Tips and Things to remember Before You Go - 1

Packing tips for traveling to Vietnam:

Bring as little as possible, Vietnam has pretty much anything you can find back home.
Necessary documents: your passport and visa (with their copies); 2 photos (3cmx4cm), tour dossier (tour itinerary, address of travel agent or travel company operator, contact number… ) and others (if needed).
Cash in US$5’s, US$10’s, US$20’s and US$100’s (US dollars are commonly acceptable)
All the soaps and smellies are cheap and plentiful, and clothing, shoes and backpacks are all manufactured in Vietnam and available at a fraction of the price in the West. Tampons are available in all major towns and cities, but not in more remote areas.
A Swiss-army knife or equivalent come in handy, but you don’t need 27 separate functions, just one blade and an opener. A torch (flashlight) and compass are also useful.
Other handy things to bring are: name cards, as Vietnamese deal them out like a deck of cards; ear plugs to block the ever-present noise; a universal plug adaptor; a rain cover for the backpack; a sweater for the highlands and air-con bus trips; mosquito repellent to keep the bugs at bay; and a folding umbrella if you plan to visit during the rainy season (July and August are the wettest months).
The secret of successful packing: plastic bags – not only do they keep things separate and clean, but also dry. That means a lot at the end of a long, wet day.

Luggage Packing tips

What needs to be brought in Vietnam?
- International Airline ticket
- Passport and photocopies of your passport
- Visa or Visa approval letter and some color passport photos (size 4x6cm) (at least 2)
- Insurance document (if any)
- Cash in USD or Euros (20’s and 100’s)
- Other equipment as follows;

General
• Duffel bag - waterproof and with a lock, or easily wheeled suitcase
• 5-6 zip lock bags (They come in handy for all kinds of uses.)
• Sun glasses or reading glasses
• Good walking shoes and sandal
• Good trekking shoes (for trekking tour) or slippers (for beach relaxing tour)


Optional

• Camera and film
• Mobil phone
• Head phone and your favorite music compact disc (CDs).
• Favorite Books/ Vietnam Guide book/Diary
• Biro pens, pencils, note book
• Pictures of your family


Basic Clothes

• Good walking shoes or cloth sneakers (They are light and dry easily. Good for driving.)
• 3-4 pairs of socks
• Polar fleece pullover or jacket or sweater (if travel in the north from November to March)
• 4-5 T-shirts or blouses
• Wide-brimmed sun hat
• Underwear (3-5 sets, depending on your desire to wash)
• Mid-calf lightweight walking skirts or dresses or loose pants (women)
• 1-2 bandannas
• Bathing suit
• Long-sleeved shirts
• Raincoat or poncho
Notes: Dress in Southeast Asia tends to be quite casual because of the warm, humid, tropical climate. For women, casual cotton pants and skirts are most acceptable for daytime wear, but bare sundresses and short shorts are frowned upon, especially in pagodas & temples.
A sweater, sweatshirt, light jacket, or fleece pullover is a good idea when visiting the northern areas in the winter (from November to March); and, it is useful to have a windbreaker or rain poncho as protection against the unexpected rain showers that tend to occur.