General Information

Population: 90.5 million 
Capital City: Hanoi (6.5 million)
People: 53 ethnic minorities
Language: Vietnamese
Currency: Vietnam Dong (VND)
Time Zone: GMT +7 Hours
International Dialing Code: +84

Passport and visa
Passports should be valid for six months from the date of entry into Vietnam. We recommend you make a photocopy of your passport and keep it somewhere separate, or scan it and keep it in an accessible email account.

Visitors must have a visa before entering Vietnam, and a visa on arrival can only be obtained with a letter of approval. A visa on arrival is granted to many nationalities for stays 15 days or less. Buffalo Tours can arrange this for you. Otherwise, you must apply online or at the embassy for all 30-90 day single or multiple entry visas.

Some nationalities are eligible for visa exemption. Please click here to see if you are exempted for a visa to Vietnam. 

Phones & Internet service
The Vietnamese postal service is reliable and there are also courier services widely available. Do not put postcards into letter boxes; give them to your hotel to post or go to a post office.

Telephone connections to the rest of the world are widely available, however they aren’t cheap. A Vietnamese SIM card is a less expensive way of calling other countries. However, your phone will need to be unlocked in order for it to work. 200,000VND ($10) worth of phone credit can last for up to 45 minutes to the UK.

Internet access is available in all major hotels and WiFi can be found in most cafes in developed areas.

About the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Previously ravaged by war, Vietnam is now racing into the modern age. It’s major cities are rapidly transforming thanks to an influx of foreign investment and the emmergence of a market-based economy. This sprint into the modern age has lifted millions out of poverty. Vietnam now has the fastest growing middle class in Southeast Asia. Most of Vietnam’s population lives on or near the coast where many of the largest cities are located. The promise of work from burgeoning industries of Vietnam's urban centres has continued to lure families from the countryside, where agriculture is still the primary industry.

One of Vietnam's strengths as a travel destination is its people. Chatting with Vietnamese is an incredibly rewarding way to immerse yourself in the country’s diverse history and culture. By nature, Vietnamese people are energetic, direct and enjoy having a laugh, typically over a cup of Vietnamese coffee, iced tea or the locally brewed bia hoi -Vietnam’s famously inexpensive draft beer. A strong emphasis is placed on family and Confucian traditions. Most Vietnamese maintain a strong sense of obligation to spend holidays and festivals with relatives.

Journeying from north to south will give travellers fascinating insight into the subtle contrasts that exist within Vietnamese culture. Food in northern, southern and central regions also vary in flavours and style. Ho Chi Minh City is regarded as the country’s most developed city, with a noticeable Western cultural influence. In Hanoi, the capital city has a distinctly traditional feel. Communication styles between northern and southern Vietnam are vastly different. Although Hanoians are generally regarded to be more stoic on the outside, attempting a few simple Vietnamese phrases is a guaranteed way to make friends.

Transportation

At first glance, crossing the road in Vietnam may seem impossible. Newcomers can spend a considerable amount of time trying to find a gap in the stream of motorcycles, only to be led across the road by a sympathetic local. After a bit of practice, most travellers realise it is much easier than it looks. There is a rhythm to Vietnamese traffic that, with a predictable stride and a bit of bravery, will flow around you like water as you cross to the other side unscathed.

Taxis can be easily found in Vietnam’s major cities and are a popular means of transportation for visitors. The most reputable companies include Thanh Cong and Taxi Group in the north, and VinaSun in the south.

Those wanting to explore the streets at a more relaxed pace can opt for a cyclo ride in major tourist centres.

Motorbike taxis, or “xe oms” are not recommended for tourists. Pricing is unregulated and commutes are often dangerous. This mode of transport is not recommended by Buffalo Tours and is generally not covered under normal travel insurance policies.

Weather

Vietnam’s vast and lengthy terrain has a diverse regional climate, making it difficult to specify a ‘perfect’ time to visit. Instead, it provides good flexibility for any itinerary.

In the north of Vietnam, from April to October, temperatures can reach up to 38°C with occasional bursts of heavy rain from July onwards during the rainy season. Winter is from December to March. The weather is damp and overcast and temperatures drop as low as 10°C, so be sure to pack a sweater! The best time to visit sights of the North such as Sapa and Hanoi is between September through December.

Generally sunny year round, the climate in the central region is more consistent. Visiting Hue, Hoi An or Da Nang can be lovely any time of year. However, be wary of autumn as cooler temperatures do usher in from September till December, and occasional typhoons bring heavy rains.

In the south, it is generally hot year round, with the dry season running from December to June. The wet season lasts from July to November and is hot and humid with short, heavy bouts of rain. The ideal season to see Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta is from December until March when temperatures are more mild.

Vietnam’s weather can be unpredictable, so it may be a good idea to carry an umbrella or raincoat with you. You can purchase these from most supermarkets and general stores.

Festivals and National Holidays

The Vietnamese Lunar New Year, or Tet, is the most important time of the year in Vietnam. To celebrate, most Vietnamese return to their hometowns to visit relatives, exchange gifts and li xi, or “lucky money”, take part in family feasts and hold traditional ceremonies. For visitors, the lead up to Tet is a visual collage of vibrant traditions, exotic foods and festive markets. Locals flock to banh chung stalls for cakes made of glutinous rice, pork, fermented bean paste rolled with banana leaf. Street markets overflow with elegant lanterns and calligraphy. Brave motorcyclists can also been seen balancing pots of bright peach blossoms or ornamental kumquat trees as they zip through the traffic. Tet generally lasts three days, taking place at the end of January or the beginning of February, and usually coincides with a public holiday. Buffalo Tours can advise you on how this may affect your travel plans in Vietnam.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is another exciting and bustling time to visit Vietnam. Generally considered a festival for Vietnam’s children, it also has ties to ancient myths and legends. Large swathes of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, and popular areas in big cities throughout the country, become closed to traffic and are, instead, dedicated to lion dancing and night markets selling decorative masks and toys. Delicious moon cakes are sold in sweet and savoury varieties that can take up to 3 months to make. The Mid-Autumn Festival is held on different dates every year in September.

Other important holidays include:

• Liberation of Saigon: 30 April
• International Worker’s Day: 1 May
• Hung King’s memorial day: 10 March (lunar calendar)
• Vietnamese National Day: 2 September

Halong Bay

The tale of the "Bay of Descending Dragons", as it is also known, is legendary. According to local legend, a great emerald-spewing dragon was sent to defend Vietnam against foreign invaders. An impenetrable coastal defense was formed from these emeralds, which are now the islands of Halong Bay. The result is a breathtaking sight of thousands of limestone islets rising out of emerald green water in grand clusters. Denoted a World Heritage Site in 1994, Halong Bay's forested slopes and naturally formed grottoes make it one of the most iconic destinations in Asia, and are predominantly accessed by multi-day cruise tours.

Hanoi

Ranked fourth on TripAdvisor’s Traveller’s Choice Destination Awards, Vietnam’s vibrant capital city is a maze of hidden alleyways, tranquil parks and sprawling residential areas. It is said that Hanoi contains more street food stalls per square mile than anywhere on earth, making it a foodie paradise. Hanoi’s bustling Old Quarter, colonial architecture and historical monuments, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Hoa Lo Prison, have long attracted those with a taste for the exotic.

Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City is an energetic collision of commerce and culture -a city hurtling into the future at such a blistering pace that visitors can’t help but go along for the ride. As Vietnam’s commercial capital, it is also a city of contrast; home to some of the country’s finest hotels, upscale restaurants and classy boutiques sandwiched in between crowded food stalls and bustling wet markets. The city is also a labyrinth of historical monuments, ranging from the chilling War Remnants Museum to the fascinating Cu Chi Tunnels.

Hoi An

Once a major trading hub, Hoi An is an elegant patchwork of lanterned streets, majestic architecture and a rich heritage that remains largely untouched by the heaving throngs of traffic that haunt Vietnam’s other cities. With palm-fringed beaches within a stone’s throw of most hotels, more tailors per square kilometre than any other city in Vietnam, and an eclectic culinary scene to match, it’s little wonder this place continues to be one of Vietnam’s most important tourism centres.

Kayaking in Halong Bay

Few things beat waking up to the glow of sunlight streaming across hundreds of limestone peaks visible from the window of your traditional junk boat anchored in Gulf of Tonkin. Whether it’s paddling to private beaches, weaving your way through deep caverns under huge limestone karsts or splashing through sunny patches of this UNESCO-listed bay, kayaking in Halong Bay will give you a front-row seat to one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam. 

Trekking and homestay experience in Sapa

Sapa is home to some of Vietnam’s best trekking routes. Often joined by brightly-dressed locals from the Red Dzao or H’mong ethnic minority groups, visitors are treated to incredible panoramas of cascading rice terraces and quaint villages perched against rolling hills that snake their way to the Chinese border. Sapa multi-day packages allow travelers to get a unique feel for rural village life and traditional Vietnamese hospitality with overnight stays at local guest houses and home stays.

Visiting the Cu Chi tunnels

The Cu Chi Tunnels is one of Vietnam’s most treasured symbols of the Viet Cong’s dedication and ingenuity during the Vietnam War. Our Cu Chi Tunnels tours allow travellers to spend the morning wandering around this vast underground complex that once buzzed with thousands of soldiers. The site also provides a startling contrast to modern-day Vietnam, a rapidly-developing country propelled by grand aspirations and a resilient population looking away from its wartime past to a prosperous future.