South East Asia
Health (Don't leave home without it!)
After my return to the UK, from my Euro 2014 'Ford Transit' Tour, I started planning my next exit from the UK. Asia was on the cards with Thailand being my initial choice. For reasons of no real significance this then changed to destination Viet Nam, as my start point.
What’s involved in travelling to SE Asia?
First, and foremost, get your health status up to date! Mine was well outdated and so it cost me a fair price to have all relevant jabs, which included:-
Hep A - £49
Hep B - £40 x (generally) 3 doses = £120
Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio - £32
Typhoid - £30
Japanese Encephalitis - £ 89
Anti-Malaria Tablets x 50 = £30 (if memory serves me).
If you’re not in a hurry to go to Asia then I would recommend using the NHS (UK), however, if you ARE in a hurry, because your travel is short notice, then it will be the best part of £400.00 to go private for all of the above.
As I was temporarily based in Nottinghamshire I used one of the MASTA pharmacies, in this case the Midnight Pharmacy, Nottingham.
Below is the brief I received after providing specific information prior to my jabs, so bear in mind that yours could look different.
Note:- Requirements - Recommendations and Considerations.
"From the details you have provided the following vaccination and malaria advice is summarised below. Please see full information in the Travel Health Brief to clarify these recommendations.
REQUIRED vaccinations: None for this itinerary
RECOMMENDED vaccinations: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Typhoid Fever
To be CONSIDERED vaccinations: Hepatitis B, Rabies, Cholera, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Tuberculosis (TB)
MALARIA present: Vietnam, Cambodia
Based on the information provided, this Travel Health Brief covers the main disease risks you may encounter during your trip, provides a full list of the vaccines you should consider and explains what you should do to protect yourself. Precisely which vaccines and malaria tablets are best for you requires personalised risk assessment based on trip details, activities and personal health information. Please consult a health care professional. MASTA travel clinics can access your details to help complete your personalised risk assessment. MASTA travel clinics stock a full range of vaccines and malaria tablets and appointments are usually available at short notice - even close to your departure date."
https://www.masta-travel-health.com/
The images and information below are courtesy of Masta Travel Health.
I accept no liability whatsoever for any information provided here by third parties.
Do some research on the places you wish to visit, the culture, do's and don'ts', costs, food etc.
Perhaps one of the biggest draws for westerners is the very low cost of purchasing regular items.
Making use of the local bus service is a complete no-brainer! A near 1 hour bus ride into Hanoi cost 9,000 VND , barely £0.30p!
Everyday consumables are probably cheaper here than anywhere else on Earth!
Don't expect a BMW R1200GS to be half price , it doesn't work like that!
Visa On Arrival (VOA)
Get your Visa sorted at the earliest possible moment.
Everything I did in preparation for travel to Vietnam was done in just two short weeks - I do NOT recommend operating like this unless absolutely necessary. There are no positives in arranging everything at the last moment, instead, just stress and potential forgetfulness.
An entry Visa can be obtained from one of the many on line resources. Google 'Vietnam Entry Visa' , or whichever other destination you are travelling to and you will be fully equipped with all there is to know about 1 month , 3 month multi-entry, Visa on arrival, Overland or Flight Visa etc etc.
Flight and Overland Visa's are obtained in two different ways so be specific for your specific means of travel/entry.
Here is a link to the Visa provider I used: http://www.hotels-in-vietnam.com/ (I have no association with this company whatsoever, other than to have utilised their services).
Obtaining your Visa is as simple as typing 'Vietnam Visa' into Google, or at least it was for me!
Irrespective of the website name you do not need to book or have a Hotel booked. When you enter your relevant information you will be taken to a page with a break down of all costs to suit your specific requirements.
The Visa is not expensive, it is the stamp that has the higher costs.
When using a service like this for your Visa application you will also be receiving confirmation letter (email) of the 'Approval' for entry. No phone calls are necessary, simply fill in your passport details on line and follow the instructions for a hopefully trouble-free application and completion. My application was initiated on a Friday and was completed , including 'Letter of Approval' by the following Tuesday.
But... remember this is a business, and there are many Visa application businesses in Ha Noi. The only cost effective way to get your Visa at a good price is to use the immigration offices. Failure to do this will mean digging deeply into your pocket and paying through the nose for the stressless alternative to taking a ticket, waiting your turn and filling out forms.
Travel Tickets
Get your travel tickets sorted - Coach - Train - Flights.
Flight costs to Vietnam tend to drop considerably in December, which was when I purchased mine. December, whilst out of season for Vietnam, is not the same as winter in the UK. Throughout December, whilst based near to Hanoi, I was dressed comfortably, sometimes too hot, with just a t-shirt top layer.
A very good resource for Visa information, and one that I personally and thoroughly recommend reading, can be found here:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g293921-c148049/Vietnam:Faq.Visa.On.Arrival.Voa.html
Perhaps one of the biggest draws for westerners is the very low cost of purchasing regular items.
Making use of the local bus service is a complete no-brainer! A near 1 hour bus ride into Hanoi cost 9,000 VND , barely £0.30p!
Everyday consumables are probably cheaper here than anywhere else on Earth!
Don't expect a BMW R1200GS to be half price , it doesn't work like that!
Visa On Arrival (VOA)
Get your Visa sorted at the earliest possible moment.
Everything I did in preparation for travel to Vietnam was done in just two short weeks - I do NOT recommend operating like this unless absolutely necessary. There are no positives in arranging everything at the last moment, instead, just stress and potential forgetfulness.
An entry Visa can be obtained from one of the many on line resources. Google 'Vietnam Entry Visa' , or whichever other destination you are travelling to and you will be fully equipped with all there is to know about 1 month , 3 month multi-entry, Visa on arrival, Overland or Flight Visa etc etc.
Flight and Overland Visa's are obtained in two different ways so be specific for your specific means of travel/entry.
Here is a link to the Visa provider I used: http://www.hotels-in-vietnam.com/ (I have no association with this company whatsoever, other than to have utilised their services).
Obtaining your Visa is as simple as typing 'Vietnam Visa' into Google, or at least it was for me!
Irrespective of the website name you do not need to book or have a Hotel booked. When you enter your relevant information you will be taken to a page with a break down of all costs to suit your specific requirements.
The Visa is not expensive, it is the stamp that has the higher costs.
When using a service like this for your Visa application you will also be receiving confirmation letter (email) of the 'Approval' for entry. No phone calls are necessary, simply fill in your passport details on line and follow the instructions for a hopefully trouble-free application and completion. My application was initiated on a Friday and was completed , including 'Letter of Approval' by the following Tuesday.
But... remember this is a business, and there are many Visa application businesses in Ha Noi. The only cost effective way to get your Visa at a good price is to use the immigration offices. Failure to do this will mean digging deeply into your pocket and paying through the nose for the stressless alternative to taking a ticket, waiting your turn and filling out forms.
Travel Tickets
Get your travel tickets sorted - Coach - Train - Flights.
Flight costs to Vietnam tend to drop considerably in December, which was when I purchased mine. December, whilst out of season for Vietnam, is not the same as winter in the UK. Throughout December, whilst based near to Hanoi, I was dressed comfortably, sometimes too hot, with just a t-shirt top layer.
A very good resource for Visa information, and one that I personally and thoroughly recommend reading, can be found here:
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g293921-c148049/Vietnam:Faq.Visa.On.Arrival.Voa.html
Money
VND (Vietnamese Dong) & US Dollars are the currencies used.
VND for every day living and US Dollars for the more expensive lifestyle. A 'used' motorbike purchase can usually be paid for in either currency.
At the time of writing (02/01/15) the following values were applicable (approx) :-
25,000 VND = 1 Euro
100,000 VND = 4 Euro
1 million VND = 40 Euro
10,000 VND = £0.30 pence (The cost of a 25 kilometre bus ride to Hanoi)
200,000 VND = £5.96
1 million VND = £29.76
2.1 million VND = $100.00
A used motorcycle in Vietnam can start at approximately $200.00 , less than £130.00, for a private purchase.
Business sales, of which there are numerous outlets all over Hanoi, about $350 starting prices.
You can choose to either buy or rent the motorcycle.
Be very wary of the 'foreigner - traveller - tourist' default motorcycle choice , the Honda WIN. Most of these are dressed up nails that have repeatedly been ridden/abused along the trail from HCMC (Saigon) to Ha Noi, or vice-versa. Some of the bikes ar literally hanging together!
Be wary also of 'For Sale' listings stating "oil changed every 1000kms...", and throw another 'zero' in there for good measure! ;)
Food
I will cover food and many other aspects of the culture and lifestyle in Vietnam throughout these pages but.....be warned,
you WILL see dog meat in the streets. You will more than likely see the head next to the body, the limbs etc , so this is not for the squeamish amongst you!
Finally, ask yourself, just how cheap do you want to live?
Please don't come to Viet Nam moaning and groaning, like many other westerners I have met, about being "ripped off..." with prices. What you buy, or pay for here is a fraction of what you would pay at home, even AFTER being ripped off!
Whilst there are high cost Hotels all around the larger Cities, there are countless numbers of ridiculously low priced accommodation offerings.
Backpacker Hostels' can be as low as $2 per night, allegedly, but I have only experienced $6 per night in 2 different Hotel's, and these were for dorm sleeping.
Coming to Vietnam can put you, the traveller, or tourist, very firmly outside of your comfort zone, but my best advice would be to leave your western head at home, and remember...you are NOT in the West now, you are in the East!
When in Rome...(only to a certain degree , of course! ;)
VND (Vietnamese Dong) & US Dollars are the currencies used.
VND for every day living and US Dollars for the more expensive lifestyle. A 'used' motorbike purchase can usually be paid for in either currency.
At the time of writing (02/01/15) the following values were applicable (approx) :-
25,000 VND = 1 Euro
100,000 VND = 4 Euro
1 million VND = 40 Euro
10,000 VND = £0.30 pence (The cost of a 25 kilometre bus ride to Hanoi)
200,000 VND = £5.96
1 million VND = £29.76
2.1 million VND = $100.00
A used motorcycle in Vietnam can start at approximately $200.00 , less than £130.00, for a private purchase.
Business sales, of which there are numerous outlets all over Hanoi, about $350 starting prices.
You can choose to either buy or rent the motorcycle.
Be very wary of the 'foreigner - traveller - tourist' default motorcycle choice , the Honda WIN. Most of these are dressed up nails that have repeatedly been ridden/abused along the trail from HCMC (Saigon) to Ha Noi, or vice-versa. Some of the bikes ar literally hanging together!
Be wary also of 'For Sale' listings stating "oil changed every 1000kms...", and throw another 'zero' in there for good measure! ;)
Food
I will cover food and many other aspects of the culture and lifestyle in Vietnam throughout these pages but.....be warned,
you WILL see dog meat in the streets. You will more than likely see the head next to the body, the limbs etc , so this is not for the squeamish amongst you!
Finally, ask yourself, just how cheap do you want to live?
Please don't come to Viet Nam moaning and groaning, like many other westerners I have met, about being "ripped off..." with prices. What you buy, or pay for here is a fraction of what you would pay at home, even AFTER being ripped off!
Whilst there are high cost Hotels all around the larger Cities, there are countless numbers of ridiculously low priced accommodation offerings.
Backpacker Hostels' can be as low as $2 per night, allegedly, but I have only experienced $6 per night in 2 different Hotel's, and these were for dorm sleeping.
Coming to Vietnam can put you, the traveller, or tourist, very firmly outside of your comfort zone, but my best advice would be to leave your western head at home, and remember...you are NOT in the West now, you are in the East!
When in Rome...(only to a certain degree , of course! ;)