Geography. Southeast Asian country, located on the Indochinese peninsula. It shares borders with China, Laos, Cambodia. From the east and south, bordering the South Sea. The length of coastline - 3260 km. Territory. 331 700 (65 th in the world).

Capital. Hanoi (5 million. Inhabitants). Other cities: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Haiphong, Danang, Benhoa, Hue.
Population. 86 million. (13-e in the world). OK. 60% of the population - up to 25 years of age.
Local time. GMT + 7 hours. Winter time ahead of Moscow for 4 hours, summer - 3 hours (Baltic time - suitable for 5 and 4 h.).
Official language - Vietnamese. Part of the population speaks in English, in Chinese, in French, in Russian.

Currency. Vietnamese Dong ("d" or VND). Available notes 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10 000, 20 000, 50 000, 100 000, 200 000 and 500 000 dong. 1 USD = 22,000 d, 1 EUR = 27,000 d

Credit cards VISA, Master Card, American Express are accepted in most major hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and major cities. For operations with cards are paid an additional 5% bank charges. It is also often accept US dollars and euros. Electricity. Voltage electrical networks - 220 V. Sockets are made so that they can be used with plugs European and American standard.

Tipping. Accepted to give porters, restaurants, taxi drivers, guides and drivers, serving tourists. Rely approx. 10,000 - 20,000 VND. Guide and driver relying 3 - 5 dollars. US per day. The best time to travel: all year, in late September - October, typhoons are possible.

High Season: November - April.

Visa. For Russian citizens visa-free entry for 15 days. For citizens of other countries need an invitation to obtain a visa at the airport or at the consulate. The invitation is made in 3-5 working days. Passport validity - 6 months from the end of the trip. With a need to take a photo of 4 to 6 cm. The cost of the visa fee at the airport - 25 or $ 50 depending on the multiplicity of visa and the length of stay in the country. Citizens of the Russian Federation did not pay the application fee. Airport charges on domestic routes in Vietnam are included in the ticket price.

Everyone holidays. Official holidays are considered January 1, Lunar New Year - end of January - February, the Day of Ancestors Hung in April, April 30 - Day of Liberation of Vietnam, 2 September - Independence Day

In the past few years Vietnamese food has become more and more popular around the world. Food lovers may have tried the two best known Vietnamese dishes – spring rolls and bread rolls. Rice, noodles, fresh vegetable and herbs all play big roles in Vietnamese food, making it one of the healthiest cuisines in the world.

In Vietnam you’ll discover one unmistakable fact: Vietnamese people love noodles. They eat them every day, sometimes for every meal. Vietnamese noodles are made from a few basic ingredients, the most common being rice, wheat and mung beans, but a whole sub-cuisine is built on these basics. 

In the northern part of the country, thanks to the influence of neighbouring China, people tend to use more soy sauce than other parts, where fish sauce is more usual. Other common ingredients in Vietnamese cooking include black pepper (mainly in the north), hot chili, coconut milk, limes, lemon grass, tamarind and cane sugar, supplemented by asparagus and potatoes, courtesy of the French influence. Methods of cooking vary from simmering or boiling to frying or grilling.

Stir-frying using a wok and chopsticks is common. Many European influences can be found in Vietnamese dishes, including sauces, meats, cold roast pork, patés and baguettes (French rolls). At the other end of the scale, in some parts of the country there is still plenty of demand for exotic meats such as dog, turtle and snake. 

As in many countries in Asian, people tend to eat “family style”, sharing dishes. Each gets a plate or bowl with rice, then shares with everyone else the bowls of food set in the middle of table. If you are eating with a Vietnamese family expect to see little in the way of meat unless the family is quite wealthy.

Noodles (of course) and vegetables are the standard diet in most households. A typical Vietnamese meal will include rice, a meat or seafood dish, a vegetable dish, soup and fish sauce for dipping

Green tea is the most common drink, and is offered as a courtesy to guests or visitors. The two most popular local beers are Saigon Export and Saigon Lager, but imported beers are available, at roughly double the price. Vietnam produces several varieties of rice wine - known as Ruou. However, bottles of Ruou commonly contain a pickled snake, the inclusion of which is thought to impart health-giving elements.

There are also numerous varieties of locally distilled spirits, which do not include the reptilian element - even if they may taste as if they do. Fruit wines, such as apricot, orange or lemon, are also common, and Soft drinks are processed from the many varieties of tropical fruits. Bottled drinking