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15 Day Conducted 
       
Vietnam Explorer Tour

For only $2,515
per person twin share

This price includes airport taxes & levies of $320

Tour departs Sydney February 26 and Melbourne February 27, 2010
This tour is incredible value as it covers all of the following:
There will also be a full program of optional half-day and full day tours.

If you don't have a travel partner but wish to travel at twin share rates, we will do our best to match you up with another person. If you wish to have a single room, there will be an additional charge of $690 for the basic tour.

This tour has an optional extension to Angkor Wat. Please see below for further details.


Tour Itinerary

Angkor Wat Extension

Terms and Conditions

Booking Form

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   Itinerary for Vietnam Explorer Tour February 2010  
Included meals are indicated as B = Breakfast, L =Lunch, D = Dinner
26.02.10
(D)		 Depart Sydney at 11.35am on VN 782, arriving in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) at 3.55pm.  Upon arrival you will be met and transferred your hotel in central Saigon for your 4 night stay. Welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodation:  Huong Sen Hotel.

27.02.10
(B/L)

For Sydney passengers, there will be an included morning city tour of Saigon. A short walking tour around Saigon downtown passing the Opera House, City Hall then the Notre Damn Cathedral and the Central Post Office. Followed by a visit to the former Presidential Palace (Reunification Palace), the War Museum, Chinatown, Thien Hau Temple.
Lunch is at Pho 2000 where you will have Pho (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup) and spring rolls. Afternoon is at leisure.

Depart Melbourne at 11.25am on VN 780, arriving in Saigon at 3.35pm. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred your hotel in central Saigon for your 3 night stay.
Accommodation:  Houng Sen Hotel.
28.02.10
(B)		 Optional full day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels and Tay Ninh with lunch.
You will visit Cu Chi Tunnels (70km north west of Saigon), an amazing complex of underground tunnels used during the Vietnam War. Continue to Tay Ninh Church, central of the unusual Cao Daism religion, which combines Buddhism, Christianity, Taosim and Confucianism. See this spectacular church with worshipers attending the noon service in the colourful tunics. The included lunch is at a good restaurant in Tay Ninh. Price: $62.00
Accommodation:  Huong Sen Hotel.
01.03.10
(B)		 Optional full day Mekong Delta tour including lunch. An unforgettable day trip into the Mekong Delta. Coach trip to My Tho. Afterwards you visit Vinh Trang Pagoda and enjoy a boat trip on the Mekong River, stopping at an island to visit fruit orchards and taste some fruit. Continue on small sampans through the canals to see more local life, a coconut workshop and a bee keeping farm. Lunch is on route. Return to Saigon by coach.  Price: $56.00
Accommodation:  Huong Sen Hotel.
02.03.10
(B)		 Morning is at leisure for Sydney passengers.  
For Melbourne passengers, there will be an included morning city tour of Saigon. A short walking tour around Saigon downtown passing the Opera House, City Hall then the Notre Damn Cathedral and the Central Post Office. Followed by a visit to the former Presidential Palace (Reunification Palace), the War Museum, Chinatown, Thien Hau Temple.
Lunch is at Pho 2000 for Melbourne passengers where you will have Pho (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup) and spring rolls.
All passengers transfer to the airport for your flight to Danang. Departing Saigon at 4.00pm and arriving in Danang at 5.10pm. Upon arrival at Danang you have a 40 minute drive to Hoi An where you will check into your hotel for your 4 night stay.
Optional cooking class at a nice local restaurant in town.
Price: $26.00 including dinner.
Accommodation:  Hoi An Hotel.  
03.03.10
(B)		 Optional full day sightseeing tours in Danang and Hoi An. We drive to Danang city and stop at Marble Mountain with its beautiful grottoes and temples, which can be reached by climbing steep steps (please wear appropriate shoes), China Beach where the American came for R&R, then visit Cham Museum. Lunch is at a nice local restaurant "LY". Drive back to Hoi An. A short boat trip across the river brings you to a boat builder's yard and woodcarvers as well as a pottery and brick making village. After that discover the Hoi An ancient town, known to early Western merchants. Hoi An was one of the major trading centres of Southeast Asia in the
16th century. Hoi An has a distinctive Chinese atmosphere with low tiled roof houses and narrow streets; the original structure of some of these streets is still virtually intact. Many of the houses were constructed of rare timbers and decorated with lacquer panels engraved with Chinese characters and pillars carved with ornamental designs. During a leisurely discovery tour on foot you will visit some of the historic merchant and community houses, places of worship and famous bridges. Return to the hotel. Price: $58.00
Accommodation:  Hoi An Hotel.
04.03.10
(B)		 Optional tour to My Son, the imperial city of the Champa Empire from the 4th to 12th centuries. My Son Sanctuary is a large complex of religious ruins comprising of more than 70 architectural remains. UNESCO recognised the Cham Architecture in My Son as a Cultural Heritage site in 1999. Price: $44.00
Accommodation: Hoi An Hotel.
05.03.10
(B)		 Optional full day tour from Hoi An to Hue. Depart Hoi An at 7.30am. Hue is the homeland of Nguyen dynasty, the last dynasty of Vietnam which ruled the country from 1802 to 1945, driving across the Hai Van Pass (Pass of the Oceans Clouds), passing through many pretty re-tiled villages with fruit orchards, enjoying spectacular views of sky and sea. Arrive in Hue where you will visit the ancient Citadel which was built by Nguyen Emperors from 1804 to 1833, then lunch is at a nice local restaurant. In the afternoon enjoy a nice boat trip on the Perfume River, then visit the Thien Mu Pagoda and the Tomb of Khai Dinh, the 12th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty which ruled the country from 1916 to 1925, a beautiful mosaic building. On the way back you go through the longest tunnel digging through the mountain in South East Asia, arriving in Hoi An late afternoon. Price: $75.00
Accommodation: Hoi An Hotel.
06.03.10
(B)		 Morning free in Hoi An. Transfer to Danang Airport. Departing at 12.15pm on
VN 814, arriving in Hanoi at 1.25pm. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to the hotel.
Optional tour to see the Water Puppet Show and dinner at a nice local restaurant in the evening. Price: $28.00
Accommodation:  Galaxy Hotel.
07.03.10
(B)		 Optional full day tour to Hoa  Lau and Tam Coc (Dry Halong Bay). Drive 110km south to visit Tam Coc Caves famous as the so called Dry Halong Bay. During a two hour boat ride in a sampan enjoy the serene limestone rocks towering over the rice fields. After lunch continue to Bich Dong Pagoda and the Temples of the Dinh and Lee dynasties. Lunch is included. Price: $63.00
Accommodation: Galaxy Hotel.
08.03.10
(B/L/D)		 This morning there is an included half day city tour of Hanoi. You will visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, The Residence, One Pillar Pagoda then Hoan  Kiem Lake and the Temple of the Literature which is considered Vietnam's first university. Lunch is at a local restaurant. In the afternoon you leave Hanoi for Halong Bay. Dinner at the hotel.
Accommodation:  Saigon Halong Hotel (Ocean view).
09.03.10
(B/L)		 Halong Bay has been compared with the magical landscape of limestone islets at Guilin in China and Krabi in southern Thailand. These tiny islands are dotted with innumerable beaches and grottoes created by the wind and waves.
Board the Huong Hai Junk for a 6 hour cruise on the magnificent Halong Bay with its 1,969 islands rising from the clear emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, one of the natural marvels of Vietnam.
This province shares a common border with China in the north and harbours some of the most stunning scenery in Vietnam. Bizarre rock sculptures jut dramatically from the sea and numerous grottoes have created an enchanted timeless world. The sails of junks and sampans add further to the beauty of the scene. Halong Bay was made famous to westerners in the French film 'Indochine'. You will also have the opportunity to visit a beautiful cave and go for a swim during the cruise.
Accommodation:  Saigon Halong Hotel (Ocean view).
10.03.10
(B)		 Morning drive back to Hanoi, on the way stopping at a ceramic village.
Optional interesting afternoon XICH LO (Pedicab) city tour around the Old & the French quarter of Hanoi and visit the National Fine Art Museum and the Army Museum. Price: $30.00
11.03.10
(B/L)

Morning is at leisure. Farewell lunch is at a nice restaurant 'KOTO', then Sydney passengers will be transferred to the airport. Sydney passengers depart Hanoi at 5.00pm on VN 783, arriving into Sydney at 9.35am the next morning (12.03.09).

Melbourne passengers will have an included dinner in Hanoi.
12.03.10
(B)		 Melbourne passengers have a free morning then transferred to the airport for flight VN783 at 5.00pm, arriving at 9.35am the next morning (13.03.10)
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  Itinerary for Angkor Wat Extension 
Note: Meals are included in the itinerary as B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner


11.03.10



 Hanoi - Siem Reap
Transfer to Hanoi Airport. Depart Hanoi at 4.55pm on VN 845, arriving in Siem Reap at 6.50pm.  You will be met and transferred to hotel to check in.  Dinner at own arrangement. Accommodation: Somadevi Angkor Hotel
12.03.10
(B/L)












 Siem Reap
In the morning visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor: Angkor Wat.  The temple complex covers 81 acres and is comparable in size to the Imperial Palace in Beijing.  Its distinctive five towers are emblazoned on the Cambodian flag and the 12th century masterpiece is considered by art historians to be the prime example of classical Khmer art architecture.  Angkor Wat's five towers symbolize Meru's five peaks - the enclosed wall represents the mountains at the edge of the world and the surrounding moat, the ocean beyond.  Lunch at local restaurant. Visit the ancient capital of Angkor Thom (12th century).  See the South Gate with its huge statues depicting the churning of the ocean of milk, the Royal Enclosure, Phimeanakas, the Elephants Terrace, the  Terrace of the Leper King and Bayon temple (unique for its 54 towers decorated with over 200 smiling faces of Avolokitesvara), until sunset.  Dinner at own arrangement.
Accommodation: Somadevi Angkor Hotel.
13.03.10
(B/L)		 Siem Reap - Saigon
Breakfast at hotel. In the morning visit the mountain temple of Pre Rup, East Mebon (guarded at its corner by stone figures of harnessed elephants, some of which are still in a reasonable state of preservation), Ta Som, Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool and representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain lake and Preah Khan temple. Built by the King Jayavarman VII, Preah Khan is, like Ta Prohm, a place of towered enclosures and shoulder hugging corridors.  Unlike Ta Prohm, however Preah Khan is,  is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation.  Lunch at local restaurant.  After lunch, Prasat Kravan withs its unique brick sculptures, Banteay Kdei (surrounded by 4 concentric walls), Thommanon and Chau Say Tevoda.
Depart Siem Reap at 6:30pm on VN 828, arriving in Saigon at 7.30pm.
Sydney passengers depart Saigon at 9.05pm on VN 783, arriving in Sydney at 9:15am the next morning (14.03.10)
Melbourne passengers depart Saigon at 9.10pm on VN 781, arriving in Melbourne at 9.25am the next morning (14.03.10)2
NOTE:
As Melbourne passengers who are doing the Cambodian extension are missing out on one night's accommodation in Vietnam, they will receive a discount of $60 per person twin share or $90 single room.
The cost of this extension is $755 per person twin share or $845 per person single room.
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Conditions for Macleay Valley Travel's Vietnam Explorer Tour

Deposits and Payments - A non-refundable deposit of $200.00 per person is payable within 7 days of booking. This deposit is not refundable should you later cancel. The balance is payable in full 8 weeks prior to departure.

Refunds and Cancellations - Cancellations after final payment will result in a refund limited to whatever we can recoup from the airline.

Insurance - Adequate travel insurance is essential. We can arrange this for you if desired.

Passports - All travellers require a current passport with at least 6 months left on it at the end of the tour. Non-Australian passport holders require a re-entry visa for Australia.  Visas are required for all passport holders to Vietnam. Visa fee for an Australian passport holder is $72.00 and we charge $30.00 for processing.  Please note: Visa fees are subject to any increases imposed by the Vietnamese Consulate.

Basic Tour Price and Taxes - Air taxes and fuel levies are included in the basic tour price, and as air taxes and fuel levies change regularly  the exact amount will be advised at time of invoicing. At present air taxes and fuel levies come to $320 for the standard tour. Total tour cost may therefore change.

Not  Included in the Cost -  Travel insurance, visas and all items of a personal nature such as telephone calls, drinks, excess baggage, tips, meals (except those specified in the itinerary), etc. are not included in the cost.
Similarly, credit card payments can only be accepted if 2% is added to the price to help defray the heavy merchant fees charged to us by the credit card companies.

Booking through other Agents - As we keep the cost of our tours as low as possible, there is insufficient margin for us to be able to pay commission to other travel agents, so some bookings can only be accepted if the client pays the other agent's commission. 
Macleay Valley Travel is a fully licensed travel agent and as such any monies paid to us are fully insured by the Travel Compensation Fund. We are happy for any prospective traveller with us to check us out with your local Consumer Affairs (fair trading) department.

Health and Fitness -Macleay Valley Travel recommends that the passenger is reasonably healthy and/or fit to participate in this tour.  Persons with a disability requiring special assistance must be accompanied by a companion. Macleay Valley Travel and their representatives cannot provide this service.  Macleay Valley Travel reserves the right to accept/decline or terminate a passenger's participation in the tour under certain circumstances.

Limitation of Liability - As Macleay Valley Travel acts only as agent for the Airlines, Hotels, Coach Companies etc., providing accommodation, transportation and other services, Macleay Valley Travel shall not be liable or responsible for death or injury to any person or loss or damage to any property including baggage arising out of or connection with any transportation, accommodation or other services, or resulting directly or indirectly from acts of God, fire, breakdown in machinery or equipment, acts of Government or other authorities, de jure or defacto wars, whether declared or not, hostilities, civil disturbances, strikes, riots, thefts, epidemics, quarantines, medical or customs regulations, delays or cancellations caused by changes in schedules or itinerary, or over bookings or defaults or for any causes beyond Macleay Valley Travel's control or any loss or damage resulting from improper or insufficient passports, visas or other documents and neither Macleay Valley Travel, and its servants or employees shall be or become liable or responsible for any additional expenses or liability sustained or incurred by the tour member as a result of the foregoing causes.
Macleay Valley Travel reserves the right to modify the itinerary or the accommodation if circumstances make this necessary, provided that the amended itinerary is of equal value or greater value than that of the original program.
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