Vietnam travel procedures and guidelines

Guide to travelling within Vietnam

Before you go:

Have any necessary routine medical and dental care undertaken in Australia.

    1. Include an ample supply of prescription and routine medications in your carry-on luggage and carry copies of the actual prescriptions.
    2. Carry a copy of your personal health record with you.

Vaccinations

All routine vaccinations should be current; these include tetanus, diphtheria, polio and measles/mumps/rubella.

Hepatitis A

Recommended for all travellers

Hepatitis B

Recommended for all travellers

Further details of potential vaccination are available here:

Flights:

Qantas

(QF) flies to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi on a code share flight operated by Vietnam Airlines

Singapore Airline

(SQ)flies to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi via Singapore

Thai Airways

(TG) flies to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi via Bangkok

Malaysian Airways

MH flies to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi via Kuala Lumpur

Cathay Pacific

(CX) flies to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi via Hong Kong.

Local laws and customs

Drug smuggling can carry the death penalty in Vietnam. As a visitor to Vietnam, Australians are subject to the local laws of the country and must abide by them at all times.

Visas

A visa must be obtained prior to arrival in Vietnam, which can be arranged by the travel agent. Australian citizens holding Vietnamese citizenship should note that Vietnam does not recognise dual nationality and such Australians will be regarded solely as Vietnamese citizens by Vietnamese authorities.

If staying with family in a private home, the head of the household must register the visitor with the local police and be sure to have the customs form stamped. Overseas visitors staying in hotels are registered with the police through the hotel upon arrival

Medical assistance

If medical assistance is required, immediately contact the nearest International SOS clinic for assistance, as RMIT has membership of this facility. International SOS will assist in medical advice and treatment, repatriation and emergency evacuation if required. Costs incurred by this service are payable by the responsible department or faculty, but may be claimed against the relevant travel insurance company.

International SOS clinics

Ho Chi Minh City
OSCAT/AEA Vietnam Company Ltd
65 Nguyen Du Street, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City, S.R. Vietnam
Ph: (84) (4) 823 6520
Fax: (84) (4) 829 8551

Hanoi OSCAT/AEA Vietnam Company Ltd
31 Hai Ba Trung
Hoan Kien District
Hanoi S.R. Vietnam
Ph: (84) (4) 934 0666
Fax: (84) (4) 934 0556

Currency

The national currency in Vietnam is the ‘dong’ (VND) and cannot be exchanged out of the country. It is recommended that all travellers carry either US or Australian dollars and exchange them as required.

For conversion rates visit:

http://www.commbank.com.au/today/ForeignExchange/TBC-Fxcalc.htm

Departure tax

Travellers are required to pay a departure tax of approximately US$12 at the airport prior to departure. Payments can only be made in US Dollars or Vietnamese Dong.

Australian Embassy address:

8 Dao Tan St.
Ba Dinh District
Hanoi
Ph: 84 (4) 831 7755

Fax 84 4 831 7711

Australian Consulate General address

5 th Floor, The Landmark Building
5B Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City

Ph 84 8 829 6035

Fax 84 8 829 6031

Hotels

Accommodation details for Vietnam can be found at the Accommodation page

More about Vietnam

For further details on living and working in Vietnam go to the International SOS home page and search for “Vietnam”.

This site will give you full details of weather, customs, money, telephones, etc.

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