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If You Go ... Saigon
Sunday, April 30, 2000
Eight years after the U.S. government lifted restrictions against its citizens traveling to Vietnam and five years after the two countries normalized relations, there are still no direct U.S.-Vietnam flights. There's not enough potential business to justify them, according to airlines. However, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are connected via international flights to more than 20 cities in Europe, Asia and Australia. Bangkok is where to get the cheapest air fares into Vietnam.
The most direct route (in terms of plane changes) to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi from Pittsburgh is to fly Pittsburgh-to-Paris on US Airways, then Paris-to-Vietnam on Air France. It's also the most expensive route. And, flying to Vietnam via Europe usually includes long layovers. So, although it entails at least two plane changes, it's less grueling (and considerably cheaper) to go trans-Pacific -- flying first to New York, say, or the West Coast, then to an Asian hub such as Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei or Singapore, and then on to Vietnam.
U.S. citizens need a visa as well as a passport to enter Vietnam. Visas are good for 30 days. Once you're in Vietnam, extensions can usually be obtained through travel agents. Visa applications are available through travel agents, Asian tour companies or the Vietnam Embassy, 1233 20th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 (202-861-0737); fax 202-861-0917. Visas cost $65 per person. Mail the completed application, two passport-type photos, your passport and payment to the embassy.
Turnaround time for a visa varies from one week to a month or longer, so don't wait until the last minute. Also, book your flight before applying for a tourist visa. The 30-day clock on your visa begins ticking from the date stamped on it, not from the date you enter Vietnam.
It's also important to note that Vietnamese visas are issued for a specific entry point. If you're traveling by air, you must specify whether you'll arrive at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat Airport or Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport.
Once you're in Vietnam, you may depart from either airport.
Ho Chi Minh City lodgings range from the ridiculously cheap ($2 U.S. per night for a clean, small room in a private home) to the extravagant ($150-$800 per night at the 4-star Omni Saigon, located 10 minutes from the airport). In government-sanctioned hostels and hotels, you can rent a double room with a fan and private bath for $15-$20. If you want air conditioning, too, you'll pay an extra $5-$10. If you're looking for a touch of pre-war Saigon, splurge on a room ($100-$200) at the Continental Hotel on Dong Khoi Street. Built in 1880 and renovated in 1989, this elegant French colonial building was the setting of Graham Greene's novel "The Quiet American."
Fielding Worldwide: www.fieldingtravel.com.
Travel Advisory: Vietnam (U.S. State Department): travel.state.gov/vietnam.html.
Vietnam Tourism: www.erols.com/dreese.
Southern Vietnam's climate is tropical. There are basically two seasons: the May-to-November wet season and the December-to-April dry season. The weather tends to be hottest and most humid from late February to May.
Tet (late January or early February), the beginning of the new lunar year, is Vietnam's most important festival. The week-long rites range from solemn ceremonies honoring ancestors to uproarious precautions against demons and bad spirits. Firecracker racket during Tet became so loud that the Vietnamese government outlawed firecrackers in 1995. People skirt the law by blasting tape recordings of firecracker noise.
Tet is generally a great time to visit Vietnam (1968 was a notable exception), but keep in mind that hotels fill quickly and many services shut down.
The bad news is that Vietnamese, like other East Asian languages, is extremely difficult for most Westerners to speak and understand, mainly because of its subtle tonal nuances. But at least you can spell what you can't say: Vietnam uses a romanized alphabet rather than Chinese characters, thanks to a French Jesuit missionary named Alexandre de Rhodes. In 1651, he developed the script, called quoc ngu, that remains in use today.
You can expect to hear a fair amount of English spoken in Ho Chi Minh City, mainly by younger people. Many older Vietnamese, especially in the north, still speak some French. Unlike their French former colonial rulers, Vietnamese tend to be delighted and even honored when you attempt to speak their language, however feeble your efforts may be.
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