Vietnam is an exotic, mysterious and rather original country with an interesting culture, ancient traditions, formed and honed by centuries of history. In order for the rest in this distant, unusual corner of the world to be as comfortable as possible, you need to know the key features and secrets of local life. A public relations specialist talks about them ANEX Tour Maxim Doditsa.

1. Air travel.

The flight to Vietnam will take at least 9 hours, so be sure to take an inflatable pillow with you. I also recommend getting up early before departure to get a good night's sleep during a long flight!

2. Calls home.

Going to Vietnam, do not be afraid of high roaming prices, here you do not have to worry about communication with loved ones, because free Wi-Fi in Vietnam is almost everywhere: throughout the hotel (including in the rooms), in any cafes and restaurants, and ANEX Tour clients even have free and unlimited Wi-Fi equipped with shuttle buses! Before traveling, make sure you have downloaded programs for audio, video and text communication over the Internet. And don't forget to turn off cellular data in your phone settings.

3. Time zones and local biorhythms.

Upon arrival in Vietnam, it is necessary to move the time forward 4 hours (if the flight is from Moscow). In addition, life here begins to boil from the very dawn - the Vietnamese get up at about 5 in the morning, and already at 6 in the morning the streets are filled with people. This is not surprising, because the full sunset takes place here already by 18:00. Therefore, if you are going to call your loved ones, on the way on an excursion at 7 am, remember that it is still only 3 am in Moscow!

4. What kind of food should I choose at the hotel?

If you live in an urban-type hotel (such hotels prevail in Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City), we recommend taking the breakfast-only type of food. The local cuisine will amaze you with its variety, and low prices the cafe will allow you to enjoy it every day of your vacation!

5. What to bring from Vietnam?

In the cities you can find many markets, including the so-called "night markets". Here at low prices you will find exotic fruits, national clothes, souvenirs, local alcohol (mainly rum, its cost starts from 70 thousand dongs, for rubles it is about 200 rubles), as well as, of course, goods from China (including the famous "selfie stick").

6. How to navigate the local currency of Vietnam?

There is one simple trick to quickly transfer an amount from dongs to rubles: it is enough to subtract three zeros from the sum and multiply the result by three. By the way, local banknotes are waterproof, so you can safely swim with them, just be careful not to float away!

7. Don't try to learn Vietnamese.

There are 6 tones in the language. Instead of the famous soup "Pho", if you use the wrong tone, you can accidentally ask "the girl of easy virtue", so you should not experiment, you may not be so understood!

8. Try the local coffee!

It is considered one of the best in the world. In Vietnam, unlike other countries, caffeine is not removed from coffee. They also add butter to make the coffee fatter and more aromatic, and instead of milk, it is customary for them to add condensed milk.

9. Do not try to rent a car with an international license.

In Vietnam, their availability is not enough to drive a car (they must be translated into Vietnamese at the local traffic police department). The remaining travel options are: trains, sleeping buses, as well as mopeds and bicycles.

10. Be careful when crossing the road!

On the roads of Vietnam, the pedestrian is the lowest link, no one will ever yield to him. But crossing the road is easier than it seems at first glance: you need to go across the road slowly, without changing speed, and the transport, slowing down, will go around you. It is also advised to raise your hand up, indicating your intention to cross. They study driving license in Vietnam for 2 years, so the probability of getting hurt when crossing the road is extremely small, the main thing is to know the peculiarities of the local driving culture, to which, over time, it is not so difficult to get used to.

On the eve of the vacation time, many Russians are interested in entering Vietnam: what are the rules, how much the trip will cost, whether a visa is needed for our citizens who decide to go on vacation or to this state.

If you prefer to apply for a visa at the visa center, we recommend that you do it in Visa Application Center Online (link to the website page), who have been working with Vietnam for more than 8 years. A visa for 1, 2 or 3 months will be guaranteed to be ready within 2 working days.

If you decide to find the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the map, turn your gaze to Southeast Asia, to huge peninsula Indochina. On its eastern side, along the entire perimeter, there is a small country of interest to you.

From the eastern part it is washed by the South China Sea, from the western there are the borders of two states, Laos and Cambodia. A small stretch of land on the north side is the state border of China and Vietnam.

Vietnam location on world map

If we take the border with Laos, then it is the longest of the land, Cambodia and Vietnam have its length in second place. The area of ​​Vietnam is only 331,210 km 2, but at the same time it stretches for 1,750 km. Due to the meridian elongation natural areas countries differ markedly from each other. There is also a climatic difference between the north, center and south of the state.

The presence of various climatic zones, reserves, beautiful nature and so on make the Republic of Vietnam a wonderful place for active unforgettable vacation... Availability a large number beaches annually attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists.

Does a Russian tourist need a visa to Vietnam

Who can stay in the country without a visa for 15 days

Due to the fact that Russia and Vietnam are linked by long-term friendly relations, such an exception has been made for the citizens of our country as a visa-free visit. Citizens of other CIS states do not have such privileges.

Watch the video: Vietnam visa for Russians.

• You are not on the black list of citizens who are prohibited from visiting Vietnam.
• You in last time left Vietnam no earlier than 30 days before the new entry.
• The expiry date of your international passport will be no earlier than six months after entering the country.
• You have a return ticket or to any other country in the world.

The last point is rarely checked by customs, but you should remember it just in case.

It should also be remembered that the day when you arrived in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the day when you leave it are included in the interval of 15 days. Basically, you have 13 full days to enjoy the beauty. eastern state without a visa.

The Vietnamese are quite loyal, therefore, as a rule, they close their eyes for an extra day in the country. By law, for every day of violation of the visa regime, you must pay a $ 5 fine. There are cases when customs officers managed to force unlucky tourists to “fork out” for a more significant amount.

The very procedure for crossing the border without a visa is very simple. Regardless of whether you arrived by plane or entered the country by land from, or, at the border post, you present the necessary documents, get a stamp in your passport and follow on, enjoy the beauty of Vietnam.

Obtaining a visa upon arrival in the Republic of Vietnam

In 2019, the rules for entering Vietnam state that a Russian citizen can, having arrived in the country only with an Approval Letter. This is a kind of invitation, stating that the country's migration services give you the go-ahead to visit it. The document can be ordered online at one of the travel agencies.

It is issued on a paid basis. You need to send your data and pay for the service according to the price list of the company you applied to.

1. Tianschonnat (Ho Chi Minh City Airport);
2. Nha Trang (Cam Ranh airport);
3. Danang city;
4. Noi Bai (Hanoi Airport).

If you do not have time to apply for a visa in Russia, fly to these airports.

To obtain a three-month tourist visa at the airport, you will need the following documents:

Phu Quoc - the island of visa exceptions

Vietnam also includes Phu Quoc Island with special visa rules for all foreigners. If you are planning a vacation on it and do not intend to stay on its territory for more than 30 days, you will not need an entry permit.

Many Russians, resting in the neighborhood in Cambodia, move for a couple of days to Phu Quoc to diversify their vacation, to make it more colorful.

What do I need to present upon arrival for a visa-free visit?

The fact that you do not need a visa does not mean that there will be no control upon arrival. You need to pass passport control and show your passport, as well as a return ticket or his reservation. Customs officials are rarely interested in tickets.

However, it is advisable for a tourist to be ready to present this document, since in case of verification, the absence of a return ticket may cause the tourist to be denied permission to visit Vietnam.

Video on what documents are needed upon arrival in Vietnam.

It should also be noted that a Russian citizen, being in Vietnam without a visa, does not have the right to leave the country and then return, since the permit has a one-time status, which gives the right to enter and leave only once.

Is it possible to stay in Vietnam without a visa for more than 15 days

Since you can visit Vietnam without a visa for the second time only a month after departure, it makes sense to find out how to extend the permit. This procedure is possible. If you see that the allowed period is not enough for you, you need to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country.

The tourist must have a good reason for this. Usually we are talking about diseases in which the transportation of a tourist can negatively affect his health.

Getting a Vietnamese visa

If you plan to repeatedly cross the borders of Vietnam in the coming months, or intend to stay in it for more than two weeks, then you need to apply to the migration services for a visa. The shortest period for which this document is issued is a month. This type of time can be not only one-time, but also multiple. A 90-day permit has a multiple-entry status.

You can apply both at the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia and at the embassies in other countries.

It is necessary to attach the following to the package of documents:

• A personally completed questionnaire, the data of which coincide with the rest of the documents. Filling in manually or on a computer is allowed. Both manual and computer versions must be personally signed by the applicant.

A sample of filling out an application for a visa to Vietnam

• International passport. The requirements for it are standard: a document valid at the time of submission, with a validity period of more than 180 days.
• Two high-quality photos 4 x 6 cm. The face must be clear and open. It is advisable not to wear hats when photographing. Only religious or national headwear is allowed. The photo must be taken no later than six months from the date of submission.

If you applied to consular services for a visa, you do not need to request an Approval Letter.

Don't forget your insurance.

Vietnam tips- a new section where we will summarize all cases of deception, fraud, tricks in relation to our tourists. This article was shared by our friends who live in Nha Trang. I thank them for their help in preparing this section about Nha Trang. I recommend their group VKontakte https://vk.com/nhatrang_vietnam. So, Vietnam tips about how not to be a sucker, what to look for, why you need to know tips for vacationers in Vietnam.

Vietnam tours

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When changing money, when they give out change, they often slip a 50,000 dong note instead of 500,000 dongs, and 10,000 dongs instead of 100,000 dongs. It is very easy to deceive those who are not yet used to the local currency, because these bills have the same color shades.

Never give money in advance for any services in Vietnam: taxi, pedicab, massage, shopping at the market. Only in exceptional cases, when it has already been agreed or when the place is checked. There is no need to negotiate with the taxi driver: he has a meter. But on cycle rickshaws they often say one amount, but in fact they charge another. Buy a notebook where you will write and show the amount to cycle rickshaws or in the markets, then they will have fewer arguments to deceive you.

In the market, Vietnamese tourists who speak Russian well are often attached to tourists. They promise to help you find anything on the market, help you bargain. In fact, they will sell you everything there 2-3 times more expensive. And the percentage will then be collected from all points where you bought something. As soon as such a Vietnamese approached you in the market with such a request, ask to leave politely, do not hesitate to say no.

Many in the markets in Vietnam are looking for some kind of benefit. But medicines are cheaper to buy in a pharmacy, alcohol is in a store, and there are no good things on the market at all. Only if some souvenirs, and even then Chinese. Be prepared that prices in the market will be overestimated by 10 and 5 times. Without knowing the prices, you will not be able to buy something profitable there. Sellers are not bastard.

Many have heard that there is cheap seafood behind the bridge in Nha Trang. But not every restaurant with cheap seafood is more expensive than the center. When you say "seafood" to a taxi driver, then be prepared for the fact that he will be lucky to the place where it is more expensive, having his own percentage there. The same goes for mud springs. If Thap Ba is cheaper than I-Resort, then it will be lucky to go where it is more expensive. Therefore, we take a notebook and write the name to it: Thap Ba.

Prices and money

Buses

You can travel around the city and to some places of interest by regular buses, the fare costs 7000 donors. And also in Nha Trang you can visit a lot on your own, for example , mud springs, museum of impressions, roof of the Havana hotel with a panoramic view.

Vietnam, advice from experienced. 10 easy ways to feel like a sucker in Vietnam

1. Dress in clothes from your last vacation, such as Indian pants or I love Turkey T-shirts. Locals immediately see you as tourists and add 30-50% to prices.
2. Wearing a Vietnamese hat and I love Vietnam T-shirt. The same
3. Leave money and phone on the beach and go swimming. Observe things from the water.
4. Put your iPhone or wallet on the table in a cafe.
5. Walk with a bag over your shoulder. (They rip off).
6. Walk with a bag over your shoulder, but hold on to it with both hands and be attentive.
7. Stick to the phone by the road.

15 useful tips what a tourist needs to know before traveling to Vietnam. What dangers await. What to be prepared for.

What a tourist needs to know before traveling to Vietnam

Vietnam - very beautiful country... Rice fields, tuk-tuk, waterfalls and delicious food - that's what I associate this country with. You can come to Vietnam either on your own or on a tour. When I first came here, I knew practically nothing about Vietnam, but I quickly made up for lost time. And in this article I want to tell you about 15 features of Vietnam that every tourist needs to know about before traveling.

Beware of Fake Travel Companies

There are many wonderful and kind people in Vietnam, but this does not prevent them from sometimes deceiving tourists. From all countries South-East Asia Vietnam is the best discretion teacher. Petty thieves and bogus travel agencies are everywhere. You may be sold a non-existent excursion or excursion that does not correspond to the description. Also in Vietnam there are a lot of small firms that operate under the cover of the brand of well-known companies with a positive reputation, but in fact it is nothing more than Roga and Kopyta LLC. As far as I know, there is no particular harm from such front companies, they are just trying to get out at the expense of someone else's name.

Keep track of your belongings

Petty theft and wallet snatching are common in Vietnam. There are many scammers here who look for naive and inattentive tourists who, instead of keeping track of their belongings, consider crows.

During my stay in Vietnam, I encountered 4 cases of theft from travelers. On the night of my arrival in the country, I was sitting in an Internet cafe and suddenly I heard the screams of a tourist on the street, his wallet was snatched from his hands. Then the owner of the cafe warned me ...

Bargaining with Vietnamese is not easy

Everything is traded in Vietnam. This ritual dance around price is ubiquitous.

Ask the seller for the price of the product, and you will literally see how he mentally estimates how much you can be ripped off. Experienced sellers see inexperienced buyers a mile away.

If you want to know more about how to bargain properly in Vietnam, read on.

Vietnam has a curfew

Even big cities as Hanoi and Saigon fall asleep about 23 hours (and sometimes even earlier). Bars and clubs are open at night, but restaurants, shops and organizations are closed. This means that hostels and guesthouses also close early. Some have a night worker to let in guests or a bell that you can ring to be admitted. But it happens that the lights are turned off everywhere, the night administrator sees the fifth dream, the Internet is turned off.

Ok if you are a vegetarian

Vietnam is vegetarian-friendly and has restaurants with special menus.

Once in Hanoi, I went to Gecko restaurant, ordered veggie shrimp and vegetable salad. I said that I was a vegetarian and the shrimp that was served surprised me a lot. They looked different, tasted different, and even chewed differently from usual. I asked the waiter what was the catch, he replied that it was vegetarian shrimp made from something that is not shrimp.

I can't say that I liked the dish, but I was pleased that the Vietnamese are attentive to my needs.

Buy sightseeing tours in Vietnam

Vietnam is the place where buying an inexpensive excursion from a local travel agency is sometimes cheaper than organizing a trip on your own.

Before arriving in Vietnam, I chose interesting excursion tours, compared prices and was in a hurry to catch up to the end of numerous stocks with a ticking timer. But as soon as I came to Vietnam and familiarized myself with the prices for excursions in local tourist shops and in my hostel, the prices for all-inclusive tours pleasantly surprised me.

Even the tours that attracted me for their price, while I was surfing the sites, were cheaper here and included transfers, an English-speaking guide, food, and accommodation. The hotel room was at times better place in a hostel that I chose on my own and also cheaper.

It is very easy to get lost during the tour

In Vietnam, there are many travel agencies and many excursions that happen all over the place at the same time. There are more tourists here too, besides they are constantly scattering like cattle. It is very easy to get lost in such an environment, especially if you are traveling alone and there is no one to look after you.

Because several excursion groups gather in one place, and excursions are conducted in parallel, I was late for a couple of minutes to the gathering place and lost my group. I was scared. The tour operator did not give any instructions on what to do in such a situation, I did not know which hotel we were staying at. It is likely that the tour operator himself did not know this until the last minute due to the constant turnover.

I was confused because did not remember anyone from our group. After 20 minutes of ethereal searches, I was ready to burst into tears, when one of the tourists from our group noticed me and called me to the bus, where everyone was already sitting and waiting for departure.

Vietnamese are like snails - everywhere they drag their home

Not a home, of course, but if the opportunity arose, the Vietnamese would be the first to try. From all over Southeast Asia, only in Vietnam, residents transport a bunch of different things on their motorbikes, from cages with chickens to furniture. You will be surprised how they manage to fix a bunch of everything on their two-wheeled horses and at the same time maneuver in the stormy stream of traffic.

Get ready for street noise (or buy earplugs)

In Vietnam, everyone honks on the roads. When we returned to Hanoi from Halong Bay, the bus driver honked every 45 seconds. I am not kidding. Avocircle beeps back or someone else.

So, if you have a bit of a dream, and you decide to book a room with windows on the freeway, think twice.

The hotel administrator will ask you to leave your passport

Leaving a passport to strangers is always frustrating for most of us. But some hotels and guesthouses in Vietnam may ask you to say goodbye to your passport while staying within their walls. So don't be too intimidated, this is normal practice.

Crossing the street

The banal need to cross the road in Vietnam may seem like a real challenge from habit. There are transitions here, but that doesn't mean anything. A line of motorbikes will not stop in front of you as you cross the street. You have to go at your own peril and risk. This is not dangerous, if you are afraid, raise your hand higher so that you are likely to be noticed and slowly begin to cross the road. The drivers will orient themselves, the main thing is, do not make sudden sudden movements, otherwise you will fall under the wheels. Do not try to maneuver, always walk in a straight line. Do not cross the road in front of the bus, it is difficult for him to suddenly stop, it is better to wait.

The Vietnamese do not raise their hands, they are kamikaze. But tourists are practicing with might and main.

Buy food on the streets

Some travelers are afraid and flatly refuse to buy food in the open markets of Vietnam, sinning on unsanitary conditions. Street food is most of culture of the country, the Vietnamese themselves are happy to buy and eat food on the streets. I can't argue that street food tastes better than restaurant food, but everything I tried I really liked.

Don't drink tap water

Drink only bottled water. In Vietnam, tap water is not drinkable and even Vietnamese do not use it for cooking. In restaurants and cafes, ice is purchased separately, and running water is not frozen. While in Vietnam, I even brushed my teeth exclusively with bottled water.

Narrow buildings

In some regions of Vietnam, you will notice long, narrow buildings. At first glance, they seem to be very strange pieces of architecture. The reason is that the cost of housing here does not depend on the area of ​​the premises, but on the width of the facade. The wider your building, the more space on the street it takes up, the more you have to pay. Therefore, the vast majority of dwellings in Vietnam are long and narrow.

Eat Pho

Rice is very popular in Vietnam. So much so that most of the dishes are made with rice. Pho is a rice noodle soup cooked in meat broth with the addition of various vegetables. You can choose vegetables according to your taste, they need to be added to the ready-made hot soup, as they are considered ready-made. Vegetarians are diligently looking for Pho soup that is not cooked in meat broth, but they will only be lucky in a few tourist-oriented restaurants.

How to get around Vietnam

At the end of the article, I decided to quickly go over possible ways movement in Vietnam.

And come first motorbikes as the favorite transport of the Vietnamese people. You can rent one of them, and if you are going to stay for a long time, then buy one. It will be cheaper, and in Vietnam it is customary among tourists to resell motorcycles and mopeds to each other. The Vietnamese almost live on their bikes: they eat, sleep, use them instead of sofas, etc. No wonder they are so good at handling them. Oddly enough, this means this one thing, if you are a beginner, then Vietnam is not best country for mastering the bike, only if you are going to move outside the city.

Vietnam is famous for its heavenly beaches, and go there primarily for their sake. However, this paradise will also appeal to diving enthusiasts - diving here is one of the cheapest in the world, but at the same time it is well organized, and there are interesting dive sites, and you can dive throughout the year, simply by changing resorts.

Those who like sightseeing vacation will appreciate the wealth and safety historical monuments... There are medieval imperial citadels, French colonial quarters, and guerrilla catacombs during the Vietnam War. And the natural nature of such a small country amaze with its grandeur: the giant Mekong delta, the largest cave in the world, Shondong, the bay of 3000 Halong islands. An excellent seasoning for holidays will be local kitchen with a pleasant French accent.

Vietnam tours

Popular resorts

Vietnam on the map is stretched along the meridian by a winding line. Above, in the north, is the country's capital -. In the center is ancient capital Hue, popular with fans of sightseeing holidays.

Beach resorts begin a little further south, in Nha Trang, the most famous and popular of them. Further south are followed, especially suitable for surfers and kiters. Below begins the Mekong Delta, as well as the "Paris of the East", an industrial and tourist center -.

In the extreme south of the country, the sea gives way to the Gulf of Thailand. In it, on the very borders of Cambodia, the largest island of Vietnam is located. Paradise white sand beaches and coconut trees should be looked for exactly there, on its western coast.

Hotels

The level of service of hotels in Vietnam is very high: even hotels of the "3 stars" category in terms of their comfort and quality of service are close to the European "four". And local "fours" and even more so "fives", especially when it comes to historical hotels, is already a real luxury.

Animation for children, kids clubs and special entertainment programs are not yet available in every resort hotel, information about them needs to be clarified in advance. Also, not all hotels operate in the all-inclusive format, which, by the way, is not so much in demand. In Vietnamese resorts, you don't want to sit around the clock in a hotel, when there are so many interesting and tasty things around.

You can come to Vietnam without even booking a hotel in advance. In large tourist centers you can always find free rooms right on the spot.

Vietnam tours

The prices are for tours for 2 people for 7 nights with a departure from Moscow

Weather

Currency

The national currency of Vietnam is the Vietnamese dong. Its cost is such that as a "small change" you should have banknotes of 50,000 and 20,000 dongs in order to pay off a cycle rickshaw ("Cyclo") or buy a glass of freshly squeezed juice. The largest bill is half a million dong.

It is best to take on a trip with you U.S. dollars: here you can pay with them as freely as with the national currency. Euro does not have such circulation.

Visa

Vietnam visa need not for Russians who are going to come for a period of up to 15 days.

Those who plan to stay in the country longer need to get a visa. It can be single or multiple, but in both cases it is issued for a period of 1 or 3 months. To obtain a visa, you need to collect a package of documents and contact the consular department of the Vietnamese Embassy. The visa is issued within 5 - 7 working days. However, you can apply for a visa upon arrival at any of the main airports in Vietnam. It is both faster and easier.

Round-trip flights to Vietnam

These are the ticket prices for 1 person departing from Berlin

What to bring from Vietnam

Even by the standards of Southeast Asia, prices in Vietnam are very low, so no one comes from here without souvenirs. Russians often bring tropical fruits, medicinal artichoke tea and coffee from Vietnam, including such an exotic and expensive variety as "kopi luwak": it is also cheaper here than, for example, on. Snake wine and medicinal tinctures on snakes, scorpions and other poisonous animals have become classic souvenir classics. Men consider them beneficial to their health.

Women love Vietnamese island pearl jewelry and silk clothing. On vacation, many even order from local dressmakers the national female aozai costume, which consists of a long silk shirt and trousers. The traditional conical palm leaf hat is perfect for him.