The Essential Facts

Visas

People from some countries are lucky and can enter Vietnam without a visa. Visitors from Korea, Japan, Norway, Denmark, Sweden or Finland do not need a visa for visits less than 15 days, while most ASEAN countries do not need a visa for visits less than 30 days.

All other countries are required to have a visa before their departure for Vietnam, or a pre-approved Vietnam entry visa supplied before arrival in Vietnam.

If you are coming to Vietnam on business, definitely get a business visa. I live in Saigon on a 6 month business visa, and it allows me multiple entries and exits.

This makes travel around the region so much easier as it allows you the freedom to go for short holidays to other countries in the region with little hassle.

You will need a company in Vietnam to provide the necessary paperwork and details to the immigration authorities on your behalf before you come though.

Here is the link for the Vietnam Embassy in America, which provides more information on visa regulations,

Link: Vietnam Embassy USA

Safety and Travel

More than likely you will not have any problems during your stay, as Saigon is as safe as any big city can be.

But it always pays to be careful, so here are some security issues you might want to be aware of when you visit Saigon.

•  Always keep your money close to your body to help avoid petty theft. Even then you need to be careful, as I have heard of thieves cutting a person's bag or trouser pocket open with a knife in an attempt to steal a person's money.

•  Another technique that thieves use is to drive past on motorbikes and snatch pursues from people walking on the footpath. If your handbag can fit around your head and shoulder, then this is better than just wearing it hanging loosely of one shoulder.

•  Another lesson I learned the hard way, was never leave any valuables in any luggage that you check in at the counter when you go to the airport. One time I left a camera in a bag that I had checked in, and when they transferred my luggage from the check in counter to the plane, the baggage handlers opened my bag and stole the camera.

•  Try to avoid leaving valuable items in your hotel room unless they are in a hotel safe.

•  Always carry photocopies of your passport, credit card numbers, and airline tickets, and keep these copies in a safe place separate from the originals if possible.

Health and Travel

You definitely should discuss your travel plans and personal health with a health-care provider before traveling to Vietnam. Some of the highly recommended Vaccinations for Vietnam include,

  • Hepatitis A
  • Hepatitis B
  • Japanese encephalitis
  • Rabies
  • Typhoid

You will need to have these shots 4 to 6 weeks before your trip to allow the shots to take affect, so try not to leave it to the last minute!

But even if you leave it late, you should still visit your doctor to gain information, and it might not be to late to get some of your shots.

Saigon Vietnam

Emergency Numbers Saigon

  • Police - 113
  • Fire Service – 114
  • Ambulance – 115
  • Directory Assistance – 116
  • International Operator - 110
  • Franco-Vietnamese Hospital Accident & Emergency number is – (08) 411 3500

Health Services

Alain Carpentier Foundation-IMC – Heart Institute: 24 hour emergency
520 Nguyen Tri Phuong, Dist 10,
HCMC
Tel: (08)865 4025

Colombia Asia Saigon: 24 hour emergency
08 Alexandere de Rhodes, Dist 1
HCMC
Tel: (08)823 8888

Franco-Vietnamese Hospital
6 Nguyen Luong Bang, Tan Phu Ward, Dist 7,
HCMC
Tel: (08)411 3333

International SOS: 24 hour emergency
65 Nguyen Du, Dist 1,
HCMC
Tel: (08)829 8424/ 829 8520

ATMs

You can use ATMs in Saigon to withdrawal money from your bank in your home country. However there is a 50,000 dong fee for each transaction of this type. The maximum you can withdrawal in one transaction is generally 2 million dong. Click here to see a list of ATM addresses.

Alcohol and Drugs

Vietnam has no legal minimum drinking age. But culturally speaking, it is not considered appropriate for a good Vietnamese girl to drink alcohol.

Although this is changing slightly as the younger generation of Vietnamese girls tend to see social drinking as more socially acceptable. Men on the other hand often enjoy a drink or two with friends at the local Bia Hoi after work or on the weekend.

Drugs in Vietnam are prohibited, and Vietnam has some of the harshest drug trafficking penalties in the world. If you are caught with 600 grams of heroin or 20 grams of opium you can be sentenced to death.

In December 2007 alone, Vietnam sentenced 43 drug smugglers to death. Drugs and trafficking are not something that the Vietnamese authorities take lightly.