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5 Tips For Visting Vietnam + 5 International Travel Tips
Free Tips For Visting Vietnam

5 Tips For Visting Vietnam

Preparing for a vacation is exciting and can be a rush. Often, little things can make a big difference to having a successful trip.

You can wing it and end up like me being stranded with no bus just after the Laos border and 800 km to your next stop, wake up covered in bed bugs, be ripped of with donation scams, or you can sidestep these experiences by following the advice from people that learned the hard way.

Below are five important tips taken from my book, Vietnam: 50 Facts You Should Know When Visiting Vietnam.

1:Visas on arrival are not available for any border crossing or airport. You can obtain a pre-approved, visa letter online, if you are flying into Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Da Nang, or Hanoi. You will use the letter to get your actual visa at the airport. You cannot use the pre-approval letter to enter at any land-border crossings, as it is not an actual visa. There are many fraudulent websites claiming they can get you a visa upon arrival, which it is valid for land-border crossings. This is not the case, therefore, only use the official government website. You will need two color, passport pictures, and will be required to pay the stamp fee in cash: US$ or VND.

2:Vietnam drives on the right, and has dedicated motorcycle lanes at some points, be sure to use them if you rent a motorcycle. The maximum speed for small motorcycles is 40km/h in town, and 60km/h on some stretches out of town. You have to have a special permit to drive faster. Exceeding the speed limit by more than 5km/h can have your motorcycle confiscated, as well as you paying a large fine. There are radar speed traps inside almost every town.

3: Affordable accommodation can be booked online through Booking.com. Although many upper class hotels are on Expedia, the middle and more affordable class hotels are often only on bookings.com. Getting a hotel room online often can save you up to 50% in hotel fees. You pay nothing up front, so if the hotel room does not turn out like it should, you just cancel the booking and let the website know why.

4: Always check your room before you accept it or pay any money. Once you paid, it is normally impossible to get a refund. Often you are given a cheaper room first at full price. When you refuse, you will often suddenly be taken to the correct room. At times, air conditioners, warm water heaters and toilets may not work. Always check first. Remember, it is Asia, just go with the flow and smile.

5: The local currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong, or VND. US$ is accepted by most large restaurants and hotels in the main centers such as Saigon, Hanoi, and Hoi An. Outside the larger cities, only VND is accepted as payment, and in smaller towns, you may not be able to even change US$ to VND. Always take enough VND with you when going to the countryside.

Get even more tips for visiting Vietnam by getting the full book today.


This book contains 70 important facts and tips that will help you save money, avoid common tourist scams, stay safe and maximize your Vietnam adventure. This book is a compact version of the pertinent information contained in my books, Backpacking SouthEast Asia.

  • Visas requirements, visa renewal and visa problems
  • Common tourists scams
  • Getting 3G internet connection cheaply
  • Health considerations in Cambodia
  • Tips on saving money
  • Staying safe
  • And more

Vietnam is a soul moving country. If you travel to be swept away by awe-inspiring beauty, Thailand is an absolute must. Make sure you remember it as an amazing adventure by being prepared and informed.

 

Expand your Vietnam adventure and include attractions such as Ha Long Bay, The Perfumed Pagoda, Phnom Nha Caves, Vietnam Caves.

 

 

5 International Travel Tips

Advice for travel can be found all over the Internet, from friends and travel agencies, government websites, as well as airlines.

The problem is not a shortage of information, but an overload of information. Wasting time sifting through numerous tips that in most cases have no relevance to you, often leaves you frustrated while at the same time possibly causing you to forget the actual advice you do need.

Below are five important tips taken from my book 100 International Travel Tips.

1:Make a PDF scan copy of every page of your passport, or take a picture with your cell phone. You can also make hard copies of your passport, and keep it in your carry-on bag. In case your passport is lost or stolen, you will have proof of who you are. Also do the following: take a picture of the entry-stamp page of a country as soon as you pass through customs, as well as any visa that you receive at a customs' border post. People have been allowed to fly home with only scans and pictures of their passport’s pages. If you make hard copies have them certified as original copies. Leave additional copies of your passport, itinerary with hotel bookings, contact details, and flights with family or friends – in case you run into trouble.

2:Do check that your passport was, in fact, stamped when you pass a customs checkpoint. In addition, check the date of the entry stamp, as well as the expiry date of your visa. Scams occur in countries where a passport is incorrectly stamped, or not at all, on entry. You will be fined heavily when you try to exit the country. Most tourist visas are valid for 90 days, in blocks of 30 days. Do check the expiry date of your visa, as you will be fined for overstaying a visa. You may also be banned for a time if you overstayed for too long. An overstay can easily be $10 a day or more.

3:Inform your bank of the dates and places you will be traveling to and from. Banks may decline foreign charges, and even stop your cards, if they are not notified to expect foreign charges. Keep your bank details with you in case you need to contact your bank to have a purchase approved or a stopped-card reactivated.

4:Get a Skype account for free. Load your account with $30 of credit to allow you to call landlines and cell phones, should your wallet and cell phone get stolen. Most hotels and Internet shops will allow you to call, or you can ask a fellow traveler who has a smart phone or tablet to allow you to call using your account.

5:Put a piece of paper in each luggage with your contact details and possibly home address, as well as your itinerary with connecting flights and final destination. One of the main reasons bags are lost, is that tags get miss printed or ripped off, and no one has any idea where the bag should go or who the owner is. Other common causes of lost and delayed bags are late check-ins and tight connections (less than three hours between connecting flights, min 90 minutes suggested).

Get even more travel tips by getting the full book today.


This book focusses on tips that will make your flight smoother, help you to not be a victim of baggage theft or become another statistic of lost luggage, help you clear customs easier, stay out of trouble and jail for things you may not think you can get jailed for, as well as help you not to fall victim to crime on your travels.

If only one tip helps to save you from being robbed, your bank account emptied, your passport stolen, you jailed for life or executed, or help to make your travels go smoother, then the purchase of the book was a bargain.

Begin your adventure today!

 

Additionally recommended books,Ha Long Bay, The Perfumed Pagoda, and Phnom Nha Caves.

 

If you are thinking of crossing over to Cambodia or Thailand, see my guide books fo Cambodia and Thailand. Do not forget about Laos, an amazing place to visit.

If you are a bit more adventures and plan on Backpacking South East Asia, or Motorbiking through Asia, consider my guide books for your adventure.

Wishing you safe travels and an amazing vacation.