What should Vietnamese tourists visiting Brunei pay attention to?

Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque in the capital of Brunei

Compared to China, Japan, South Korea, or other countries in the region such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc., Brunei is not mentioned much on the tourist map. However, that does not mean that this kingdom is not an ideal destination, as this country still has many interesting things waiting to be discovered.

Besides the favor of nature, green forests and an ecosystem carefully preserved by the government and people.

Famous for its magnificent and splendid mosques that are always strictly protected and controlled by Muslims, Brunei has more than 70% of its population following Islam and Islam is considered the state religion. Although open and friendly to foreign tourists, there are also strict Islamic laws; at the same time, resolutely refusing visitors who do not comply with the laws of each destination.

What should Vietnamese tourists prepare when visiting Brunei?

First, the passport must be valid for at least 6 months. If you are only visiting for a short period of time, Vietnamese tourists do not need a visa, because this country exempts visas for Vietnamese citizens with a stay of 14 days.

According to Mr. Sugumaran Nair - business manager of Freme Travel Agency, Brunei has a hot, humid and sunny climate. Therefore, Vietnamese tourists should choose clothes made from light fabrics for convenience in moving.

"Smoking and drinking alcohol are not allowed in public places. However, non-Muslim visitors are allowed to bring two bottles of wine and 12 cans of beer upon entry. Please note that they can only be consumed in private places, such as hotel rooms," Mr. Sugumaran emphasized.

Tourists should choose the time to travel from January to August to have an ideal trip, avoiding the harsh sunlight and heavy thunderstorms. "The average temperature is about 28 to 35 degrees Celsius, hot and sunny, sometimes rainy, the temperature changes, tourists should bring umbrellas, jackets and sunscreen," Mr. Sugumaran added.

In addition, the kingdom of a series of Muslim festivals also has two major events: the Ramadan fasting festival (from mid-May to mid-June) and the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festival (mid-September).

"Tourists should avoid traveling during Ramadan, because at this time when eating and drinking you need to be very tactful and skillful, and not eat in front of people. On the contrary, Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a royal event that opens the door for people to meet and pray for good luck, so traveling at this time is ideal," Sugumaran analyzed.

English is a fully conversant language in Brunei, alongside more than 11 languages, including dialects and vernaculars, spoken in the community, of which Malay is considered the main language.

Regarding currency, Brunei pays in Singapore dollars with the same denomination as the local dollar. The currency of Brunei is BND. 1BND is equivalent to 18,400 VND. Visitors can exchange money at the airport or banks. Credit and Debit cards are widely accepted. ATMs are located throughout the city, helping visitors withdraw money from Visa or Master cards easily and quickly.

How to get to Brunei?

Previously, when there were no direct flights from Vietnam to Brunei and vice versa, Vietnamese tourists often transited in Singapore or flew to Kuala Lumpur. After visiting famous destinations in Malaysia such as the Patronas Twin Towers, Mari Mari Cultural Village, Sapi Island, etc., tourists would continue flying from Kuala Lumpur to Brunei with Malaysia Airlines or Royal Brunei Airlines.

Vietnamese tourists at Brunei International Airport

If you like sightseeing, Vietnamese tourists can choose the road. Specifically, tourists will take a taxi from Kuala Lumpur to Miri Long Distance Bus Station to Brunei, for 26 ringgit (about 190,000 VND/trip); or buy a ticket from PHL Express to Brunei, for 25 ringgit (about 180,000 VND/trip). There are two trips every day, departing at 7am and 3:45pm.

From Brunei to Malaysia, only PHLS Express sells tickets at Bandar - Brunei bus station, priced at about 18 Brunei dollars/Singapore dollars.

However, according to Mr. Tran Giang San - General Director of Royal Brunei Airlines in Vietnam, in recent years, the airline has been operating actively in the Vietnamese market. Initially, the airline operated 5 flights/week for the Vietnam - Brunei route and vice versa. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, the flight frequency has recently been reduced to 3 flights/week.

"In the future, we will increase flights to serve the increasing demand of passengers. During Tet and the beginning of the year, we also have preferential policies for travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City as well as individual customers, if they fly groups of individual customers from Ho Chi Minh City to Brunei and connect to the next flight," said Mr. San.

Vietnamese tourists should consider renting a car from the beginning, instead of taxis or Grab, buses are not very popular.

Regarding domestic travel, Vietnamese tourists should consider renting a car from the beginning. Taxis, Grab, and buses are not very popular in Brunei. In addition, this country also has means of transportation such as boats and water taxis for tourists to have more experiences.

"It takes about 20 minutes from the airport to the city center, and costs about 30 Brunei dollars. Note that there are no bus stops here, so visitors can catch a bus anywhere on the road, for about 1 Brunei dollar, but it can only go around the capital," added Mr. Sugumaran.

Brunei is 1 hour ahead of Vietnam. "When arriving in Brunei, according to new regulations, it is strictly forbidden to bring cigarettes/cigars, even just 1. You should bring enough clothes for the process to avoid having to do laundry at the hotel because it will be expensive," Mr. San added.

Going to Brunei, where to stay?

If you want to experience local life, Vietnamese tourists can choose homestay. Through the social networking site for backpackers Couchsurfing, Vietnamese tourists register to stay at local people's homes so they can stay and be taken on free tours when the locals have free time.

If you want privacy but want to save money, Vietnamese tourists can rent a motel for about 10 Brunei dollars.

For convenience, tourists can choose a hotel. According to Mr. Kamil - General Director of WAFA Hotel, the average price of a 3-star hotel is 1.4 - 1.5 million VND/night/room.

Electricity used in Brunei is usually 220V, the sockets used are 3 pins. Therefore, Vietnamese tourists should bring a universal intermediate socket.

"In some hotels, if guests want to make phone calls from their rooms, they must contact the receptionist in advance and deposit a sum of money before they can open a phone line. Phones in hotels are very expensive. Guests should buy phone cards and call at public phone booths, or register to open roaming in Vietnam and use their phones abroad," Mr. Kamil added.

In case of problems with locals, Mr. Kamil advises Vietnamese tourists not to solve the problem themselves, but to contact the hotel they are staying at for support.

Empire 6-star gold-plated hotel

If you have money and want to experience the feeling of staying overnight at luxury resorts or 6-star gold-plated hotels on famous beaches, Vietnamese tourists will be welcomed with luxurious services. However, the prices will be hot!

What are Brunei's specialties?

The country of mosques is not famous for shopping but also has many specialties that make tourists' hearts flutter.

Sugumaran reminded Muslims not to eat pork. "When using or carrying these things, tourists should not let people see them, to avoid being accused of mocking Islam. Tourists can also bring their own food such as dried food, instant noodles, pork floss, etc. in case they do not like the taste. But they should not bring food with unpleasant odors," Sugumaran advised.

Durian in Brunei

As a frequent visitor to Brunei, Mr. San advised Vietnamese tourists not to eat or drink with their left hand, because the concept here is that the left hand is unclean. "Especially, do not ask about pork, because it is taboo," Mr. San revealed.

One of the specialties in Brunei is durian, a fruit reserved only for royalty in the ancient Brunei dynasty. Brunei durian has 3 flavors: durian, jackfruit, mango.

Ambuyat is a specialty dish that is made quite elaborately from the Sago palm tree. Ambuyat will be more delicious when eaten hot and served with avocado ice cream and peanuts. More interestingly, some locals have used this dish to lose weight.

As for the main dish, lamb is a specialty and is prepared into many popular dishes, such as: grilled lamb, lamb in red wine sauce, lamb stewed with vegetables... served with rice or noodles. Lamb fried noodles are also highly appreciated by some tourists. This is a famous delicious and nutritious dish often used in the main meals of the locals. In addition, lamb is marinated and stir-fried with vegetables, making it thick and shiny.

Food sold at the market in Brunei

In addition, the traditional dish of grilled fish with Brunei flavor is delicious and strange, marinated with a secret recipe and served with a special dipping sauce. To conquer the most demanding diners, chefs often choose large fish with a lot of thick meat, cleaned of intestines and mud before grilling. More attractively, some chefs also stuff many types of stuffing into the fish's belly to make it more appealing to visitors.

Shopping mall in the capital of Brunei

Tourists take photos inside the Jame Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque in the capital of Brunei

When visiting solemn places such as churches, women are required to wear traditional outer clothing (shoulder-to-toe robes). Therefore, visitors should wear long pants/ankle-length skirts. When visiting mosques, shoes should be removed, women should cover their heads and avoid wearing clothes that expose their knees and arms.

In public places, shopping malls, restaurants, etc., visitors are not allowed to wear short clothes. Specifically, men must wear long pants and women should not wear shorts or off-shoulder shirts...

If you want to take photos in public, you should ask permission first; at the same time, avoid taking photos or shaking hands with Muslim women to avoid getting into trouble with local authorities. When greeting, Vietnamese tourists can put one hand on their heart and bow slightly.

According to experts, Bruneians often use titles in daily communication instead of names. Men are called Awang and women are Dayang. In addition, there are also many titles that show social status such as: Pengiran is a person of royal lineage, Pehin and Dato are people who have contributed greatly to the country. If Vietnamese tourists want to communicate with local people, they can consider how to address them.

Places not to be missed when visiting Brunei

Visitors should not miss the Brunei Royal Palace when coming to this country. Located on a green hill in the lower Brunei River, the palace faces south of the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. Istana Nurul Iman is the residence of the king and the royal family, as well as the residence and workplace of the Government and the Prime Minister's Office.

The Royal Regalia Museum houses evidence of royal life through the ages. It also displays many artifacts related to the kings who have reigned.

The 600-year-old floating village of Kampong Ayer with simple houses on the river, complete with schools, mosques, administrative offices, gas stations, markets...

Ulu Temburong National Park covers 550km² with exciting adventure games and sports activities…

The Empire Hotel & Country Club complex is also a frequent check-in point for tourists. This is both a tourist attraction and a famous hotel in Brunei. The hotel covers 180 hectares with 443 magnificent rooms. This is also one of the most luxurious hotels in Asia, in the top ten most beautiful hotels in the world.

The longest sea bridge in Southeast Asia, Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Bridge across Brunei Bay, is 26.3km long.

If you love outdoor activities and entertainment, Jerudong Park is a destination not to be missed by Vietnamese tourists. This is the leading amusement park in Southeast Asia, built by the Sultan of Brunei in 1994 as a gift to the people. The park covers an area of ​​104 hectares, with many interesting games, of which the highlight is the vibrant Musical Fountain that takes place at 10pm.

In addition, this place also has irresistible attractive destinations such as artificial islands, DinoPark, playgrounds, colorful cinemas... It is a bustling and brilliant paradise that Vietnamese tourists should visit once.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/du-khach-viet-toi-brunei-can-luu-y-gi-20240218114149361.htm