Lee in Vietnam. What tourists can not do in Vietnam

Spoiler: the country is good at any time of the year, the main thing is to choose the right vacation spot.

Season and off season in Vietnam

Look at the map of Vietnam - the country is stretched from North to South. Due to this feature, the climate in different cities is different. There are three main climatic zones - North, South, Center.

Resorts of the North: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Taunchau Island, Do Son, Shamshon.
Resorts of the Center: Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue, Cua Dai, An Bang, Cu Lao Cham Islands, Nha Trang.
Resorts of the South: Dalat, Phan Thiet, Mui Ne, Vung Tau, Phu Quoc Island, Doc Let, Kundao Island.

In North Vietnam tropical monsoon climate strongly influenced by humid mainland Asia. There are 4 usual seasons - autumn, winter, spring, summer. The rains begin in mid-April, but until the end of May they do not cause problems. August-October are the wettest months. It is good to relax here in June-July. The air temperature rises to +30, but it can also be cool - thanks to the proximity to high mountains in China.

IN Central Vietnam You can visit from May to October. During these months it is quite dry and sunny. Rains begin only in November-December, go until February. The sea is restless in winter, swimming is quite dangerous.

In the south of the country everything is different: there are two pronounced seasons - wet and dry. In April, the rains are not so strong yet, so feel free to plan your vacation. But already in May, hurricane rains and storms begin, which intensify until September. By the end of November, the rains are over. Wettest month in South Vietnam- September, the hottest - April. The air temperature is always at the level of +30 degrees, there are no cold snaps at all. It is better to rest here in winter.

What are tropical showers?

When we talk about rains, we imagine gray dull autumn, mud and warm scarves. But the tropical downpours of Vietnam are not at all the same as the Russian rains. A stream of water pours from the sky, and umbrellas do not help at all. Downpours can be accompanied by devastating hurricanes and typhoons. Pouring the whole day or just 15 minutes a day. You never know what will happen in a couple of days.

The air temperature at this time is about 30 degrees and above. The weather is unpredictable: the sun shines in the morning, it rains in the afternoon, and in the evening it can be sunny again. Watching the forecast is a thankless task. The maximum you can trust the weather forecasters for a couple of days ahead. During the rainy season, you should not count on daily trips to the beach. You need to come up with something to do in case of prolonged downpours.

Vietnam in November - where is the best place to fly?

In the north of the country by the last month of autumn, excellent sunny weather sets in with rare rains. The air temperature becomes close to winter - drops to 22 degrees. Swimming in the resorts of the North at this time is already cold. In the capital of Hanoi, the weather is still unpredictable: typhoons and precipitation are possible, if there are none, then sunny days with occasional rain.

On Central resorts - the peak of rainfall with air temperature not lower than 25 degrees, and water - about 26 degrees. This weather is also typical for Nha Trang, which is located on the border of the South and the Center. Many tourists fly to the resort at this time, sunbathe and swim. The cost of vouchers at this time is lower than usual.

In the south of the country in November- the most comfortable weather. On land and at sea +28 degrees. The season begins in the resort of Phu Quoc, so feel free to book tours to the island in November. Prices have not reached their peak yet, but the weather is fine with +30 degrees and very rare rains.

The beaches of Phu Quoc island

What to do in Vietnam during the off season?

1. Learn to surf. When the sea is too raging and it is dangerous to swim in it, it's time to conquer the waves. From October to December it is best to come with a board in Mui Ne. If there is no surf, but there is a desire to learn, they will give you equipment for rent and teach you how to catch waves in one of the surfing centers of the coast. Afraid not to cope with the elements? Go to Vung Tau - there are small waves suitable for beginners. It is better to study with a professional instructor - there are no lifeguards on the beaches of Vung Tau.

2. Go diving. In Vietnam, it is very cheap and well organized. Colorful fish are found in the South China Sea, beautiful corals grow, turtles and octopuses swim. The best place for diving - Phu Quoc island with pearl shells. Kundao with ancient shipwrecks, and Nha Trang with picturesque bay. To swim in the rainy season, you will have to move to a neighboring resort, where the weather is dry. good time for diving in Nha Trang - from February to October. For Phu Quoc Island - November-May.

3. Go on an excursion to Dalat.“Vietnamese Switzerland” Dalat is an ideal trip option while you can’t swim in the sea. The city is located far from the coast. Here beautiful waterfalls, quiet lakes, huge coffee plantations. You can see the ancient pagodas and ride an elephant.

4. Go to the spa. 30 minutes drive from Nha Trang city health complex « mineral spring Thap Ba". It is located on the banks of the Kai River. You will lose a couple of years thanks to rejuvenating mud baths and mineral water pools.

5. Look at the fish in a huge aquarium. Tri Nguyen - a good option to wait out the bad weather in Nha Trang. It is only 5 km from the resort. Appearance The aquarium looks like a sunken ship. Inside are predatory fish, turtles, colorful plankton and shrimps that swim around you as you walk through the tunnel. circulates freely in the aquarium sea water so the residents feel at home. Several times a day, a show with the participation of fur seals takes place here.

If you ask our opinion, we are FOR holidays in Vietnam in the off-season. The main thing is to understand what you risk: during the rainy season, you can lose a few days of vacation, but you can see a real tropical downpour. Most importantly, don't forget to drink water! Due to the high humidity, you don’t want to drink at all, so there is a risk of dehydration.

Super User

Is Vietnamese cuisine so diverse and what absolutely can not be eaten?

Going to Vietnam, you must have read a lot useful information and, of course, paid great attention to Vietnamese cuisine, which, according to many, is quite exotic. Is it really? Here I will talk about how Vietnamese families really eat, which food in vietnam popular

and whether the cuisine of Vietnam is really as diverse as it seems to future travelers.

Let's start with the fact that the Vietnamese cannot imagine their food without rice! Food in Vietnam is primarily rice, and only then everything else. No Vietnamese breakfast, lunch or dinner is unthinkable without rice. Rice is always on the table! In cafes, an additional portion of rice is often brought free of charge, because they have rice, like we have bread. Not a single dish, with the exception of soups, is the cuisine of Vietnam without rice.

Rice in Vietnam is cooked exclusively in rice cookers, which the Vietnamese acquire, as a rule, for a long time. One rice cooker can serve a family for several years, while being operated three times a day.

There are many varieties of rice in Vietnam, but each family chooses which type of rice they like best, and this rice is bought in huge, twenty-kilogram bags. An ordinary Vietnamese family, consisting of four to five people, eat twenty kilograms of rice in about a month and a half.

One of the most delicious varieties of rice, in our opinion, is sticky rice. It is really sticky, but not spreading like porridge, and the hard grains of rice seem to be glued together with glue. Unfortunately, this sort of rice is not sold in Russia. They say you can buy it in Moscow, but we haven't found it yet.

The Vietnamese friends we visited told us the secret that they buy Thai rice because it tastes better! Having traveled all over Vietnam, we have no doubts about this, since the Vietnamese cannot do something just fine. Even the Vietnamese themselves admitted that Thai rice is tastier. Yes, more expensive, but still prefer it.

For rice, Vietnamese cuisine offers meat, a variety of herbs, fish, broths, sauces, omelettes, mushrooms, and so on. Meat - chicken, pork, beef, snake, dog, cat, rat, pigeons, sparrows, ducks, geese, partridges (anything that moves!). Yes, everyone eats it in Vietnam! However, often (even almost always), Vietnamese families still serve rice with pork or beef, stewed and fresh herbs and vegetables, as well as broth. Just like that, without a special reason, they will not cook a snake or a rat at home. The Vietnamese families that we visited also did not eat dogs and cats.

Vietnamese table looks like this:

Plates with meat, fish and vegetables are placed in the center, as well as a large bowl with broth, rice is placed in each bowl. You can pour broth into rice, put pieces of meat and vegetables on top, or you can immediately send them to your mouth, picking them up with chopsticks from a common plate. The bowls are small, because in Vietnam it is considered indecent to impose a lot on yourself, as if you are greedy. So our Vietnamese friend explained to us. You can ask for rice supplements as much as you like, but the meat runs out very quickly, as it is served a little (apparently because the Vietnamese eat little).

This is what a typical Vietnamese table looks like. These dishes are for the whole family, which consists of six people! For two weeks after arriving in Vietnam, I cried every day that I wanted to eat, because I could not understand how the Vietnamese could eat so little.

Vietnamese cuisine on city streets.

Now about what kind of Vietnamese cuisine you will meet during independent travel what to eat and what to avoid.

First I want to note that the food in Vietnam is always fresh! Not a single cafe will leave food prepared in the morning to sell it at lunchtime or in the evening. Because of the heat, food spoils quickly, and people avoid cafes that serve stale food.

Cafes are divided into morning and evening. The first ones work from 5-6 am to lunch, the second from 13-14 pm to 20-21 pm. There are also those who work until 22-23 hours and even until one in the morning (this is mainly in major cities). Food is cooked right there, nothing that can go bad is not stored! In our entire two-month stay in Vietnam, we never got poisoned by food in a cafe! If possible, add pepper to the food, which is on the tables, it disinfects.

Traveling alone, by bus, plane or motorcycle, and not having a big budget to go to a restaurant every day, you will eat in small private cafes, which are everywhere in Vietnam. The food in these cafes is no different. There are, of course, the originals, whose soup is not the same as everyone else's, snails with rice and vegetables that are unusual in taste, but there are few such cafes.

Mostly you will see signs saying COM (rice) or PHO (soup). It happens that in one cafe they serve both soup and rice, then you can eat to satiety! And the first, and the second, and even give tea!

COM (Rice)

Rice is served, as a rule, with a piece of meat (mainly pork or chicken), in some places a fried egg is also placed on top (or boiled brown, prepared according to a special Vietnamese technology), and a small bowl with broth is always served with rice. We often watered the rice with this broth so that it was not so dry. But the broth is not given everywhere! The meat in such cafes is often fatty, so if your body cannot tolerate fatty, fried foods, it is better to see how it is prepared before ordering food. This will not be difficult, since the kitchens are located right in the room where visitors eat.

Also, in some cafes, you can be offered a choice of various vegetables for rice, and all sorts of intricate Vietnamese twists. Feel free to experiment!

Very tasty fried rice, in Vietnamese it is called Comrank, but it is rare to find it. Ask, you might be lucky.

Almost everywhere, additional portions of rice are served for free (or they are asked to pay about 5,000 dong).

PHO (Soup)

Soup. Soups are another story! I loved them very much in Vietnam, another thing is that they are not at all satisfying and after such a soup in half an hour you want to eat again, since they are based on rice noodles, which are quickly absorbed by the body.

Soups are mostly chicken broth with long rice noodles. Thinly sliced pieces of chicken, beef or pork are placed in the soup. You will definitely be asked what you want! Don't get lost, wherever soup is served, it says Bo - beef, Ga - chicken, or Lon - pork. Just point your finger, and after 5 minutes they bring the desired dish to you.

Greens or bean sprouts are served everywhere with soup. Please note that some Vietnamese mix greens directly into the soup and eat such a kind of vinaigrette. I liked to chew the greens more separately from the soup, it seemed to me that the greens in the soup interrupted the taste of the main dish.

Soups are eaten as follows: in your right hand you take chopsticks, in your left - a spoon. You fish out the noodles with chopsticks, put them on a spoon and send them to your mouth. With the spoon in your left hand you sip the broth, and with the chopsticks in your right hand you catch pieces of meat in the soup. It’s not very convenient, I know, but after a few workouts, you will even like this soup-eating technique! No other way. The noodles are long, and it is impossible to eat them using only a spoon, they will slide off.

Food prices in Vietnam.

PHO (soup) in street cafes cannot cost more than VND 50,000. This is already considered very expensive. As a rule, the price for a bowl of soup is 20,000 - 30,000 VND. But not more. It costs more only on highways where truckers stop, or in the center big city. Although in Hanoi and Saigon Pho, we always ate no more than 25,000 dong.

COM (rice) will cost about the same. By the way, do not be surprised, but soups are often more expensive. Why, we never understood. The price for a plate of rice with meat and an egg will be approximately 25,000 - 35,000 VND.

More expensive food in street cafes simply cannot cost! Sometimes when entering a cafe you need to look around, the prices may already be written on the walls, or in the menu on the tables.

As for the prices for fruits and vegetables, they are also low. Dear oranges and apples. But if you go to the Vietnamese market, you can buy exotic fruits at prices ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 VND. There are fruits, for example, lychees, for which they ask for 70,000. Do not be surprised, the Vietnamese pay the same amount. Basically, fruits are no more expensive than food in a cafe (price per 1 kg).

In some major cities there is a huge BIG C supermarket where you can buy food at fixed prices without haggling with anyone.

http://www.bigc.vn On this site you can see which cities in Vietnam have BIG C and what assortment is presented there. In BIG C you can buy ready-made food. We loved going to this store in Hanoi, getting ready meals, a bottle of whiskey, and having a picnic near the Lake of the Returned Sword in the center of Hanoi.

Alcohol in Vietnam.

Alcohol in Vietnam is the same as ours. You can run into a fake by buying a drink even in a normal store.

Beer tastes the same as ours. Normal beer Tiger and Heineken. Good Saigon beer.

Vietnamese whiskey Wall Street deserves special attention. Very good alcohol! And in terms of taste, and the head does not hurt in the morning. A half liter bottle costs about VND 100,000, which is relatively inexpensive. However, once, having bought it in big store We both woke up in the morning with a terrible headache. This is what I wrote about above. You can run into everywhere. Better buy Wall Street at BIG C.

Do not take any obscure bottles in street shops!
There is 30-degree local alcohol, which is drunk by Vietnamese alcoholics and our tourists. In our opinion, it is called Zoom-Zum (I don’t know why it was called that). Below is a photo of half of the label. My husband with crests drank it in Da Nang, he says it’s quite normal, but the Vietnamese twitch at the mere sight. It costs 30,000 VND for a 0.5 liter bottle. (Judge for yourself what kind of alcohol can cost $ 1.5?).

Traditional drinks of Vietnam.

Cha da. A delicious Vietnamese iced tea called Cha da, pronounced like this: "Chaada", is served in almost every cafe for free. Somewhere they will take a couple of thousand dongs for it, somewhere five thousand, but chaada is everywhere. Somewhere you have to ask to be brought, somewhere it is already on the tables in jugs. This Vietnamese green tea is very refreshing and thirst quenching. The taste is very light, with a slight hint of green tea.

It will be very tasty if you squeeze a lime into the chaada. By the way, lime is very popular in Vietnam and is on the tables in almost all cafes! If there is no lime somewhere, then this is rather an exception, and a sad one at that. The Vietnamese add lime to soup, pour it over rice, and also squeeze it into chaada.

cane juice. Very tasty sweet drink! We always stopped for a drink whenever possible. The cost of one glass of cane juice is from 5,000 to 15,000 VND, depending on the location. On the track, cane juice will cost no more than 10,000 VND.

Once we met a man in Hanoi who paid 40,000 VND for a glass of cane juice! This is unthinkable! He was deceived by calling the price three times higher than it really is. In the same place, we drank this juice for 12,000 VND. Be careful.

Ice. About ice in South-East Asia there are legends. And that they keep it in the ground, and cut it on asphalt, etc. Do you think this is really possible in the 21st century?!

The answer is YES! This is how it is still! We ourselves were surprised, because we thought that these were just fairy tales, however, when we saw HOW ice is added to drinks, our fantasies about the civilization of the Vietnamese were dispelled.

Try not to take drinks with ice! Ice for cafes is bought in briquettes and sawn on the ground (in Cambodia as well).

Once we wanted to drink tea with ice, but when we saw how they want to prepare this tea for us, we quickly reeled in our fishing rods.

Here is how it was. We drive up to the cafe and ask them to make us iced tea. The grandmother, who works in a cafe, went up to some bathtub standing on the street, covered with a concrete slab on top (maybe not concrete, but very similar), pushed this slab away. There was ice! It was covered with sand and some grains. She began to shake it all off with her palm, then she took a briquette, dipped it in a bucket of water (like washed off the sand), put it on the table, picked up a file and wanted to cut this piece of ice. Then we realized what was the matter, and retreated.

They do the same with iced coffee. Some prick ice in special bags, but often a piece of ice is simply taken in hand and pricked with the blunt side of the knife. Then they collect the resulting ice fragments from the table with their hands and put them in your cup.

I hope you don't think that someone is wearing gloves?

Where can you eat?

You can eat in Vietnam not in all places. So, a few rules that will help you avoid trouble in catering places:

Always, before you sit down at the table, ask how much the food costs! If they refuse to tell you the price, or they say something indistinct, or they say, they say, sit down, then we'll figure it out, in no case do not eat in such a cafe! Leave immediately, and do not react to further persuasion! You can get in a lot of trouble!!!

If you ask how much it costs, in Vietnamese it will be “Bao nyu tyn?”. This phrase is understood everywhere, so if they refuse to answer you or pretend that they do not understand, turn around and leave such an institution. Because in the end they can present a bill ten times more, citing the fact that you did not immediately find out the cost of food, but just today it costs as much as 100 bucks.

Stop where people sit. If there are a lot of people in a cafe, it means that the establishment is trusted, popular with the local population, because it is delicious and inexpensive. Pay the same attention to the transport standing near the cafe. If there are mopeds, you can safely go in. This means that the food there is inexpensive and locals prefer this particular cafe. If there are mostly cars, then, as a local resident explained to us, food will be expensive, since this is already something like a restaurant.

Pay attention to the general environment. Is it clean, bright and there are napkins and lime saucers on the tables? Locals are sitting, and the owner of the cafe is trying to explain to you how much it costs? Then welcome! But this rule does not always work in street cafes in metropolitan areas. It is more suitable for cafes located in small towns or on highways. IN big cities, such as Saigon or Hanoi, street cafes may not seem very pleasant, but they will be very tasty and at a reasonable price.

If there is no one in the cafe, you are called some exorbitant price and at the same time you also have the opportunity to see how the food is prepared, it is better to refrain from such a meal. Most likely, it will be tasteless, expensive, and the food may not be entirely fresh (although there is no such thing as “stale food” in Vietnam in principle).

As people who have traveled all over Vietnam on a motorcycle and seen many "Vietnamese miracles", we will give you our good advice - never, ever eat a dog or a cat!

First, from a purely ethical point of view, in our opinion, it is disgusting to even imagine.

Secondly, look at what kind of dogs they eat!

(poor dogs, sorry).

These dogs were captured on the streets of Vietnamese cities and villages, and now they are being taken to the slaughterhouse. They may have various diseases, including blood diseases that are not killed by heat treatment. Do you need it?

I doubt it's the same with cats. We have not seen homeless cats and dogs in the northern part of Vietnam. Why do you think?

In the south of Vietnam - from Phu Quoc, Saigon to Da Nang, dogs and cats are not usually eaten, but in the north of Vietnam, from Da Nang to Sapa, dogs, cats, and rats are also eaten. In the south it is considered bad manners to eat a dog. In the north you can eat everything!

Of course, you will not find such food in ordinary street cafes, but only in restaurants.

When you travel all over Vietnam, you will, of course, have your favorite dishes. You may even think that complete nonsense is written here and share your discoveries in the field of Vietnamese cuisine. If so, then I will only be glad to additions and amendments!

Last thing. Always carry hand sanitizer with you and wipe your sticks with it! Sometimes chopsticks fall on the floor, cafe workers pick them up and put them back in the common basket on the table .... Happens. I saw it myself.

Oh that Vietnamese food! Bon appetit, so to speak!

No documents anywhere

First of all, you should prepare and execute all the necessary documents. On a trip, you cannot do without a passport, tickets, a visa (if you plan to rest for more than 15 days), a tourist voucher, a set of photographs, etc.

As a rule, travel agency specialists provide the most complete information about required documents and peculiarities of stay in the chosen country. Tourists-savages will have to rely only on themselves and independently collect up-to-date information about what to take to Vietnam from documents, food or medicines.

After the set of documents is collected, be sure to make copies of them. Upon arrival in Nha Trang, it is better to deposit the originals of all documents in the hotel safe, and have copies of them with you. Fans of car rides should be prepared for the fact that on Vietnamese roads you can only drive with a license issued here.

Therefore, it is worth considering in advance whether it is worth trying to issue a local driver's license. As an option - rent a car with a driver.

first aid kit

Tourists with experience believe that, going on any more or less long trip, one should complete a first-aid kit. If we are talking about a visit to the country on a day off, then you can limit yourself to banal iodine, brilliant green, bandages and tampons. And visiting a region with a completely different climate and potential dangers requires a fundamentally different approach.

If we are talking about a trip to Vietnam, then it would be useful to take with you:

antipyretics;
painkillers;
sunburn creams, skin moisturizing oils and lotions;
antiallergic drugs;
wipes and sprays for disinfection - it is better to play it safe and limit your acquaintance with local microorganisms as much as possible;
medicines that you regularly take at home;
mosquito repellents (fumigators, creams, etc.)

The last position is quite controversial - experienced tourists argue that Vietnamese insects are not afraid of the effects of protective equipment brought from Russia. Therefore, be prepared for the fact that fumigators will have to be bought locally.

Classic iodine with brilliant green and a band-aid will also not be superfluous, especially if you plan not only to bask on the beach, but also travel around the country. However, if you forgot something, then it’s not scary - in Nha Trang you can easily find a pharmacy with Russian-speaking staff. In any case, you will not be left without help, but it is better to play it safe.

Clothing should be comfortable

What to take to Vietnam from clothes is one of the most popular questions on numerous forums. Choosing a wardrobe for a trip is a purely personal matter, but general recommendations should be taken into account.

During a summer visit to Nha Trang, you should grab a few sets of light casual clothes (T-shirts, T-shirts, shorts, cotton trousers), swimming trunks (swimsuits) and caps (hats). From shoes, flip flops, slippers and sandals are useful. For hikers, we recommend bringing running shoes. Winters in Vietnam are mild and rainy, so in November-January, a tourist should bring a jacket or sweater with sleeves, jeans and a raincoat. It is better to leave a down jacket, a fur coat or a coat in which you arrived at the airport in Russia, they will definitely not come in handy in Vietnam.

It is not necessary to bring everything with you. As a rule, most of the things brought in never get out of the suitcase. You can only take the most comfortable and necessary clothes and buy everything else locally. T-shirts, T-shirts and other consumer goods are inexpensive here. You can buy clothes at every step, so do not deny yourself this pleasure.

Take care of the children

Traveling with children always requires additional expenses and hassle. Nothing can be done - the "flowers of life" traditionally require increased attention. It is worth compiling a detailed list of things that you should take on vacation in Vietnam, taking into account children's requests.

First of all, it is advisable to take water and familiar foods (cookies, dried fruits, etc.) with you. At the initial stage, this will help the child to acclimatize as comfortably as possible to local cuisine. It goes without saying that the contents of the first-aid kit should be replenished with children's drugs for the treatment and prevention of diseases, and during the flight, do not forget to grab pencils, books, coloring books, etc., in order to keep the child busy.

money question

The financial component of the trip is traditionally one of the most important. It's no secret that it is much more comfortable to relax and travel if you do not experience any financial difficulties during the trip. Going to Vietnam, it is not necessary to carry a suitcase with cash. In most hotels and supermarkets you can pay without any problems bank card. But, it’s better to grab some cash dollars too.

You, of course, will form the budget of the trip yourself. But, in any case, it should be assumed that $ 30 is the minimum daily rate of financial expenses in Vietnam. This includes an economy option for accommodation, low-budget meals and the purchase of inexpensive souvenirs.

Money can be easily exchanged directly at the airport or hotel.

When compiling a list of what to take with you to Vietnam, pay attention to small, but, nevertheless, necessary things that will definitely come in handy. Among them:

a flashlight is far from the most useless device in a country where the tropical night falls very quickly, and street lighting in some cases leaves much to be desired;
sunglasses - take care of your eyes, because. the sun is very active here;
shaving accessories and toothpaste - it is more pleasant and safer to use familiar and proven hygiene products;
camera - today many tourists take pictures of the surroundings and selfies on smartphones, but the classic image of a vacationer is a tourist with a camera;
a comfortable backpack or bag - useful for storing a minimum of necessary things, both during long journeys and during short-term hikes and excursions;
phone and tablet are essential tourist assistants in any country, but do not forget to buy an international sim card;
a notebook and a pen - very often they help out when communicating with local residents - what cannot be said in words can be depicted with the help of symbols;
a printout with the name and image of your hotel - can become a kind of Ariadne's thread if you get lost, which happens all the time;
Russian-Vietnamese phrasebook is another assistant in establishing communications with sellers in markets and supermarkets.

What not to bring to Vietnam

Along with necessary things, which will come in handy during the trip, I would like to note that it is absolutely optional to take on vacation to Vietnam. In particular, fans of all kinds of strong drinks do not need to take a home bar with them on a trip. Vietnamese producers sell a huge number of alcoholic beverages, so there are plenty to choose from. Moreover, the quality of Vietnamese alcohol is quite decent, and the prices are quite budget.

Bed linen, dishes, gels and shampoos will also become a burden for the tourist. You are going to rest in a country where tourist service is at a fairly decent level and has the right to count on quality service. If we are talking about a “semi-wild” vacation, then it is easier to buy all the necessary little things on the spot than to drag them along across borders and customs.

Numerous tourists are traditionally only interested in local exotics, and for the Vietnamese, all guests without exception are quite exotic, regardless of their "packaging". The main thing is that you are ready to leave a certain amount of money here, everything else is secondary.

Before the long-awaited trip to the hot beaches of Vietnamese resorts, there are many travelers ask questions about insects and other living creatures, which can be found in Southeast Asia on land and at sea. After reading forums and articles in encyclopedias, many tourists begin to think about completely abandoning a trip to a country that is supposedly teeming with dangers and poisonous inhabitants. In fact, it's not like that at all…

Sea inhabitants

Of all the horrors described to vacationers in Vietnam should be feared if only jellyfish. They really are not fiction, and their burns are more than real. Most jellyfish are not dangerous to humans., but sometimes box jellyfish swim in Nha Trang, which are considered the fastest and most aggressive. However, this is not a reason to sit by the pool all your vacation - most jellyfish swim in groups, and you can see them from afar, protecting yourself from a close “acquaintance”.

The most prudent can be advised to swim in T-shirts and trousers, like all vietnamese do- so you can reduce the risk of sunburn and jellyfish burn. In addition, in order not to meet these marine inhabitants, it is better not to go into the sea during a strong surf and in the rain. If unwanted contact nevertheless happened, it is recommended to wipe the damaged area as soon as possible with vinegar or lime juice.

As for the more serious threat in the form of sharks, over the past decades, southern resorts Vietnam not a single attack of these predators on people was recorded. In 2010, one of the fishermen in Nha Trang caught a rather large specimen, but for this he sailed a considerable distance from the shore, since in shallow water, where most tourists swim, sharks do not swim . Therefore, you can meet a shark in Vietnam in the aquarium, in the market or in a restaurant and in the form of soup or a delicious steak.

There are also legends on the Internet about poisonous sea snakes in Vietnam, from the bite of which supposedly a person can even die. About 30 species of sea snakes really live in this country, but now they can be found only in the wildest and sparsely populated areas of the country, with which tourist destinations are not. The last case of a sea snake attacking a person was recorded in the city of Vung Tau about 20 years ago.

Land dwellers

Snakes in Vietnam live not only in the sea, but also on land. All individuals try to stay away from people, and poisonous reptiles live in the sparsely populated areas of the Mekong Delta, where only the indigenous inhabitants of these areas can meet them. Tourists may occasionally encounter small snakes in the evening. Vietnamese snakes are not aggressive, and they will not be the first to rush at people, so you can not be afraid of them. In general, snakes in Vietnam, like sharks, more often found in restaurants than "in the wild".

Another common "horror story" about living creatures on the beaches of Vietnam are legends about. This is true - fleas live on dry sandy beaches countries, but in small quantities, and only a select few have a chance to meet them. The bites of these pests are not as dangerous as they are unpleasant.. They are not painful, but can itch for several days and take a long time to heal. To be safe from these hot sand lovers, it is better not to lie on bare sand, but to relax on a sunbed or at least on a towel. Especially this recommendation concerns wild beaches that are not treated with specific insecticides. If the flea is still bitten, then the wound should be anointed with the famous Vietnamese Asterisk balm or a special cream Gentridecme and in no case do not comb the wound.

One of the few insects that can cause real harm to tourists, are mosquitoes, which are carriers of such an unpleasant disease as dengue fever . This disease in terms of symptoms (fever, aching bones and muscles, chills, swollen lymph nodes) resembles flu and SARS. However, the fatal outcome that the Internet scares tourists is possible with a hemorrhagic form of fever, which affects only local residents, that is, the Vietnamese. In any case, if the described symptoms appear, you should contact a medical institution, and not self-medicate, since with dengue fever, the use of aspirin, ibuprofen and a number of other painkillers is prohibited which can cause serious complications. Unfortunately, there are no special means to protect yourself from these insidious insects - they use standard repellents and mosquito nets over the bed in case of staying in a bungalow in the wilder parts of the country, as well as refusal to visit wetlands.

Otherwise, all other living creatures that tourists can meet in Vietnam harmless even if it looks threatening. Huge cockroaches that can be found indoors and some hotels, inconvenience only by their presence and shock by the fact that they are able to fly. In addition to them, you can also encounter spiders of various sizes - the largest and hairiest of them live in less tourist areas and, for example, on the island of Phu Quoc. They do not rush at people and prefer to sit out in dark and damp corners. You can not avoid meeting in Vietnam with small red ants. Unlike other insects, they walk in "slender rows" and not one at a time, and are very fond of sweets. That's why, it is better not to leave sweets or fruits at night, otherwise, most likely, they will become prey for ants. The cutest inhabitants of Vietnamese houses, cafes and hotels are small green geckos. They are very fond of in Vietnam and are considered to bring good luck. And they love it so much that they even sell a medicinal tincture on seahorses and these same geckos ...

Departure information: you need to be at the airport 4 hours before the departure of a / c Vietnam Airlines and 2.5 hours before the departure charter flights. You independently pass the passport, customs control and check-in for the flight, which ends 40 minutes before departure. Norms free transportation baggage at different airlines may vary. Please check with the airline you are flying on for baggage rules.

Flight time: 9 - 10 o'clock

Time: ahead of Moscow by 4 hours

Customs: the import of foreign convertible currency is not limited, but it is necessary to declare the amount of more than $ 3,000, since the export of currency is allowed only within the limits of the declaration. Up to 400 cigarettes, 100 cigars or 500 grams are imported duty-free. tobacco, up to 2 liters. alcoholic beverages with a strength of up to 22 0C or 1.5 liters. strong alcoholic beverages (the total volume of imported alcohol should not exceed 3 liters), up to 5 kg of tea, up to 3 kg of coffee, a reasonable amount of perfumes and perfumes, as well as other goods with a total value of not more than 5 million dong. It is forbidden to import drugs and drug-containing medicines without a medical prescription for their use (the sanctions for importing drugs are extremely high, up to the death penalty), pornography, printed materials, CDs, audio and video recordings that offend local traditions. The import of household and computer equipment is subject to mandatory declaration, all undeclared equipment will be allowed to be exported only if customs duties are paid or if there is a receipt for its purchase in local trade organizations. It is recommended to keep proof of all expenses incurred in the country during the stay. The export of the national currency, antiques and works of art of artistic and historical value is prohibited without proper documentation. For the export of gold items weighing more than 300 g, a permit from the National Bank of Vietnam must be obtained. All types of weapons are prohibited for import and export from the country (you should not even buy edged weapons in the collection, anti-government materials). Rare species of animals and plants cannot be exported. To import pets into Vietnam, you must have a veterinary certificate with a notarized translation into Vietnamese. To export pets from Vietnam, you must have a veterinary certificate.

Useful phones:
Embassy of the Russian Federation in Vietnam
Hanoi: tel. +84 438 336991
Ho Chi Minh: tel. +84 893 03936
Da Nang: tel. +84 511 822380
Ambulance, police: 115, 113

Connection: international telephone calls can be made from almost all major cities and towns, but for this you will have to use the services of call centers (located mainly in the building of post offices and in large organizations, the cost of a minute of conversation with Moscow is about 4 USD) or from rare yet specialized pay phones (they work with plastic cards). Inside the country, you can call from almost any pay phone (the cost of a minute within Hanoi is about 10 cents, long-distance calls cost from 0.3 to 0.7 USD). Upon arrival in the country, you can immediately purchase a SIM card from one of the local operators. Calls will cost significantly less: international calls to Moscow are 0.8 USD, local calls are even cheaper. International telephone code countries - 84. To call from Vietnam to Russia: 007 + area code + subscriber number. For a call within the country, 0 is dialed first, then the area code and the subscriber's number.

Transport: planes, buses, minibuses, trains, ships and ferries, taxis, motorcycles, bicycles, “se Om” (motorcycle taxis), “cyclo” (pedicabs), etc. Car taxis are paid by the meter. When traveling for long distances, you can tell the price in advance. The cost of a motorcycle taxi and a cycle rickshaw is also negotiated in advance. In Vietnam, an inexpensive taxi, and payment is strictly according to the meter. The fare depends on the brand and year of manufacture of the car, on average 2000-3000 VND per 1 km plus delivery (approximately 6000 VND).

Money: payment is accepted both in Vietnamese dong and in US dollars (approximate rate 1 USD - 18,000 dong). Currency exchange is officially carried out only in banks or at points at hotels, at airports, any other form of currency exchange (in the markets) is considered illegal. Major cities and tourist areas accept basic credit cards: Visa, American Express, Master Card, etc.

The shops: work 08:00 - 17:20. We recommend buying green tea, Vietnamese coffee, ceramics, wood lacquerware, silk-embroidered paintings, jewelry, pearls. Vietnamese silk is very High Quality. In large cities, it makes sense to buy something from clothes or shoes. A gigantic amount of jewelry and silverware can be seen in the main urban markets of the country. Throughout the country, you can buy collections of bronze coins from the era of the empire - only a connoisseur will be able to distinguish one coin from another and tell which one was minted when. The best antique shops in the city are clustered on Hang Gai and Hang Khai streets in Hanoi, where there are several ethnic shops selling souvenirs from the life of Vietnam's many hill tribes. Also in the capital there is a large selection of clothing items in the traditional oriental style - silk robes, kimonos, jackets. Prices are extremely low compared to Moscow.

Nutrition: Vietnamese cuisine is undoubtedly considered to be the most refined in Southeast Asia. Not scorching, but delicate and piquant spices, minimal use of fats, emphasis on fresh ingredients, a variety of rice, vegetable and seafood dishes make Vietnamese cuisine not only tasty, but also healthy. There are restaurants for every taste: Chinese, Thai, Indian, Korean, European, Vietnamese. Prices range from 2.5 to 25 USD. Often the food is tastier in small restaurants where you can dine for four for 10-12 USD. Traditionally favorite dishes of Vietnamese cuisine among local residents are fish, chicken and pork dishes along with cooked vegetables and rice or noodles. The French influence in Vietnamese cuisine is felt in the abundance of fresh baguettes, pâtés and cheeses, which can be bought everywhere from street vendors. The country also inherited the French love for coffee, which has a very strong mocha flavor and aroma, and is served in a small glass or cup topped with condensed milk. Vietnam has good beer: in bottles, cans, draft, excellent cocktails - fruit and alcohol, fresh juices, good Vietnamese vodka.

Recommendations:
- It is not recommended to drink tap water, but you can wash your face and brush your teeth with it. Drinks with ice can be safely ordered in major cities and hotels in Saigon, Hanoi, Nha Trang, Da Nang, and you should not do this in rural areas
- you can not eat dishes from river fish
- the necessary medical care can be obtained in hospitals of large and small cities. Hotels usually have a medical office where you can get first aid. Pharmacies sell medicines from all the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world. A variety of insect repellents are sold in pharmacies, but in resort areas there are no harmful insects. Need to stock up sunscreen- medical care for foreigners is paid
- it is better to leave valuables and documents in hotel safes
- in December and January in the northern provinces, we recommend wearing warm clothes
- when visiting temples, tourists are advised to wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts