A fun guide to Vietnam. What awaits you there? 

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Vietnam is a wonderful option for a warm vacation, but it's not yet very popular among Belarusians. Guides call it "Thailand on a budget," or a country where you can relax in peace. The main year-round resort there is the city of Nha Trang and its surrounding metropolitan area. The only drawback to such a vacation is, perhaps, the cost of airfare.

Is it easy to get to South Vietnam?
During the peak summer tourist season, charter flights regularly fly there from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. It's not cheap, but Aeroflot's scheduled flights are more expensive. In any case, the journey will take about ten hours. Cam Ranh Airport (50 km from Nha Trang) will greet you with deserted corridors, but passport control officers will do their best to ensure the 440 people arriving are processed within an hour.

Many tourists arriving in Vietnam for the first time have questions about mobile roaming. Belarusian mobile operators were unable to provide any assistance. One admitted they had no roaming service with that country, while another promised a working service, but for some reason it never connected. Unlike Belarusians, many Russians immediately used roaming services. Meanwhile, the issue is being resolved right at Cam Ranh Airport. There's a counter near the baggage claim area, where friendly young women will sell you local SIM cards for $12 each, install them in your smartphone on the spot, and exchange currency at the same time. Local SIM cards don't include minutes of talk time, but they come with a substantial amount of mobile data—10 to 20 gigabytes. You can immediately call your family via instant messaging to let them know you've landed. Just keep in mind that the time difference between Belarus and Vietnam is four hours.

Comfortable air-conditioned buses transport tourists from the airport to their hotels. If you're flying solo, you can book a taxi to Nha Trang.

What should you bring and what should you be prepared for?
Generally, you don't have to worry too much and arrive with just your passport and cash. Dollars are the preferred currency here; you can sometimes find places that exchange euros, but you'll have to run around a bit to find them. In resort areas, currency is exchanged practically everywhere: at hotel reception, in jewelry stores, general stores, and at bank branches if you have one. All you have to do is choose the best rate. However, in areas without hotels, you'll have to search for an exchange office.

Bank cards are much more complicated. MIR cards aren't accepted in stores, but a Mastercard from a Belarusian bank not subject to sanctions works perfectly. On the other hand, bank cards are only useful in large shopping centers. In bazaars and on the streets, all trade is done in cash. The exchange rate for the American currency is somewhat similar to the Belarusian currency, only with a few more zeros. Here, one unit is worth 2.95 Belarusian rubles, while in Vietnam, it's 2,650 dong. It's easy to get used to this, as is converting local prices into Belarusian ones.

The main thing is to be careful not to confuse the denominations. The thing is, the 20,000 dong and 500,000 dong bills are very similar in color. If you give the seller the wrong one,It will be impossible to prove anything later. Interestingly, all large denominations are made of plastic and are safe for swimming in the sea. Some banknotes with torn corners or clearly washed out are accepted without question.
Toothbrushes, towels, slippers, robes, hair dryers, and a host of other useful items are available in hotel rooms. Shorts, T-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, and Panama hats are sold everywhere. The main thing to remember: the Vietnamese sun is extremely treacherous. Many people get sunburned on the very first day and are then forced to apply all sorts of creams and ointments for the rest of the tour. Residents of European countries don't always realize that Vietnam is practically the equator, and the solar activity there corresponds. Before the trip, I managed to stock up on 50 SPF sunscreen at a MINSK pharmacy, but the pharmacist insisted it was too strong. In Vietnam, the same cream made the guides laugh. They themselves use 80 SPF, but recommend 100 SPF for newly arrived tourists. It's also important to remember that you can get sunburned even while swimming in the sea, where the water acts as a magnifying glass. With rare exceptions, the Vietnamese don't go to the beach during the day. They do so either early in the morning before work or after work, when it gets dark. Even at night, the seawater temperature fluctuates around 30 degrees Celsius. Therefore, it's best to stay in your hotel pool during the day, out of direct sunlight.

Those who have sunburned can find a variety of local sunburn remedies. Just go to a pharmacy and show the pharmacist your reddened arm or leg. Even if they don't speak Russian, they'll offer you a medication and enter the cost into a calculator.
In summer, daytime temperatures outside range from 32 to 36 degrees Celsius. My smartphone will honestly tell you that it feels like 42 to 45 degrees Celsius, and sometimes it will turn off, warning that the device is overheating. It's cooler at night, around 28 degrees Celsius. However, don't forget the near-100% humidity and the almost complete absence of wind, which makes it feel like you're constantly in a steam room. The Vietnamese take the sun's rays and high temperatures seriously. Many people wear jackets, fleeces, scarves, shawls, and masks that completely cover their faces. Firstly, the sun's rays cause skin pigmentation in many Vietnamese, and secondly, looking white is fashionable and prestigious. There's even a Vietnamese proverb: "The heat under your clothes isn't as bad as the heat outside." In cities, you can often see people with umbrellas, fans, and portable fans.

A peculiarity of Vietnam that Europeans are not accustomed to is that it gets dark early. Twilight begins at 6:00 PM, and night falls at 7:00 PM. The difference between sunrise and sunset in the summer and winter months is also minimal – about 50 minutes. However, after sunset, life only begins, as the Vietnamese flock to the beaches for a swim or a chat with friends. The key is to find a spot between coconut trees, not under them. A falling coconut weighing several kilograms can cause serious injury.

Another peculiarity of everyday Vietnamese life is dining in small cafes and restaurants, where families or individuals eat alone. This is tradition. Small grocery stores won't offer the same wide range of goods as in Belarus. They offer drinks, chips, candied crabs, dried seafood, and sometimes even dry flatbreads.

Sausages are sold in an interesting way. A single sausage, sealed on both sides with aluminum wire, is colorfully packaged and placed on display. If you want to buy them in bulk, go to supermarkets or hypermarkets. You can find packages of 2-3 sausages there. Dairy products familiar to Belarusians are also unavailable – many Vietnamese are lactose intolerant. Added to this is the lack of the enzyme needed to break down ALCOHOL. This latter circumstance leads to the fact that they drink exclusively beer , albeit in large quantities. Some Vietnamese can drink 5-8 liters at a time, although they do add ice. Here, ice is added directly to the glass when you order a low-alcohol drink at a café. If you're lucky enough to see a local with a bottle of whiskey, it's almost certainly a visitor from CHINA . However, Vietnamese wine , rum, and vodka are sold everywhere. They are produced exclusively for tourists and are meticulously quality-controlled.
You can just smile.
The question of which countries the Vietnamese themselves prefer to visit makes Russian-speaking guides laugh. Locals almost universally prefer to travel within Vietnam. There's a Vietnamese proverb: "A lifetime is not enough to see all the wonders." The country offers plenty to see and do. Four climate zones, amusement parks, architectural monuments, an extensive network of roads and hotels. Five-star hotels in the coastal area are 100% occupied, especially on weekends. Many come with families to swim in the sea, celebrate birthdays, or wedding anniversaries.

The locals are vaguely reminiscent of Belarusians: open, friendly, and modest. Communication can be a challenge, as many Vietnamese don't speak Russian or English. While smartphone translation apps can help bridge the language barrier, not everyone has them installed. On the other hand, hotel staff, taxi drivers, and most store clerks will make every effort to engage you. It seems as if many cafes and retail outlets specifically hire Russians or Russian speakers to boost sales. And it works. There are many nuances that visitors don't understand, and explaining things through a translator takes time. Therefore, if you see Europeans in a cafe, don't hesitate to enter. They'll likely be able to help you.

Vietnamese is an extremely complex language. Russians who live in the country say it's impossible to fully master it. The language uses six tonalities (compared to only four in Chinese). Furthermore, there are numerous dialects, which means that northerners often struggle to understand southerners. Even if you learn the standard "Sin Chao" ("Hello") and "Sin Camon" ("Thank you"), it's not guaranteed that the Vietnamese will understand what you're saying. The only other option is to use the universal language—a smile.

Tipping in restaurants and cafes in Southern Vietnam is generally not recommended. The staff simply won't understand why you'd leave more than the bill and will try to return it. I once had a manager and two waiters doing this. The Russian "This is your tea" doesn't work here, and using the English translation "On tea" actually results in tea being brought to you with a polite smile. On the other hand, taxi drivers and rickshaw drivers have a slightly different approach. A taxi driver might easily claim they don't have change, while a rickshaw driver might try to charge you several times more.

Crossing the road is quite a challenge.
The peculiarities of traffic in Vietnam are a total shock to Europeans. The streets are practically a constant stream of cars, motorcycles, and motorbikes. A quick aside: cars in Vietnam aren't very expensive because they're mass-produced, but the taxes required to participate in road traffic are roughly the same price. For example, if a new car costs $20,000, you'll have to pay almost the same amount. A motorbike (also known as a scooter) costs only a few thousand, and taxes on it are minimal. This isn't a ploy by local bureaucrats, but a sober calculation. If even half of the 105 million Vietnamese decided to drive a car, traffic in the country would grind to a halt. That's why there are few cars, but the number of motorbikes is off the charts.
In Vietnam, as elsewhere in the world, there are zebra crossings on the pavement. Just don't think they give pedestrians any advantage. If you approach one, no one will even think of stopping. Guides advise raising your hand to indicate your intention to cross, but to the Vietnamese, this means absolutely nothing—perhaps you're sunbathing. So, step boldly into the traffic. Most importantly, don't run. Your appearance on the road means you're actually crossing. Motorcycles and motorbikes will carefully pass you, and cars will slow down. Scary? But that's the reality. During my entire stay in Vietnam, I never witnessed a single pedestrian being hit. However, I did hear about a tourist who darted in front of a motorcycle in fear and was hit. The result: a broken arm. But that's the exception rather than the rule.

If there's a police officer on a traffic island in the middle of a zebra crossing, it won't discourage other drivers from letting you cross. I've personally verified this several times. A Vietnamese traffic cop is simply speeding at this spot. The fact is, driving on city streets is allowed at up to 40 km/h. The only exception is ambulances with their lights on. If a mere mortal exceeds 60 km/h, they'll definitely be caught and heavily fined. This is closely monitored, and no one offers discounts for tourists using car-sharing vehicles.

Another peculiarity of traffic is that everyone uses the roadway as they see fit. You can spot a teenager learning to ride a bike or a drunken tourist sauntering back to their hotel, arm in arm. No one honks at them. And even if you've brought groceries or other cargo to a cafe, store, or hotel whose doors face the oncoming lane, feel free to steer into the oncoming lane and drive along it... Otherwise, you simply won't be able to get there.

Because most Vietnamese travel by motorbike, children are also driven around on them. It's very common to see a father driving, a mother in the back, and two or three preschoolers sandwiched between them, likeHamburger patties . Sometimes children sit behind their parents, clinging to them with both hands. There's also a situation where a two- or three-year-old sits at the feet of the driver of a speeding motorbike, looking down at him innocuously. If a father is driving a baby alone, he holds the baby with one hand and the steering wheel with the other.

Five Stars with an A-Star.
The cost of hotels in Southern Vietnam can be shockingly low. A daily stay in a five-star hotel starts at 70 Br. This includes a room with all amenities, a complimentary buffet breakfast, free access to the hotel pool, daily cleaning , replacement of towels and robes, etc. In other words, a standard five-star hotel.

On the other hand, hotels in Vietnam vary. Firstly, there are those located on the beachfront, where only the road separates you from the coveted beach (how to cross it is described above). But there are also hotels located on the second or third line, and the walk to the sea takes only 15-20 minutes. Covering such a distance under the Vietnamese sun is quite challenging, so when choosing a hotel, pay attention to its location. Secondly, some hotels have been operating for decades, while others are newcomers whose service is still unsettled. In these establishments, be prepared for the possibility that they might forget to provide a clean towel or refill the soap dispenser—it's a matter of luck. To avoid questions, read reviews from other tourists.

There's a myth that hotels are located on the coast, so the buffet will include a lot of seafood. This is not true. Of the 100-150 dishes offered, only one or two will feature fish. Why? It's simple—there aren't enough shrimp for everyone. Therefore, for the latter, and not only shrimp, you should HEAD to nearby cafes and restaurants. The word "nearby" in the case of Vietnam should be taken literally. About 30-50 meters from your hotel, you're sure to find a café or restaurant with aquariums overlooking the street. They house fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and other live seafood, all unusual to the European eye. After that, it's simple: choose your favorite, and they'll quickly bring your prepared dish, or they'll set a burner and pot on the table for you to cook your seafood yourself. The latter option is so familiar to Vietnamese that they don't even bother to consider whether tourists know how to use this service. But if you ask, they'll show you how to cook and which sauces to use to give your dish a unique flavor.
How much does it cost? It's important to understand that one meal in Vietnamese cafes is equivalent to both lunch and dinner. The portions are large and filling. For such a meal, you'll expect to pay the equivalent of 90-100 Br for two. There are restaurants where, for 50 Br for two, you can spend the entire evening: they offer a variety of buffet dishes, from seafood (you'll have to cook it yourself) to soups, MEAT, noodles, and fruits and vegetables. Water and fruit drinks are included in the price; you'll only have to pay extra for alcohol , if you need it. Budget-friendly options include hot dogs and smoothies in small cafes, where you can have a hearty meal for 7-10 Br per person. There are numerous ethnic restaurants serving traditional borscht, potato pancakes, and dumplings, or shashlik and khachapuri. The only thing I couldn't find in Vietnam was rye bread.

Smoothies made from exotic fruits, which are sold almost everywhere, are suitable for a snack.Ice cream and fruit , washed, peeled, and cut right at the counter. Although, in a steam room, you don't really feel like eating. Many cafes offer free water or iced green tea, which you can sip while your order is being prepared.
Sometimes people ask if it's possible to try crocodile meat in Vietnam. This question leaves the Vietnamese completely perplexed. Despite the abundance of seafood, the national cuisine doesn't include crocodile dishes. Everyone understands perfectly well where these reptiles live and what they eat. But what won't you do for tourists? Many Russian restaurants offer grilled crocodiles and pythons. While customers demurely devour other dishes, the chef grills the reptiles. As the meat is ready for the grill, a live queue forms, with several pieces of meat handed out to those standing in line. Baked crocodile or python isn't listed as a separate item on any menu.

How to have fun in Vietnam? Right on the streets, there are numerous stands where Russian-speaking guides offer all sorts of trips and excursions. These range from expensive packages—including flights to the capital, Hanoi, and excursions in and around it, or trips to other resort towns—to visits to exotic islands with monkeys, arboretums, and petting zoos. They also offer amusement parks (Vietnamese Disneyland) and diving trips. The lists of offers include dozens of options, including meals along the way and the services of a professional guide. In short, there's plenty to choose from.
Some of the most memorable trips are on capsule buses. The fact is that the rail service in Southern Vietnam is significantly inferior to that in Belarus. Therefore, for travel between cities, so-called sleeper buses are used—special buses that resemble our tourist buses on the outside. The difference is on the inside. Instead of 45-50 seats, you'll find 20 sleeping buses arranged on two levels. Each capsule is separated from the rest of the room by a curtain, the windows have blinds, and the interior is air-conditioned. The sunbed can be adjusted, and the lights can be turned on and off independently. While you sleep in the sleeper bus, the driver takes you to another city, hundreds of kilometers away.
While Vietnam offers a wide variety of optional tours, it's important to note that they start at $40 per person. On the other hand, many travel agencies offer free excursions as a bonus. You can also explore many attractions or amusement parks independently.

If you enjoy shopping, stroll through the numerous shopping centers, boutiques, or visit the markets. Among the abundance of all kinds of fruits and vegetables, some of which reach Belarus exclusively in dried form, you can find items made of crocodile skin, gold, bone, amber, and pearls. Clothing and souvenirs of all kinds are also abundant. The Vietnamese clothing industry is renowned worldwide. They produce suits, T-shirts, shorts, sneakers, and jackets from virtually every sports brand, and not just sportswear. Therefore, the country has many brand-name stores where prices, albeit slightly, are still lower than in Belarus. Vietnam has the ability to surprise.
For some reason, many of our compatriots imagine Vietnam as, if not a poor country, then a poor one with a complex history. You often hear about low wages and socialism in general. Vietnamese socialism -reality , everything else is -Myths invented by no one knows why or by whom.

Vietnam has excellent roads and its own auto assembly plants for the world's most famous brands. It has prestigious universities, airlines that fly to dozens of countries, developed oil production and refining industries, and its own computer development facilities. The country produces many microelectronics products, including iPhones and Samsung. All of Vietnam (including the mountainous regions) is covered by a 5G mobile network. Phones connect instantly and maintain a reliable connection. Hotels and restaurants offer free Wi-Fi. Thousands of CCTV cameras, installed in public places, every tourist minibus, and even an ordinary-looking shop, maintain order. The police are almost invisible, but rest assured that they will protect your peace. Crime is very low. There are no beggars.

The first leader of modern Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, once set a clear and, as it seemed at the time, impossible goal: to produce everything necessary for its development and daily life within the country. The Vietnamese have fulfilled this promise and are confidently moving forward.

On the other hand, Vietnam is strong in its traditionalism. Family values ​​are held sacred. Many generations have worked in their own cafes and shops. It's common for families to meet several times a week, have dinner together, and discuss news and successes. For many Vietnamese, parents' opinions are law . Tourists are often told the story of a village boy who left for the city and became a successful businessman. But one day, his mother called him and told him to return. The man quit his business and went back to his native village. Incidentally, until recently, parents in Vietnam could choose a wife for their son and a husband for their daughter.

Some guides claim that family ties are the foundation of patriotism. This is probably true. Throughout its history, modern Vietnam has never lost a single war, and it has fought many times, including with the United States . They say that in the event of an invasion, Vietnamese citizens don't ask, "When should I go to the front?" but go to the military registration and enlistment office and ask, "Where can I get a machine gun?" They have something to defend.

Despite its apparent belligerence, Vietnam is the only country in Southeast Asia where matriarchy reigns. Women are numerous in both the army and the country's leadership, but most importantly, they almost always have the final say in relationships. It's not uncommon for a woman to work and support the entire family. When she leaves for work in the morning, she gives her husband as much money as he needs in her absence. And when she returns in the evening, she politely asks if her husband is tired during the day, even if he spent all daylight hours swinging in a hammock. For this, menThey often pay for this with their personal freedom. The wife decides how they'll spend the evening, who they'll visit on the weekend, and what her husband should wear. The wife also almost always manages the family budget; she's expected to hand over the entire paycheck and receive a small allowance from her beloved in the morning. Men often act as babysitters for infants. This approach suits the Vietnamese themselves perfectly, but Russian guides who live permanently in the country complain that they haven't been able to build relationships with local women. They say they're too bossy. It's all because of the matriarchy, although here it's a matter of agreement. Recently, young people in Vietnam have been dividing responsibilities equally, including caring for the family budget.
What to bring from Vietnam?
Many tourists bring fresh fruit in plastic baskets, similar to those used in Belarusian stores. As it turns out, airlines don't count such food packs as carry-on baggage space. So, you can safely take both a bag and a basket into the cabin. Furthermore, tour operators often scare tourists by threatening to ban ivory, art, gold, currency, shells, and exotic plant seeds from the country. Experience shows that customs and border guards at the airport didn't stop or subject any of the 440 passengers flying with us for a thorough inspection. And the idea that you can't take lychee or dragon fruit seeds out of Vietnam seems a bit crazy. The fruit is ok, but the seeds aren't? There are restrictions only on durian (due to its unpleasant odor, which many find unpleasant), jackfruit (due to its similarity to durian), and watermelons (for safety reasons), although the local watermelons are no different from those sold in Belarus.
Material considerations aside, you can fly to Vietnam for relaxation, exotic sights, and experiences. They'll last a long time. Moreover, they promise to launch charter flights to this country directly from Minsk this fall.

Alexey Gorbunov,
"7 Days."