HO CHI MINH CITY

Ho Chi Minh City is the heart and soul of Vietnam. It's a bustling, dynamic and industrious centre, the largest city in the country, the economic capital and the cultural trendsetter. Yet within the teeming metropolis are the timeless traditions and beauty of an ancient culture.

Ho Chi Minh City is located in the southeastern region of Vietnam. The city has a tropical climate, with an average humidity of 75%. A year is divided into two distinct seasons. The rainy season usually begins in May and ends in late  November. The dry season lasts from December to April.

The average temperature is 28 °C (82 °F), the highest temperature sometimes reaches 39 °C (102 °F) around noon in late April, while the lowest may fall below 16 °C (61 °F) in the early mornings of late December.

Today, the city's core is still adorned with wide elegant boulevards and historic French colonial buildings. The most prominent structures in the city center are Reunification Palace, City Hall, City Theater, City Post Office, and Notre-Dame Cathedral. One can visit the Museum of History, the Museum of Revolution, the Museum of Southern Women,the Museum of Fine Art, the Gallery for War Remnants, the NhaRong Memorial House, and many private art galleries.

Both Vietnamese and Western foods are widely available in HCMC and English menus are certainly not uncommon. You would be overwhelmed by a vast of diversified and delicious restaurants, from the most luxury to the most ordinary,  with 24/24 service hours. You are never hungry in Ho Chi Minh City.

GETTING IN HO CHI MINH CITY

GETTING AROUND

Vietnam is famous with many beautiful tourism sites along the country. Here are some places that must be visited in Vietnam:

PhuQuoc Island 

PhuQuoc Island lies in the Gulf of Thailand, and 15 km south of the coast of Cambodia.  It consists of 22 islands and islets. The island covers an area of 585km² and is 50km long. The island also gives holiday makers the opportunity to discover an amazing array of animal and plant life throughout the year, with the majority of the island dedicated to National Park or protected marine environment.

DaLat City

DaLat is located in Lam Dong province, approximately 200 km northeast of HoChiMinh City. It was discovered in 1897 by Doctor Alexandre Yersin. At an elevation of 1,500 m, DaLat bears the look of an Old French city, and the cathedral looks like a European cathedral from the Middle Ages with its many stained glass windows and 47m tower. Masses are held from Monday to Saturday at 5.30am and 5.15pm, and Sunday at 5.30am, 7am, and 4pm.

DaNang-Hue-HoiAn, a World Heritage Site 

 HoiAn is an ancient town in the Middle of Vietnam, about 1000km from HoChiMinh City. The architectural significance of HoiAn has been recognized by UNESCO. It offers some of the most densely concentrated sights in Vietnam with its old streets bordered with ancient houses and assembly halls, its pagodas, temples, ancient wells and tombs. The architecture of HoiAn is characterized by a harmonious blend of Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese influences. After many centuries, HoiAn is still respectful of its traditions, folk festivals, beliefs and of its sophisticated culinary art.

HaLong Bay

The Mekong delta

Irrigated and sprinkled by the

HoChiMinh City University of Technology

The SPISE2009 will be organized at the main campus of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT) – Hochiminh City National University. This university is one of the leading universities in teaching and research activities in Vietnam. The campus is the biggest campus ever of a university located in the metropolitan area of Ho Chi Minh City. It is very convenient to travel to and from the university since it is a stop of a local bus routine and located on a main street with many taxies passing by. The conference hall B4, where the symposium takes place, is one of the most well-equipped conference rooms of the university, which often welcomes many delegates and scientists in many important conferences and academic events of the university. With SPISE2009, you will have a chance to visit the most beautiful, tranquil and green campus inside an industrial and dynamic area.

SCHOOL ADDRESS IN VIETNAMESE

Truong Dai hoc Bach Khoa Thanh pho Ho Chi Minh

268 Ly Thuong Kiet, Q.10, TPHCM

REACHING THE SYMPOSIUM

The symposium is organized at the HoChiMinh-city University of Technology, at the number of 268 on LyThuongKiet Street, District 10. On the registration day of the symposium, please ask the receptionist at your hotel to get you a cab, print the Vietnamese address of the school above, and give it to the cab driver. He will take you to the main entrance of the school campus where the symposium takes place. From the school main entrance, you follow the instruction on the banner or signs along the road in the campus to get to the symposium venue.

The symposium venue is: Conference room, Ground floor, Building B4

REACHING THE DOWNTOWN FROM THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Tan Son Nhat International Airport is located 6 km (4 mile) north of the city center (District 1), and only 4 km north of the University of Technology. Taxi and bus services are available for travel to and from the airport and within the city.

MONEY AND EXCHANGE

US$ and Euro are accepted in Vietnam. You can use these two currencies in many restaurants, markets, shopping malls and department stores in the 1^st district of Ho Chi Minh city. To get the Vietnamese money, you can exchange US$ and Euro at a bank, through authorized exchange bureaus, and at hotel reception desks. The exchange rate depends on the current rate and slightly varies from one exchange service to another. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and JCB credit cards are accepted in the major districts popular with tourists. You also can get your hands on money at any ATM machines in the city.

TAXI

It’s very easy to get a cab on the streets in Ho Chi Minh City. However, please only take a cab having the name and phone number of a taxi company, and make sure that the meter is on when the cab departs, though it is not likely to happen. Here are some useful taxi phone numbers: (08) 38 27 27 27, (08) 38 11 11 11, (08) 38 26 26 26.