Is Vietnam REALLY safe? An honest overview

Lesson Transcript

Hello everyone, my name is Linh. Welcome back to VietnamesePod101.com,

the fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Vietnamese.

In this video today, I'm going to share with you about the safety in Vietnam

and some latest laws or policies so that you can be aware before traveling here.

Alright, let's get started.

First one, let's talk about health precautions.

Phòng ngừa sức khỏe

Luật pháp Việt Nam không yêu cầu tiêm chủng cụ thể khi đi du lịch ở Việt Nam.

That means “There are no specific vaccinations required for Vietnam travel.”

However, there's some exceptions for potential yellow fever in some situations.

In this case, you'll be required to have vaccination for yellow fever.

But in general, there are no vaccinations required, so it's going to be very easy for you.

You just need to book a ticket, apply for a visa, and then travel.

Now let's talk a little bit about the COVID-19 situation in Vietnam.

Không có yêu cầu cách ly nào được áp dụng tại (ở) Việt Nam từ tháng 5 năm 2023.

That means “There are no quarantine requirements in place applied in Vietnam as of May 2023.”

I know that now the COVID-19 situation has been improved a lot.

However, in some countries, there are still some policies applied for quarantines.

But in Vietnam, from May this year, which is 2023,

you don't have to be in quarantine when you travel, when you come to Vietnam, which is a good thing.

Việt Nam được coi là quốc gia an toàn cho khách du lịch với tỉ lệ tội phạm bạo lực thấp.

That means “Vietnam is considered a safe country for tourists with a low rate of violent crime.”

It's good news, right? So when traveling to Vietnam, you don't have to worry much

when going out at night or enjoying walking on the street.

However, like any destination, pickpocketing can occur at any time.

But I have to say that Hanoi, which is a political city,

is way safer than some other big cities like Ho Chi Minh City, I have to be honest.

Because there are a lot of people from different cities,

provinces going to Ho Chi Minh City to work and live.

So it's kind of a little bit messy there, I have to say, but it's not that dangerous.

You just need to pay attention on using the phone on the street,

or wearing your bags or your purse, especially when you walk.

Now let's talk a little bit about the traffic.

Giao thông

Hãy cẩn thận khi qua đường ở Việt Nam đặc biệt là các thành phố lớn vì giao thông có thể hỗn loạn.

That means “Pay attention when crossing the roads in Vietnam, especially in big cities,

because the traffic can be chaotic.”

So one of the unique things about Vietnam is that the traffic is pretty messy,

especially in big cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City,

and some other touristy places, I have to say.

Things in Ho Chi Minh City is a little bit better,

because we have different lines for motorbikes and different lines for cars.

But the roads in Hanoi are very small, therefore sometimes people just go especially in rush hours.

Crossing the streets in Vietnam is also like a very nice technique

that foreigners need to get used to.

But it's interesting, once you're used to it, you realize that nobody is gonna hit you.

You just need to walk confidently.

Now let's talk about scams.

Lừa đảo

Bạn nên book các công ty du lịch uy tín và hỏi giá trước khi sử dụng bất kỳ dịch vụ nào.

That means “You should always use reputable tour operators and check the prices before

engaging in any services.”

Aside from some reputable tour operators, there are some small companies

where they don't really have good services.

So if you book through them, they're gonna send you to some bigger operators

and get some commission from that.

Therefore, you will have to pay a little bit higher but lower services.

So that's the reason why I recommend you to check some big companies only

and make sure that you ask for the prices or the specific schedule before booking.

Now let's talk about travel insurance.

Bảo hiểm du lịch

Bạn nên có bảo hiểm du lịch để chi trả cho các trường hợp khẩn cấp về y tế.

That means “It's highly recommended to buy health insurance or travel insurance before traveling

that cover medical emergencies.”

I'm pretty sure that it's not very costly because in Vietnam it's pretty affordable, depending on how long your trip is.

But before traveling here, if you have like flight cancellations

or you have to go to the hospital, most of the public hospitals, the doctors don't speak English.

So you probably will have to go to international hospitals which costs higher.

Therefore, if you have health insurance or travel insurance, it's gonna cover for you.

Now let's talk about natural disasters.

Thiên tai

Việt Nam thường xuyên phải hứng chịu thiên tai như bão và lũ lụt vào mùa mưa.

So mùa mưa means “rainy season” and it happens from like let's say July to September or October.

But during this time actually is the peak season of tourism in Vietnam

because it's summer vacation so a lot of families like to

travel so that they can bring their children.

Foreigners don't really travel during this time because it's pretty hot

which is around from September, October until like March or April next year.

So make sure that you check the climate and all the potential risks

especially when you travel to some specific areas.

Hãy kiểm tra thời tiết và những rủi ro tiềm ẩn khi đi du lịch ở một số vùng cụ thể.

Now let's talk about cultural sensitivity.

Văn hoá Việt Nam

Hãy tôn trọng phong tục, truyền thống địa phương và trang phục khi đến thăm chùa chiền hoặc các địa điểm tôn giáo.

So that means “You should respect the local customs, traditions and dress codes

when visiting temples or pagodas or some religious sites.”

So in Vietnam when you visit some pagodas or temples,

it's not recommended to wear skirts or shorts or tank tops.

In some big pagodas, they will have some big pieces of cloth for you to borrow

to cover your legs but in some small pagodas, it might not be there.

So make sure that when you travel to those places,

wear a long pair of pants or a long dress or skirt.

Now let's talk about the language.

Ngôn ngữ

Tiếng Anh không được sử dụng rộng rãi ở Việt Nam nên sẽ rất hữu ích nếu bạn biết một vài câu tiếng Việt.

“English is not widely used in Vietnam so it will be very useful if you know a few Vietnamese words.”

Although there are some hotels and restaurants where the staff speaks English,

it's not a common language, it's not our second language.

We only use Vietnamese as the first language.

Traveling or visiting some old shops or traditional places,

most of the time you'll see a lot of Vietnamese elderly.

That's why when you speak some basic sentences like

Xin chào

Bạn khỏe không?

Cô ăn chưa?

Chú ăn chưa?

it's gonna be helpful and it's gonna help you gain love from Vietnamese people.

Now let's talk about local laws.

Quy định tại địa phương

One of the very common laws in Vietnam is that when you ride a motorbike,

you have to wear a helmet and sometimes police might catch you for not wearing

a helmet or crossing the lines or not having a driving license.

So they can catch you especially in big cities.

In Vietnamese, we can say

Hãy làm quen với luật pháp và quy định tại địa phương để tránh những vấn đề pháp lý không mong muốn.

So that means “Familiarize yourself to local laws and regulations to avoid any unintentional

legal issues.”

And that's it for today.

Thank you so much for watching this video.

I hope you enjoyed it and I hope that it gives you a lot of information

before traveling to Vietnam.

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and I'll see you in the next one.

Xin chào và hẹn gặp lại các bạn!

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