Update Vietnam basic Information 2011

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Currency
The is "Dong" (abbreviated "d" or VND).

Financial institution coins are 200d, 500d, 1000d, 5000d. Bank notes are one,000d 2,000d 5,000d ten,000d 20,000d fifty,000d, 100,000d, 200,000d and 500,000d.

In contrast to most of Vietnam's neighbouring nations, the US Dollar is extensively accepted. At this the official price of exchange is roughly VND eighteen,500 to USD 01.
Credit score Cards and Travellers' Cheques are accepted at most of hotels, eating places and souvenir shops but in significant cities only. Site visitors are advisable to carry US Dollar in tiny notes. Travelers can change their capital for Vietnamese Dong (VND) at financial institutions, hotels and jewelry retailers all the way through the region.

At present there is no restriction on the total of foreign currency that a visitor might carry into Vietnam, but quite giant sums need to be declared on arrival.
Exchange fee at Jan 2010
1 Pound Sterling = 32,000 VND
1 US Dollar = 19,500 VND
1 Euro = 23,000 VND
Check the very last update of exchange fee at Vietcombank www.vietcombank.com.vn

Meals & Berverage
often comes as a marvelous shock! It has a extremely distinctive model, however it is also clearly influenced by Chinese and, to a lesser extent, French cuisine. Freshness is of paramount importance so substances are purchased clean from the native industry on a daily basis.
Meals will normally encompass rice or noodles as staples along with a huge array of veggies, and meats like chicken, duck, beef, and pork. Beneficial high quality seafood (fish, calamari, prawns and crab) is widely on hand and you'll uncover that fish sauce is a condiment which accompanies almost every meal. The most famous Vietnamese dish is spring rolls either deep fried (acknowledged as cha gio in the south and nem ran in the north) or served refreshing (bi cuon/bo bia) with a mixture of raw vegetables and grilled prawns, crab, pork or chicken. Pho (noodle soup) served with possibly chicken or beef, contemporary green leaves, beans sprouts, and red chilly is also observed all the way through the nation. If you are right after a snack strive a banh cuon, a steamed dumpling stuffed with minced pork or prawns, black mushrooms and bean sprouts.
The has left a legacy of delicious continental meals. Commonly road cafés have a distinctly French sense with crispy baguettes, pate, crème caramel, banana flambé, and sweet pastries on the menu.
Vegetarians: Vegetarians really should not have any difficulty in tracking down a great range of food in Vietnam as there is a strong Buddhist influence and Chinese and Vietnamese vegetarian dishes abound.
Foods Allergic reactions: If you have meals allergic reactions or preferences, make sure you make them recognised to your Tour tutorial who will do their top to ensure that your requirements are met.

Consuming
Bottled water and mineral drinking water are obtainable at any stores in most cities. It is highly recommended to drink boiled water and not to drink ice and tap drinking water. The most dependable neighborhood brand is LA VIE (Don't confuse them with the imitations this sort of as La Ville or La Vierge). Aquafina of Pepsi and true Evian also attainable at several shops.
Approximate charges for drinks bought in a store in the street are shown below.
1l of purified h2o = USD .3
30cl bottle of soft drink = USD .35
60cl bottle of nearby beer = USD 1
Notice: Charges in dining establishments and hotels can be as significantly as double all those specified.
Tea, equivalent to Chinese green tea, is one of the most common drinks in Vietnam. Coffee was launched by the French and is normally sturdy, thick and served entire with drip filter, so you know it is refreshing! If you request for milk it will generally be sweet condensed milk.
Well known beer are: Area brand: 333, Hanoi beer, Saigon beer and global brand Carlsberg, Heineken, Tiger and Foster

Movie and building
Fresh unfavorable movie is widely attainable. Trendy makes are Kodak, Fuji, Agfa and Konica. Memory cards for digital camera could be seen easily, but be watchful with its excellent. Image printing from both equally bad film or digital file are obtainable in cities and towns. The vacationers say that the bad film is more affordable than abroad.
An individual-hour service photograph retailers have come to be ubiquitous in areas the place travelers abound. Beneficial movie can be formulated only in Saigon and Hanoi. Most reliable and centered-positioned Film acquiring shops are 19 Nguyen Cau – Ba Trieu St. and Photocen – 77 Ly Thuong Kiet in Hanoi and Shops on Nguyen Hue Blvd., District one in Saigon.

Buying
The following products are really unique and have superior top quality:
* Carved wooden furnishings, very good lacquer ware (these can be delivered house on request).
* Standard Vietnamese hand-constructed silk, linen and cotton attire, kimonos, embroideries, and so on.
* Simulated antiques, ceramics, previous watches or Zippo lighters, and so on.
* Copies of renowned paintings.

Other individuals
Taxi: Taxis with meters are readily available in huge cities. The present price tag is about US$ .5 per kilometre. Most metered taxi drivers can communicate a small English.

Enterprise hrs: (GMT + 7)
* Offices: 07:thirty a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 01:00 p.m. to 04:30 p.m., closed on Saturday and Sundays
* Banking institutions: 08:00 a.m to 03:00 p.m, closed on Friday afternoons, Saturday and Sunday.
Electrical present-day: 110-220 volts A.C.
Phone: Long distance calls really should be produced at post offices, hotels or telephone booths (cellular phone cards are to choose from at publish offices). In most cases, hotels will get 15-20% service cost of the bill. Web cellular phone is an solution option and a good deal more cost-effective, with about ,1USD/moment to Europe or America
World-wide-web: On-line cafes with ADSL can be discovered very easily in Vietnam. Charge for an hour is all-around ,5US$.

Suggestion and Gratuities:
Tipping is not obligatory in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, yet, if you meet with exceptional solutions or kindness, a suggestion is continually appreciated. A tip for good service may possibly be about 5% of the bill.
Bargaining: Bargaining is a way of lifestyle in considerably of South East Asia. In Vietnam shops don't have fixed selling prices so the shop keeper will commence with a great value which you are then expected to bargain down until you attain a honest total price. Bargaining may want to usually be peaceful and can be a great deal of enjoyment but you may want to bear in mind that it is thought to be disrespectful to agree a cost but then walk away.
Laundry: Most of the hotels we use in Vietnam furnish a laundry service though this can be somewhat overpriced, typically as a lot of as US$one per item. Alternatively the facet streets of most cities and cities are teeming with laundries where by the ordinary price tag per kilo of laundry is US$.70.

Weather conditions
Vietnam experiences a honest degree of diversity in local weather. The north has distinct summer season and winter season seasons. Summertime lasts from May until eventually October, when the climate is hot and especially humid with temperatures averaging about 30 degrees Celsius. November to April are the winter months when the weather is mainly dry and normal temperatures are about eighteen-twenty degrees Celsius. Please notice that in the mountainous regions of the nation, temperatures will be considerably reduce than this, so warm clothes is demanded if you are travelling to hilltribe locations while in the winter months.

In the centre of the country (e.g. Hue, Danang and Hoi An) the weather is really hot and dry from February to August with temperatures of about 33-36 degrees Celsius, but there can be serious rainfall involving September and January.
The south of Vietnam has a sizzling, dry period from December as a result of till April with temperatures of about 28 degrees Celsius. May perhaps right up until November is the rainy period, although there are hardly ever prolonged periods of rain – it is in most cases short serious showers.