BUSINESS HOURS

Government office hours: Monday through Friday: 8:00 - 12:00/ 13:30 - 16:30. However, the most suitable time to have a meeting with state-owned companies is from 9:00 - 11:30 and 14:00-16:00. Some government offices resume working on Saturday since 01.Oct.2007.

Bank: Banks open from 8:00 to 15:30 Monday - Friday - 8:00 to 11h30 : Saturday.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

New Year Day: January 01

Lunar New Year (TET Festival): 3 days (normally in Feb). Before this holiday, the people do not want to discuss much about new business. Although officially holiday is 3 days, people often return to normal working status about 1 week later. And the first sentence to say at this time (before and/or after) is: "Chuc mung nam moi" - means Happy New Year. It makes your discussion to become more friendly.

Hung King's Memory Day: March 10 (Lunar Calendar)

Victory Day: April 30

Labour Day: May 01

National Day: September 02

TELEPHONE / FAX

Rates for calling out of the country is rather high. If you wish to make a long conversation, you should arrange for your party to call you back if possible to save on phone bills.

To make an international direct dialling (IDD) from Vietnam, callers must dial 00 (International Access Code) first and then Country Code, Area Code and phone number.When making a domestic long distance call, callers must first dial 0, followed by Area Code of the city or province (please refer to the list of Area Code of Provinces/Cities on page....) and then phone number. If needing a help, you can call the operator at 110.To place a call from a foreign country to Vietnam, callers must dial the IDD Access Code of that country, and then 84 (Country Code of Vietnam), followed by Area Code of the city or province (please refer to the list of Area Code of Provinces/Cities on page ).

• Call to cell phone: 09xx.xx.xx.xx (10 digits)
• Call to deskphone: provinces in Vietnam (except Hanoi, Hochiminh, Dong Nai, Nghe An, Haiphong): (Province Code)-xx.xx.xx (6 digits)
• Call to deskphone in Hanoi, Hochiminh, DongNai, Nghe An, Haiphong: (Province Code)-xxx.xx.xx (7 digits)

VoIP-based phoning service is now available in the country. To make use of this cheap local and international phone service, users can use "Call 178 or 171 or 179 or 177 " service which is charged between VND 909 and 1,818/minute (VAT not included) for interprovincial calls and around USD 1.3/minute for international calls. For example: calling to Singapore by VoIP, you can dial 177-00-665-(phone number in Singapore).

To rent a mobile phone, you can call 8218465 in Ha Noi and 8242382 in HCMC. At present, Vietnam has four nationwide mobile systems, Mobifone, Vinaphone, S-Fone EVN-Telephone and VietTel. HT Mobile, EVN-Telecom and S-Fone used the 3G technology: CDMA.

Emergency phone number for quick help action: 113. You can dial this number from desk-phone, cellphone,...without any payment.

INTERNET

Internet access points could be found easily in the country, especially in major cities. Users can surf the net, send emails or join chatrooms at a charge of VND 5,000 - 6,000/ hour (about USD 0.4/hour), joining ADSL speed.

If you access to internet by you laptop in hotel, you could save much money than using IDD call, by VNN1269 Service (User name: vnn1269 ; Password: vnn1269 ; Dialup number: 1269) or FPT 1280 Service (User name: 1280 ; Password: 1280 ; Dialup number: 1280). Its cost is VND 150/minutes (but hotel could charge you a bit higher due to local-call charges, service charges..). You can access to internet with domestic calls by internet card from many ISP like: VNN, FPT, SaigonNet, Netnam.. valued 100,000 VND, 300,000 VND and 500,000 VND. It's available in any mobile phone shop, CD Shop and book store.

The broadband ADSL has been launched widely in major cities. You can take advantages from many cyber-shops or hotels in Vietnam. Wi-fi LAN is also available in some hotels.

The Internet Phone (PC to Phone) was launched in Vietnam officially in last September 2003 with many suppliers like: FPT, VNN, Saigonnet,..Service Cards are sold widely in CD shops, post offices and Computer Shops.

In Saigon downtown, if your laptop is available wireless lan card, the prepaid wireless link service from VDC could be used for internet accesing. This service has launched in the end of year 2003. Most of coffee shops in HCMC and other major cities of Vietnam offer free-internet-wifi accessing. You can enjoy drinks, discuss with your partners and connect internet.

CURRENCY

The unit of Vietnam currency is the "dong".

Bank note denominations are 200; 500; 1,000; 2,000; 5,000 and 10,000; 20,000 ; (polymer note/paper note) and 50,000; 100,000; 200,000; 500,000 (polymer note only)- Coins: 200; 500; 1000; 2000; 5000.

Official Exchange Rate: (Sep.2007): 16,000 VND/USD .. For the updated ECR, please refer to the official web page of Vietnam Foreign Trade Bank (Vietcombank) http://www.vietcombank.com.vn

Credit cards, US dollars is accepted in almost services, shops and restaurants. Visa card and Master Card can also use at ATM network located department stores and shopping centers.

LANGUAGES

Vietnamese, the national language, is widely spoken and written throughout the country. English is widely understood in Vietnam, particularly in HCMC and major cities. French is also spoken in some areas while Chinese is spoken by many living in Cho Lon town (China twon). Nowaday, Japanese and Germany is also becoming popular in some cities like HCMC, Hanoi ...

ELECTRICITY

The electric current is 220 volt AC (50 Hz) throughout the country, with two-pin plug. Electronic equipment such as laptop, notebook... should be shielded from the unstability of the current.

If you want to share any expereience on your first business trip in Vietnam, please email to us.