Passports and Visas
Effective March 12th, 2020: Vietnam has suspended Visa on Arrival services for travelers arriving from United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, France and Spain. Travelers from these countries will need to apply for a visa at the Vietnamese embassy in their country, or apply for the
visa on arrival pre-approval letter. To obtain a pre-approval letter, please provide your travel consultant with scanned copies of your passport and international flight tickets. Print out your pre-approval letter and bring it with you to show on arrival at the airport in Vietnam, along with 2 additional passport photos, and US$ 25 for a single entry visa, or US$ 50 for a multiple-entry visa.
For 46 nationalities – including Australians, Canadians and Americans – an e-visa can be obtained.* This must be applied for and received before departure to Vietnam. To check for the E-visa and tourist fee for single entry and multiple entries please check the Visa fee. You must scan a copy of your photo and passport when applying and get your approval letter of your visa on arrival at international airport of Vietnam. To learn more click Visa process. The processing time is 1-3 working days (not include Saturday,Sunday and Vietnamese holiday). Please make sure your passport is valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the duration of stay in Vietnam.
Alternatively you can obtain a visa to Vietnam from the embassy worldwide. Here is the list of locations. You must specify your arrival date when applying for a visa and it is from this date that the 30 days will be calculated. When picking up your visa check to be sure the dates match your travel plans and that it is stamped directly into your passport as it will not be accepted if it is stapled in.
*For travellers on our Saigon to Bangkok or Saigon to Siem Reap trips, an eVisa is not applicable at the Vietnam exit point at Chau Doc. However, Visa On Arrival is available with an approval letter, which SpiceRoads can arrange at cost.
Health
Recommended vaccinations are typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required when arriving from an infected area within six days. Vietnam is a malarial area and you will need to take anti-malarial tablets. Please speak to your doctor for the most up to date information.
Weather
Weather in Vietnam is divided into 4 main regions - the far north, north, central and south.
The far north can get very cold in December and January while the dry season runs from October to late March and the wet season between April to September.
In Hanoi & the north, it is hot, wet and humid from May to October while November to April is cooler and dry.
Central Vietnam experiences hot, dry weather between January & August with temperatures ranging in the mid 30°C. High levels of rainfall are during September - November.
Southern Vietnam is dry and hot from November to April, and warm and wet between May & October, with the highest rainfall in June, July & August.
Food
Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are Vietnamese food and features noodles, rice curries and soups. Vietnamese cuisine is world famous and we make sure you sample as much variety as possible. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Drink
Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere in Vietnam but is NOT included in the price.
Solo Travelers
SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.
Extra Expenses
We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$10, for incidentals. It is customary to tip local tour guides and drivers, however, the amount you give should be dependent on the level of service you receive. As a general guide, we suggest US$ 3-4 per person per day is appropriate.
Money
The official national currency is the Vietnam dong (d), but the US dollar is widely accepted in tourist centers. However, in smaller towns and villages the dong is preferred. ATMs are available in all major tourist destinations and big cities. Vietcombank has the best network with a single withdrawal limit of 2,000,000d (about US$125). Most major currencies can be exchanged at leading banks in Vietnam, but the US dollar is preferred away from the tourist centers. Changing US$100 will make you an instant millionaire! You cannot legally take the dong out of Vietnam but you can reconvert reasonable amounts of it into US dollars on departure.
We just completed a 4 day Mekong Delta Cycling Tour and Wow!. From pick up to drop off it was so well organised and I would most definitely recommend this tour. Of course what made this possible were the tour Guide Ngoc Quyen (Vicki) and the bus driver Mr Phuong. They were attentive to our every need and adapted the route to fit the group cycling levels without compromising the promised 150km distance.Every day was different in scenery and we experienced Vietnam as no bus tour can give you. Simply loved it and will most certainly be back for more. Especially if we were to have the same tour guide again.To manage expectations be prepared to live a bit local on especially the first night but it as still an amazing experience. The Ba Linh family were great hosts. It is not a tough cycle route as it is very flat but for novices the average of 40km a day can be tiring especially as the humidity and heat are oppressive but that is what we signed up for and it met with our expectation. I could not wish for a better way to see the country or to have a holiday.