Vietnam Hotels, Travel guide

Le Loi Hospital Add: Le Loi St., Ward I Tel: (84. 64)	Ba Ria Hospital Add: Thanh Thai St. Tel: (84. 64) ;
OSCAT Hospital Add: Thanh Thai St. Tel: (84. 64) Fax: (84. 64)	Association of Traditional Medicine Physicians Add: 37-39 Trung Trac St., Vung Tau Tel: (84. 64)856 121 / 859 659
Van Phuoc Xuan Add: 4 Trung Nhi St., Vung Tau Tel: (84. 64) 853 757	Drugstore at Phat Buu Tu Pagoda Add: 123 Ba Cu St., Vung Tau Tel: (84. 64)
Phuoc Buu Oriental medicine pharmacy Add: 77 Le Hong Phong St., Vung Tau Tel: (84. 64) 858 067	Drugstore of Hereditary Oriental Medicine Add: 21/ 2 Nguyen Binh Khiem St. Tel: (84. 64) 852 085

Mail

A regular international post service is available. In addition, there are some new specialized services:
Express Mail Service (EMS). The domestic EMS ensures that letters and small parcels are delivered within 24-48 hours. International EMS is associated with nearly 30 countries worldwide, with a delivery time ranging from 2 to 10 days. Air mail and small parcels, however, must be subject to additional charges.
Express money transfer. Money is delivered to the receiver within 24 hours. Flower delivery can be ordered by telephone. This service delivers messages such as greetings or condolences, together with flowers, money, or goods (allowed in circulation) to the receiver by request of the sender.

Telephone

It is very easy to phone inside Vietnam. Most hotels will let you make local phone calls, many don't even charge you (don't exploit that, as a polite person always offer them to pay the few Dongs!).
International phone calls are possible from many post offices. Typically, you give the number to the operator who will type the number for you and direct you to a phone booth. It's in fact direct dialling with somebody else doing the dialling for you. Normally you have to give them a deposit.
At some places, international direct dialling (IDD) has become common place. The international prefix is 00.
Vietnams international dial code is 84.
(Matthew) You can only use USA direct from Saigon and Hanoi. The post office in Saigon has one phone, cabin 12, available for such use. You must fill out a form at the window before dialing USA direct. In Hanoi, there are two phone booths that are available. Note that in Hanoi, the place to make international calls is located in the building next to the post office. There was never any deposit required for a direct call. In Hanoi, however, they did make me show them my AT&T calling card.
There is a telephone card, the UniphoneKad.

The currency is the Vietnamese Dong (VND). The New Dong equals 10 Hao or 100 Xu. Notes are available in denominations of VND 50'000, 20'000, 10'000, 5'000, 2'000, 1'000, 500, 200 and 100. Coins are no longer used.

Exchange rate: 1 USD is 14356 VND (Dec 2001)
(Historical development: 13830 Feb 1999, 12983 22 Jun 1998, 12290 11 Dec 1997, 11500 Sep 1997, 11000 1996, 11000 1995, 10900 1994, 10800 Nov 1993, 10792 Oct 1991, 8100 Jul 1991, 7280 Dec 1990, 6193 Oct 1990, 3996 Mar 1990, 4505 Oct 1989)

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GMT plus 7 hours

Office hours
All Government offices are opened from 7.30 a.m. to 16.30 p.m.(with a one-hour lunch break) from Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday are holiday.

In local regions, offices are opened from 7:00 am to 11:00 p.m. and from 13:00p.m. to 17:00 p.m. Banks are opened from 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. to 15:30p.m. Banks are closed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.

Private shops are opened from 8:00 or 8:30 a.m. to 21:00 or 22:00 p.m.

Obtaining a single entry, thirty day tourist visa is easy, although a bit expensive. Obtaining a business visa is a little more complex, and a little more expensive. Business visas do have the advantage of a longer stay, either 3 or 6 months, and multiple entry. Both visas can usually be extended once in Vietnam.

In the US, simply call the Vietnamese embassy, (202) 861-2293, and request a visa application. If you have a fax machine they will fax it to you the same day. Outside the US, contact the Vietnamese consulate or embassy in your country for an application and fee information. Return two copies of the completed application together with your passport, two passport-size photos, a check or money order for USD $65 and a self-addressed stamped envelope. Allow two weeks for processing. (Consider Fed-Xing your application with a return air bill to receive your visa in 4-5 days.)

To obtain a business visa you must also include a visa authorization letter with your application. Your Vietnamese sponsor will submit a request to the Ministry of the Interior on your behalf. You must provide your sponsor with your full name, profession, expected date of arrival and passport information, including passport number, date of issue and expiration, date and place of birth. Upon approval, your sponsor will send a visa authorization letter to you.

You will receive your passport back with a visa stamped inside as well as one copy of your application and photo stapled to the page. It used to be when you enter the country the immigration officer took this copy. They seemed to have stopped doing this, but still bring it along anyway. Visa extensions can usually be obtained once in Vietnam. You'll see numerous travel agencies and hotels offering this service in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Rates vary, as does the official policy regarding extensions!