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Tourism / Transport

Transportation

Much of Vietnam's modern transport network was originally developed under French rule to facilitate the transportation of raw materials, and was reconstructed and extensively modernized following the Vietnam War.

Air

Vietnam operates 21 major civil airports, including three international gateways: Noi Bai in Hanoi, Da Nang International Airport in Da Nang, and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City. Tan Son Nhat is the nation's largest airport, handling 75% of international passenger traffic. According to a state-approved plan, Vietnam will have 10 international airports by 2015 – besides the aforementioned three, these includeLien Khuong International Airport, Phu Bai International Airport, Cam Ranh International Airport, Phu Quoc International Airport, Cat Bi International Airport, Cần Thơ International Airport and Long Thanh International Airport. The planned Long Thanh International Airport will have an annual service capacity of 100 million passengers once it becomes fully operational in 2020.

Vietnam Airlines, the state-owned national airline, maintains a fleet of 69 passenger aircraft,[117]

[118] and aims to operate 150 by 2020. Several private airlines are also in operation in Vietnam, including Air Mekong, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, VASCO and VietJet Air.

Road

Vietnam's road system includes national roads administered at the central level, provincial roads managed at the provincial level, district roads managed at the district level, urban roads managed by cities and towns, and commune roads managed at the commune level. Bicycles, motor scooters and motorcycles remain the most popular forms of road transport in Vietnam's urban areas, although the number of privately owned automobiles is also on the rise, especially in the larger cities. Public buses operated by private companies are the main mode of long-distance travel for much of the population.

Road safety is a serious issue in Vietnam – on average, 30 people are killed in traffic accidents every day. Traffic congestion is a growing problem in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as the cities' roads struggle to cope with the boom in automobile use.

Rail

Vietnam's primary cross-country rail service is the Reunification Express, which runs from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, covering a distance of nearly 2,000 kilometres. From Hanoi, railway lines branch out to the northeast, north and west; the eastbound line runs from Hanoi to Hạ Long Bay, the northbound line from Hanoi to Thái Nguyên, and the northeast line from Hanoi to Lào Cai.

In 2009, Vietnam and Japan signed a deal to build a high-speed railway using Japanese technology; numerous Vietnamese engineers were later sent to Japan to receive training in the operation and maintenance of high-speed trains. The railway will be a 1,630-km-long[120] express route, serving a total of 26 stations, including Hanoi and the Thu Thiem terminus in Ho Chi Minh City. Using Japan's Shinkansen technology, the line will support trains travelling at a maximum speed of 360 kilometres (220 mi) per hour. The high-speed lines linking Hanoi to Vinh, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City will be laid by 2015. From 2015 to 2020, construction will begin on the routes between Vinh and Nha Trang and between Hanoi and the northern provinces of Lào Cai and Lạng Sơn.

This list enumerates railway lines in Vietnam. The Vietnamese railway system is owned and primarily operated by the state-owned Vietnam Railways (Vietnamese: Đường sắt Việt Nam), although private railway companies also offer special service to key destinations.[1] Its principal route is the 1,726 km (1,072 mi) single track North–South Railway line running between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; as of 2007, 85% of the network's passenger volume and 60% of its cargo volume is transported along this line.[2] Besides this one, the system includes lines connecting Hanoi to the People's Republic of China, to surrounding cities such as Thái Nguyên, Hai Phong and Hạ Long.[3][4] Most existing Vietnamese railway lines use metre gauge, although standard gauge (used in China) and mixed gauge are used northeast of Hanoi.[3] As of 2005, approximately 2,600 km (1,600 mi) of track was in use throughout Vietnam—2,169 km (1,348 mi) meter gauge, 178 km (111 mi) standard gauge and 253 km (157 mi) mixed gauge.[5] As of 2005, there were 278 stations on the Vietnamese railway network, 191 of which are located along the North-South Railway line.[5][6] New railway lines have been proposed for construction, such as the 1,570 km (980 mi) high-speed North–South Express Railway connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which would reduce travel times from 30 hours to 6 hours.[7] Other proposals aim to restore or completely rebuild previously existing lines that fell into disuse after the French Indochina War and the Vietnam War, such as the Da Lat–Thap Cham line, which now serves only to ferry tourists between Đà Lạt and the nearby village of Trại Mát.[8] International links to Cambodia and Laos are also under consideration

Water

As a coastal country, Vietnam has many major sea ports, including Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Gai, Qui Nhơn, Vũng Tàu and Nha Trang. Further inland, the country's extensive network of rivers play a key role in rural transportation, with over 17,700 kilometres (11,000 mi) of navigable waterways carrying ferries, barges and water taxis.

In addition, the Mekong Delta and Red River Delta are vital to Vietnam's social and economic welfare – most of the country's population lives along or near these river deltas, and the major cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are situated near the Mekong and Red River deltas, respectively. Further out in the South China Sea, Vietnam currently controls the majority of the disputed Spratly Islands, which are the source of longstanding disagreements with China and other nearby nations.

Tourism

Vietnam has become a major tourist destination since the 1990s, assisted by significant state and private investment, particularly in coastal regions. About 3.77 million international tourists visited Vietnam in 2009 alone.

Popular tourist destinations include the former imperial capital of Hué, the World Heritage Sites of Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Hội An and Mỹ Sơn, coastal regions such as Nha Trang, the caves of Hạ Long Bay and the Marble Mountains. Numerous tourist projects are under construction, such as the Bình Dương tourist complex, which possesses the largest artificial sea in Southeast Asia.

On 14 February 2011, Joe Jackson, the father of American pop star Michael Jackson, attended a ground breaking ceremony for what will be Southeast Asia's largest entertainment complex, a five-star hotel and amusement park called Happyland. The US$2 billion project, which has been designed to accommodate 14 million tourists annually, is located in southern Long An Province, near Ho Chi Minh City. It is expected that the complex will be completed in 2014.

Clothing

The áo dài, a formal dress, is worn for special occasions such as weddings and religious festivals. White áo dài is the required uniform for girls in many high schools across Vietnam. Áo dài was once worn by both genders, but today it is mostly the preserve of women, although men do wear it to some occasions, such as traditional weddings. Other examples of traditional Vietnamese clothing include the áo tứ thân, a four-piece woman's dress; the áo ngũ, a form of the thân in 5-piece form, mostly worn in the north of the country; the yếm, a woman's undergarment; the áo bà ba, rural working "pyjamas" for men and women; the áo gấm, a formal brocade tunic for government receptions; and the áo the, a variant of the áo gấm worn by grooms at weddings. Traditional headwear includes the standard conical nón lá and the "lampshade-like" nón quai thao.

Sport

The Vovinam and Bình Định martial arts are widespread in Vietnam, while soccer is the country's most popular team sport. Its national team won the ASEANFootball Championship in 2008. Other Western sports, such as badminton, tennis, volleyball, ping-pong and chess, are also widely popular.

Vietnam has participated in the Summer Olympic Games since 1952, when it competed as the State of Vietnam. After the partition of the country in 1954, only South Vietnam competed in the Games, sending athletes to the 1956 and 1972 Olympics. Since the reunification of Vietnam in 1976, it has competed as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, attending every Summer Olympics from 1988 onwards. The present Vietnam Olympic Committee was formed in 1976 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1979. As of 2014, Vietnam has never participated in the Winter Olympics. In 2016, Vietnam participated in the Rio Olympics, where they won their first gold medal.

Consulates and representative offices

  • Australia Australia, 20F, Vincom Bldg, 47 Ly Tu Trong St, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3521-8100, fax: +84 8 3521-8101.
  • Belgium Belgium, Tầng 7, Tòa tháp Sunwah, 115 Nguyễn Huệ, ☎ +84 8 3821-9354, fax: +84 8 3827-8068.
  • Cambodia Cambodia, 41, Phùng Khắc Khoan, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3829-2751, fax: +84 8 3829-2751.
  • Canada Canada, 10F, Metropolitan Bldg, 235 Đồng Khởi, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3827-9899, fax: +84 8 3827-9935.
  • Chile Chile, 79/1/1 Phan Kế Bính, Quận 1, ☎ +84 8 3910-2903, fax: +84 8 3910-2904.
  • Cuba Cuba, 5B, 45 Phùng Khắc Khoan, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3829-7350, fax: +84 8 3829-5293.
  • the Czech Republic Czech Republic, 28 Mạc Đĩnh Chi, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3829-0585, fax: +84 8 3822-6043.
  • Denmark Denmark, 1801 Tòa tháp Sunwah, 115 Nguyễn Huệ, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3821-9373, fax: +84 8 3921-9371.
  • France France, 27 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, District 3, ☎ +84 8 3829-7231, fax: +84 8 3829-1675.
  • Germany Germany, 126 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, District 3, ☎ +84 8 3829-2455, fax: +84 8 3823-1919.
  • Hungary Hungary, 22 Phùng Khắc Khoan, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3829-0130, fax: +84 8 3827-9622.
  • India India, 55, Nguyen Dinh Chieu St, District 3, ☎ +84 8 3823-7050, fax: +84 8 3823-7047.
  • Indonesia Indonesia, 18 Phùng Khắc Khoan, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3825-1888, fax: +84 8 3829-9493.
  • Italy Italy, 91 Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, Bình Thạnh District, ☎ +84 8 6258-6473.
  • Japan Japan, 261 Điện Biên Phủ, District 3, ☎ +84 8 3822-5314, fax: +84 8 3822-5316.
  • Laos Laos, 93, Pasteur, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3829-7667, fax: +84 8 3829-9272.
  • Malaysia Malaysia, 2 Ngô Đức Kế, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3829-9023, fax: +84 8 3829-9027.
  • Mexico México, 215 A-B Hoàng Văn Thụ, Phú Nhuận District, ☎ +84 8 3844-5520, fax: +84 8 3842-3960.
  • Mongolia Mongolia, 18K30 Phổ Quang, Tân Bình District, ☎ +84 8 3997-0691, fax: +84 8 3997-0537.
  • Myanmar Myanmar, 50 Sầm Sơn, Phường 4, Tân Bình District, ☎ +84 8 5449-0805, fax: +84 8 3842-8789.
  • Netherlands Netherlands, 29 Lê Duẩn, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3823-5932, fax: +84 8 3823-5934.
  • New Zealand New Zealand, P 909/Tầng 9 Tòa nhà Metropole 235 Đồng Khởi, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3822-6907, fax: +84 8 3822-6905.
  • Norway Norway, 21-23 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3822-1696, fax: +84 8 3827-2696.
  • Panama Panama, 7A Lê Thánh Tôn, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3825-9334, fax: +84 8 3823-6447.
  • Philippines Philippines, Số 8, Tầng 11, Nguyễn Huệ, Phường Bến Nghé, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3829-4738, fax: +84 8 3911-0287.
  • Poland Poland, 5 Le Loi St, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3914-2883, fax: +84 8 3914-2884.
  • Romania Romania, 33/6 Đặng Văn Ngữ, Phú Nhuận District, ☎ +84 8 3991-1204, fax: +84 8 3845-0587.
  • Singapore Singapore, Tầng 8, Saigon Centre, 65 Lê Lợi, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3822-0173, fax: +84 8 3914-2938.
  • Slovakia Slovakia, 64-68 Hai Bà Trưng, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3829-8888, fax: +84 8 3827-7999.
  • South Korea South Korea, 107 Nguyễn Du, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3822-5757, fax: +84 8 3822-5750.
  • Spain Spain economic and commercial office, 25 Phùng Khắc Khoan, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3825-0173, fax: +84 8 3825-0174.
  • South Africa South Africa, 25 Phùng Khắc Khoan, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3823-8556, fax: +84 8 3823-8557.
  • Sweden Sweden, 8A/11 Thái Văn Lung, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3823-6800, fax: +84 8 3824-4856.
  • Thailand Thailand, 77 Trần Quốc Thảo, District 3, ☎ +84 8 3932-7637, fax: +84 8 3932-6002. M-F 08:30-12:00 & 13:30-17:00 (Consular section: 08:30-11:30 & 13:30=15:00).
  • Taiwan Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office, 336 Nguyễn Tri Phương, District 10, ☎ +84 8 3834-6264~7.
  • Ukraine Ukraine, 22-24 Nguyễn Văn Thủ, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3910-4054, fax: +84 8 3910-4053.
  • US USA, 4 Lê Duẩn, District 1, ☎ +84 8 3822-9433, fax: +84 8 3822-9434.
  • Russia Russia, 40 Bà Huyện Thanh Quan, District 3, ☎ +84 8 3930-3936, fax: +84 8 3930-3937.

VISA

  • IMPORTANT NOTES

  • - International visitors travel to Phu Quoc island will be exempted for 30 days of Vietnam Visa.

    - Citizens of Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei and Myanmar can enter and exit Vietnam multiple times as they want with a free Visa for a specific of time.
    - Citizens of above countries can enter Vietnam for a specific of times without a Visa regardless any purposes. But citizens of South Korea, Japan, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain, Belarus and France want to enter into Vietnam under unilateral visa exemption in the next time have to wait at least 30 days from the last day exit Vietnam.
    For example: A Russian citizen entering Vietnam dated 1st January 2015 under unilateral visa exemption and leaves Vietnam on 10th January 2015. If this Russian want immigration back to Vietnam, he/she have to wait at least 30 days(it means after 10th February 2015) to enter Vietnam under the unilateral visa exemption. In case he/she wants to enter Vietnam again within 30 days from the last exited day needs to apply a Vietnam Visa.

  • Basic Requirements

    A Vietnam visa is part of the required migration process for all travellers to the country. Dependent on the purpose of an applicant's visit, a Tourist or Business visa will be required for entry.

    You can apply for your visa up to 3 months before your intended arrival date.

    Processing Times

    When applying for a Vietnam visa, processing time and fees are very dependent on the visa class, as well as the nationality of the applicant and the time of year. Both the time taken to process the visa application and the cost are subject to change, but by having an understanding of each Vietnam visa class and seeking professional assistance when making an application, you can be assured the most time and cost efficient process possible.

    Temporary Vietnam Visas

    Vietnam Tourist Visa

    A Vietnam tourist visa is issued only to applicants entering the country for the purpose of tourism, or for a private visit. The initial duration of the visa is one month, although this can be extended by an additional month, if required.

    An application for a Vietnam tourist visa requires that the applicant submit a valid passport, as well as a separate passport-sized photograph, a correctly completed application form and the requisite fee.

    The Vietnam tourist visa is granted on the basis that the holder return to their country of residence upon the expirty of the visa, and not engage in employment while residing in Vietnam.

    Vietnam Business Visa

    A Vietnam business visas may be issued for a validity ranging from one month to one year, but this is dependent on the purpose and proposed duration of the trip. Generally, most Vietnam business visas are issued for a duration of six months.

    The Vietnam business visa grants holders the right to attend meetings, conferences and other business-related activities. However, the holder is not permitted to be employed in any capacity during their time in Vietnam.

    An application for a Vietnam business visa requires that the applicant submit a valid passport, as well as a separate passport-sized photograph, a correctly completed application form and the requisite fee. Additionally, should the applicant be applying for a multiple entry business visa, their application must be approved prior to their arrival by the Immigration Department in Vietnam.

    Vietnam Embassy Information

    Embassy of Vietnam
    12 Victoria Road
    London
    W8 5RD

    Telephone: 020 7937 1912
    Fax: 020 7937 6108
    Website: www.vietnamembassy.org.uk/consular.html

Source: http://wikitravel.org/fr/Vi%C3%AAt_Nam