Vietnam Visa UK

Hi,

Has anyone got a 30 day Vietnam visa at Hanoi airport recently? I asked the Vietnam Embassy and they said that there “has been fraud and many problems at the airport”.

I’m kind of running out of time to send my passport of to the embassy in London and get it back in time.

Thanks
Dave (Original question on ThornTree)

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Answers by Mark

The statement you got from the embassy is wrong, visa on arrrival is issued by Vietnam Government, Immigration Dept, so far, there are no scam report found over the net and among travelers who used this visa for entering Vietnam.

The open travel policy has made the procedure at airport easier and hassle free, there has been no problem reported. So, the statement is wrong and lacks of responsibility.

Hope that helps.

According to the northern mountainous Tuyen Quang provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, a copy of Na Lua tent will be presented to Hanoi City.

Na Lua tent is in the Tan Trao historical monument area in Son Duong district, Tuyen Quang province. It was the place where Uncle Ho lived and worked from May 21^st 1945 to the August revolution.
This is a special and significant present from Tuyen Quang people to Hanoi City on the occasion of 1000^th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.
The plan has been approved by the province, said Vu Van Van, deputy head of Tuyen Quang provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The department is working with Hanoi city to place this tent.
Na Lua tent will be built as house on stilt and divided into two small rooms. The inside room will represent the place where Uncle Ho lived. The other room contains a bamboo table for working and receiving guests.
According to statistics, Uncle Ho lived and workrf in Tan Trao for 5 years 10 months and 25 days. In this simple tent, many important policies regarding the national fate were issued.

Source : TTXVN / Cinet

An estimated 3.5 million pilgrims will attend the Hung Temple festival that commemorates the death anniversary of the Hung Kings, believed to be the founders of the Vietnamese nation some thousands of years ago.

The festival kicked off in Viet Tri City of Phu Tho province o­n March 31 (the 6^th day of the 3^rd lunar month) with an incense offering ceremony at the Kinh Thien palace o­n Nghia Linh Mountain.

At the ceremony, the provincial people’s committee chairman Nguyen Quoc Lien vowed to turn Viet Tri into a city of festivals commemorating the Vietnamese people’s roots as well as a leading urban centre by 2015.

Mr Lien and other city leaders then laid wreaths at the Hung Kings Tombs and at a statue of late President Ho Chi Minh, who visited the city in 1954.

This year, four northern provinces - Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, and Vinh Phuc - and the capital city of Hanoi have joined up together for the first time to hold the anniversary. The Mai Linh taxi company also donated 6,000 traditional banh chung (square glutinous rice cakes) to the event.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet is expected to offer incense to the Kings o­n their death day which falls o­n April 4 (or the 10^th day of the 3^rd lunar month).

A series of cultural, arts and sporting events also started during the opening ceremony, including volleyball, crossbow shooting, Chinese chess, and traditional wrestling.

The charming northern resort town of Sapa will lure tourists with a cultural week to be held over the public holidays, from April 30 to May 3, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The town hopes to attract tourists, with a wide range of events that highlight the rich and distinctive nature of Sapa’s diverse ethnic cultures.

Visitors will be welcomed to try Muong cuisine and take part in the various traditional festivities celebrated by local ethnic peoples, their cultural lifestyles and sports.

Sapa’s famous lovers’ market will also be open to singles. Traditionally, with few places to meet people, the downtown market opened o­n Saturday night, attracting villagers from around the town, as a central place for young, single Muong, Dao, Tay and Ray ethnic minorities to strut, be amorous and find their future loves.

In the evening, the lovers’ market would fill with bewitching music from the romantic leaf-horn, and young people dressed in their finest eye-catching clothes.

Lovers’ markets are a traditional event throughout the mountainous region, with many o­nly being held o­nce a year. As such, the big, not-to-missed event is also a lively social occasion for the married, too.

The mountainous Sapa, in Lao Cai Province, is regarded as o­ne of Vietnam’s top destinations, sought out by both locals and foreigners. The area has a large number of ethnic minorities and, with its stunning scenery, offers numerous trekking possibilities.

In 2008, it welcomed more than 285,000 tourists.

Local officials said they expect at least 10,000 tourists during the events, with many hotels reporting large numbers of bookings.