Whether you are going to travel Vietnam in join group tours or self-organized trips. Careful preparations is what you need for a perfect tour. Tailormade Vietnam Holidays would like to share some experiences when preparing for your trip.

Learn about destinations:
You need to understand their cultural behavior in order to avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary trouble. Especially when when you travel a culturally diversified country like Vietnam.

About source of information, you should not place undue reliance on these guide books although they are quite convenient, especially watch out if you're holding in your hands the version published a long time before, lack of updated information.

Learn the experiences of those who have travelled to Vietnam before on the travel forums like Tripadvisor or Lonely Planet however please check when the information was last updated.

Many people at the end of their vacation realized that they had missed some worth visiting places or landscapes, for example some visitors to the Citadel in Hue don't know where the Forbidden City was located before (brought down in the Tet Offensive of Hue in 1968), some just have a quick look at the Moon Gate and Thai Hoa palace and finish, it's really a waste of time and money.

Choose the right time to travel
Naturally the trip must be in your free time when you take a leave or not busy with your work (education, business...) however you are recommended to check climate weather conditions of the places you are going to visit.

Streams, rivers, waterfalls in the mountain areas often have a sudden floods in the rainy season. In the rainy seasons, it is not a good idea to go to the forest since the weather is very humid and produce mosquitoes and insects such as in Cuc Phuong forest, Cat Tien or Bach Ma national park in the south. Similarly, the beaches, the islands in the sea like Phu Quoc island or Catba island these days don't have fun and even dangerous.

Cold season, lengthy rains in Hue just bore people of Hue, but after about the full moon of December and January, you will enjoy taking the drizzle in the sunshine with pleasant weather. Or if you want to see the terraced fields in the North West and North East areas, the best time is in mid-September to mid October when the the hillside is green with rice plots between yellow residue around the grain, or the harvest time when the rice is ready to cut.

Tourist cameras
Digital cameras are small, handy and easy to use for everybody, and prices are as low as you can buy easily in Vietnam and memorize your moments in your trip to Vietnam. Professional photographers have to quit their job and few of them appear at public places unless peak festival days. You are recommended to have your own cameras, always bring with you on the trips.

Hotel booking (hotels in Vietnam)
You can use Google map or reliable travel website to find the location of the hotel before making a reservation, in Hanoi most tourists stay in the Old Quarter where there are many midrange hotels, 30-50 usd/room. Tripadvisor is a good source of information. Similar prices can be found in Sai Gon, Hoi An, Hue and Sapa...

Copies of your passports and other documents
Important documents such as Identity cards, passports, insurance, credit cards...need to have a copy with you, in case you are lost you can have the alternatives. In addition you are recommended to print out your address, phone numbers and a map, don't rely too much on internet or computer, smart phones...Because internet is not available in the remote areas of Vietnam, especially in the mountainous north.

Travel insurance
Insurance to travel in Vietnam is compulsory and strongly recommended for foreign travellers, especially when you are traveling by yourself or in private tour. Vietnam travel companies usually exclude insurance in the tour cost and you need to check before booking. Note that travel insurance is very important in case you have a traffic accident or lose luggage