A country with over 50 sub-cultures, awesome landscapes with sandy beaches, tropical weather and friendly hosts aren’t found everywhere. Sure, you can enjoy these travel attractions by joining an organized tour or even hiring a private guide to escort you around the country, but both of these options create a barrier between you and the friendly locals.

Vietnam has over 86 million people and is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. The two main concerns of travelers – heat and monsoon rains have been addressed in recent years. Modern accommodations and transportation with air conditioning are prevalent and many Vietnam travelers have decided to brave the inclement weather of the monsoons to enjoy some of the benefits the rains – mainly better “beach” weather when the rains of the day have passed.

A large variety of Vietnam hotels has emerged in the past few years – small family run “mini-hotels” to 5-star luxury resorts – make comfortable accommodations available to every travel budget. The “Backpacker Telegraph” provides access to bargain hotels by way of the internet and word-of-mouth. Spend a little time “surfing the web” and you’ll find a wide range of places to spend a night or two to fit any budget.

Transportation “to and through” Vietnam can be financially managed by conducting a bit of research on the web. The large international carriers often offer great fares to various hubs in Asia. And the recent emergence of Asia’s regional bargain carriers will provide that last “hop” into Vietnam if you can’t manage to land in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) or Hanoi. Danang is now an arrival point for regional carriers from Thailand and other nearby countries.

In-country transportation can be arranged for a reasonable price by utilizing the “open tour” private tour bus industry, and if you’re really adventurous you can try Vietnam’s public bus system. Vietnam’s railroads provide excellent transportation from one end of the country to the other. Both the private tour bus companies and the railroad provide a number of choices in the area of comfort. “Hard” and “soft” are the adjectives used to describe the levels of service available on the train. You might even chance a local trip on motorcycle or enjoy a trip around town on a cyclo.

If you’re wondering what you do when you get to Vietnam, take a look at any Vietnam travel guide. There are “adventures” to meet the requirements of any traveler’s abilities and desires. Providers of local tour services can be found “online”, in travel guides, or “on the street” when you arrive in town. Waiting to arrange your tour until you’re “on-site” will allow you to make last minute changes to your plans, stay a few extra days at someplace that catches your fancy or spend your money on something else. If you’re on an organized tour you may end spending most of your time sitting near someone who’s a pain.

In Vietnam, labor costs are 90% less than those in the U.S., which means significant cost savings for your company. Even compared to other outsourcing destinations, Vietnam’s labor costs are attractive. According to an article in “GlobalServices” in August of 2006, Vietnam’s labor cost for outsourcing IT functions and business processes are 30% less than those in India, and also less than those of countries in Eastern Europe.

The government of Vietnam recognizes and promotes the importance of education and training. According to Vietnam Economic Times, there were more than 200 institutions of higher learning in the country in 2004, and that number had increased by 60% in the preceding six-year period. Today the country has a 96% literacy rate and 80% of the country’s college graduates hold degrees in the sciences (Vietnam Economic Times). This makes Vietnam an exceptional country for outsourcing technological projects, because the highly educated population has a high level of scientific and technical literacy. The labor force also have much lower turnover and much higher stability than do those of most other countries that are active in outsourcing. Overall, companies in Vietnam has an IT-related turnover rate of less than 5%, whereas in many other countries, such as India, this turnover rate can be 10% or even higher.

Common outsourcing destinations in Asia-Pacific are often plagued by instability. Consider, for example, the 2006 coup in Thailand, the Kashmir conflicts between Pakistan and India, and the Sri Lankan military’s struggles against the Liberation tigers of Tamil Elam. There are many U.S. travel advisories that warn Americans against traveling to these areas, but fortunately Vietnam doesn’t share these countries’ woes. In fact, Vietnam is a very stable country, which creates a hospitable business environment for outsourcing.

Economic Stability: Vietnam’s economy is healthy and growing rapidly, with a GDP that, according to CEIC, grew an average of 7.4% in the six years leading up to 2005. This is the second fastest GDP growth in all of Asia, as published in the New York Times article, Vietnam’s Roaring Economy Is Set for World Stage, on October 25, 2006. FDI (foreign direct investment) was almost US$5 billion in 2005, which makes a favorable comparison with that of other countries that are popular destinations for outsourcing work.

Ethnic/Religious Stability: Because 95% of Vietnam’s population is ethnically Vietnamese and more than 80% of the citizens do not identify themselves with any particular religion, Vietnam is largely free of ethnic/religious conflict. A 2003 UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) study concluded that Vietnam had one of the most secure environments for investment, given the conflicts in Iraq and the surrounding region. Likewise, Vietnam was ranked as the safest among the 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific Region by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy in Hong Kong (Berth of a Nation in Time, autumn 2002).

Political Stability: The current government has held power since Vietnam’s 1975 reunification, meaning that there have been more than 30 years of political stability in the country. The last major conflict with a neighboring country was almost 30 years ago, in 1978. Two American presidents (Bill Clinton during his presidency and in 2006, and George W. Bush during the APEC summit) have visited the country, and Bush met with several top officials including the president, prime minister, and Communist Party chief, thereby underscoring the country’s political stability.

Today, Vietnams’ policies create a warm and welcoming business environment for foreign investment. The country became the World Trade Organization’s 150th member in November of 2006, thanks to a vote of the organization’s General Council. Vietnam is also taking great strides in protecting intellectual property rights and since 2002 has largely been complying with the guidelines established in the WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIP). When Vietnam became a WTO member, it agreed to comply with TRIP immediately, without a transitional period. The country is expected to achieve full TRIP compliance soon, thanks to legislation that was passed in 2006. This legislation prompted the U.S. to laud the country for its “extensive revisions and updating of its intellectual property laws.”

Unlike many Asian languages, Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet, just as English does, which makes it relatively easy for Vietnamese speakers to learn English. English is the second most popular language in the country, and the majority of Vietnams’ college graduates have high proficiency in English. Consequently, most IT workers in Vietnam are able to communicate easily with U.S. companies in English when completing outsourcing projects.