VIETNAM

 

Please note that the IBN Group Vietnam Business Centre is also responsible for IBNG clients in Cambodia

 

Ho Chi Minh City

75/4 Mai Thi Luu Street
Dist 1 - Ho Chi Minh City

Email: 
ho_chi_minh@ibng.com

Contact person: Nguyen Thi Mai Anh (Mai Anh) 

 

General Information

Country (name in full):	Socialist Republic of Vietnam
Capital:	Hanoi
Surface Area:	329560 sq km
Official Languages:	Vietnamese
Population:	84,402,966 (July 2006 est.)
Exchange Rates:	Real Time Converter
Real GDP Growth:	8.5% (2005 est.)
GDP per capita:	purchasing power parity - $2,800 (2005 est.)
Head of State:	President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006)
Head of Government:	Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June 2006)

Principal Trading Partners

Export Destinations
US 21.2%, Japan 13.3%, Australia 8.4%, China 7.5%, Singapore 5.3%, Germany 5% (2005)

Import Sources
China 16.3%, Singapore 12.8%, Taiwan 11.7%, Japan 10.4%, South Korea 9.9%, Thailand 6.8% (2005)

Vietnamese Overview

Geography & Population
Fifty per cent of Vietnam’s 84 million people are under 25 years of age, and the population consists of 54 ethnic groups. Ethnic Vietnamese account for over 80 per cent and mainly inhabit the Mekong, Red River and central coastal deltas. Over eight million make up the remaining 53 ethnic minority groups and live primarily in the mountainous areas. These areas stretch over two thirds of the country, spreading from north to south.

Vietnamese culture is diverse but it remains an agricultural-based society. This is due to the large number of ethnic groups, the strong influence of Chinese and French cultures over the centuries, and the disparities between those living in the deltas and those in the mountains. Around 16 per cent of Vietnam’s landmass is under cultivation with the remainder either mountainous or forested. Vietnam shares its northern border with China, and its southern border with Cambodia and Laos.

Language
Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favoured as a 2nd language), some French, Chinese and Khmer, mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Government and Law
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) is a one-party communist state. Although conservatively communist, Vietnam has undertaken some reforms in recent years. The political stability of Vietnam lies in the strength of its single political party, the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

At the senior level Vietnam is run by a ‘troika’ consisting of the President, the Prime Minister and the General Secretary of the CPV. . 

The legal system is based on communist legal theory and French civil law system.

Climate
The weather between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is very different.

Hanoi (north)
Winter in Hanoi begins from November to April, with temperatures around 16ºC and rainfall. Average temperatures in January and February are less than 15°C, getting as low as 5-6°C with 100 per cent humidity rate.

Summer in Hanoi begins in May and lasts until October. It can be very hot during these months, with an average temperature of 32ºC, along with heavy rainfall and occasional typhoons. There can be a sudden change in temperature because of cold wind from China.

Ho Chi Minh City (south)
Temperatures in the south and Ho Chi Minh City are fairly constant throughout the year (25ºC-30ºC). There are two seasons, dry and rainy. The dry season runs from November to April and the rainy season from May to October. The hottest and most humid time is from the end of February until May.   The central coast is dry from June to October. The highlands are significantly cooler than the low lands, and temperatures can be freezing in winter. 

In the rainy season there is the possibility of typhoons between July and November, affecting the north and central areas. In heavy wind and rain, stay indoors as flying debris may cause serious or even fatal injury. Flight schedules are frequently disrupted by typhoons. Ensure you check with the airline.

Religion
Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)

Vietnamese Calendar

Vietnam will usually take around one week’s extended holiday at the time of Tet, or the Lunar New Year. This usually falls in January or February. Businesses will close for several days and business people will be preoccupied with end of year calls and festivities for the New Year. It is wise to avoid coming to Vietnam over Tet if visiting for business purposes, but it can be an interesting time to visit as a tourist and observe some important cultural rituals.

IBN clients are recommended to consult with their regional Business Centre to obtain more specific regional travel advice in relation to public holidays as they may impact upon visit schedules.

Exhibitions and Conferences

IBN clients should consult their regional Business Centre for more detailed information on exhibitions and conferences including exhibiting, booking requirements etc.

For a useful link on exhibition details, please visit the Fair Guide - www.fairguide.com.

To contact us, click here.

Travel Information

It is important to get a booking confirmation number if possible to ensure that bookings will be honoured on arrival. Vietnam Airlines can often alter its flight schedule at very short notice. Flight delays are common and this should be taken into consideration when planning itineraries. Some airlines have joint flight service with Vietnam Airlines.

Noi Bai International airport is 39 kilometres from Hanoi City. The road journey takes about 35 minutes to the Australian Embassy and further 15 minutes to the city centre. Noi Bai airport also services domestic flights.  Vietnam Airlines run a bus to and from Noi Bai airport from the centre of the city, costing US$4. Hotels also arrange for airport pick up with prices varying from US$15 (hotel bus) to US$25-60 (hotel car). A large fleet of airport taxis are available upon arrival at Noi Bai airport. Taxis can be hired for US$10 net for a one-way trip to downtown Hanoi, and are generally safe and reliable.

Tan Son Nhat International airport is about 15 minutes from Ho Chi Minh City to the city centre. A large fleet of airport taxis are available upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat Airport. Taxis can be hired for US$5 net for a one-way trip to the centre.  Airport bus service is not available.

Airport departure tax applies to both domestic and international flights:

1. International airport flights - US$10 or VND140,000
2. Domestic airport flights - VND25,000

The following information is provided to assist travellers when planning to visit Vietnam:

IDD:                                                      +84
Time:                                                    GMT +7
Voltage:                                                 220V
Cell Phone System:                                 Dual Band system (GSM and CDMA)
Dress:                                                    Business suit or long sleeve business shirt with tie
Taxi Fare to city from airport (average):     Various
Departure tax:                                       Yes

Foreign Visa Requirements

Visitors travelling to Vietnam must have either a tourist or business visa for a minimum of three months from the date of arrival. These should be obtained in advance by contacting Vietnamese Government missions in your country. It is important to keep the yellow entry form in your passport once you have been admitted to Vietnam for the duration of your stay. You may be required to produce it along with your passport when booking into hotels. You will be required to produce it in order to exit Vietnam, and will encounter difficulties with immigration officials at the airport if you misplace it.

As visa requirements vary for visitors from country to country travellers should consult their respective Vietnamese Embassies or Consulates for specific advice. IBN clients are able to obtain specific information including supporting Letters of Invitation for business travel (if required) from their respective Business Centres.

Health Considerations

The sudden rise in the number of motorcycles and trucks, poor road conditions, lack of driver education and local driving habits create dangerous conditions. It is essential that you take necessary precautions when walking in the street, crossing the road or travelling by any vehicle. 

Tap water is not safe to drink. Bottled water is widely available and should be used for both drinking and brushing teeth. There have been incidents of fake bottled water on the market, so seals of bottles should be checked carefully. Ice in drinks in most restaurants and hotels are usually safe.

Local hospitals and dental surgeries are poorly resourced and commonly rudimentary and unhygienic. There are several medical clinics and practices run by expatriates in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, fully equipped with the latest technology and trained staff. Please consult your local doctor for vaccinations before departure from Australia.

In case of emergency, the first call should be to the hospital or the police station. Apart from dealing directly with the international medical centres, you may want to contact the your country embassy, especially if translation or Australian government representation is required to make yourself clearly understood.  

Local Currency

The Vietnamese unit of currency is the Dong (VND). A government decree issued in 1994 stipulated that all financial transactions are to be carried out in Dong, but in practice, either US dollar or VND can be used except at any state owned enterprise. The US dollar can be used in most purchases in Vietnam from the major hotels to the cyclo drivers.

Tipping is generally not expected in Vietnam. Hotels and most restaurants always add a service fee to their bills.  With taxis, it is usual to round up to the nearest VND1000 or leave some small change.

Traveller’s cheques and foreign currency can be exchanged at most major five-star hotels.

Credit cards are becoming more widely accepted in the major cities, the most common being VISA, MasterCard and American Express. It is now possible to access cash with several internationally recognised credit cards in Hanoi and HCMC through ATMs at the ANZ Bank. Most restaurants and shops geared to tourists will accept US dollars and sometimes credit cards.

Please note that you should have plenty of cash (either US dollars, or preferably VND) before leaving Hanoi if you travel to the countryside – there are no ATM facilities in smaller towns.

To use our Real-Time Converter, click here. 

Useful Links

For business, national or regional news as well as current affairs and a more in depth view of Vietnam today, the following links should prove to be useful:

Hanoi Trade Port – www.vietnam-trade.com
HCMC Service of Trade – www.hcmctrade.gov.vn
Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry – www.vcci.com.vn/
World Bank – www.worldbank.org.vn
The Asian Wall Street Journal - http://online.wsj.com/public/asia
Asia Today - http://www.asiatoday.com.au

Disclaimer

Whilst IBN Group Pty Ltd (IBN) has taken due care to obtain and provide the country information detailed on this site, it cannot accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the same information and data. As this country information and data has been received from various sources, accepted by IBN as being reliable, IBN itself makes no representation concerning its completeness, truth or accuracy or its suitability for any particular purposes.