Language
Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam. Foreign language learning, particularly English, is currently in vogue among young people in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Da Nang and other cities. Tourist guides can speak English, French, Russian, Chinese and Japanese.

Currency
The currency in Vietnam is the dong (VND), which currently trades at about VND 21,000 to the US dollar (can be checked details on our homepage). US dollars remain widely accepted at hotels, but you should have local currency for use in taxis and shops. Credit card acceptance, especially for Visa, is spreading in higher-end hotels, restaurants, and shops in big cities. For cash advances, ussually at a rate of tree percent commission, go to ANZ Bank, 11 Me Linh Square, D.1, HCM City (Tel. 829 9319) or ANZ Bank, 14 Ly Thai To street, Hanoi (Tel. 825 8190). Some travel cafes provide cash advances at higher rates, their advantage being that they stay open late and on weekends. ANZ and Vietcombank, Techcombank, HSBC have ATM machines that dispense only dong. Do not accept torn or soiled bills as you may have trouble spending them.
Before leave Vietnam, Vietnamese dong can be changed into foreign currencies at the airport.

Working hours
Government offices and museums open early, around 8am, and close between 4pm and 5pm. Avoid doing business from 11.30am to 2pm, when people are either at lunch or napping. Private shops are open from 8am or 8.30am to 9pm or 10pm.

Public Holidays
January 1st: New Year's Day, one day holiday.
April 30th: Saigon Liberation Day, one day holiday.
May 1st:International Labour Day, one day holiday.
September 2nd: National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, one day holiday.
Vietnam Traditional Lunar New Year Festival - Tet Nguyen Dan: Four day holiday. Tet holiday usually falls at the end of January or middle of February by solar calendar. The holiday begins on the last day of the last lunar month and lasts through the first three days of the Lunar New Year (Tet Nguyen Dan or Chinese New Year).