So our first two weeks have been a roller coaster ride consisting of emotions, enjoyment, stress, being ripped-off, scooting around, getting super lost, eating different things, applying for MILLIONS of jobs, drinking beer, walking, traffic, moving hotels, asking advice, not being understood, job interviews, demo lessons and tough decisions. We expected to hit the ground running, but essentially 'hurry-up and waited' to get a break. So we thought that we would dedicate a post to anybody who is thinking of coming to Vietnam, as a tourist or a prospective teacher.
Firstly, the pre-trip admin:
Get yourself a Lonely Planet! Then...
Visiting Vietnam is really not that difficult, but you will need the essentials similar to visiting other countries. The first is your passport (logically). It must be up-to-date, and cannot expire within 6 months of arrival in Vietnam. This is a relatively easy process now that South African Home Affairs have some sort of a system.
Next you will need to buy some air tickets (unless you're a pirate and are happy to navigate your way by sea like Captain Jack Sparrow - please note that this may be a longer journey than the arial option). We used a very helpful website called Hipmunk (http://www.hipmunk.com) which conveniently provides all of the airlines which fly to any country, and ranks them by price, most direct, quickest, stop-overs, you name it! It is also a good idea to do some of your own investigating on the internet (most airlines have comprehensive websites and you can plot your journey online). Be sure to play around with the dates, because this can drastically adjust the price of the ticket.
Right, so you have your passport and you have your ticket. Now you just need to make sure you are at the airport on time and its a happy little trip, right? WRONG! You will need to organise a visa to get into Vietnam, otherwise it could end up being a very expensive visit to Saigon International Airport (assuming of course that you land in Ho Chi Minh City). Applying for a visa is simple. There are many online companies which will organise your visa approval letter in two days. If you just google, you will find a list to choose from (Lonely Planet suggests some specific ones). This step will cost you, and your nationality will determine just how much. There are also different options (e.g. 1 month single entry, 3 months single entry, 3 months multiple entry, tourist or business, etc...) and the prices are different for each type of visa too. In two days time, you should receive a scanned copy of your visa approval letter (your name will appear along with various other people's who applied at the same time). It is important that you print a clear copy of this and take it with you on your flight.
You would think that the visa process would be over once you have received your visa approval letter, but it is not. You will also need two 4cm x 6cm passport photos to go along with your approval letter. Keep all of these pages/pictures in an easily accessible place for when you land.
The next step is to find a place to stay for your first night. Use Trip Advisor (www.tripadvisor.com) to find a hotel or guest house that is within your budget. Most of the hotels in District 1 are between $10 and $20 USD for the room, for a night. They usually have wifi, a TV, aircon, a fan and a fridge. Don't expect a nice, soft bed or pillow! People pay at the end of their stay, and there are no deposits required for most hotels.
Ok, so you have your passport, air ticket, visa approval letter with two photos and you know where you are going to stay for the first few nights. Your pre-trip admin is almost over. The penultimate step is to convert some money. The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong (heehee) - or VND. The problem when trying to convert Rand to Dong (stop giggling!) is that you can only get VND in Vietnam, and they aren't too familiar with the Rand in Vietnam. So what you need to do is convert your precious Rands into US Dollars (you suddenly feel very poor and wonder what happened to all of your hard earned savings). Taking Dollars to Vietnam is the best option, because they are easily convertible, and recognisable by the Vietnamese locals. You will need your air ticket to convert currency, that is why the order makes so much sense.
Lastly, you need to pack. Now, instinct would tell you to pack loads of summer clothes and a few jerseys for 'incase it gets cold'. Your instinct is only partially correct. You see, it's hot here - and pretty consistent. Even when the sun goes down, the drop in temperature is not very much. So, our advice would be to save the space in your bags where your jerseys (and other clothes for cold weather) would've gone, and replace that space with precious goodies from South Africa specially for us - email us to find out specific items. We know that these clothes take up more space than summer clothes, so you will have loads of space for our goodies - no skimping!
You are now ready for your trip to Vietnam, admin wise - nothing that we tell you will be able to fully prepare you for what lies ahead (but know that it is awesome!).
(Please note: This is part 1 in our 'Surviving Vietnam' series)
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