Vietnam Travel Guide

Compare Hotel Room Rates from different Booking Sites

Vietnam Budget Travel Guide (31 August, 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Vietnam, the Ascending Dragon

Vietnam Travel Guide is created to help travelers get the most from their trip to Vietnam. Vietnam is one of the most intriguing travel destinations in Asia. The long period of warfare has very much shielded Vietnam from the rest of the world, and it is only in the last ten years that visitors are trickling back into the country. What is awaiting their discovery is a country that has been left behind by the rest of Asia, but is now economically propelling itself forward, oft times leapfrogging its slower neighbours.

Halong Bay, Vietnam (31 August, 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Guide to Vietnam Hotels

It's never easy finding the hotel that's just right for your stay. Still, by taking a little time to do your research, you increase your chance of getting a good hotel at the best price. Go through the list of hotels in Vietnam which we've put together, arranged city by city, with full description, star rating, address, location map and evaluation. Pick the hotel of your choice and view the rates offered by different booking sites. Yes, we show you prices from different websites, so you don't have to visit them one by one.

More about Vietnam

The country of Vietnam is 331,690 square kilometers in size. It forms a long strip on the eastern coast of Indo-China, sharing border with China to the north, Laos to the northwest, and Cambodia to the southwest. The land has been inhabited for thousands of years, with evidence of human habitation going back to Paleolithic times. It has suffered successive invasion and occupation by foreign powers, chief among them China in the ancient times and France in more recent history.

The capital of Vietnam today is the city of Hanoi, also spelled Ha Noi. It is the second largest city in the country, and as with all major cities of Vietnam, is rapidly growing and developing.

Old quarter of Hoi An, Vietnam
Author: Jean-Marie Hullot (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

Visitors to Vietnam focus on the major attractions around Hanoi, such as Halong Bay, Sapa, Perfume Pagoda and Tam Coc. Some venture further south, to explore ancient cities such as Hue, Hoi An, Dalat, as well as Ho Chi Minh City, the biggest city in Vietnam formerly known as Saigon.

In Vietnam Travel Guide, I want to provide you an overview of this remarkable country, and take you through to all the major cities as well as the lesser-known ones. I hope that this website will provide you with the necessary information to explore and enjoy Vietnam.

Sidewalk vendor in Hanoi (1 September 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Arriving in Vietnam

There are three international airports in Vietnam - in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang. Tan Son Nhat International Airport is the busiest of the three. You will need a visa to enter Vietnam, unless you are a national of the following countries, then you enjoy visa exemption for the periods as indicated:

15 days: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, South Korea and Japan
21 days: Philippines
30 days: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Laos

The visa to Vietnam is not cheap. A single-entry visa to Vietnam costs US$34 and is valid for a stay of 30 days. It takes 4-7 days to process. You can also get express visas, processed in 2-3 days, at twice the price. You can get it at the Vietnamese consulate in Battambang, Cambodia. You can also get your visa at the Vietnam Embassy in Bangkok for ฿1,800, done in 3 days. Elsewhere, you can get it at the Vietnam Embassy in London for £44 or at the Vietnamese Mission in New York City for US$80.

Tran Dynasty temple, Vietnam
Author: Luu Ly (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

Major Tourist Destinations

Co Loa Citadel
Ancient fortress of the first independent capital of Vietnam.
Cu Chi Tunnels
Underground tunnels dug by the Vietcong during the Vietnam war.
Cuc Phuong National Park
One of the best national parks in Vietnam.
Ha Long Bay
Picturesque bay with many small limestone islands.
Ha Tien
Popular tourist resort in Vietnam, close to the border with Cambodia.
Hoa Lu
Site of the 10th century capital of an ancient Vietnamese kingdom.
My Son
Site of ancient ruins of the Kingdom of Champa between the 4th to the 14th centuries.
Perfume Pagoda
The most famous Buddhist temple in Vietnam.
Sapa
Highland resort where one can view rice terraces and hill tribes in their traditional costumes.
Tam Coc
A site of towering limestone formations, approached by boat through a wetland.

Landmark Tower, Hanoi, Vietnam
Author: kenkentocnau (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

Major Cities of Vietnam

Can Tho
City in southern Vietnam with a population of 1.1 million.
Dalat
Capital of Lam Dong Province, popular as a highland retreat.
Danang
Largest city in Central Vietnam.
Hanoi
Capital and second largest city of Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City
Biggest city in Vietnam.
Hoi An
Old port city that is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hue
Former capital, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

House of Hani people at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
Author: NamHyHoangPhong (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)

Vietnam by Region

Northern Vietnam
Home to some of the country's oldest temples and fortresses, this region is also blessed with picturesque mountain and seascapes.
Central Vietnam
Located between the Truong Son Range ande the South China Sea, this region offers beautiful beaches as well as four UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
South Central Vietnam
Location of the ancient Kingdom of Champa, this is a densely populated region dotted with fishing villages.
Southern Vietnam
Region dominated by the Mekong Delta, and includes pristine islands and beaches.

Vietnam Travel Information

Time Zone: 7 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
Currency: dong
Language: Vietnamese. English gaining popularity as a language for tourism and commerce.
International Dialing Code: 84
Population: 84 million
Religion: Mahayana Buddhism (similar to China, but different from the Thailand, Laos and Cambodia), Catholic, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam.
Electricity: 220V 50 Hz
Electrical Outlet: two round pins, some times three round pins. If you bring a laptop, get a surge suppressor to guard against current fluctuations. (See details here: http://www.kropla.com/electric.htm)
Driving: On the right side of the road.

Sungsot Cave, Vietnam (31 August, 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo

Vietnam Public Holidays

The following are public holidays observed in Vietnam:

New Year Day: 1 January
Tet (Lunar New Year): January/February, similar to Chinese New Year celebrated elsewhere.
Founding Day of the Coomunist Party of Vietnam: 3 February
Women's Day: 8 March
Youth Day: 28 March
Liberation of Saigon Day: 30 April
International Labour Day: 1 May
Victory Day: 7 May, commemorating the victory over France
Ho Chi Minh's Birthday: 19 May
Children's Day: 1 June
Memorial Day: 27 July
August 1945 Revolution Day: 19 August
National Day: 2 September
Teacher's Day: 20 November
Army Day: 22 December

A Vietnamese celebration
Author: haithanh (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

Religion in Vietnam

After the years of suppression against religion in the early part of the 20th century, Vietnam today formally allows religious freedom. It recognises six religions namely Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Cao Dai and Hoa Hao. Other religions such as the Baha'i Coimmunity had to be awarded a "certificate of operation".

In Vietnam, you will see many temples that have distinct Chinese characteristics. The temples in Vietnam are often called "pagoda", even though they do not refer to the multi-tiered towers common in East Asia.