Travelling to Vietnam? Check it out!

FOOD

The food in Vietnam is very interesting and fun to try. For many typical Vietnamese dishes, you can try pho, a type of rice noodle soup eaten for breakfast; cha gio, deep-fried spring rolls; and goi ngo sen, a salad made with lotus stems, shrimp and peanuts. There is a strong Buddhist influence in Vietnam, so there is vegetarian food available.

Regional Food
o‘Pho Ga’ (chicken noodle soup)
o‘Pho Bo’ (beef noodle soup)
oBoth are various dishes including chicken, beef, fish, and seafood.
oBai Hoi – Draft Beer made daily.

SHOPPING

Souvenirs in Vietnam can range from Silk to War Paraphernalia. Come check out all the shopping adventures in cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An. In Hanoi, there is late night shopping in the Old Quarters that opens after 7 PM and is located from Hong Dao to Dong Xuan. Popular souvenirs to buy in Vietnam are different styles of lacquer ware and its growing silk industry. In Ho Chi Minh City, you can find contemporary paintings and copies of masterpiece work. War supplies and belongings are also very popular old items to buy as souvenirs, such as old cameras, watches, stamps, coins and flick lighters.

Hotels range from $4USD backpacking hostels to world class resorts, both in the city and in popular rural destinations. They are much nicer and cleaner then neighboring countries. Service is quite good, and hotels are quite good.

Plane, Train, Bus, Car, Cycle, Motorcycle Taxi, Motorcycle, Cyclo, Boat

- Store your cash, credit cards, airline tickets and other valuables in a safe place. Most 4-star hotels have in-room safes; otherwise ask the reception to keep your valuable things in their deposit facility.

- Vietnamese dress conservatively. Despite the heat, it’s best not to show off too much skin. If you do, especially girls, you’ll only draw stares from the locals.

- Use waterproof sun cream if you plan to spend a good amount of time in the water when you travel to Vietnam.

- A Travel Visa

- Change your money to Vietnamese Dongs

- Pack warm clothes and light clothes, you never know what the weather is going to do.

- Map, Tickets, Tour information...make sure everything is organized because if you lose any part of your itinerary, you will be hooped.

Stretching roughly 4,184 kilometers from Tibet to the South China Sea, the Mekong River is the thread that connects Indochina's diverse cultures. It flows through six nations—China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

The Mekong River was absolutely fantastic when we went, we got up early in the morning so we could see the sunrise and then we took a boat, that was a sunken canoe, and we took a nice leisurely ride down the river. We also saw the forbidden city which was absolutely gorgeous.

The Chinese view the Mekong as a vital energy source and have recently constructed two immense dams on its upper reaches

The Mekong River is the 12th-longest river in the world, and 7th longest in Asia. In the Lower Mekong area the river is turbid, especially during the rainy season. Due to bank erosion the water gets a rusty-tan colour from the soil. The river temperature in the Lower Mekong varies between 21.1 to 27.8 °C.

The Mekong river has the third highest diversity of fish species in the world - more than 1,200. The biggest include the giant river carp, which can grow up to 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) and weigh 70 kilograms (150 lb), the giant pangasius, Siamese giant carp and the endemic Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas), all three of which can grow up to about 3 metres (9 ft 10 in) in length and weigh 660 lb. All of these are in serious decline, both because of dams and flood control and overfishing.

One species of freshwater dolphin, the Irrawaddy dolphin, was once common in the whole of the Lower Mekong but is now very rare.

Among other wetland mammals that have been living in and around the river are the smooth-coated otter and fishing cat. The endangered Siamese crocodile is reported to occur along the Mekong but is very rare.

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1875.html

Today we decided to go to the Ho Chi Minh Trail. There are many trails: 16,000 km of them in all which include roads, waterways and tracks. We decided to go to the one that today is now a highway. We meet up with the road in Hanoi and took a bicycle ride just a few miles down the road to see what it looks like. We found out a lot of information about the history of this road and would like to share this amazing history with you.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a network of roads built from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia, to provide logistical support to the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War

The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a secret road used to carry war supplies and was known as code 559. The name, taken from North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, is of American origin. Within Vietnam, it is called the Ðuong Truong Son, or Truong Son Road, after the mountain range in Central Vietnam. Another name given the trail is “The Blood Road."

The North Vietnamese also used the Ho Chi Minh Trail to send soldiers to the south. At times, as many as 20,000 soldiers a month came from Hanoi by this way. In an attempt to stop this traffic, it was suggested that a barrier of barbed wire and minefields, called the McNamara Line, should be built. The plan was abandoned in 1967 after repeated attacks by the NLF on those involved in constructing the barrier.

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. It is a fascinating blend of East and West, with Chinese influence from centuries of dominance, and French design from its colonial past. It is largely unspoiled by modern architecture of the 1970s and 80s, and is now going through a modernization that is making it a rising star in Southeast Asia.
Hanoi is a shoppers' paradise for silk, lacquerware, wood, custom tailoring and other Asian-inspired design. The bargains are among the best in Asia. Artisans and craftsmen have set up shop in the Old Quarter for generations, and each street is named after the item traditionally sold there.

Among the more interesting sights are the streets close to the lake full of nothing but stores overflowing with wave upon wave of white shoes, and a few shops offering to custom-carve black marble tombstones (complete with portrait) for anyone passing by.

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. The most prominent structures are the Reunification Palace, City Hall, Municipal Theatre, Notre Dame Cathedral and Hotel Majestic.

Following the Fall of Saigon in 1975, Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City. However the old Saigon moniker is still used by both Vietnamese and foreigners, especially when referring to the most central part of the city, to which most tourists flock.

The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese đồng. 1 Canadian Dollar = 13,813.93 Vietnamese đồng.

We will have to exchange our money before we go...there is a huge jump from Canadian Dollars to Vietnamese đồngs.

The most common language spoken in Vietnam is Vietnamese. They use Vietnamese characters called Chữ nôm. The french language is often used as a second language in some Vietnam cities.

I hope my high school french will help me here.

A valid Canadian Passport that’s valid one month beyond the date of return. A Visa that must be obtained prior to arrival.
Canadians arriving at or going through Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport or Hanoi’s Noi-Basi Airport should be aware that airport authorities may request that certain passengers undergo health screening for avian influenza.

•Shopping
oHanoi – shopper’s paradise for silk, lacquerware, wood, custom tailoring and other Asian-inspired design. The bargains are among the best in Asia.

oArtisans and craftsmen have set up shop in the Old Quarter for generations, and each street is named after the item traditionally sold there. Among the more interesting sights are the streets close to the lake full of nothing but stores overflowing with wave upon wave of white shoes, and a few shops offering to custom-carve black marble tombstones (complete with portrait) for anyone passing by.

•Public Etiquette:
oAvoid public displays of affection with members of the opposite sex
oDo not touch someones head
oPass items with both hands
oDon’t not cross your arms on your chest
oDo not pass anything over someones head
oDo not touch anyone on the shoulder
oDo not touch a member of the opposite sex
oDo not stand with your hands on your hips
oShorts should only be worn to the beach
•Dining Etiquette [When invited to a Vietnamese Home]:
oBring fruit, sweets, flowers, or incense
oGifts should be wrapped in colorful paper
oDo not give handkerchiefs, anything black, yellow flowers or chrysanthemums

From my research, this is what I found out about Vietnam....I hope it helps us.

Vietnam is on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China, Laos, Cambodia and the South China Sea. The population of Vietnam is 86 million. Vietnamese people account for 86.2% of the population. The dominant culture is the Kinh.

Vietnam's number of visitors for tourism and vacation are about 3.56 million international guests in 2006, an increase of 3.7% from 2005. The country is investing capital into the coastal regions that are already popular for their beaches and boat tours. Hotel staff and tourism guides in these regions speak a good amount of English.

Vietnam was involved in the First Indochina War and the Vietnam War.