Country Information

Country Code: . It is expensive to call home from hotels but international calls from post offices are much better value.

Roaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies. Coverage is available throughout large parts of the country. It is possible to buy competitively priced sim cards for use in the country.

Internet cafés are widely available throughout the country and they are good value. High-speed connections are only available in major towns and cities.

The media is controlled by the Communist Party. Newspapers straying beyond restrictive government reporting guidelines are shut down and journalists fined. Internet access is tightly controlled. Web content is subject to government approval and sites deemed unacceptable are blocked.

The main daily English-language paper is the state-run Vietnam News. Vietnam Television is also state-run and VTV broadcasts from Hanoi. Some weekly versions of British newspapers are available.

The Vietnamese postal service isn't the most efficient so allow around 7-14 days for post to arrive in the UK and US. Send mail from the post office in main towns and cities. Postal services can be slow. Airmail to Europe can take up to three weeks.

Post office hours and days vary from town to town but many can be open from early morning until late evening.

Daily and weekly newspapers in Vietnam include Lao Dong, Nhan Dan (The People) and Quan Doi Nhan Dan. The Vietnam Economic Times, Vietnam Investment Review, Saigon Times and Vietnam News are published in English. Le Courrier du Vietnam is published in French.

Voice of Vietnam (VoV)is state operated. VoV 5 broadcasts programmes in English, French and Russian.