Are you planing a Vietnam vacation? Good choice; Vietnam today has so much to offer for your holiday. More than a quarter of a century since the end of the Vietnam War, the country is eager to show itself to the rest of the world. Vietnam is rich in both history and culture, a country of diverse landscape and geography with 82 million hard-working and friendly people, making Vietnam an ideal place both for pleasure and business, travel or vacation.

Special : We can custom made tours according to your time, interest and itinerary.
Vietnam Customized Tour - Plan your trip here

There is a new possibility to travel inter-countries between Vietnam and Cambodia via water way. At the time of press, Victoria Group has been operating a speed boat of 10 seats which could seat conveniently 6-8 passengers including luggage from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc or vice versa. Upon request, this boat could transfer passengers from Chau Doc to Ho Chi Minh City with a stopover in Can Tho or same routing in reversed way.

Hoi An town recognised last summer the soft opening of Hoi An Beach Resort and Victoria Resort. The former is of three star standard managed by Hoi An Tourist, located o­n a spacious area o­n Cua Dai Beach. The latter is managed by the Victoria Group, situated o­n the quiet and excellent sandy beach of Cua Dai.

Our seat-in-coach tours are enriched by the 5-day Sapa tour and the 4-day Mekong Delta extension with weekly departure, conveniently fit as pre and post tour options of the 7-day Vietnam Classic tour starting every Wednesday, with minimum 2 passengers.

1. When is the best time to travel?
2. Is it safe to travel? Are there places to avoid?
3. What are the visa requirements and custom formalities?
4. Do's and don't's?
5. What money should I take?
6. What language will they understand?
7. How about my health?
8. What food will I find?
9. How is the shopping and what do I tip?

	1. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL? Vietnam stretches over 1,800km up the eastern coast of the Indochina peninsula and has various climates at the same time in different parts of the country. Winter season lasts from November to April in the north with temperatures averaging 16 degree centigrade. The rest of the year is considered summer time with heavy rainfalls and occasional storms. The rainy season lasts from May to October in the south. However, it o­nly rarely rains the whole day long. It gets dry after rainfall as quickly as it comes. The dry season is generally from November to April. The central parts of Vietnam are affected by the South West monsoon from Laos during May – June which causes a muggy heat and sometimes produces typhoons and tropical storms during November – December, with long lasting rains. Despite of this fact, the months of November and December are constantly considered the peak period of incoming tourists. January and February are still cloudy and rainy occasionally. The best time for a long tour from North to South Vietnam would be from January till April and for those who wish beach holidays can come to enjoy warm water and sunshine in the central coast during summer time, from May to October.
	2. IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL? ARE THERE PLACES TO AVOID? No part of Vietnam is considered unsafe for tourists, even for those who individually discover the country o­n their own, without pre-arranged services. This is a popular question of American tourists but the o­nly answer they have got so far is it is completely safe in Vietnam and they are most welcome.
	3. WHAT ARE THE VISA REQUIREMENTS AND CUSTOM FORMALITIES? Visa is requested to all visitors entering Vietnam except Philippine and Thai nationalities. Visas are usually issued by the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok or in the passengers’ home country (against the visa’s approval number), which require the original passport and two photos for two full working days in order to issue a visa stamp. Visas can also be issued upon arrival at international airports in Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City in which case a separate “stamp fee” is charged. We also ask for passport details in advance for pre-application and provide you with a copy of the approval document which will be presented at airlines check-in counters to get o­n board and at immigration desks to obtain visa o­n arrival in Vietnam. Tourists travelling to Phnom Penh from Vietnam by road through Moc Bai or by boat via Chau Doc border gates must obtain Cambodian visa beforehand because visa o­n arrival is not applicable at these two gates. All luggage entering and leaving Vietnam must be x-rayed. Gold and currency must be declared o­n arrival. Please keep the arrival & departure card (green form) as well as the customs card (yellow form) until your leaving.
	4. DO'S AND DON'T'S? Eating out is no problem at all in major cities where you can easily find good restaurants. It is advisable to eat in hotels in remote areas unless you have a reliable advice from your guide. You should avoid uncooked, partially cooked or reheated meat, fish and raw vegetable, especially when they have been left out exposed to dust and flies. Filtered and bottled water is usually available and safe. Cameras, precious jewelleries, cash, passport should be deposited at hotel or taken care carefully while you are travelling by train or walking in the streets. Local trains have been renovated and service o­n trains has been improved in the past few years. However, the standard is still below international qualification and therefore travel by train is not reccommendable to elderly people.
	5. WHAT MONEY SHOULD I TAKE? Most major currencies can be changed in at banks and moneychangers. Traveller’s cheques are accepted at some international hotels o­nly and cashed in at banks with your presence and the signing to be witnessed by the bank officers. When cashing Traveller’s Cheques, it is necessary to take proof of purchase and passport to the bank. Credit cards are widely accepted in major cities. You should exchange some cash into local currency for daily transactions.
	6. WHAT LANGUAGE WILL THEY UNDERSTAND? English is spoken at hotels, restaurants, shops, airlines offices, and service offices. Guides that speak English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese are available in big cities.
	7. HOW ABOUT MY HEALTH? No vaccination is required. Malaria prophylaxis is no longer recommended but visitors are advised to check with their doctor o­n travel immunization clinic regarding the advisability of inoculation against diphtheria, polio, typhoid, tetanus, hepatitis A & B.
	8. WHAT FOOD WILL I FIND? Besides rice, which is a staple of every meal, Vietnam has abundant food supplies and an elaborate cuisine. Some Vietnamese dishes have achieved international fame, including such traditional dishes as beef or chicken noodle (pho), pork sausage (gio lua), spring rolls (nem ran) and fish balls (cha ca).
	9. HOW IS THE SHOPPING AND WHAT DO I TIP? Handicrafts made of rattan, gold, silver and stone and traditionally woven fabrics are good buys. Lacquerware is plentiful and cheap. Small lacquer trinkets such as boxes and trays are portable and make nice presents. Antiques and authentic reproductions are available in most tourist centers, the later often at reasonable prices. However, export of antiques is banned and requires a license from the custom department. Tourists could find sophisticated stone-made sculptures at Marble Mountain Danang or silk suits and various handicrafts in Hoi An. Tipping is rare but appreciated. Perhaps leave the small change unless the service is really charming or helpful in which case VND 5000 to VND 10000 will be ample.