According to programingplease, Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam) is a country in Asia bordering China, Cambodia, and Laos. The capital of Vietnam is Hanoi (Hà Nội). Some major cities in Vietnam are: Cần Thơ, Đà Nẵng, Hải Phòng, Biên Hòa and Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnam is mostly known for the Vietnam War that took place between 1957 and 1975. The landscape of Vietnam is characterized by rice fields and fields, forests and a coastline from the north to the south of the country. This coastline consists largely of beautiful sandy beaches and clear blue water where you can dive, among other things. Animals such as elephants, rhinoceroses, monkeys and snakes can be found in the tropical forests. Many of these animals are critically endangered. Vietnam also has several mountain areas, waterfalls and rivers. The population mostly lives from the production of rubber, coffee and tea. Vietnam is also known for wearing the “non la” (a type of hat) and offering illegal souvenirs. For example, you can buy ivory, turtles and coral, all things that you are not allowed to bring to the Netherlands. See sourcemakeup for the best of Vietnam.
Where is Viet Nam located?
Travel information of Vietnam
Official name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Continent: Asia
Area: 331,689 km²
Capital: Hanoi (Hà Nội)
Country code: VN, VNM
Population: 98,176,244 inhabitants (2021)
Form of government: People’s Republic
Highest point: 3,143 m (Phan Xi Păng)
Distance (Amsterdam – Hanoi): 8,894 km
Flight time: approximately 12 hours
Travel advice
Current status: Attention, safety risks.
Current color code: Yellow.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), (temporary) measures may apply in Vietnam that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Vietnam, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete tours and holidays to Vietnam. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compile your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, hiking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Vietnam?
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay in Vietnam at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Weather and climate
Vietnam generally has a tropical climate. The south of the country is fairly constant with temperatures of around 30 to 35 degrees. The north and central part have temperatures of about 30 to 35 degrees in the summer months and about 15 to 25 degrees during the winter months. Vietnam regularly has to deal with floods.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Vietnam can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of Vietnam can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March, November and December are the best months to travel to Vietnam. This avoids the prolonged rainy season.
Language
Vietnamese is the official language in Vietnam. In the tourist areas people speak poor English.
Do you want to translate from or to Vietnamese for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months on the day of arrival in Vietnam.
An e-visa is required to visit Vietnam. You can apply for it online at the official xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn website. This visa is valid for 30 days.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Vietnam: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in Vietnam: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Embassy and Consulate of Vietnam in the Netherlands: rijksoverheid.nl.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting Vietnam, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria Malaria
occurs in Vietnam (with the exception of Can Tho, Da Nang, Haiphong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hue, Nha Trang, Qui Nhon, Halong Bay and along the China Sea). Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency
In Vietnam, payments are made with the Vietnamese dong (VND).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Vietnam can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices in Vietnam are much lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -45% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (76% cheaper), food (30% cheaper), imported beer in catering (65% cheaper), cigarettes (85% cheaper) and public transport (89% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Vietnam it is only customary to tip in tourist areas. Good service is about 10% tip.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 5 hours later in Vietnam.
During our winter time it is 6 hours later in Vietnam.
Vietnam has no difference in winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone for Vietnam can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
You must have a Vietnamese driver’s license to drive a motor vehicle. An international driver’s license is not accepted.
To obtain a Vietnamese driver’s license, you must stay in the country for at least 3 months.
In Vietnam you have to drive on the right side.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Vietnam.
Electricity In Vietnam you may need an adapter plug and/or converter
in some cases. More information about common plugs and sockets in Vietnam can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 113
– Fire: 114
– Ambulance: 115
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Vietnam can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Vietnam can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Vietnam end in.vn.
Official Vietnam websites: vietnam.travel and vietnam-tourism.com.
Telephony
The country code (international access code) to call someone in Vietnam is 0084 or +84.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Vietnam? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)
All Vietnam area codes can be found on Wikipedia.
Company details can be found in the Yellow Pages of Vietnam.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of Vietnam.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Vietnam.
Holidays
Vietnam’s national holiday falls on September 2 (Quốc khánh).
An overview of all other public holidays in Vietnam can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in Vietnam, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Vietnam?
At Waarbenjij.nu you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Vietnam. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Vietnam can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in Vietnam can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Vietnam? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you are planning to do business in or do business with Vietnam, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Vietnam, including: opportunities, import and export regulations, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, product requirements, business partners and subsidies.
Studying and internship
Are you considering a study, internship or gap year in Vietnam? You are by no means the only one and certainly not the first. To help you on your way, Nuffic (the Dutch organization for internationalization in education) has set up the WilWeg.nl website. On this website you will find all the information that can help you on your way, such as admission requirements, forms of education, accommodation, scholarships, internships, health insurance, study costs and of course experiences.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Vietnam.
– Alcohol: Buy from the age of 18, drink at all ages.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.8.
– Tobacco: Buying and/or smoking from the age of 18.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know that…
…Vietnam has only one political party?
…Vietnam is one of the 13 most populous countries in the world (93 million)?
…The Vietnamese village of Halombe consists entirely of floating houses?
…Vietnam is the largest producer of cashews?
…The motorcycle is a very popular means of transport in Vietnam?
…People hardly ever wear shoes in Vietnam, but slippers?
