Facts for the Traveler & Events Vietnam
Facts for the Traveler
Area: 329,566 sq km
Population: 83.54 million (2005)
People: 84% ethnic Vietnamese, 2% ethnic Chinese, also Khmers
Language: Vietnamese, Russian, French, Chinese, English
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +7
Dialing Code: 84
Electricity: 220V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
When to Go
There are no good or bad seasons to visit Vietnam. When one region is
wet, cold or steamy hot, there is always somewhere else that is sunny and
pleasant. Basically, the south has two seasons: the wet (May to November,
wettest from June to August) and the dry (December to April). The hottest
and most humid time is from the end of February to May. The central coast is
dry from May to October and wet from December to February. The highland
areas are significantly cooler than the lowlands, and temperatures can get
down to freezing in winter. The north has two seasons: cool, damp winters
(November to April) and hot summers (May to October). There is the
possibility of typhoons between July and November, affecting the north and
central areas.Travelers should take the Tet New Year festival (late
January or early February) into account when planning a trip. Travel
(including international travel) becomes very difficult, hotels are full and
many services close down for at least a week and possibly a lot longer.
Weather Vietnam
Hanoi and the north of Vietnam have a distinct winter and summer season
with the mainly dry winter lasting from November through to April with
average temperatures of 18-20oC. Summer lasts from May to October and is hot
and humid with temperatures around 30oC. Hue and Danang in the centre of the
country have very hot, dry weather from February to August with temperatures
reaching the mid 30s Celsius, but can experience some quite heavy rainfall
between September and January. Ho Chi Minh City and the south have a hot,
dry season from December till April with average temperatures around 28oC
and a rainy season lasting from May through till November. It rarely rains
for long periods even in the rainy season with most rain coming in short,
heavy bursts.
Events
Thailand to host Mekong River talks
The first Mekong River summit will take place between April 2 to 5 in Hua Hin, Thailand, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) has announced.
The summit, which is the first of its kind, will gather regional political leaders and a range of experts in ...
Special prayers are held at Vietnamese and Chinese pagodas on days when
the moon is either full or the merest sliver. Many Buddhists eat only
vegetarian food on these days. Some of the major religious festivals follow
a lunar calendar. They include: Tet (late January or early February),
the most important festival of the year, which lasts a week (with rites
beginning a week earlier), marking the new lunar year; Wandering Souls
Day (Trung Nguyen), held on the fifteenth day of the seventh moon
(August), the second-largest festival of the year, when offerings of food
and gifts are given to the wandering souls of the forgotten dead; Tiet
Doan Ngo (Summer Solstice Day) in June which sees the burning of human
effigies to satisfy the need for souls to serve in the God of Death's army;
and Holiday of the Dead (Thanh Minh) in April commemorating deceased
relatives.
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