Country info for backpacking in Vietnam

History

Tomb of Khai Dinh, Hue Vietnam's history is a history of war, colonization and rebellion - even from before the Americans ever showed up. Occupied by China no less than four times, the Vietnamese managed to beat off the invaders just as often. Vietnam's last emperors were the Nguyễn Dynasty, who ruled from their capital at Hue from 1802 to 1945, although France exploited the succession crisis after the fall of Tự Đức to de facto colonize Vietnam after 1884. After a brief Japanese occupation in World War II, the Communist Viet Minh under the leadership of Hồ Chí Minh continued the insurgency against the French, with the last Emperor Bao Dai abdicating in 1945 and a proclamation of independence following soon after. The majority of French had left by 1930, but in 1948 they returned to continue the fight until their decisive defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The Geneva Conference partitioned the country into two at 17th parallel, with a Communist-led North and Ngo Dinh Diem declaring himself President of the Republic of Vietnam in the South. The tank that ended the war, Ho Chi Minh City US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the Southern Vietnam government, escalating into the dispatch of 500,000 American troops in 1966 and what became known as the Vietnam War - although the Vietnamese refer to it as the American War. What was supposed to be a quick and decisive action soon degenerated into a quagmire, and US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, on April 30, 1975, a North Vietnamese tank drove into the South's Presidential Palace in Ho Chi Minh City and the war ended, with over 50,000 Americans and an estimated 3 million Vietnamese killed. While the Americans are still interested in the history of the war, it is taught to most Vietnamese with an obvious northern bias. The American Vietnamese war was only one of many that the Vietnamese have fought, but it was the most brutal in its history. Over two thirds of the current population was born after 1975. American tourists will receive a particularly friendly welcome in Vietnam, as many young Vietnamese aspire to American culture.

Economy

Bustling central Hanoi Economic reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult. After the failures of the state-run economy started to become apparent, the country launched a program of dổi mới (renovation), introducing elements of capitalism. The policy has proved highly successful, with Vietnam recording near-10% growth yearly (except for a brief interruption during the Asian economic crisis of 1997), but after several decades,the country is doing much better. The economy is much better than Cambodia, Laos, and other neighboring third world countries. Like most Communist countries around the world, there is a fine balance between allowing foreign investors and opening up the market; and being found to be against the political line. From the government's perspective they need to follow the Chinese model: moderate liberalization in the economy, yet little in politics.

Climate

Vietnam is large enough to have several distinct climate zones.

• The South is hot, humid and tropical, with temperatures hovering in the 25-30°C all year round, but it rains the most from May to November.

• The North has four distinct seasons, with a comparatively chilly winter (temperatures can dip below 15°C in Hanoi), a hot and dry summer and pleasant spring (March-April) and autumn (October-December) seasons. However, in the Highlands both extremes are amplified, with occasional snow in the winter and temperatures hitting 40°C in the summer.

• In the Central regions the weather is somewhere in between, only just to confuse things here the rainy season is in the summer, not the winter.

Holidays

By far the largest holiday of the year is Tết, also known as Vietnamese New Year, which takes place between late January and March following the unisolar Chinese calendar. During the three days of Tet shops close up and everybody heads home to their family, making this a somewhat difficult time to travel in Vietnam. However, hotels do stay open and the foreigner-aimed travel industry of backpacker buses and such chugs on as normal, and penny-pinchers will be glad to know that no admission is charged to those museums and historical sites that stay open. Visitors also stand a good chance of being invited to join the festivities, often involving large quantities of food and candy (for women and kids) and alcohol, karaoke, and gambling (for the men).

Crime

Vietnam is very keen on bolstering foreign tourism, with severe punishments for crimes against tourists, violent crime against foreigners is rare. Nevertheless be alert in the big cities, especially Ho Chi Minh City, where teams on motorbikes drive by their victims to snatch bags, cameras, mobile phones, jewelry, etc. Carry bags on the side away from the street, use money belts, and let the hotel reception keep your valuables. Also infamously common are thefts on popular beaches, like in the case of Nha Trang, where tourists get into the water for a swim to find out their day bag is gone when they're back to the beach. Never leave your bag unguarded on beaches, and keep your eyes over it.

Prostitution

Prostitution is illegal in Vietnam and the age of consent is 18. Vietnam has laws on the books with penalties up to 20 years in prison for sexually exploiting women and children, and several other countries have laws that allow them to prosecute their own citizens who travel abroad to engage in sex with children.

On the road

Be careful! When traveling within the confines of the city it is fine, as speed is pretty tame. However, getting on the freeway is dangerous, there are a lot of traffic fatalities (average is 30 deaths a day) on the freeways in Vietnam, and some locals will not even venture on them, if not in a big vehicle (car or bus). Taking a bicycle or motobike on the freeway is not advised. There are transport buses and tour buses that go about 80 km/hour that pay very little attention to what is going on around them (as is usually the way people adhere to traffic in Vietnam). This often leads to accidents, where frequently you will see many bodies lying on the road with a blanket over them and incense burning around them. If you are in an accident you have to get yourself to the hospital. You have to call yourself or if lucky, get someone to call for you. Local hospitals will not accept you unless they think you can pay the bill.

Crossing the road

The stakes are high: if you are to die in Vietnam, more than likely it will happen on the road -- be it in a car or under one. Vietnamese cities are crowded, and the roads are absolutely packed. You will take your life into your own hands every time that you cross a busy street in any of Vietnam's major cities. Although some intersections in the main cities (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City) have traffic lights and many are patrolled by a police officer, most lights are either non-functional or ignored, and you are more likely to see a traffic officer sitting in the shade than directing traffic. In most of the Western world, the trick is to avoid the cars. That's simply not possible in Vietnam, as there are far too many cars, trucks (lorries or utes), motorbikes, cyclos and bicycles in far too little space. No, the trick in Vietnam is to enable the vehicles to avoid you. This is managed by first picking a reasonable gap in the traffic (probably a smaller gap than you'd choose when jaywalking in, say London or Manhattan or Sydney), then walking slowly and predictably across the street while looking directly at the on-coming cars, motorcycles, cyclos and bicycles. The predictability of your pace and path is the critical factor between life and death. Do not change direction or speed. If you stop, retreat or try to dodge the vehicles, you are risking injury, and your possible misfortune will merely annoy a lot of commuters by snarling traffic even further. But if you step confidently and carefully, the drivers will see and smoothly avoid you -- often with grace and a casual aplomb that's initially bewildering to many panic-stricken Westerners. But remember, they do this all the time, every day...or they wouldn't be alive themselves. The simplest way to cross a busy street is to find a local and walk close to him or her, mirroring their path and pace. They know what they're doing! And once you get the hang of it, it's actually great fun to find yourself walking unafraid through a deadly sea of swarming vehicles and people, suddenly feeling like part of the normal flow in this otherwise foreign land - many visitors find waiting at traffic lights quite boring upon return to their home countries.

Nightlife

Vietnam has a great night life and is reasonably safe compared to many countries. However, Vietnam is like any country, so beware of petty crimes. As in most unfamiliar places, beware of punk looking teenagers and triads. Basically don't go looking for trouble. Remember Vietnam is a partying country and though they are lenient towards foreigners you shouldn't try your luck. Also, things tend to get a little bit empty at night, since there is a curfew for shops to close, which is usually around 10ish. Alleyways, which there are a lot of in Vietnam, are usually safe. Use common sense. If you are in Ho Chi Minh City, don't forget to visit Galaxy nightclub, it's has a wonderful nightlife atmosphere with many beautiful ladies. Also if you go to Dalat, a very beautiful city, remember to visit Y-Niem Cafe and Nightclub, it is simply the best with an extrodinary nightlife senstation, with a beautiful architectual design, with exceptional service.

Wildlife

Unfortunately, much of Vietnam's dangerous wildlife is severely endangered and very rarely seen. Tigers are so rare that the odds of seeing one are extremely low, even for the people living in the rural parts of the country. Crocodiles are virtually extinct in Vietnam- Saltwater crocodiles were once present in the Mekong Delta (up until 20 years ago) and in much of South Vietnam, but due to the country's wars, discrimination and habitat destruction they are rare (and probably non-existent) everywhere in the country and are most likely extinct as a breeding species in Vietnam. Leopards, though more common than Tigers, are still very rare. Snakes are pretty much the only common animal that represents any substantial threat to a human being. The Siamese crocodile is also very rare and is the only confirmed surviving crocodile species in Vietnam, but is not known to represent a threat to human beings.

Tropical diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and Japanese encephalitis are endemic in rural Vietnam. Malaria isn't as much a concern in the bigger cities such as Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi.