This is a long-stretching, graceful, historically and culturally opulent and fascinating country and there are a few things that every person should know before they pack their bags and head to Vietnam.  The true travelers should accept these facts about Vietnam for better journey and the opportunity to visit a truly magnificent country, where you will have the almost exclusive opportunity of meeting the people at close quarters at all levels of society, and coming away with a real understanding of their way of life. It is friendly and safe to travel in Vietnam. With a scattering of common sense, your Vietnam trip should be smooth and trouble free. Tourists normally complain about over-threatening street travelers, tour operators with a bad attitude and dangerous driving. However, with a refreshing mind and intelligent planning with Vivutravel.com, one can avoid these problems.

Things you should do:
•  Greetings are similar to western countries; there are no cultural formalities that as a foreigner you would be expected to know how to greet people.

•  Vietnamese are very much conservative about dressing. Despite the heat, it is best not to show off too much skin. If you do, especially girls, you will only draw ogles from the locals.

•  When visiting pagodas you should dress smartly and modestly. No shorts or tatty beer t-shirts.

•  Always remove your shoes when you enter someone’s house. It is regarded as extremely impolite to walk into a room with your shoes on.

•  Drinking plenty of bottled water is healthy for visitors, especially when walking around sightseeing.

•  Always keep your cash, credit cards, airline tickets in a safe place as they are the most valuable things in a foreign country.

•  Usually the traffic is crazy so you will have to brave the oncoming traffic in Vietnam at some point, but it really isn’t as bad as you would expect.

•  You should ask for the price first before getting in the car/taxi/bus as people of Vietnam are likely to make the price much higher once you decide to get in without knowing it.

•  Bargain as much as you can get better price.

•  If you are travelling from one end of the country to the other, it will rain at some point during your Vietnam trip. Don’t bother packing an umbrella – it just adds to your baggage weight.

•  A Halong Bay cruise is a highlight of the country – don’t miss it out. It is a beautiful place and needs to be experienced at least once.

•  Travel with recommend tour agencies like Vivutravel.com. Even if you plan to buy tickets when in country, research your Vietnam journey a little first on the Internet. A good resource is Vivutravel.com, where fellow tourists discuss Vietnam tours. In this way you can avoid untrustworthy tour agencies and badly run hotels.

Things you should avoid:
•  Don’t wear valuable jewellery and don’t show off your expensive iPod/phone/clothes. Fierce crime is highly unfamiliar in Vietnam, but petty crime is more apparent.

•  Never wear your bag on your back, always keep it in front of you. Bag snatches, although still rare, are possibly the most likely crime a tourist would encounter.

•  Don’t rush people. People of this country just hate it. They take their time and there is no rush for them.

•  Physical displays of love between boyfriend and girlfriend in public are lowering upon. That’s why you may come across couples just holding hands.

•  Don’t lose your temper. Keep a cool head and be kind to others, you will have a greater chance of getting respect the way you wish.

•  Always remember one thing, this is Vietnam, a developing country, and don’t be paranoid about your safety; just be aware of your surroundings.