Travel Alert Status
Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
Time Difference
UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Travel Climate
Vietnam is largely a tropical monsoon country. In the north, a hot rainy season prevails from May to September. The average temperature in Hanoi is about 86°F during this period, with very high humidity. During the cooler, dry season in the north from December to March, the average temperature is 68°F, with overnight minimums sometimes around 40°–42°F.
In the south, Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta experience a year-round tropical climate with daily temperatures normally exceeding 88°F. The rainy season in Danang and Hue in the center of the country lasts from October to March.
Travel Currency
dong (VND)
Language Spoken
Vietnamese is the official language. There are distinct northern, central, and southern dialects and accents. The most popular foreign languages taught in schools are English, Russian, and French.
Languages
Vietnamese (official), English (as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Ethnic Groups
Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese, Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Cham, mountain groups
National Holiday
Independence Day (National Day), 2 September (1945)
Geographic Coordinates
16 10 N, 107 50 E
Location
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia
Airports
38