From: gilbert@esd.dl.nec.com (Russell Gilbert)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: Vietnam
Date: 16 Oct 92 21:37:49 GMT
Organization: NEC America, Engineering & Support

From article <1992Oct16.005144.9460@DIALix.oz.au>, by djs@DIALix.oz.au (Darryl Salisbury):
> Can anybody offer advice or relate experiences regarding entry to Vietnam
> and getting visa's.
> 
> Also any advice on things not to miss would be appreciated !!

I was in Bangkok last February, and did a lot of investigating into going to
Viet Nam.  I didn't end up going because of the cost and a problem scheduling
the flight.  I'll try to remember as much as I can...

They've opened up to tourists quite a bit recently.  In Bangkok, on Khao San
Road (very famous in Bangkok), there are tons of travel agents that specialize
in getting to Viet Nam and other remote areas of SE Asia.  The only way to get
a tourist visa (which is required for any length of stay) is to go through a
travel agent.  The embassy won't issue them directly.  You pay about US$75, and
wait a few days - maybe 2 or 3.  It's pretty simple really.  There are at least
two airlines that fly into Saigon and Ho Chi Minh City from Bangkok.  Air
France and Thai Air (?).  I seem to remember hearing about another airline
recently starting service - not sure.  The problem I had was with the
schedules.  The flights were booked for about a week, and we didn't have that
much time.  As I recall, the flights were about US$325.

After you get there, things are supposed to be really cheap.  We calculated
that we could stay in a fairly nice (air conditioned) place and spend about
US$10 a day, which included hotel, food, and getting around the city.  I seem
to remember that you have to check in with the police when you arrive, and have
to get special permits ($5 maybe?) for areas outside of the two major cities,
which are included with the tourist visa.  But that didn't seem to be much of a
problem according to someone we talked to that had been there.  We checked into
doing a triangle by air to hit both cities, but that seemed to be a problem.
No one was quite sure of the cost or if it was possible.  (I think it is)  The
other option is to take a bus between the two, but I've heard horror stories
about that - the busses (and the roads) are supposed to be REALLY bad.  The guy
we talked to liked Saigon much more than Ho Chi Minh City.  He said there was a
lot more to see there.  There seem to be a lot of side-trip kind of places you
can go for maybe a day-trip from the two big cities.

There are probably several books, but you can't go too wrong with Lonely
Planet's.  Their "SE Asia" is kind of a bible among backpackers in that area,
and I think they have one specifically on Viet Nam.

I wish we could have made it, but it was going to be about $1000 for the two of
us to go for 10 days, plus the extra time waiting.  But we really got excited
about it when we were in Bangkok.  I guess you could arrange it all w/out going
to Bangkok, but my impression was that it would be a lot more difficult.  The
travel agents on Khao San Road seem to have a pretty good thing going with the
embassy.  (At least for them)

Hope this helps, and I hope you make it.

Russell     (gilbert@esd.dl.nec.com)