gotosaigon - Free Visa to Vietnam: Vietnam

Vietnam government is offering FREE visa for English, Français, Deutsche, Italiano, Español, Danish, Svenskar, Nordmenn, Finnish, 한국어/조선말, 日本語, Belarusian, Pусские...and Asian. This is a good news to make all above countries have chance to visit Vietnam quite easy.

Vietnam Visa Exemption

Technically, all foreign visitors need a visa before entering Vietnam. If you wish to be exempted Vietnam visa for your stay, you must be citizen or national of countries having exemption agreement with Vietnam.

List of countries exempted a Vietnam visa:

·     Visa-free for 30 days:Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore
·     Visa-free for 21 days:Philippines
·     Visa-free for 15 days:Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Russian, Sweden, Norway, Finland, United of Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Belarus, Spain (*)
·      Visa-free for 14 days:Brunei, Myanmar
(*) If citizens from these countries wish to re-enter Vietnam under visa exemption program again, the second visit cannot be ealier 30 days from the first visit.
If you are not from any of these countries or you want to visit Vietnam longer than authorized period of stay, please arrange a visa in one of 2 ways: apply in person/by post at a nearby Vietnam Embassy, or you can apply online through travel agents to be issued a visa on arrival at the airport.
Exception:
·     The visitors to Phu Quoc Island may stay without a visa for no more than 30 days. This visa waiver program is also applicable to those traveling to the island through any international ports of entry (air and sea).
·     The holders of APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) are granted visa-free access to Vietnam for no more than 60 days.
·     The citizens of Armenia, Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Dominican, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, Hungary, India, Iraq, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Myanmar, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Russia, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, Uruguay, Venezuela holding diplomatic or official passport may stay in Vietnam, visa free, for maximum of 90 days.
·     The citizens of Angola, Azerbaijan, China, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Myanmar holding diplomatic or official passport are granted visa-free entry for 30 days
·     The citizens of Afghanistan, Albania, Belarus, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Romania holding diplomatic or official passport are exempted a visa to Vietnam. The citizens of Uzbekistan holding diplomatic passport could stay in Vietnam for free visa for 60 days.
·     The citizens of Czech, Estonia, Germany, France, Israel, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Switzerland holding diplomatic passport are granted 90 day stay without a visa in Vietnam.
·     The citizens of Uzbekistan holding diplomatic passport are exempted a Vietnam visa for 60 days.
·     The citizens of Iran are allowed to visit Vietnam without a visa for 1 month if holding diplomatic passport.
Attention: whether you are required a visa or not, your passport should be valid for no less than 6 months prior to the trip or at least 1 month after visa expiry date and have at least 01 empty page left.

5 year visa exemption

For husbands/wives and children of Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese, you are probably granted certificate of visa exemption valid for 5 years if submitting the documents listed below at the local embassy:
·     A completed copy of application form for visa exemption
·     02 recent passport photos (taken in color, white background, face looks straight at the camera, no head coverings or sunglasses)
·     Original passport valid for 6 months after the intended trip, plus one copy to file
·     The documents supporting the relationship between you and your wife/husband/parents such as marriage certificate, birth certificate, documents showing family recognition of your relationship (one copy is required)
·     Other valid documents as regulated by Vietnamese Law.
Time required for the issuance of exemption certificate is around 7 days after the receipt of application.
Please download the exemption application form and find more information on 5-year visa exemption program at mienthithucvk.mofa.gov.vn

Many variety Vietnamese foods are waiting your taste.

Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages of Vietnam, and features a combination of five fundamental tastes (ngũ vị) in the overall meal Each Vietnamese dish has a distinctive flavor which reflects one or more of these elements. Common ingredients include fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, and fruits and vegetables.

Vietnamese recipes use lemongrass, ginger, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander, Saigon cinnamon, bird's eye chili, lime, and basil leaves. Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of dairy and oil, and reliance on herbs and vegetables. With the balance between fresh herbs and meats and a selective use of spices to reach a fine taste, Vietnamese food is considered one of the healthiest cuisines worldwide.

What is the famous food taste in Ho Chi Minh city?

P/s :This topic will not talk about Phở and Bánh Mì.
Actually Saigon is good place for working, staying, so many people from many countryside and cities come here. And that is why Saigon food taste got a lot of mix and travelers can not find somewhere else.

1. HỦ TIẾU

is a noodle soup consisting of rice noodles with pork stock and toppings. Kuy teav is generally thought to have originated with the ethnic Chinese groups that settled in Southeast Asian countries. A popular breakfast dish in Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, kuy teav can be found at marketplace (phsar) stalls, roadside vendors, restaurants and in shophouses across the country, and is highly regarded for its clear and soothing broth and dazzling array of herbs, aromatics and other garnishes and condiments...more

In Saigon, if you want Hủ Tiếu of original Cambodian, you let try Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang (w/seafood, quail egg and pork) . For original Chinese Hủ Tiếu, you let find Hủ Tiếu Sườn (w/pork chop), Hủ Tiếu Mì (w/pork meat).

Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang

                                                                Hủ Tiếu Sườn


2. CƠM TẤM

               is a Vietnamese dish made from rice with fractured rice grains. Tấm refers to the broken rice grains, while cơm refers to cooked rice. Also known as Cơm tấm Sài Gòn (Saigon-style broken rice), particularly served in southern Vietnam, in Saigon. It is usually served with grilled pork, sườn (either ribs or shredded) plus the Vietnamese dish bì (thinly shredded pork mixed with cooked and thinly shredded pork skin) over broken rice. The rice and meat are served with various greens and pickled vegetables, along with a prawn paste cake, trứng hấp (steamed egg), and grilled prawns. Typically, restaurants will serve this popular combination rice plate with a small bowl of nước chấm, as well as a small bowl of soup broth (canh) with garlic chives (to cleanse the throat). The dish cơm tấm bì comes with a chả trứng egg meatloaf.
       The main ingredient, broken rice, is a traditionally cheaper grade of rice produced by damage in milling. It is mainly used as a food industry ingredient in America and Europe, but in West Africa and South East Asia is used for human consumption. Broken rice has a lower fiber and nutrient content, but generally has a similar energy content to intact rice.

Cơm Tấm

3. BÁNH CUỐN

is made from a thin, wide sheet of steamed fermented rice, batter filled with seasoned ground pork, minced wood ear mushroom, and minced shallots. Sides for this dish usually consist of chả lụa (Vietnamese pork sausage), sliced cucumber, and bean sprouts, with the dipping sauce called nước chấm. Sometimes, a drop of cà cuống, which is the essence of a giant water bug, Lethocerus indicus, is added to the nước chấm for extra flavor, although this ingredient is scarce and quite expensive.
The rice sheet in bánh cuốn is extremely thin and delicate. It is made by steaming a slightly fermented rice batter on a cloth that is stretched over a pot of boiling water. It is a light dish, and is generally eaten for breakfast everywhere in Vietnam. A different version of bánh cuốn, called bánh cuốn Thanh Trì and bánh cuốn làng Kênh, may be found in Thanh Trì, a southern district of Hanoi and Kênh village of Nam Định, an ancient village in the centre of Nam Định city.Bánh cuốn Thanh Trì or Bánh cuốn làng Kênh are not rolls, but just rice sheets eaten with chả lụa, fried shallots, or prawns.

                                                                  Bánh Cuốn

4. BÚN BÒ HUẾ

       is a popular Vietnamese soup containing rice vermicelli (bún) and beef (bò). Huế is a city in central Vietnam associated with the cooking style of the former royal court. The dish is greatly admired for its balance of spicy, sour, salty and sweet flavors and the predominant flavor is that of lemon grass. Compared to phở or bún riêu, the noodles are thicker and more cylindrical.
       Bun bo originated in Hue, a former capital of Vietnam. Outside the city of Hue and some parts of Central Vietnam, it is called bún bò Huế to denote its origin. Within Huế and surrounding cities, it is known simply as bún bò. The broth is prepared by simmering beef bones and beef shank with lemongrass and then seasoned with fermented shrimp sauce and sugar for taste. Very spicy chili oil is added later during the cooking process.
       Bun bo usually includes thin slices of marinated and boiled beef shank, chunks of oxtail, and pig's knuckles. It can also include cubes of congealed pig blood, which has a color between dark brown and maroon, and a texture resembling firm tofu.
       Bun bo is commonly served with lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, diced green onions, raw sliced onions, chili sauce, thinly sliced banana blossom, red cabbage, mint, basil, perilla, persicaria odorata or Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), saw tooth herb and sometimes mung bean sprouts. Thinly sliced purple cabbage is acceptable substitute when banana blossoms are not available. Purple cabbage most resembles banana blossom in texture, though not in taste. Fish sauce and shrimp sauce is added to the soup according to taste.

        Bún Bò Huế

5. BÁNH XÈO

               literally "sizzling cake", named for the loud sizzling sound it makes when the rice batter is poured into the hot skillet. Bánh xèo are Vietnamese savoury fried pancakes made of rice flour, water, turmeric powder, stuffed with slivers of fatty pork, shrimp, diced green onion, and bean sprouts. Southern-style bánh xèo contains coconut milk and certain Central regions skip the turmeric powder altogether. They are served wrapped in mustard leaf, lettuce leaves or banh trang wrappers, and stuffed with mint leaves, basil, fish leaf and/or other herbs, and dipped in a sweet and sour diluted fish sauce.
       In the Central region, it is often wrapped in fresh rice paper with a sausage (nem lui) and then dipped in a special sauce which consists of fermented soy bean and sticky rice sauce, ground pork liver, ground and toasted peanut and seasonings. It is widely believed that this dish is a derivative of crepes brought from France during the occupation of what was known as Indochina.
The dish is also popular in Cambodian cuisine, where the dish is called បាញ់ឆែវ (most often transliterated as banh chao). It has also been introduced into Thailand where it known by two names: ขนมเบื้องญวน (khanom beuang yuan), where yuan is the Thai word for "Vietnamese", and บั๊ญแส่ว (Ban sao).

Bánh Xèo

6. GỎI CUỐN

is a Vietnamese dish traditionally consisting of pork, prawn, vegetables, bún (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in Vietnamese bánh tráng (commonly known as rice paper). They are served at room temperature (or cooled) and are not deep fried or cooked on the outside. It is listed at number 30 on World's 50 most delicious foods complied by CNN Go in 2011. Fresh gỏi cuốn have gained popularity among Vietnam’s neighboring countries and in the western hemisphere as well. These rolls are considered to be a very popular appetizer among customers in Vietnamese restaurants.

                                                                     Gỏi Cuốn

GỎI CUỐN, Viet Nam

            "This snack made from pork, shrimp, herbs, rice vermicelli and other ingredients wrapped in rice paper is served at room temperature. It’s “meat light,” with the flavors of refreshing herbs erupting in your mouth. Dipped in a slightly sweet sauce laced with ground peanuts, it’s wholesome, easy and the very definition of “moreish.” By Tim Cheung from CNN

7. CƠM GÀ XỐI MỠ

           literally means "chicken poured by oil", and the oil should be animal's natural. They don't dip chicken in the oil, instead of that they do "shower" chicken on the rack with the boiling natural oil. They do spoon by spoon, one after another, until the chicken's skin becomes golden crispy and it's just cooked but still a little bit bloody pink near the bone. This food is a special chicken, not steamed, not boiled, not deep fried
Cooker did mention previously about the chicken quality, it's extremely important - chicken should be a "garden" one (i.e purely "domestic"breed not mixed or imported one from the industrial farms). Their chicken is smaller size but much better in meat quality. And it should be a young hen (female chicken), not laid over three eggs , this kind of hen (probably they call "gà mái tơ!), giving the best meat.

About the rice, not only cooked with chicken broth but also mixed with chicken fat, so chicken rice is not only tasty but quite rich in fat. Good thing that "gà xối mỡ" is widely served in the streets, almost at night and curiously more popular in Chinatown. Probably too hot to "pour oil on chicken" in the cramped tiny kitchen, so they prefer doing right on the sidewalk.

Cơm Gà Xối Mỡ

"It is not KFC, Popeyes or Texas chicken which one of chicken meat you will eat again after first try" : Colin from France

8. BÚN RIÊU

is a Vietnamese meat rice vermicelli soup. There are several varieties of bún riêu, including bún riêu crap, bún riêu fish, and bún riêu snails.
Bún riêu crap is served with tomato broth and topped with crab or shrimp paste. In this dish, various freshwater paddy crabs are used, including the brown paddy crab found in rice paddies in Vietnam. The crabs are cleaned by being placed in clean water to remove dirt and sand. The crabs are pounded with the shell on into a fine paste. This paste is strained and the crab liquid is a base for the soup along with tomato.

The crab residue is used as the basis for crab cakes. Other ingredients for this dish are: tamarind paste, fried tofu, mẻ or giấm bổng (kinds of rice vinegar), Garcinia multiflora Champ., annatto seeds to redden the broth, congealed pig's blood, split water spinach stems, shredded banana flower, Elsholtzia ciliata vegetable, spearmint, perilla, bean sprouts and vegetarian sausage. This dish is rich in nutrition: calcium from the ground crab shells, iron from the congealed pig's blood, and vitamins and fiber from the vegetables.

Bún Riêu

9. BỘT CHIÊN

is one of food came from China and it did not change much after hundreds year. Saigon people could take this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They normally cook like : In a microwavable bowl, combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, water, vegetable oil and salt. Stir well to dissolve.

Bột Chiên

10. CHÁO ( Conggee)

is a type of rice porridge or gruel popular in many Asian countries. When eaten as plain rice congee, it is most often served with side dishes. When additional ingredients, such as meat, fish, and flavorings, are added while preparing the congee, it is most often served as a meal on its own, especially for the ill. Names for congee are as varied as the style of its preparation. Despite its many variations, it is usually a thick porridge of rice largely disintegrated after prolonged cooking in water...more

Cháo

There are many kinds of Cháo as fish, pork, beef, chicken, squid, eggs...All Vietnamese loves Cháo, it is one of nutrient food for everyone.

11. LẨU (hotpot)

also known as steamboat in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Brunei), refers to several East Asian varieties of stew, consisting of a simmering metal pot of stock at the center of the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and are cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, and seafood. Vegetables, fish and meat should be fresh. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce. In many areas, hot pot meals are often eaten in the winter during supper time...more

Lẩu

12. BÒ KHO

If Vietnamese noodle soups were a high school popularity contest, Phở would be crowned Homecoming King, while Bún Bò Huế would be voted Most Likely to Succeed. Bò Kho, on the other hand, would probably be chilling on the grassy knoll with the stoners; high and oblivious to the hype. Even though Bò Kho has yet to take the culinary world by storm, it is still my all-time favorite noodle soup. Bò Kho is hearty, a bit spicy, a lot savory, and absolutely delicious.

This Bò Kho exactly came from France. When the day French colonial came Vietnam, they brought their favorite to here and Vietnamese was keeping this favor until now.


Bò Kho

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