In this section we've organized the most important details to help you begin painting the broad strokes of your trip. Just a bit of pretrip preparation, such as obtaining a prearranged visa and following some important medical guidelines, is all that's required for a safe and exciting trip to Vietnam. But the information below helps you plan your finances, decide whether to go on your own or by tour, and learn about what to expect in Vietnamese hotels and restaurants.
Terminology: What to Call the War
What do we call the years of turmoil in Vietnam from the early 1960s to 1975? Just as the war that founded the United States in 1776 is known as the "American Revolution" to some (Americans) and for many years as the "Civil War" to others (British), so too the conflict in Vietnam is known by many names: the Vietnam War, the American War, The War of Vietnamese Liberation, and the Second War of Indochina. Most Vietnamese call the major late-20th-century conflict the "American War" or the "War of Liberation," and talk of the time less with recrimination than with pride for Vietnamese fortitude. Most people in the West refer to the long conflict as the "Vietnam War," and we follow that standard throughout this guide for familiarity, but please be aware that the war has many names and definitions.
