Sunscreen and Insect Repellent is a must

[vivian]

Bring a pair of comfortable leather sandals. You will do alot of walking. If you forgot it, don't worry - clothes and shoes are so cheap over there. Bibi (they have their own store all over town) is a well know brand for comfortable sandals that last a long time. They are cheap too. You can buy a pair between 48,000 - 96,000 dong. My mother has a pair of Bibi for 4 years now. An anorek is nice to have during rainy season. I was there in November and it was not necessary.

I did well and did not get sick in the 10 days I was there, but I was careful about what I ate. I made sure everything I ate had been cooked. Also, dranked cafe au lait but it has hot water. I tried to avoid raw vegetables and fruits. Based on outburs of CDC warning, I did not eat chicken either. Bring wetwipes, they come in handy in some of those hole-in-the-wall local restaurants. They do not supply napkins. If they bring out the individually wrapped wetwipes and you use them, you will get charged for them. My aunt said not to use the wet towels (for sanitation purpose). I brought alot of stomach-aid medicine but was lucky that I didn't have to use any of it. If you are traveling across time zone, you might want to bring a few sleeping pills. These will help you sleep on the plane in the uncomfortable economy class 15-hours flight. If you wear contact lenses - bring eye drops. You will not last longer than a few hours in them as it's very dusty in the cities. Better yet, wear your eyeglasses!

Bring your own films because some of the films sold here have been sitting in the sun. Try to process them in Vietnam before leaving. You can have them process and also put on a CD. It's much cheaper in Vietnam too. I had read somewhere that photographers with tons of films were not allowed to take films out of the country. I also read that if you put them in the luggage, sometime they don't make the flight. I used digital medium so I didn't have any trouble.

The vietnamese like new (large face) singles 100USD. These have exchange values, anything smaller you will probably have to take to the bank. Usually, jewelry stores love to exchange for single 100USD. Try to shop with Vietnam dong, you'll get more for your money. If you have families or friends, as them to keep a few 10,00 dong for you. This is helpful for cab fares when you first arrive. It will cost you around 12,000 to 30,000 dong, depending on how far you are traveling.