Vietnam accommodation
Accommodation in Vietnam is generally getting a bit difficult.. Whether you are in Vietnam on vacation or on business, it is not quite hard to find a hotel, especially the 5 or 4 star hotels in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. You can book by your selves for sure, but normally with quite expensive price.
As a travel company, with the large volume of tourist booking through us every month. VN Discovery Tours have very good relationship with the hotels and resorts system through out Vietnam. We could get very best offer from them. And we pass that to you, our value customers.
Hotels range from five-star to one star-rated, inexpensive hostels, local guesthouses and roadside inns. Some hotels offer typical Vietnamese or local features and architecture, while others are completely modern, and of course those that are simply average.
Not all the hotels can accommodate foreign visitors, but three, four and five star-rated hotels certainly do. There are both domestically-run hotels and international chain hotels, especially in highly developed or tourist cities, where you may find Sheraton, Hilton, Hyatt, Melia, Nikkor and so on.
Price, however, is not a good guide to quality. Large cities are more expensive than small cities. Tourist cities are more expensive than non-tourist cities. Most hotels charge much higher rates during major holiday periods, particularly around Vietnamese New Year, the first week in May and the first week in October. Even within a major city, a more expensive hotel is not necessarily the best.
Quality can also vary considerably between hotels of the same star-rating, so feedback from other travellers can be important. Standards of service and cleanliness vary in the lower star-rated hotels, as does the amount of English that is spoken. Four and five star hotels, particularly those from international chains, have some staff who speak reasonable English, but it is not unusual to find that the majority of the staff do not speak English. In three star hotels the people on the reception desk can usually be relied on to speak some English.
It is not difficult to reserve a hotel by phone, fax or on the Internet. However, hotels of less than three stars may not have staff with good English-speaking skills, which makes phone or even e-mail reservations difficult or unreliable at times. Many travel agencies, tourism or transportation companies offer a reservation service, and there are many on-line reservation centers who offer very fast and nice service. We provides hotels and resort deals throughout Vietnam.
Vietnam Religion & Belief
The major religious traditions in Vietnam are Buddhism (which fuses forms of Taoism and Confucianism),Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), Islam, Caodaism and the Hoa Hao sect
Buddhism
Buddhism was first introduced to Vietnam in the 2nd century, and reached its peak in the Ly dynasty (11th century). It was then regarded as the official religion dominating court affairs. Buddhism was preached broadly among the population and it enjoyed a profound influence on people”s daily life. Its influence also left marks in various areas of traditional literature and architecture. As such, many pagodas and temples were built during this time.
At the end of the 14th century, Buddhism began to show signs of decline. The ideological influence of Buddhism, however, remained very strong in social and cultural life. Presently, over 70 percent of the population of Vietnam are either Buddhist or strongly influenced by Buddhist practices.
Catholicism
Catholicism was introduced to Vietnam in the 17th century. At present the most densely-populated Catholic areas are Bui Chu-Phat Diem in the northern province of Ninh Binh and Ho Nai-Bien Hoa in Dong Nai Province to the South. About 10 percent of the population are considered Catholic.
Protestantism
Protestantism was introduced to Vietnam at about the same time as Catholicism. Protestantism, however, remains an obscure religion. At present most Protestants live in the Central Highlands. There still remains a Protestant church on Hang Da Street in Hanoi. The number of Protestants living in Vietnam is estimated at 400,000.
Islam
Islamic followers in Vietnam are primarily from the Cham ethnic minority group living in the central part of the central coast. The number of Islamic followers in Vietnam totals about 50,000
Caodaism
Caodaism was first introduced to the country in 1926. Settlements of the Cao Dai followers in South Vietnam are located near the Church in Tay Ninh. The number of followers of this sect is estimated at 2 million.
Hoa Hao Sect
The Hoa Hao Sect was first introduced to Vietnam in 1939. More than 1 million Vietnamese are followers of this sect. Most of them live in the south-west of Vietnam.
Mother Worship (Tho Mau)
Researchers describe the Vietnamese mother-worship cult as a primitive religion. Mother, Me in the Vietnamese language, is pronounced Mau in Sino-¬script. The mother worship cult might be originated from the cult of the Goddess in ancient ages. In the Middle Ages, the Mother was worshipped in temples and palaces. Due to the fact that it is a worshipping custom and not a religion, the Mother worshipping cult has not been organized as Buddhism and Catholicism have. As a result, the different affiliations of the cult have yet to be consistent and different places still have different customs.
The custom of Mother worship originated from the north. In the south, the religion has integrated the local goddesses such as Thien Y A Na (Hue) and Linh Son (Tay Ninh
In fact, the Mother worship cult was influenced by other religions, mainly Taoism.
Vietnam Ethnic Groups & Nationalities
At present there are 54 different ethnic groups inhabiting Vietnam, in which Kinh (Viet) people make up nearly 90% of the whole population, and 53 other ethnic groups represent over 10%.
The Vietnamese nation was formed through a process of two major ancient cultures, the Chinese and the Indian. Thus a peculiar trait of Vietnam”s culture was formed. As far as anthropology is concerned the Vietnamese people have their origin in the Mongolid race, believed to be one of the major or races of the world and often found in northern and eastern Asia.
* 54 different ethnic groups inhabiting Vietnam can divide eight different groups by the Vietnamese language
The Viet – Muong Group includes 4 ethnic groups: Chut, Kinh, Muong, Tho.
The Tay – Thai Group includes 8 ethnic groups: Bo Y, Giay, Lao, Lu, Nung, San Chay, Tay, Thai.
The Mon – Khmer Group includes 21 ethnic groups: Ba Na, Brau, Bru-Van Kieu, Cho Ro, Co, Co Ho, Co Tu, Gie Trieng, Hre, Khang, Khmer, Kho Mu, Ma, Mang, M”nong, O Du, Ro Mam, Ta Oi, Xinh Mun, Xo Dang,.
The Mong – Dao Group includes 3 groups: Dao, Mong, Pa Then.
The Kadai Group includes 4 ethnic groups: Co Lao, La Chi, La Ha, Pu Peo.
The Nam Dao Group includes 5 ethnic groups: Cham, Chu Ru, Ede, Gia Rai, Raglai.
The Han Group includes 3 ethnic groups: Hoa, Ngai, San Diu.
The Tang Group includes 6 ethnic groups: Cong, Ha Nhi, La Hu, Lo Lo, Phu La, Si La.
In the core of the history of national development, all these groups of people have been closely attached to one another in sharing the same tasks of fighting against foreign invaders, defending the country”s territory, gaining the right to live and the right to national independence and self-determination. Each group of ethnic people have developed their own language and identity, thus making the Vietnamese culture, long known for its variety, a well blended combination of different cultures.
Vietnam Tourism
Vietnam is getting more a popular becamea destination for International tourist. With the high potential of tourism, rich culture, good food and friendly and nice people. But there is strong competition in the travel and tourism business in Vietnam. There are many reputable and ethical agencies, and there”s the others. Please be advised that if an operator is offering a trip which seems amazingly cheap, then the difference will be collected some other way
And also there are some kind of Travel companies claim them selves as a International Tour operator. But in fact they are not. They could not show you their International Tour Operator or Show you not the right one ( Or Show you one site of That which has no name in It). As a International tour Operator, we need to deposit the amount which it equivalent to 17,000 USS at a pointed bank by the Vietnam Administration of Tourism. And that amount guarantee that we have strong finance as well as qualified to be a tour operator. And that amount will be paid for our client in case we do not carry out our commitment to customer
There are also some kind of cafe: the name like Sinh Cafe… which is very popular in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. They offers very cheap price tours but no guarantee for their qualities. Please keep in your mind that: “If you through a pea nut, you will get a monkeys”
A good travel company, such as Viet SapaTravel , always pay their guides a fixed monthly salary, as well as their daily salary, they recognizes the fact that they are English graduates as well as expert guides ( who have tour guide licenses). These days the guides expect a good salary as more and more foreign businesses open in Vietnam, offering an attractive alternative, and a guide with a good standard of English can live fairly well with their salary in even expensive Cities.
A good agency does not permit its guides takes their on endless shopping excursions to factory shops. Viet Sapa Travel allows it”s guides to take it”s customers to one “interesting” factory shop per day. This allows the guides to supplement their income through commissions. Viet Sapa Travel gets no commissions from these shops but the quality and authenticity of the products is guaranteed.
A good agency believes in delivering value for money, reliable quality, and clarity about what people will get for their money. It will charge a reasonable price, and pay its own staff and suppliers at a reasonable rate.
This, of course, raises the thorny issue of tipping. Vietnam has not previously had a “tipping culture” however the practice of tipping guides and drivers has become common practice.
Even though Viet Sapa Travel pays our guides and drivers a fair salary, they still expect a tip if they provide good service. We provide a guide to the level of tips but in the end it is the decision of the traveler.
