This is great value for a tour to Vietnam during the peak January period, as this price includes all of the following:

• Return Air fares from Sydney into Saigon and out of Hanoi with Singapore Airlines plus 2 flights within Vietnam.   

• An eleven day coach and air tour of Vietnam, visiting most of the outstanding places in this beautiful country. 

• Service of an experienced Vietnamese tour guide and if there are 12 or more tour participants there will be an Australian tour leader. 

• Entrance fees to many attractions. 

• All transport and transfers. 

• Excellent accommodation, mainly 3 - 4 star.

• Many meals as stated in the itinerary. 

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, but this is not guaranteed. If you wish to have a single room, there will be an additional charge of $455
 
There is an optional 3 day extension to see Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple complex for an extra $795 per person twin share and $915 single room.

Tour Itinerary

Post-Tour Extension

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	Itinerary for Vietnam Highlights Tour - January 2011
Note:	Meals are included in the itinerary as B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
16.01.11 (D)	Depart Brisbane at 9.30am on SQ 256, arriving in Singapore at 3.15pm. Depart Sydney at 9.35am on SQ 220, arriving in Singapore at 2.45pm. Depart Melbourne at 11.20am on SQ 238, arriving in Singapore at 3.55pm. All passengers depart Singapore at 5.40pm on SQ 186, arriving in Saigon at 6.45pm. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Welcome dinner at a local restaurant. Accommodation: Huong Sen Hotel
17.01.11 (B/L)	Saigon In the morning there is a half day Saigon tour including a short walking tour around downtown passing the Opera House, City Hall, Notre Dame Cathedral & The Central Post Office. Visits to the former Presidential Palace(Reunification Palace),  War Remnants Museum, China Town with a short walk around 'Cho Lon' the biggest wholesale market in Vietnam & to the Thien Hau Temple which is the oldest Chinese Temple dedicated to the Sea Goddess. Pho (Traditional Vietnamese Noodle Soup) & spring rolls for lunch. In the afternoon, visit to a fascinating tunnel networks built by Viet Cong in the Vietnam war (Which is called American War in Vietnam), a nice 65km drive through rubber & tapioca plantations. Accommodation: Huong Sen Hotel
18.01.11 (B/L)	Saigon- My Tho (Mekong Delta) Morning departure from hotel for a coach trip to My Tho which is a two hour drive from Ho Chi Minh City. My Tho is a prosperous town of 200,000 inhabitants in the Mekong Delta. It is famous for its extensive orchards and immense rice fields. Enjoy a 4-5 hour boat ride on the Mekong River and visit an orchard on an island, coconut candy workshop, bee farm with lunch on the way. Return to Saigon late afternoon. Accommodation: Huong Sen Hotel
19.01.11 (B/L/D)	Saigon Morning at leisure. In the afternoon, lunch at a nice local restaurant then transfer to the airport for a flight to Da Nang. Arrive Da Nang, 40 minute drive to Hoi An where you will have a 3 night stay at the Hoi An Hotel. In the evening enjoy a beautiful dinner with a cooking class at a nice restaurant in town " Morning Glory". Accommodation: Hoi An Hotel
20.01.11 (B/L)	Hoi An- Danang-Hoi An In the morning, We drive to Da Nang city and stop at Marble Mountains with its beautiful grottoes and temples, which can be reached by climbing steep steps (please wear appropriate shoes), China beach where the Americans came for R&R, Cham museum & a drive through this most developed city of Vietnam in the last ten years. Lunch at a nice local restaurant"LY" in Hoian. After lunch, a two hour boat trip on the river brings you to a wood carving village 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 an pillars carved with ornamental designs. During leisurely discovery tour on foot you will visit some of the historic merchant and community houses, place of worship and famous bridge. The rest of the day at leisure. Accommodation: Hoi An Hotel
21.01.11 (B/L)	Hoi An- Hue- Hoi An Depart Hoi An for Hue, 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 red tiled villages with fruit orchards, enjoy spectacular views of sky and sea. Arrive Hue, a tour visit to the ancient Citadel which was built by Nguyen Emperors from 1804- 1833 then lunch at a nice local restaurant. In the afternoon enjoy a nice boat trip on the Perfume River then visit to Thien Mu Pagoda & the tomb of Khai Dinh , the 12th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty which ruled the country form 1916 to 1925, a beautiful mosaic building. On the way back going through the longest tunnel digging through the mountain in South East Asia, back to Hoi An early evening. Accommodation: Hoi An Hotel
22.01.11 (B/D)	Hoi  An- Hanoi Morning free in Hoi An. Transfer to Danang Airport for a flight to Hanoi. Arriving in Hanoi, transfer to Galaxy Hotel for a 3 night stay, One hour cyclo (Pedicab) ride around the Old & the French quarter of Hanoi before dinner at a local restaurant. Accommodation: Galaxy Hotel
23.01.11 (B/L/D)	Hanoi Enjoy a full day city tour of Hanoi with visits to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, museum and residence, One Pillar Pagoda. Lunch is at KOTO, after lunch visit to the Temple of Literature built in the 11th century, which is known as Vietnam's first university. In the evening enjoy the water puppet show, the unique art of the Vietnamese from the 11th Century. Dinner at a nice local restaurant. Accommodation: Galaxy Hotel
24.01.11 (B/L)	Hanoi In the morning a tour visit to the Ethnology museum & Army museum then a short walk around the old quarter before lunch at a local restaurant. The rest of the day at leisure. Accommodation: Galaxy Hotel
25.01.11 (B/L/D)	Hanoi - Halong Bay Leave Hanoi for Halong Bay. 4 hour journey east to Hon Gai, the gateway to Halong Bay. En route pass fields of busy workers farming their rice using traditional methods cultivation. 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. Arrive Halong Bay early afternoon then board the Bai Tho Junk for 5 hour cruise on magnificent Halong Bay with its 1969 islands rising from the clear emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, one of the natural marvels of Vietnam. 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 stop at one of the many grottoes before returning to port. Seafood lunch on board. Accommodation:  Saigon Halong Hotel
26.01.11 (B)	Halong Bay Transfer to the airport for your flight. Depart Hanoi at 1.30pm on SQ 175, arriving in Singapore at 5.55pm. Sydney passengers  depart Singapore at 8.40pm on SQ 221, arriving in Sydney at 7.35am.(27.01.11). Melbourne passengers depart Singapore at 9.00pm on SQ 227, arriving in Melbourne at 7.15am (27.01.11) Brisbane passengers depart Singapore at 9.10pm on SQ 235, arriving in Brisbane at 6.50 am (27.01.11).

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	Itinerary for Angkor Wat Extension - Vietnam Highlights January 2011
Note:	Meals are included in the itinerary as B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
26.01.11 (D)	Hanoi - Siem Reap Transfer to Hanoi Airport. Depart Hanoi at 3.20pm on VN 843, arriving in Siem Reap at 5.05pm.  You will be met and transferred to hotel to check in. Dinner and accommodation at hotel. Accommodation: Somadevi Angkor Hotel
27.01.11 (B/L/D)	Siem Reap Breakfast at hotel. In the morning visit Prasat Kravan with its unique brick sculptures and Ta Prohm. One of the area's most beautiful temples, Ta Prohm has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Its appeal lies in the fact that, unlike the other monuments of Angkor, it was abandoned and swallowed by the jungle, looking very much the ways of the Angkor temples appeared when European explorers first stumbled upon them. Visit as well Takeo, Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon. Lunch at hotel. Visit 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 in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. Continue your visits to Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool and representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake, and visit as well Ta Som and Srah Srang (The Royal Baths) undoubtedly used in the past for ritual bathing. Dinner at local restaurant. Accommodation: Somadevi Angkor Hotel.
28.01.11 (B/L)	Siem Reap - Saigon Breakfast at hotel. In the morning, visit the most famous of all the temples on the plain of Angkor; Angkor Wat. The temple complex covers 81 hectares 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 and 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 hotel. 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). Transfer to Siem Reap International Airport. Depart Siem Reap on Silk Air MI 617 at 6.35pm arriving into Singapore at 9.55pm. Melbourne passengers depart Singapore on SQ 237 at 11.40pm, arriving into Melbourne at 10.05am on 29.01.11
29.01.11	Brisbane passengers depart Singapore on SQ 255 at 00.10am, arriving into Brisbane at 9.50am. Sydney passengers depart Singapore on SQ 231 at 00.30am, arriving into Sydney at 11.10am.
	The cost of this extension is $795 per person twin share and $915 per person single room.

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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 $385 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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