Vietnam National Administration of Tourism
Vietnam is home of 8 UNESCO world heritages, well –preserved historic relics. Vietnam has magnificent mountains, marvelous caves, interlacing rivers and streams, amazing waterfalls. Vietnam has many beautiful bays and beaches; Ha Long Bay in the north of Vietnam is a great natural art work of stone and water with thousands of multi-shaped rocky islands and many amazing caves. Indian travellers can find the affluence of Indian culture in Vietnam through Hindu temples in Ho Chi Minh city or at the My Son sanctuary as well as many Indian restaurants. Vietnam has all kind of services to satisfy the need of foreign tourists, whether for holidays, shopping, leisure, food exploration, wedding, honeymoon or for business and conference.

Vietnam General Information:

Air Connectivity:
Major Airlines connecting India to Vietnam:

1. Jet Airways
2. Singapore
3. Thai Airways
4. Malaysia Airlines
5. Malindo
6. Air Asia

Currency:
Vietnamese dong (VND) is the official currency in Vietnam.

- Paper notes include: VND 500,000; 200,000; 100,000; 50,000; 20,000; 10,000; 5,000; 2,000; 1,000 and 500. Coins include VND 5,000; 2,000; 1,000; 500 and 200, but they are nolonger used actually.

Cheques with value as Vietnamese dong include: VND 1,000,000 and 500,000.

- Foreign currencies and tourist cheques can be exchanged into Vietnamese Dong at banks or foreign exchange agencies.

- Credit cards are popularly used, especially in cities and big tourist centers.

Before leave Vietnam, Vietnamese dong can be changed into foreign currencies at the airport.

Weather
Vietnam is located in both a tropical and a temperate zone. It is characterized by strong monsoon influences, but has a considerable amount of sun, a high rate of rainfall, and high humidity. Regions located near the tropics and in the mountainous regions are endowed with a temperate climate.

The monsoon climate also influences to the changes of the tropical humidity. In general, in Vietnam there are two seasons, the cold season occurs from November to April and the hot season from May to October. The difference in temperature between the two seasons in southern is almost unnoticeable, averaging 3ºC. The most noticeable variations are found in the northern where differences of 12ºC have been observed. There are essentially four distinct seasons, which are most evident in the northern provinces(from Hai Van Pass toward to the north): Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Every year there are 100 rainy days and the average rainfall is 1,500 to 2,000mm. The humidity ranges around 80%. The sunny hours are 1,500 to 2,000 and the average solar radiation of 100kcal/cm2 in a year.

Because Vietnam is affected by the monsoon, that why the average temperature is lower than the other countries which are located in the same longitude in Asia. The annual average temperatures range from 22oC to 27oC. In comparing with these countries, the temperature in winter is colder and in summer is less hotter in Vietnam.

Visa
Most visitors to Vietnam need a visa to enter the country. Visas are exempted for the citizens of the countries which have signed a bilateral or unilateral visa exemption agreement with Vietnam. 

VISA EXEMPTION

Overseas Vietnamese and foreigners who are spouses or children of overseas Vietnamese or Vietnamese citizens are exempt from visa requirements to enter Vietnam and are allowed to stay for not more than 6 months if they have  and passports or international travel documents with the validity of at least 01 year and papers proving eligibility as prescribed. Visa exemption paper (VEP) is valid for not more than 5 years and expires at least 6 months prior to the expiry date of holder’s passport or international travel document. For more information, please visit the website:http://mienthithucvk.mofa.gov.vn/

Bilateral visa exemption agreement

• Citizens of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos holding valid ordinary passports are exempt from visa requirements and are allowed to stay for not more than 30 days; Philippines is allowed to stay for not more than 21 days; Brunei and Myanmar citizens are allowed to stay for not more than 14 days and vice versa.
• By August 2016, citizens of 79 countries holding valid diplomatic or official passports are exempt from visa requirements and vice versa, including:  Argentina, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italia, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Kuwait, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arad Emirates (U.A.E), Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela.

Duration of stay is applied for each specific object. For more information, please visit the website: lanhsuvietnam.gov.vn

VISA APPLICATIONS

• Visa is issued by competent authorities of Vietnam in foreign countries. Visa on arrival is possibly issued in some special cases. For more, please visit the website https://visa.mofa.gov.vn.
• Documents for visa application: 01 application form (in provided format) with an attached 4x6cm photo; passport or passport substitute that its validity must be at least 01 month longer  than the applied visa validity .

Tourist visa is valid for up to 3 months.

Website: www.vietnamtourism.com