1 Money

  - Dông (VND; symbol ₫). Notes are in denominations of 500,000₫; 200,000₫; 100,000₫; 50,000₫; 20,000₫; 10,000₫; 5,000₫; 2,000₫; 1,000₫; 500₫; 200₫ and 100₫. Coins are in denominations of 5,000₫; 2,000₫; 1,000₫ and 500₫.

  - The US Dollar is the most favored foreign currency. Australian, British, Japanese, Singaporean and Thai currency, as well as the Euro, can usually be changed in the larger cities; great difficulty may be encountered in trying to exchange any other currencies. There is a commission charge for changing money in banks.

2 Weather

Hanoi and the Northern Vietnam have a distinct winter and summer season with a dry winter lasting from November to April with average temperatures of 18 - 20ºC. Summer lasts from May to October and is hot and humid with temperatures around 30ºC.

Hue and Danang in the center of the country have very hot, dry weather from February to August with temperatures reaching the mid 30ºC, but can experience some quite heavy rainfall between September and January.

Ho Chi Minh City and the south have a hot, dry season from December till April with average temperatures around 28ºC and a rainy season lasting from May through till November. It rarely rains for long periods even in the rainy season with most rain coming in short, heavy bursts.

	HANOI (North)		DANANG (Center)		SAIGON (South)
	Av. Temp (Celsius)	Av. Rainfall (mm)	Av. Temp (Celsius)	Av. Rainfall (mm)	Av. Temp (Celsius)	Av. Rainfall (mm)
Jan	17	18	22	102	27	15
Feb	18	28	23	31	28	3
Mar	20	38	24	12	29	13
Apr	24	81	27	18	30	43
May	28	196	29	47	29	221
Jun	30	239	30	42	29	330
Jul	30	323	30	99	28	315
Aug	29	343	30	117	28	269
Sep	28	254	28	447	27	335
Oct	26	99	26	530	27	269
Nov	22	43	25	221	27	114
Dec	19	20	23	209	27	56

 

3. To stay healthy, do...

Wash your hands often with soap and water

Drink only bottled or boiled water or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes.

Take your malaria prevention medication before, during, and after travel, as directed. (See your health care provider for a prescription.)

To prevent fungal and parasitic infections, keep feet clean and dry, and do not go barefoot, even on beaches.

Always use latex condoms to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Protect yourself from mosquito insect bites:

4. Do not

Do not eat food that is not well cooked to reduce risk of infection (i.e., hepatitis A and typhoid fever).

Do not drink beverages with ice.

Avoid dairy products, unless you know they have been pasteurized.

Do not swim in fresh water to avoid exposure to certain water-borne diseases such as schistosomiasis.

Do not handle animals, especially monkeys, dogs, and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases (including rabies and plague). Consider pre-exposure rabies vaccination if you might have extensive unprotected outdoor exposure in rural areas.

Do not touch dead animals or surfaces spoiled with animals dejections.

Do not share brush teeth, razors, needles for tattoos, body piercing or injections to prevent infections such as HIV and hepatitis B.

5 Important notes

A - Environmental hazards

Climate & air pollution : heat, humidity, dust and motor fumes (especially in Saigon and Hanoi ) combine their effects that can worsen a lung disease. It can also aggravate coughs, colds and sinus problems. The use of air conditioned too cold and directed on the face or the chest should be avoided. If you have sinus or lung disease, take your usual medication (inhaler…) for exacerbation of the symptoms.

Sunburn : in the tropics, even you do not feel very hot especially on the beach or under the clouds you can get sunburn quickly. Protect your skin with a sun cream with a strength adapted to your skin sensitivity, wear a hat and protect your eyes with sunglasses.

B - Infectious diseases

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is a common symptom among the travelers often call “tourista”; but it can be just the sign of diet changes until the sign of a very severe disease that needs a hospitalization.

When should you see a doctor?

If you have bloody stool or/and mucus

if you have fever

if you have severe abdominal pain

if you have very often watery stool and you loose a lot of water and weight

if you are vomiting

If you are not in these cases, you can help yourself by a good diet:

fluid replacement: drink at least equal to the volume being lost; take the World Health Organization ORS solutions but if you cannot find it you can drink Coca-Cola or Pepsi-Cola; take away the gas by adding 1 teaspoon of sugar into each glass.

Bland diet: eat only white steam rice with boiled carrot, porridge (“chao” in Vietnamese) and soups (“pho” in Vietnamese).

Stick to this diet for 48H to 72H. If the symptoms are not released after 3 days, you should seek for medical advice. Some medication like Loperamide (Imodium) should be avoided because it can delay the recovery. Use only if you must travel to seek medical advice and have no access to the toilets.

Hepatitis

5 types of hepatitis are known: A, B, C, D and E. The most common are the types A, B and C. They are all widespread worldwide but hepatitis B and C are more common in Asia than they are in Western countries.

Hepatitis A is transmitted by contaminated food and water or through direct person-to-person contact. You can be protected by a vaccine. If not vaccinated wash your hands often and more before eating or drinking.

Hepatitis B is transmitted through contact with infected blood, blood products or body fluids: sexual contact, unsterilised needles, blood transfusions or some breaks of the skin (shaver, body piercing, tattoo); it is very common in all Vietnam particularly in some areas. Now the Vietnamese health program includes the systematic vaccination of the newborns and also vaccination during the pregnancy to give immunization to the fetus and prevent the contamination from the infected mother at birth. There is a very effective vaccine recommended to have before to come to Asia . If not yet done, avoid any blood exposure; in the clinics and hospitals they use disposable needles and syringes; use condom can prevent sexual exposure.

Hepatitis C is mostly spread through infected blood contact and blood products (unsterilised needles and blood transfusion) and rarely by sexual contact; it is widespread in Vietnam and there is no preventive vaccine. The only prevention is to avoid risk situations.

Hepatitis D is usually a co infection that contaminates the people already infected with hepatitis B virus or also with hepatitis C virus and HIV. We do not have much data about this hepatitis in Vietnam .

Hepatitis E is transmitted by contaminated food and water; it is not common in Vietnam , just sporadic cases are found. Prevention is the same as Hepatitis A by having a good hygiene but there is no vaccine. It is particularly serious for the pregnant women during the third trimester.

HIV and AIDS

An infection with the human immunodeficiency virus may lead to immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is a very severe chronic disease that leads to many others complications. We have now some good medications to prevent most of the complications and to live in good condition but not to cure the disease.

The people are infected through the blood or blood products from infected people or sexual contact.

The only prevention is to avoid risk situations and use condom to prevent sexual exposure.

Parasites

The tropical zone is known to have much kind of parasites.

You can be contaminated through: food (raw or not enough cooked), drinking water, fresh water when swimming, the soil and contacts with animals by skin bites. They can give no symptoms or various symptoms including but not limited to: skin rash and itching, abdominal pain, diarrhea, hematuria for the most common.

If you are experiencing some symptoms, better to seek doctor advice.

Bird Flu

The Bird Flu has been spreading to some countries in the world and there are cases in Vietnam among the poultry mostly the chickens, but also the ducks and the pork. Some people are affected but they are all people who work in the farms and take care directly of the affected animals; they have been infected by dejections of affected animals or dead affected animals.

Some people from people contamination (12 cases in Thailand ) have been supposed inside the same family with permanent or repetitive contact but without spreading outside the family.

No case has been reported from eating cooked animals.

It is advisable not to go to the areas where they grow poultry but there is no or very minimal risk in the normal tourist areas.

No vaccine has been recommended and the normal flu vaccine does not protect against the H5N1 virus responsible of the bird flu. There is one antiviral drug that reduces the symptoms of the affected people: oseltamivir (Tamiflu®).

No restriction for traveling has been making by the WHO but avoid the animal farms. Just do not touch dead animals even in the market or surfaces spoiled with animal's dejections, wash your hands often with hydro alcoholic solution, and cook the food at more than 70 C.

The Traveler Medication Kit (It's avaiable in every big city in Vietnam)

Mild sleeping pills (Lexomil);

Urinary antiseptics (Noroxine);

Antidiarrhoeics (Tiorfan, Smecta);

Laxatives (Forlax);

Antalgics (Paracetamol) ;

Antispasmodics (Spasfon, Debridat);

Antipyretics (Paracetamol);

Antihistaminic (Cetirizine);

Antimalarials ;

Antibiotics (Augmentin);

Eye-drops (antiseptic, antiallergic) ;

Antiemetics (travel sickness) Primperan ;

Oral rehydration salts (WHO recommendation ; can be prepared by yourself: 6 level coffee spoons of sugar and 1/2 coffee spoon of salt in 1 liter of drinking water) ;

Ear drops.