All the things you need to know when living in Vietnam.

Are you thinking about a trip to Vietnam or even living in Vietnam? Then these information below will be very useful for your upcoming journey. 

1. Cross the road:

For most foreigners, the most challenging they have to do is to cross the street in Vietnam. The reason for this is because of the heavy traffic and the huge number of motorbikes in the street. This will make crossing the road in Vietnam seems extremely dangerous. However, if you have lived in Vietnam for a long time then crossing these busy street will become natural. To overcome this difficult challenge, slowly merge into the car under the road, keep a steady speed, don’t hesitate, don’t stop, don’t text by phone or view the map when crossing the street. Traffic will automatically adjust to you.

2. Be careful with dog and cat meat:

If you are a dog or a cat lover then you should pay real attention to this. Although there was a law that bans the consumption of cat meat in 1997, cat meat still appears a lot and you will be very easy to eat them without noticing.  So please learns the Vietnamese word for cat and dog in order to avoid any mistakes. Another tip to help you distinguish is that in the menu, cat meat is called “little tiger”.

3. Vietnam Currency:

USD / VND exchange rate is about 21,734. Foreign visitors must try to pay attention to the number to tip correctly. The trick is to remember the color of each currency to avoid confusion.

4. Prepare seasonal items:

In the summer, the weather in Vietnam is hot and humid, so you can skip jeans at home. In winter, northern Vietnam is very cold, you should wear a thick coat. See the weather forecast before you leave, and bring an umbrella in case of rain.

5. Careful in taxi selection:

At the airport, there are many taxis scam. You should book a taxi to the hotel to avoid being overcharged. You also do not have to pay tolls, so if the driver asks you to pay, please refuse. Vietnamese drivers often do not follow traffic laws. Ask them not to talk on the phone while driving, because they can drive the wrong way and charge more than they really are, not to mention it’s very dangerous.

6. Passport of at least 6 months:

Finally, you need to make sure your passport is valid for 6 months after you arrive in Vietnam. A passenger sitting next to me on a flight to Hanoi was refused entry because his passport was only more than 5 months old. Customs officers in Vietnam are very strict in this. You should pay close attention to this if you don’t want to waste any of your time or money.