First and foremost, check to see if you require a visa to enter Vietnam and that your passport is in date and has enough pages left in it. Then, if you required Vietnam entry visa, you can come to Vietnam Embassy/Consulate to collect Vietnam Embassy/Consulate visa or apply online Visa Vietnam on arrival to save time and money

While various companies, hotel etc do quote in US Dollar, the official currency is the Dong. Use it whenever possible.

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.

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.    [Read more...]