Vietnam - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 351

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
Politics affects everything, including many public holidays, in Vietnam. If a Vietnamese
public holiday falls on a weekend, it is observed on the following Monday.
New Year's Day (Tet Duong Lich) 1 January
Vietnamese New Year (Tet) A three-day national holiday; late January or February
Anniversary of the Founding of the Vietnamese Communist Party (Thanh Lap Dang
CSVN) 3 February - the date the Party was founded in 1930
Hung Kings Commemorations (Hung Vuong) 10th day of the 3rd lunar month; late
March or April
Liberation Day (Saigon Giai Phong) 30 April - the date on which Saigon's surrender is
commemorated nationwide as Liberation Day
International Workers' Day (Quoc Te Lao Dong) 1 May
Ho Chi Minh's Birthday (Sinh Nhat Bac Ho) 19 May
Buddha's Birthday (Phat Dan) Eighth day of the fourth lunar month (usually June)
National Day (Quoc Khanh) 2 September - commemorates the Declaration of Independ-
ence by Ho Chi Minh in 1945
SAFE TRAVEL
All in all, Vietnam is an extremely safe country to travel in. Sure, there are scams and
hassles in some cities, particularly in Hanoi and Nha Trang, but overall the police keep a
pretty tight grip on social order and we very rarely receive reports about muggings, armed
robberies and sexual assaults.
Watch out for petty theft. Drive-by bag snatchers on motorbikes are not uncommon,
and thieves patrol buses, trains and boats. Don't be flash with cameras and jewellery.
Since 1975 many thousands of Vietnamese have been maimed or killed by rockets, ar-
tillery shells, mortars, mines and other ordnance left over from the war. Stick to defined
paths and never touch any suspicious war relic you might come across.
TELEPHONE
A mobile (cell) phone with a local SIM card and a Skype account will allow you to keep
in touch economically with anyone in the world.
International Calls