Useful information

Time Difference

There is approximately a 6 hours time difference between Europe and Vietnam in Winter and 5 hours in Summer. When you wish to communicate with Vietnam, call from Europe in the morning, if you wish to communicate with Europe, this is easier to call from Vietnam early afternoon or in the evening.

Phone

To communicate in Vietnam, if your phone is compatible, you can now benefit from eSim that you can install before your trip by purchasing them online. We recommend Gigago with the formula unlimited data for 30 days. In addition, enter the code “GAULTHIER” to benefit from 5% discount when purchasing.

Otherwise, it’s very easy to get a SIM card in Vietnam then you can add more credits if needed. A SIM card costs approximately 50,000 vnd and credit is available from 20,000 to 100,000 vnd.
Phone calls to foreign countries approximately cost 1$ per minute.
Don’t forget to disable 3G and data when you arrive, indeed communications with European subscriptions are very expensive.
The country telephone code is 00 84. Note that the WIFI network in available in the whole country for free in most of the places (hotels, coffee shops, restaurants, shops…).

Postal Service

Plan 2 to 3 weeks when sending mail from and to Vietnam.

Vaccine and Medication

For people who are on regular treatment, we advise you to anticipate your medication for the entire trip and to have some prescriptions in case of emergency.
No vaccine is compulsory and it’s generally advised to get the rabies, the Japanese encephalitis and the B hepatitis vaccines.
Ask directly the appropriate health center nearby your house.

Visa

In order to enter Vietnam you need a tourist Visa. You can easily get it by:
– Sending the appropriate forms to the Vietnamese embassy in your country, no need to go there directly.
– Request an e-visa on line HERE. Note that for stay of 14 nights / 15 days In Vietnam, no visa is required for many European citizens.
Also note that a passport with at least 6 month validity at the date of entry is needed.

Currency

The official currency is the Vietnamese dong. ATM are available in all the cities, but withdrawals are often limited to 2,000,000 vnd.
We advise you to keep some cash for your daily expenses.
The existing banknotes are 1,000 vnd, 2,000 vnd, 5,000 vnd, 10,000 vnd, 2,.000 vnd, 50,000 vnd, 100,000 vnd, 200,000 vnd and 500,000 vnd.
The average change rate is 1USD for 25,000 vnd and 1€ for 25,000 vnd.
Also, more and more shops and restaurants are accepting credit card payments with average extra fees of 3%.
A coca cost between 15,000 and 20,000 vnd and a big bottle of water 15,000 vnd.

Travel Insurance

When you travel abroad, it’s important to have a liability insurance and a repatriation insurance. We advise you to check with your personal insurance if you are covered while traveling.
Our trips are planned with a free flight and we require you to buy your international plane ticket by yourself. When it’s paid by credit card, a liability and a repatriation insurance are often included. Don’t forget to check it.
If nor your personal insurance neither your payment by credit card cover you for liability and repatriation, we highly advise you to get a temporary insurance for your trip. Many insurance companies offer such services.

– April International
– Mondial Assistance
– Axa