“ Land Of Blue Dragon”

Stretching from the Chinese border to the coastline of the Gulf of Thailand, Vietnam is considered a land filled with quintessence and diversity of cultures, climates and landscapes.

Vietnam is full of majestic mountainous terrain and one of the perfect places for adventure with spectacular passes, breathtakingly beautiful scenes and also home to rugged terrain with mountains stacked and magnificent rice terraces to the horizon in the North. Central also well-known with its long coastline combined with tropical climate creating overwhelming beaches such as Nha Trang, Da Nang, Phu Quoc Island.  Upstream to the South with bustling and dynamic cities along with the lower reaches of the great Mekong River has created a rich and fertile Mekong Delta with unique indigenous cultural values.

Wander through the narrow street in the Old Quarter to immerse the colonial architecture or admire the beauty of thousand islets raised on the turquoise water in Halong Bay, soak up to the romance ancient Hoi An is illumined by a thousand colourful lanterns, or excursion to the Mekong mighty river are the once-a-lifetime experiences in Vietnam.

Location: Located at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with the neighboring countries (Vietnam borders China to the North, Laos and Cambodia in the West.

Population: over 96 million peoples and rank at 15th –most populous country in the world.

Languages: Vietnamese

Area: 311,699 square kilometers

Capital: Hanoi

Largest City: Ho Chi Minh City

Currency: Vietnamese Dong (VND)

The largest national festival in Vietnam is Tet celebration as know Lunar New Year. During Tet festival, all the transportation and accommodation increase in price as people move around and come back to their hometowns to celebrate the holiday and families gathering. Although Tet holiday is really fascinating and exciting, you should consider visiting that time because your trip might be affected.

Beyond of Tet Holiday, Vietnam also has some other big national holidays including 30th April (Reunification Days) , September 2nd ( National Days) and Mid-Autumn festivals regularly taking over in September and October. There are also some holidays of ethnic minorities that would be great as well.

  1. Visa Exemption

Vietnam announced that it will exempt visas for 15 days for citizens from the following countries: Russian Federation, Japan, Denmark, Korea, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Thailand, Singapore, Italia, Spain, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Philippines, Brunei, Germany, France, and Asian countries

You need to meet the following conditions under immigration law:

+ Your legal passport comes from countries that are granted visa exemption has validly for at least 6 months

+ Compulsory to present a round-trip air ticket to prove that your stay in Vietnam is 15 days, if it is more than 15 days, you must apply for a visa as usual.
+ Visa-exempt licensees can enter any official international border and airport.

+ Those who entered Vietnam before, the new entry date is at least 30 days from the previous exit date with the condition of visa exemption.

  1. Visa Approval Letter:

For nationals from non-visa exempt countries, you can apply for a visa through an invitation letter when submitting your passport detail to Prestigo Asia, we will be responsible for completing the invitation and sending it prior to your flight departs to Vietnam

  1. E-visa ( Electronic Visa)

The Government of Vietnam has issued an official letter allowing foreign nationals from 46th countries to apply for a visa directly through the government immigration portal from 1st February 2017 including United Kingdom and United of States, the process through the website: https://evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn/vi_VN/trang-chu-ttdt

Depending on your conditions, approval time is from 5 to 7 days. E-visa will be issued in PDF format and requires a stamping fee. Visitors can use E-visa to enter any of Vietnam’s eight international airports and 13 international land border gates.

Requirement

+Stamping fee:

Single Entry: 25 USD/person

Multiple- entry 1-3 months: 50 USD/person

Multiple- entry: 3-6 months: 90 USD/person

Multiple-entry: 6- 9 months: 135 USD/person

+ Photo (4×6)

  1. Urgent Visa

In some force majeure cases, you do not have a visa or authorization, please call us urgently, Prestigo Asia will be responsible in your case to contact the Immigration Department to apply for a urgent visa (3 -5 hours). Surcharges will depend on each case

  1. Fast Track Services

Prestigo Asia supports customers to use Fast Track Service at the airport at their own expense. You won’t need to queue and wait at the airport, contact us if you need it

BY AIR:

Visitors enable enter to Vietnam by air, it’s considered easy transportation because the direct flight network in Vietnam connects almost all the destinations in the world. The traveler can take a flight to eight international airports. Here are some bustles airports in Vietnam: Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), located in Hanoi capital, Da Nang International Airport (DAD) located in Da Nang City, Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR) Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa, Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) located in Ho Chi Minh City

BY LAND:

Located in the mainland of Indochina Peninsula, you can enter to Vietnam from neighboring countries by bus.  Here are some land borders (please remember you have to apply for visa before going through the immigration and customs)

Border Vietnam and China: Mong Cai ( Quang Ninh), Huu Nghi ( Lang Son), Dong Dang ( Lang Son), Lao Cai ( Lao Cai)

Border Vietnam and Laos: Cau Treo ( Ha Tinh) , Cha Lo ( Quang Binh), Lao Bao ( Quang Tri), Tay Trang ( Dien Bien)  Na Meo ( Thanh Hoa), Nam Can ( Nghe An) , Bo Y ( Kon Tum)

Border Vietnam and Cambodia:

Moc Bai ( Tay Ninh)

Vinh Xuong + An Giang ( Tinh Bien)

Bo Nue ( Binh Phuoc)

Thuong Phuoc ( Dong Thap)

Xa Xia ( Kien Giang)

CURRENCY AND BUDGET

The currency accepts and regular using is Vietnam Dong (VND) the exchange rate: 1 USD =22,600 vnd

International currencies can be exchanged easily in Vietnam, but the exchange rate practically not equal in each places. We suggest you should exchange the money at authorized store and banks to get the better rate than the airport.

ATM AND CREDIT CARDS

International credit/debit cards such as VISA and MASTERCARD are accepted in most ATMs and shops/stores that accept card payments. With a foreign card, a small percentage of the amount withdrawn/paid will be charged; however this amount remains quite low. The money withdrawn at ATMs is always in Vietnam Dong.

TIPS

Tips are not part of the tradition of Vietnam. However, in some situations and thanks to the many generous travelers that have preceded you, tipping is becoming more popular.

For example, you can tip your guide after a whole day or several days of travel. You can also tip luggage porters and taxi drivers. It is not usual to tip a waitress/ waiter.

When visiting temples or pagodas, you will usually see some donation boxes near the entrance/exit in which you can place some money. In this case, we do not call it tips but donations, dedicated to the maintenance of the site. Vendors and other people within the venue may also invite you to pray with them with an incense stick, but if you accept, some of them will likely ask you for some money in exchange.

Vaccinations

 

Officially, no vaccinations are required to enter Vietnam apart from travelers coming from countries with yellow fever transmission risks. However, if you travel to Vietnam you should do everything possible and take all required precautions to avoid becoming ill during your trip. Make sure that all your vaccinations are current and that you are vaccinated for Tetanus, Polio and Diphtheria.

Due to the COVID 19, Vietnam government request the vaccination certificates, you have to get fully vaccinated ( approved by WHO) and the last dose within 6 monthes

Health Advice

Drink plenty of fluids during the day (2 liters).

Do not drink tap water in Vietnam. Only bottled water is drinkable.

Wash your hands frequently

Avoid eating unpeeled fruit or raw vegetables and ice.

Most important: trust your gut feeling. If you don’t like your food, stop eating and do a double check when eating from street vendors.

– Keep a pull-over with you to cover yourself when the air conditioning is too cold or for cooler nights outside

Police: 113

 Ambulance: 115

 Fire department: 114

Pre-Departure Tasks

Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months before the expiry date and that you have the correct visa. Have a look at the visa requirements for more information. Consider medical, baggage and trip cancellation insurances.

Check with your doctor the vaccinations and medicines needed.

Clothes

  • Clothing should be lightweight and of the drip dry variety. You will be in the sun a lot so long sleeves and a wide hat would be more suitable.
  • Underwear should be synthetic and easily washable.
  • Sleepwear.
  • Shirts should be long sleeved and lightweight with lots of closed pockets.
  • T-shirts, short sleeved and again with pockets.
  • Cool evenings necessitate the need for pullovers or a lightweight jacket.
  • A lightweight vest with lots of pockets will be handy for carrying your camera (and film) and binoculars.
  • Long trousers made from a lightweight, quick-drying fabric should have multi pockets for day trips. Long trousers that turn into shorts are ideal.
  • For trekking lightweight long shorts (for modesty purposes) are acceptable.
  • Bathing suit should be modest so as not to offend the locals.
  • Hat for protection from the sun. Should have a wide brim and a strap.
  • A sturdy poncho or parka will help to keep your gear dry in case of rain or waterfall spray.
  • Footwear: You will need some sturdy comfortable boots for trekking or just walking around. They will need to support your ankles as well as having a nonslip sole.
  • Waterproof sandals for those short trips and boating.
  • Some smart casual clothes for the evenings and visiting restaurants.

Hotels We Recommend

Explore a selection of our hotel offerings to complete your customised journey. The number of hotels and resorts throughout Southeast Asia are extensive and varied. Please contact us for more accommodation options.