Vietnam
Vietnam's first gay marriage
The GLBT Community is slowly growing in Vietnam. Gays in Vietnam are not oppressed by the government and there are no laws against homosexuality. The Vietnamese government is adamant about suppressing a sex industry, be it straight or gay. There are very strict laws about underage sex, don’t get caught! In many hotels it is impossible or difficult to bring back a guest to your room that has not registered in advance. The younger generation seems to be very open about their sexuality, and the expat community is somewhat out and supportive of the gay community. There are several bars, pubs, discos, nightclubs, restaurants, spas, saunas, guesthouses and resorts that are gay owned or managed. The discos and nightclubs are mixed but the gays know where to gather. Prostitution is illegal in Vietnam as is the payment for sex, so be careful. There are young men cruising along the parks at night, just be careful of picking up someone, you may get ripped off or threatened.
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Vietnam Travel Tips
An Introduction
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is located in the Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
The Gay Scene
The gay scene in Vietnam is growing, but it is still very small, nothing compared to Thailand or Cambodia. Coffee shops seem to be the place to meet, there are several outdoor coffee shops, that can handle at least one hundred people. There are several gay owned and managed hotels, guesthouses, bars, pubs, spas, saunas and tour companies. However the Vietnamese government seems determined not to allow a “sex” industry. There are no laws against homosexuality in Vietnam. Same sex marriages are not permitted. Overseas same sex marriages are not recognized. In practice gay people are not prosecuted and gay venues are permitted to operate freely without too much interference. Coming out to one’s own family or work colleagues as being gay is still a difficult thing for many Asian gay men,
Climate
When it comes to weather, it’s a tough call, as Vietnam’s climate is so diverse. Think frosts and occasional snow in the mountains of the north, and temperatures soaring to 40?C in the south during the dry season. Vietnam’s weather is dictated by two monsoons, meaning double trouble on the rain front. The winter monsoon comes from the northeast between October and March, bringing damp and chilly winters to all areas north of Nha Trang, and dry and warm temperatures to the south. From April or May to October, the summer monsoon brings hot, humid weather to the whole country except for those areas sheltered by mountains. For the best balance, we’d vote for the months of April, May or October. For those sticking to the south, November to February is dry and a touch cooler. From July to November, violent and unpredictable typhoons hit central and northern Vietnam, which can dampen the spirits of even the most enthusiastic traveller.
Shopping
Nearly all shops and markets in Vietnam are open from early in the morning to late at night every day of the week and they even do not close for lunch. Most shops now accept internationally recognized credit cards. Shops and market accept US dollars and Vietnamese Dong; at markets your change will be returned in Dong. There is no goverment tax on shop purchases.
- You should bargain when buying in markets and in shops exept where price tags are used. (supermarkets)
Banking
The hours may differ from bank to bank. Generally banks open from Monday to Friday: 8:00 – 11:30 and 1:00 to 4:00. Some large banks also open through lunch or on Saturday mornings. Banks are closed on public holidays
Direct payment of cash is most popular in Vietnam. Small shops, restaurants and markets usually do not accept any other payment. Major credit cards (such as Visa, Master Charge and to some extent American Express) are increasingly being used, especially in big cities and tourist places, but only in restaurants, hotels or big shopping malls with a transactional fee (3%-5%).Traveler’s cheques are an easy method of carrying money around, and can be cashed at major banks (but not small banks in small towns). For those hesitant to carry a large amount of cash around, ATMs (automatic teller machines) have become increasingly popular in Vietnam (mostly in cities) and have attracted many foreign visitors. Most banks offer this service and the registration for an account is simple and fast. All ATMs are locally interconnected. However, ATMs only give in VND.
Immigration
It is best to get your visa at an embassy or consulate before traveling to Vietnam. All nationalities must have a valid passport and need to apply for a travel visa, except for ASEAN nationals. Visa on arrival is available at the International checkpointsTravelling To Laos
Getting To Vietnam
Vietnam has several international airports, from adjacent countries such as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and China, tourists can travel to Vietnam by coach. Many tourists enjoy the sea voyage, especially those departing from Japan, America, as well as Europe.
Getting About
With more limited time, flights present the best option to hop between the further apart destinations in the north, south and central areas of Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines (VN) has daily flights between Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue, and Nha Trang. Regular flights are also provided between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat, Buon Ma Thuot, Hai Phong, Na San, Phu Quoc, Qui Nhon, Pleiku, and Vinh
Trains are also quite popular, especially overnight trains in a soft sleeper. Vietnam’s Reunification Express runs the entire coast between Hanoi and HCMC, with stops along the way in Hue, Danang and Nha Trang. In addition, the train is the main way to get between Hanoi and Sapa in the north.Traffic drives on the right. There is a reasonable road network. However, roads are often in poor condition and may be inaccessible during the rainy season. Driving in Vietnam can be a harrowing experience as the normal rules of highway discipline are not followed by most drivers.When taking a Taxi use one of the main companies such as Vinataxi (bright yellow) or Mai Linh (white and green), and you shouldn’t have a problem. Make sure you have the address written down, as most drivers won’t speak English and Vietnamese is notoriously hard to pronunce. Don’t use smaller, unmarked taxis, this is where you encounter difficulties.Cyclos always agree on the price before you depart. Cyclo journeys should cost around 20,000 VND an hour.Chauffeur-driven cars are available for hire. Motorbikes are for rent in major cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Dalat. You can buy one at very low price in any of these cities.
Electrical Appliances
Vietnam uses type A, B, C, E, F and G electrical plugs with a voltage of 220 V at 50 Hz. Some outlets offer a combination of type A and C. Type F outlets are most often found in hotels.
Tipping
Most restaurants add a 5 per cent service charge but an additional 5 to 10 per cent may be given, where deserved. When a service charge is not automatic,10 per cent is acceptable. Small tips may also be given to taxi drivers, bellboys, doormen and washroom attendants.
Vietnam Tourist Attractions
HA LONG BAY is situated in north Vietnam round a 120 kilometer long coast line and is literally translated as “Bay of Descending Dragons”. The top tourist attraction in Vietnam, Ha Long Bay features thousands of islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves, others islands include lakes and some support floating villages of fishermen.
HUE With seven stories, the Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue is the tallest pagoda in Vietnam. The pagoda overlooks the Perfume River and is regarded as the unofficial symbol of the former imperial capital. The temple was built in 1601 during the rule of the Nguygn Lords. The initial temple was very simply constructed, but over time it was redeveloped and expanded with more intricate features.
HANOI Located in the historical center of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem Lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as the locals’ favorite leisure spot. Hoan Kiem means “returned sword”, and the name comes from a legend in which King Le Loi was given a magical sword by the gods, which he used to drive out the invading Chinese. Later he returned the sword to the Golden Turtle God in the lake.
HOI AN This fishing-village-turned-tourist-attraction is situated on the coast of the South China Sea. Hoi An has been an international port from the 16th century although the serious shipping business has long since moved to the city of Da Nang. The heart of the city is still the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shops. It is sometimes called the “Venice of Vietnam” because of the narrow canals that cut through part of the town.
PHU QUOCLocated in front of the Cambodia coast, Phu Quoc is the largest island in Vietnam. Phu Quoc is what Phuket would be if it hadn’t been overrun by development. The island features pristine tropical forests, undamaged coral reefs and great beaches. One of its beaches, named Bai Dai (Long Beach), was chosen by the ABC News as one of five beautiful and clean beaches. Phu Quoc is famous for producing the best nuoc mam or fermented fish sauce in the world.
NA TRANG is Vietnam’s most popular seaside resort town located along the second most beautiful bays in the country. It features beautiful beaches with fine and clean sand and clear ocean water with mild temperatures. The city has about 300,000 inhabitants and is more lively and urban in character than other beach destinations like Mui Ne and Phu Quoc. It’s also the scuba diving center of Vietnam.
THE CHU CHI TUNNELS are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located about 40 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The tunnels were used by Viet Cong guerrillas as hiding spots during the Vietnam War, and were the base of operations for the Tet Offensive in 1968. The tunnels have become a popular tourist attraction, and visitors are invited to crawl around in the safer parts of the tunnel system.
Vietnam History
Early History
The Vietnamese are descendants of nomadic Mongols from China and migrants from Indonesia. According to mythology, the first ruler of Vietnam was Hung Vuong, who founded the nation in 2879 B.C. China ruled the nation then known as Nam Viet as a vassal state from 111 B.C. until the 15th century, an era of nationalistic expansion, when Cambodians were pushed out of the southern area of what is now Vietnam.
A century later, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to enter the area. France established its influence early in the 19th century, and within 80 years it conquered the three regions into which the country was then divided—Cochin-China in the south, Annam in the central region, and Tonkin in the north.
France first unified Vietnam in 1887, when a single governor-generalship was created, followed by the first physical links between north and south—a rail and road system. Even at the beginning of World War II, however, there were internal differences among the three regions. Japan took over military bases in Vietnam in 1940, and a pro-Vichy French administration remained until 1945. Veteran Communist leader Ho Chi Minh organized an independence movement known as the Vietminh to exploit the confusion surrounding France’s weakened influence in the region. At the end of the war, Ho’s followers seized Hanoi and declared a short-lived republic, which ended with the arrival of French forces in 1946.
Paris proposed a unified government within the French Union under the former Annamite emperor, Bao Dai. Cochin-China and Annam accepted the proposal, and Bao Dai was proclaimed emperor of all Vietnam in 1949. Ho and the Vietminh withheld support, and the revolution in China gave them the outside help needed for a war of resistance against French and Vietnamese troops armed largely by a United States worried about cold war Communist expansion.
Vietnam Splits North and South; America Enters the War
A bitter defeat at Dien Bien Phu in northwest Vietnam on May 5, 1954, broke the French military campaign and resulted in the division of Vietnam. In the new South, Ngo Dinh Diem, prime minister under Bao Dai, deposed the monarch in 1955 and made himself president. Diem used strong U.S. backing to create an authoritarian regime that suppressed all opposition but could not eradicate the Northern-supplied Communist Viet Cong.
Skirmishing grew into a full-scale war, with escalating U.S. involvement. A military coup, U.S.-inspired in the view of many, ousted Diem on Nov. 1, 1963, and a kaleidoscope of military governments followed. The most savage fighting of the war occurred in early 1968 during the Vietnamese New Year, known as Tet. Although the so-called Tet Offensive ended in a military defeat for the North, its psychological impact changed the course of the war.
U.S. bombing and an invasion of Cambodia in the summer of 1970—an effort to destroy Viet Cong bases in the neighboring state—marked the end of major U.S. participation in the fighting. Most American ground troops were withdrawn from combat by mid-1971 when the U.S. conducted heavy bombing raids on the Ho Chi Minh Trail—a crucial North Vietnamese supply line. In 1972, secret peace negotiations led by Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger took place, and a peace settlement was signed in Paris on Jan. 27, 1973.
By April 9, 1975, Hanoi’s troops marched within 40 miles of Saigon, the South’s capital. South Vietnam’s president Thieu resigned on April 21 and fled. Gen. Duong Van Minh, the new president, surrendered Saigon on April 30, ending a war that claimed the lives of 1.3 million Vietnamese and 58,000 Americans.
Border Clashes With Cambodia Continue
In 1977, border clashes between Vietnam and Cambodia intensified, as well as accusations by its former ally Beijing that Chinese residents of Vietnam were being subjected to persecution. Beijing cut off all aid and withdrew 800 technicians.
Hanoi was also preoccupied with a continuing war in Cambodia, where 60,000 Vietnamese troops had invaded and overthrown the country’s Communist leader Pol Pot and his pro-Chinese regime. In early 1979, Vietnam was conducting a two-front war: defending its northern border against a Chinese invasion and supporting its army in Cambodia, which was still fighting Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Hanoi’s Marxist policies combined with the destruction of the country’s infrastructure during the decades of fighting devastated Vietnam’s economy. However, it started to pick up in 1986 under doi moi (economic renovation), an effort at limited privatization. Vietnamese troops began limited withdrawals from Laos and Cambodia in 1988, and Vietnam supported the Cambodian peace agreement signed in Oct. 1991.
Relations with America Improve as the Vietnamese Economy Reforms
The U.S. lifted a Vietnamese trade embargo in Feb. 1994 that had been in place since U.S. involvement in the war. Full diplomatic relations were announced between the two countries in July 1995. In April 1997, a pact was signed with the U.S. concerning repayment of the $146 million wartime debt incurred by the South Vietnamese government, and the following year the nation began a drive to eliminate inefficient bureaucrats and streamline the approval process for direct foreign investment. Efforts of reform-minded officials toward political and economic change have been thwarted by Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party. In April 2001, however, the progressive Nong Duc Manh was appointed general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, succeeding Le Kha Phieu. Even with a reformer at the helm of the party, change has been slow and cautious.
In Nov. 2001, Vietnam’s national assembly approved a trade agreement that opened U.S. markets to Vietnam’s goods and services. Tariffs on Vietnam’s products dropped to about 4% from rates as high as 40%. Vietnam in return opened its state markets to foreign competition.
The government highlighted its efforts to crack down on corruption and crime with the June 2003 conviction of notorious criminal syndicate boss Truong Van Cam, known as Nam Cam. He was sentenced to death, along with 155 other defendants, and executed in June 2004.
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai visited the United States in June 2005, becoming the first Vietnamese leader to do so since the Vietnam War ended. He met with President Bush and several business leaders, including Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. The U.S. is Vietnam’s largest trading partner, buying about $7 billion in Vietnamese goods each year.
Corrupt Leadership is Forced to Resign, but Reform Continues
A corruption scandal rocked Vietnam in April 2006. Transport minister Dao Dinh Binh resigned amid allegations that members of his staff embezzled millions from the country and used the funds to bet on soccer games. His deputy Nguyen Viet Tien was arrested for his role in the scandal. President Tran Duc Luong and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai resigned in June 2006, making way for two younger leaders, President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Luong and Khai had led Vietnam since 1997 and were instrumental in Vietnam’s two-decades-long transition to a market economy, called doi moi, or renovation.
Vietnam became the 150th member of the World Trade Organization in January 2007, after waiting 12 years to join the group.
