1. Currency and Banking facilities
Vietnamese currency is Vietnamese Dong (VND). There are nine denominations of bills from VND 1,000 to VND 500,000.
Approximate exchange rate: 1US$ » 23,400 VND and 1EUR » 26,800 VND. You can sometimes pay in US dollars or Euros in Vietnam (but it is not recommended). The widely accepted credit cards in Vietnam are Visa, Master card and American Express.
Foreign currency can be exchanged into Dong at the airport or at any bank in the city. However, in general, by our rule, you can hardly exchange from VND back to foreign currency in a bank. Thus, please only exchange an amount enough for the duration of your stay.
Obtaining cash against ATM or credit cards is very easy from the ATM cash machines that can be found at almost each bank office, hotel or on the street.
2. Prepaid SIM card
You can buy a card at the airport or at any SIM card stores of many places in Hanoi. It usually costs around 50,000 VND to 100,000 VND (2-5 US$). It is available everywhere with MobiFone, Viettel and Vinaphone as the most popular brands.
3. Weather
The average temperature is between 32-35 Degree Celsius during the day. Overheat days are still dominating Hanoi for the whole month as well as keeping the same level of rainfall. High temperature co-ordinate with high humidity (225mm) keeps creating heavy rains for about half of the month. Hanoi and the North of Vietnam in general are having their hottest month.
However, this is a good chance to taste “Tra Da” (ice-tea), which is a unique beverage culture of Hanoi. Sitting on street side and sightseeing Hanoi’s busy life with a cup of tea is not a bad idea. Trang Tien ice-cream on Trang Tien Street would also most tasty at this time of the year.
4. Hotels nearby VIASM
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some hotels nearby VIASM.
PARKSIDE SUNLINE HOTEL
- Add: 72-74 Dai Co Viet Street, Hai Ba Trung Dist, Hanoi, Vietnam
- Phone: (+84) 24 3974 7272
- Web: http://parksidesunline.vn/home-en.htm
1 km far from the VIASM
Nesta Hanoi Hotel
- Add: 30 Nguyen Thuong Hien Str., Hai Ba Trung Dist., Hanoi, Vietnam
- Phone: +84 24 3941 8888
- Web: http://nestahotel.com.vn/
3 km far from the VIASM
Hôtel du Parc Hanoï
- Add: 84 Tran Nhan Tong street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
- Phone: +(84-24)-3822-3535
- Web: https://hotelduparchanoi.com/
3 km far from the VIASM
There are several others hotels in the center of Hanoi, with a variety of price ranges on TripAdvisor.
5. Meal:
Meal-cost in Vietnam may vary from 30.000 VND to 300.000 VND. There are also many restaurants near the hotel or VIASM that you can find on Tripadvisor or follow the Vietnamese participants.
We would suggest you some restaurants which serve delicious traditional Vietnamese dishes:
- Chim Sao Restaurant: 65 Ngõ Huế, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hanoi (http://chimsao.com/)
- Quán Ăn Ngon Restaurant: 18 Phan Boi Chau, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi (http://ngonhanoi.com.vn)
- Truc Lam Trai Restaurant (serve vegetarian food): 39 Le Ngoc Han, Hai Ba Trung District (at Tran Xuan Soan and Hoa Ma), Hanoi, Vietnam (http://truclamtrai.com)
- Madame Hien: 15 Chan Cam, Hanoi (French-Vietnamese cuisine in a French antique building of old Spanish Embassy).
6. Sights in Hanoi
Hanoi is actually over 1000 years old so the wealth of history here is mind boggling: temples, ancient citadels, unique theatre and stunning wilderness just outside the city all offer fun-filled days in Vietnam’s capital.
- Imperial Citadel of Thang Long
- Water Puppet Theatre
- Hoan Kiem Lake (Turtle Lake) and Ngoc Son Temple
- Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum
- National Museum of Vietnamese History
- Hoa Lo Prison Museum
- Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
- Temple of Literature
You might find some interesting suggestions of “what to do in Hanoi” , from Chloé Hébant and Charline Thébault, two French students who did their internships in Hanoi in 2016.
For more famous place in Hanoi, please visit: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam/hanoi/sights
7 . Safety information
- Police: 113
- Fire: 114
- Ambulance – First Aid: 115