GENERAL INFORMATION

Identification Card

Surface Area: 325,000  km2

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Capitol: Hanoi

Population: 80 million people

Currency: the Dong 

National Motto: Independence Freedom Happiness

Political System: Republic

Head of State: Duc Anh

Languages: Vietnamese, Chinese and dialects

Religions: Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity

GNP per inhabitant: 320 US$

Time Zone: GMT + 7 hours.

GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION

Vietnam, the mysterious dragon of a map of Asia, contains many spectacular landscapes and beautiful countrysides. The people of Vietnam are particularly warm, happy, cultivated and hospitable. After a long period of isolation after the war in 1975, Vietnam opened its borders to tourism. This country with two deltas, the bay of Along and the Delta of Mekong, is a beautiful country to visit that will leave with you with enough memories to last a life time.

PASSPORTS,VISAS:

You will need a valid passport; valid until six months after the date of your return from Vietnam.
VIETNAM VISA: valid for one month, but you can get an extension once you're there. It takes 2 to 7 days to get your visa given the urgency of the situation. Group visas are also available. The process is a bit of a bureaucratic nightmare. Visas are expensive and the formalities are complicated.
If you are leaving with a group, find out more from your travel agency who should take care of the visa for you.

CLIMATE

The climate in Vietnam is quite diversified. Vietnam is a big country with over 1860 miles of coastline.
Southern Vietnam is tropical. It is nearly always hot there and quite humid.
Two season: the dry season and the rainy season.
The climate in the north is more temperate. Temperatures in the winter (from November to February) can get down to 10°. But it is almost always sunny.

The rainy season from May to October, brings with it torrential rains at the end of the day, but which only last a short period of time.

WHEN TO GO

You can visit Vietnam any time of year. When in one region the temperatures are mild and sunny, in another the heat or the rains may be oppressive.
The wet monsoon between October and March brings with it cool and wet winters in the regions north of Natrang, and mild, dry weather in the South. The dry monsoon (April or May to October) brings hot, humid weather to almost all of the country. Between July and November, violent, destructive typhoons which come off the ocean hit the northern and central regions of the country.

HEALTH

You are advised to get a vaccination for yellow fever, to drink only bottled water, and to wash fruit before you eat it. Nothing extraordinary to watch out for. These same recommendations are valid in a number of countries throughout the world.

IMPORTANT HISTORICAL DATES

900 TO 800 BC: Kingdoms of Van Lang and Au Lac.
207 to 711 BC: Kingdom of Nam Viet.
1054: Independent kingdom of Dai Viet.
1859: Beginning of French colonization
1945: Declaration of the democratic Republic of Vietnam by Hô-Chi-Minh.
1946: First Indochinese war with France.
1954: Fall of Diên Biên Phu on May 7th. Geneva agreements (the country is split in half at the 17th parallel).
1955 : Ngô Dinh Diem succeeds Bao Daï and proclaims the Republic of South Vietnam.
1960: Beginning of the second Indochinese war.
1964: Beginning of American intervention.
1973: Paris accords between the 4 parties: North Vietnam, GRP, South Vietnam and the USA. Retreat of American Troops.
1975: Fall of Saigon now called Hô-Chi-Minh City.
197 : Declaration of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam reunified on July 2nd.
1986: 6th congress of the Communist Party and launch of the "renovation policy" (Doi Moi).
1994: End of the American embargo
July 11th, 1995: The United States recognizes the new regime.
July 28th, 1995: Membership in ASEAN.
1996: 8th congress of the Communist Party. .
November 199 : Hanoï, 7th summit of francophone countries.