just a few pretrip precautions and general prudence, you can enjoy a safe and healthy trip. Consult with a health practitioner or someone specializing in travel health before your trip about inoculations. Stay abreast of international monitors, such as the U.S.
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Tips on Dining

Dining in Vietnam is one of the highlights for visitors, and the secret is out, thanks to a proliferation of good, affordable, authentic Vietnamese restaurants springing up in the West. Characterized by the light, subtle nature of this cuisine, where ingredients are left alone to work their magic, Vietnamese gastronomy is getting the international kudos it well deserves. Take places like New York and Los Angeles, for example, where you can find an authentic bowl of pho (noodle soup) or fresh spring rolls, and where Vietnamese ingredients -- from rice paper and green papaya to rice whiskey and nuoc mam (pungent fish sauce) -- are influencing some of the finest Pacific fusion restaurants. Gourmets have discovered Vietnam, and many are making their own long-haul flights to experience the real deal.
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Regions in Brief

Vietnam is an S-shape peninsula that borders China to the north, Laos to the west, and Cambodia to the southwest. Covering about 331,520 sq. km (129,293 sq. miles), it's roughly the size of Italy, but only a small percentage of the land is arable and habitable because of the Annamese Cordillera and other steep mountain ranges and mountain terrain. Vietnam has a varied and lush topography, with two massive deltas (one in the north and one in the south), tropical forests, craggy mountains and rock formations, and stunning coastline. Vietnam is only about 1,613km (1,000 miles) north to south as the crow flies, but by road and along the stretch of coastal highway, it's about 3,260km (2,021 miles). Vietnam also claims thousands of islands off its coast.
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Entry Requirements & Customs

Passports
The websites listed provide downloadable passport applications, as well as the current fees for processing passport applications. For an up-to-date, country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the "Foreign Entry Requirement" Web page of the U.S. State Department at http://travel.state.gov.
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Money

Frommer's lists exact prices in the local currency wherever possible, though the U.S. dollar is used widely in both Vietnam and Cambodia: In fact, the dollar is the de facto currency in Cambodia, and packing some U.S. greenbacks will come in very handy. Rates fluctuate, so before departing, consult a currency exchange website such as www.oanda.com/convert/classic to check up-to-the-minute rates.
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Getting Around

With many transport options, you'll find good local travel agencies in every tourist stop in Vietnam, all ready to book your plane, bus, and boat tickets or to rent cars. Competition among service providers works to your advantage, and you can find affordable deals for getting around with just a bit of shopping.
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Escorted & Package Tours

Escorted tours are structured group tours with a group leader. The price usually includes everything from airfare to hotels, meals, tours, admission costs, and local transportation.
Whether you want to ride an elephant through the jungle, trek among indigenous people, shake hands with a gibbon, swim beneath a waterfall, snorkel in a clear blue lagoon, lounge on a white-sand beach, or wander through exotic markets, there's a Vietnam tour packager for you, offering a wide range of travel options using the finest and most reliable travel services available in the region.
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Getting There

By Plane
The three international airports in Vietnam are Tan Son Nhat International (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City, Noi Bai International (HAN) in Hanoi, and Danang International (DAT) in Danang (central Vietnam). Vietnam Airlines has hubs in both Tan Son Nhat and Noi Boi. Most carriers connect to Vietnam's three international airports via Singapore, Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Taipei (Taiwan), or Seoul (South Korea).
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Calendar of Events at Vietnam

In their daily lives, Vietnamese people follow the standard 12-month calendar, otherwise known as the Gregorian or solar calendar used in the West. However, most of Vietnam's small village fetes and holidays follow the traditional Chinese calendar, which has 355 days and adds a "leap month" every 3 years or so to keep up with the solar calendar. Following the Chinese lunar calendar means that most holidays correspond with the full moon (on the 15th of each lunar month) or no moon (on the 1st); it also means that holidays fall on different calendar dates each year.
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When to Go

Think Vietnam and you might imagine a steamy jungle and hot sun -- and you'd be mostly right. But even though Vietnam is tropical, you'll find a real range, from chilly mountaintops and cool highland areas to sun-drenched coastline and, yes, that steamy jungle, too, laced with the swampy rivers you've seen in movies.
Opposing monsoon seasons in the north and south mean that seasonal changes are different in north, central, and south Vietnam. The good news for travelers is that this means it's always high season somewhere in Vietnam, and the tropical south is always warm. Vietnam can be broken into three distinct geographical and climatic zones as follows: north, central, and south.
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Fast Facts

Area Codes -- The area codes for the provinces of Vietnam are as follows:
An Giang 076, Bac Can 0281, Bac Giang 0240, Bac Lieu 0781, Bac Ninh 0241, Ben Tre 075, Binh Dinh 056, Binh Duong 0650, Binh Phuoc 0651, Binh Thuan 062, Ca Mau 0780, Can Tho 0710, Cao Bang 026, Da Nang 0511, Dac Lac 0500, Dong Nai 061, Dong Thap 067, Gia Lai 059, Ha Giang 0219, Ha Nam 0351, Hai Duong 0320, Haiphong 031, Hanoi 04, Ha Tinh 039, Ho Chi Minh 08, Hung Yen 0321, Hoa Binh 0218, Khanh Hoa 058, Kien Giang 077, Kontum 060, Lai Chau 0231, Lam Dong 063, Lang Son 025, Lao Cai 020, Long An 072, Nam Dinh 0350, Nghe An 038, Ninh Binh 030, Ninh Thuan 068, Phu Tho 0210, Phu Yen 057, Quang Binh 052, Quang Ngai 055, Quang Ninh 033, Quang Tri 053, Soc Trang 079, Son La 022, Tay Ninh 066, Thai Binh 036, Thai Nguyen 0280, Thanh Hoa 037, Thua Thien Hue 054, Tien Giang 073, Tra Vinh 074, Tuyen Quang 027, Vinh Long 070, Vung Tau 064, Yen Bai 029.
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Planning a Trip

Obtaining a prearranged visa and following some important medical guidelines is all that's required for a safe and exciting trip to Vietnam. But the information here helps you plan your finances, decide whether to go on your own or by tour, and learn about what to expect in Vietnamese hotels and restaurants.

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