Pay phones are everywhere, but you will need a phone card (available at pharmacies and convenience stores) to call overseas. International direct-dial phones can be found in Internet shops and are the most cost-effective way to phone home. Hotels will often have direct-dial-out from your room, but be sure to ascertain the rate before you dial. If your mobile phone requires a SIM card, you can buy one from a Vietnamese phone company at phone stores in almost every town. GSM-enabled phones allow you to use the same phone number no matter where you travel.
Internet Access
Even in very small towns, travelers will find at least one Internet cafe, and in the more popular tourist cities there are sometimes two or three per block around the hotel zones. All four- and five-star hotels have some form of broadband connectivity in guest rooms, with Wi-Fi in public areas and the business center. It's wise to pack a LAN cable for times when wireless service isn't installed. Many Internet cafes will allow laptop owners to plug into their ADSL server.
Mail & Package Services
The Vietnamese postal system is dependable, but costs for large parcels are comparable to a private carrier such as DHL. The process of filling out all the required forms in duplicate, by hand, can take up most of the morning. Don't bother to tape your package shut, as postal workers will need to approve all contents, and you must list them item by item on the shipping form.
DHL and FedEx have offices in the major cities, and their protocol is considerably easier to follow. DHL offers packaging, even for odd-shaped and bulky items. The post office will pack your treasures up, also, but often in a collection of used cardboard cobbled together with yards of packing tape. Some postal workers are grand masters of this useful craft, and it's fascinating to watch them fabricate a sturdy box out of bits and scraps.
Newspapers & Magazines
The
Viet Nam News is the country's nationwide English-language newspaper, with well-written international news and local features with a decidedly pro-Party slant. More local information about restaurants and nightlife is best obtained from brochures in the hotels or from your knowledgeable desk clerk.
