TOP designs the itinerary to suit individual participants and the group as a whole--each trip is different. You, and fellow group members, travel to personal areas important to you or your family member. Some places are difficult to find and access. We also visit important personal sites of the individual members of the group traveling with you. In addition, we conduct humanitarian projects, and visit Vietnamese villages, schools, and homes.

Vietnam is one of the safest countries for traveling. Women and independent travelers have found it relatively hassle-free and easy to travel throughout the country. Petty theft, such as pickpockets and drive-by bag snatchers, is more rampant in Ho Chi Minh than elsewhere in the country. Visitors are advised to avoid wearing extravagant jewelry or carrying large amounts of money when walking in the streets. If you do choose to drive a motorbike or ride a bicycle, always wear a helmet.

Up to a point. A few areas are closed for security reasons, and others require a permit. If you travel with Haivenu, we will complete all necessary paperwork and permission procedures on your behalf.

Vietnam stretches over 2000 km from North to South. The climate differs all year round from one region to another. The North can be chilly during winter months (December to March). North and Central Vietnam can encounter tropical storms and typhoons from October to January. Overall, the north of Vietnam experiences more marked seasons than the rest of the country with two distinct seasons: wet and dry.

Traveling in Vietnam is generally safe. You can travel solo. Women and independent travellers have found it relatively hassle-free and easy to travel throughout the country. However, when traveling anywhere in the country, travelers should exercise caution and use common sense to avoid incidences of personal misfortune.

The climate in Ho Chi Minh City and elsewhere in the south is hottest and most humid in March and April. The dry season runs from November to April and the rainy season from May to October. In the north, the wet season is from May to September; December to March are the driest months. The climate is tropical with three seasons. The most pleasant being the dry season from November to February when temperatures are cooler.

We use 15-passenger vans and a gear truck for each expedition. The truck, which we call the commissary truck, carries all the food, water, and tents we need as well as our mobile kitchen and our personal gear. It also carries our scientific equipment. These include GPS units, a selective library, many art supplies, and minidisc recorders for recording digital audio.

The length of trip to Vietnam will generally be 12-14 days. Length of the trip depends on how quickly the provincial authorities prepare final paperwork and the availability of appointments at the U.S. Consulate.

We are a local tour operator specializes in Vietnam. We act as an intermediary to sell package tours, hotels and other travel services to clients as a partner and individual traveller.

Tipping: It is customary, though not compulsory, to tip tour guides and drivers at the end of tours. Hotel porters and restaurant waiters should also be tipped. Don’t miss Vietnamese food when traveling to Viet Nam. Some of famous dishes are steam rice (Com), noodle soup (Pho or Hu Tiu), fried spring rolls (Cha Gio).

In a word, you are probably safer anywhere in Vietnam than you are in most American Cities. In Vietnam, if natives are convicted of a crime like shoplifting it is an automatic three year prison sentence. With that kind of a consequence, stealing and petty crime are almost unheard of. It simply is not worth taking the chance. Furthermore, Communist prisons are not as user friendly as American prisons or so they tell me.

Either. Both. The Vietnamese tend to break their words up so they would tend to say (and spell )Viet Nam or Ba Ria, Sai Gon where we tend to run words together (howyagoinmateorite?) so we tend to use Vietnam or Baria or Saigon. You say potato I say ...... It was common in the British Army (pre WW1) for commissions to be bought and sold. A rich man could advance very quickly, with almost no training or experience, to high command by buying his way up. It was legal and common.

John Kerry was not involved in the founding of VVAW. Kerry had not returned from Vietnam at the time that VVAW was founded. Jan Barry Crumb (later Jan Barry) who served in Vietnam in 1962-1963 and enrolled in and then resigned from West Point after his Vietnam service is the best known of the veterans who founded VVAW. About six Vietnam veterans, including Barry marched under an improvised "Vietnam Veterans Against the War" banner in an April 1967 peace demonstration in New York City.