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Cheap Flights to Vietnam

The cheapest flights to Vietnam are usually to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. There are no direct flights from South Africa to Vietnam. Use the flight bookings tool on the left to search, contrast airlines and book the cheapest flight deal.

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From Johannesburg
From Cape Town
From Durban
Visa Requirements
Attractions
When to Go

Visa Requirements

You are required to fill in your Vietnam visa application online. After you've filled in the form you print it out and take it with you to the Embassy.

You can use Vietnam Visa, who will process submit your application to the relevant Vietnamese authorities (when we last checked they were cheaper than sending your passport to the Vietnamese Consulate in Pretoria). Visa requirements for South African citizens to enter Vietnam include:

  • Reason for visiting Vietnam (the reason should not be to rescue American GI POW’s from the Vietnam war, blow up Ho Chi Minh’s grave or sabotage their military facilities!)

  • Passport valid for at least six months after return date

  • Completed application form

  • Application fee

  • Two recent colour photos

  • Proof of flight and accommodation booking

  • Business visitors need a letter of invitation from a Vietnamese company

It's possible requirements have changed since this was written - for the latest up to date requirements visit the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or phone them at 012-362-8119 or vnto@worldonline.co.za. Their physical address in South Africa is at 87 Brook Street, Brooklyn, Pretoria. Note that they are closed on Vietnamese public holidays.

South African High Commission in Vietnam

Keep these contact details handy in case you lose your passport, or something happens in Vietnam requiring embassy assistance.

  • Physical address: 3rd Floor, Central Building, 31 Hai Ba Trung Street, Hanoi

  • Email : trantai@aaa.com.vn

  • Phone number : + 84-4-3936-2000

Johannesburg to Vietnam

Fly from Johannesburg to Ho Chi Minh City (JNB-SGN) with Emirates (via Dubai), Qatar Airways (via Doha), Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong), Singapore Airlines (via SIN) or Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul).

Fly from Johannesburg to Hanoi (JNB-HAN) with Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong), Qatar Airways (via Doha), SAA/DragonAir (via Hong Kong) or Thai Airways (via Bangkok).

Johannesburg to Da Nang (JNB-DAD) with Emirates/JetStar Pacific (via Dubai & Ho Chi Minh) or Singapore Airlines (via SIN).

Cape Town to Vietnam

Fly from Cape Town to Ho Chi Minh City (CPT-SGN) with Emirates (via Dubai), Qatar Airways (via Doha), Singapore Airlines (via SIN) or Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul).

Fly from Cape Town to Hanoi (CPT-HAN) with Singapore Airlines (via SIN).

Cape Town to Da Nang (CPT-DAD) with Singapore Airlines (via SIN).

Durban to Vietnam

Fly from Durban to Ho Chi Minh City (DUR-SGN) with Emirates (via Dubai).

About Vietnam

The currency used in Vietnam is the Vietnam dong. Vietnamese is the national language. English is generally spoken in tourist areas.

Attractions

Places of interest in Vietnam include:

  • Na Trang has Vietnam’s most beautiful beach. With its turquoise waters, long sweeping sands, and looming mountains, travelers are often drawn to this tropical paradise. Though the area can be touristy, it boasts the country’s best diving and boat trips. The high-quality cuisine, pumping nightlife, glamorous resorts, and mudbath spa treatments are not to be missed.

  • Hoi An is historic Vietnam at its most attractive. Its picturesque architecture and relaxed riverside setting make for a pleasant stay. Check out the Chinese temples and ancient tea warehouses that sit side-by-side with boutique hotels and lounge bars. This wealthy town offers some of the best food in Vietnam. If you get tired of the scene, beaches nearby beckon.

  • Hue is the more tranquil and conservative of Vietnam’s urban centres. There’s no real nightlife as locals tend to go to bed before 10 p.m. But this UNESCO World Heritage Site, which sits on the banks of the picturesque Perfume River, offers atmosphere in spades. Palaces, temples, pagodas, and tombs combine to give a real taste of imperial Vietnam.

  • My Son’s temples aren’t in great shape but it’s the setting that makes the trip worthwhile. Once an important religious site in the Champa kingdom, bombing reduced the number of temples from 68 to 20. Still, this stream-crossed lush jungle valley is picture-perfect staging and allows close interaction with nature.

When to Travel to Vietnam

Vietnam’s climate varies wildly but April, May or October is generally the best time to vist. The winter monsoon makes the northern part of the country chilly from October to March. April to October brings humid, hot weather to non-mountainous areas. For those who simply want to visit the south of Vietnam, November to February is the driest and coolest time. Be advised that major tourist sites tend to be crowded from November to March and July to August.

Vietnam’s Public Holidays

You may either want to time your visit to Vietnam to coincide with a public holiday and join in the fun, or avoid the date so as to avoid additional travel costs (and possible crowds):

  • 1 January

  • 30 April (Liberation Day/Reunification Day)

  • 1 May (International Workers Day)

  • 2 September (National Foundation Day)

  • 25 December

Floating Public Holidays:

  • Vietnamese New Year

  • Hung King’s Festival Day

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