Land Mass
Vietnam covers an area of 332,000 square kilometres and shares borders with China, Laos and Cambodia.
Capital Hanoi
Official Language Vietnamese (many older people also speak French).
Climate
Vietnam stretches some 1,800km from north to south with 4 main climatic patterns:
North - Winter lasts from November to April, and Summer spans from May to October.
Central - Central Vietnam experiences a transitional climate with heavy rainfalls between November and December, and very hot dry summer months.
South - Temperatures remain fairly constant throughout the year averaging 25-30° C. The seasons are determined by the rains. Dry season runs from May to October. The hottest months are March and April. Typhoons are quite common in coastal areas between July and November.
Highland - In the highland resorts of Dalat, Buon Me Thot and Sapa, nights are cool throughout the year. In the winter months, October to March the temperatures can fall to around 4° C, and in March and April the temperature rarely goes above 26° C.
Official Holidays
1. International New Year's Day 01 Jan
2. Lunar New Year 08-11 Feb (2005)
3. Liberation Day 30 Apr
4. Labour Day 01-03 May
5. National Day 02 Sep
Passport and Visa
Visas are required for most nationalities. It takes about 2 working days to issue a tourist visa for Vietnam, and 2 passport photos and the applicant’s original passport are required.
Some hotels may reserve the right to keep travel documents overnight at eth reception for registration purposes.
Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in Canada
470 Wilbrod Street,
Ottawa, K1N 6M8,
Canada
Tel: (613) 236-0772
Fax: (613) 236-2704 |
Population
Vietnam has a population of over 80 million, with the largest population group being Vietnamese. Other ethnic groups include Chinese, Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man and Cham.
Religion Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Cao Daism, Hoa Hoaism.
Electricity
The current for the whole of Cambodia is 220 volts AC at 50 cycles.
Health Requirement
No vaccinations are officially required. Visitors are advised to be vaccinated against typhoid, tetanus and hepatitis A&B and Malaria..
Drinking water
Tap water is generally not fit to drink. Bottled water is strongly recommended.
Currency
Local currency is the Dong. Banknotes come in denominations of: 100d, 200d, 500d, 1000d, 2000d, 5000d, 10,000d, 20,000d, 50,000d, 100,000d and 500,000d.
Currency Exchange
One US Dollar is approximately 15,550d.
Currencies and travellers’ cheques can be exchanged at banks, hotels, and authorized moneychangers. US Dollars are more widely accepted than other currencies.
Credit cards are only accepted in major hotels and in some mark-up shops in major cities.
It is advisable to carry US Dollars in small denominations..
Airport Tax
Airport tax for international flights is currently US$14 from Hanoi, US$8 from Danang and US$12 from Ho Chi Minh City.
Embassy of Canada, Hanoi
31 Hung Vuong, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel +84 (4) 734 5000
Fax +84 (4) 734 5049
Email: hanoi@dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Consulate General of Canada, Ho Chi Minh City
10th Floor, The Metropolitan,
235 Dong Khoi, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam
Tel: +84 (8) 824 5025
Fax: +84 (8) 824 4528
E-mail: hochi@dfait-maeci.gc.ca |
