Pre-arrival information

Entrance Visa to Vietnam

To enter Vietnam, foreigners may need an entry visa. Citizens of the ASEAN countries, Russia, P.R. China, R. Korea and Japan may not need an entrance visa for a short visit (please, inquire at your local Vietnamese consulates (http://www.mofa.gov.vn/en/bng_vietnam/dscqdd/ns050119142406).

In case you need an entrance visa for a short visit, you may use the "Vietnam Visa online Service" (http://www.vietnamvisa.asianatravelmate.com/index.html) to obtain "Vietnam visa on arrival". It is convenient and without any help of Local organizers.

If you need a help from Local organizers, please complete the VISA FORM (http://iop.vast.ac.vn/theor/conferences/smr2081/files/VisaForm.doc) and return it to the secretariat at least 2 weeks before the departure day. The Local organizers should send your visa data to the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and apply for a visa approval for you. Then the Ministry of Public Security will inform the relevant Vietnamese embassy or consulate of the approval by fax, and we will notify you of the date of this fax as well as an approval number.

After receiving our information, you should contact with the relevant Vietnamese embassy or consulate to do the next step. In general, you have to fill some visa application form with an indication to your approval number along with the date of the corresponding fax, to submit your passport with enclosed photos, to pay some visa fee, etc.

Accommodation

We have arranged the following hotels for lecturers and participants of the Schools:

1. Governmental Guest House

Address: 2 Le Thach Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Tel: (+84 4) 38255801

Government Guest House is located in Hanoi center, near the old quarter of Hanoi. The distance from the Gov. Guest House to the School’s venue is about 5 km.

All lecturers and directors will be staying at the Gov. Guest House. To book a room, please send a Gov. Guest House reservation form to the secretary.

During the School, there is a car picking up the lecturers from the hotel to the school’s venue and vice versa.

2. Lieu Giai Hotel

Address: 26 Lieu Giai Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

Tel: (+84 4) 38347081

Foreign participants will be staying at this hotel. It is close to the School’s venue (about 400m). To book a room, please send a Lieu Giai Hotel reservation form to the secretary.

Transportion

From the airport to the city center

To go from Noi Bai International airport to hotels in Hanoi center and vice versa, the best way is to take a taxi from the taxi companies specializing in transportation service between Noi Bai and Hanoi center:

- Airport Taxi company (phone: 38866666) and

- Noi Bai Taxi company (phone: 38868888).

These taxis stand just at the terminal exit and are indicated by the corresponding company name and you need just to show the address of your hotel to the taxi driver.
To avoid troubles, we recommend you to take only taxis of these two companies and do not follow invitation of strange people to other taxis!

A taxi to the city-center takes about 40 minutes, and the price for a taxi with up to 4 passengers from Noi Bai to any places in Hanoi center is 15USD (or 250,000 VND) so please prepare in advance some cash in USD

During the School, there is a car picking up the lecturers from the Governmental Guest House to the school’s venue and vice versa.

Venue

Institute of Physics (IOP, VAST)
10 Dao Tan, Thu Le, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel./Fax: +84 4-37662107

Climate

On days of the end of December, Hanoi climate normally change from autumn to winter with an average temperature about 20 degree celsius. The weather then is gentle, sometimes cold and nice. This time is quite appropriate for starting tours in the autumn in the north and middle regions of vietnam. More information on vietnam weather can find in NCHMF (see also WWIS).

Vietnam currency

Vietnam currency is the dong (abbreviated VND). At present, bank notes and coins in circulation are: Bank notes: 1000 VND, 2000 VND, 5000 VND, 10,000 VND, 20,000 VND, 50,000 VND, 100,000 VND, 200,000 VND and 500,000 VND. Coins: 200VND, 500VND, 1000 VND, 2000 VND, 5000 VND

Exchange rate: 1USD ~ 17,862 VND (on 01/11/2009). Click here to inquire today exchange rates (http://www.vietcombank.com.vn/en/Exchange%20Rate.asp)

Traveller's cheques can be exchanged for VND only at authorised exchange banks. Credit cards (American Express, Visa, Mastercard) can be used in banks, travel agencies, hotels, major restaurants and ATM of large banks. US currency is exchanged for Vietnamese dong and treasury notes in banks, exchange bureaus, hotels, and jewellery shops with the daily changed rate.

Contact address

You may address general requests for information to:

In ICTP, Trieste, Italy
Ms. M. Poropat (smr 2081)
the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics
Strada Costiera 11, 34014 Trieste, Italy
Telephone: +39-040-2240540 - Telefax: +39-040-2240354
E-mail: smr2081@ictp.it
ICTP Home Page: http://www.ictp.it/

In Hanoi, Vietnam
Ms. Dao Thi Hong, ICTP's School in Hanoi (smr 2081)
Institute of Physics (IOP,VAST)
10 Dao Tan Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam
Telephone: +84-4-37662107 Telefax: +84-4-37662107
E-mail: smr2081@iop.vast.ac.vn
Website: http://www.iop.vast.ac.vn/theor/conferences/smr2081/