This must be the best value conducted tour to Vietnam as the price covers all of the following:

• Return Air fares from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane into Hanoi and out of Saigon with Singapore Airlines.

• A 19-day coach tour of Vietnam from north to south, visiting all the interesting places in this fascinating and beautiful country. It goes into several areas not often visited by tourists. 

• Many meals as stated in the itinerary.

• All transport and transfers in Vietnam.  

• Quality 3 to 4 star accommodation.

• Services of an experienced Australian tour leader and local Vietanmese tour guide.

• Entrance fees to many attractions.

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 $985.

Note: For Sydney passengers there will be an extra charge of $82 per person twin share or $148 single room for an overnight stay in Singapore on the way over.

Tour Itinerary

Terms and Conditions

Booking Form

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	Itinerary for Vietnam Overland Tour - March 2009
Note:	Meals are included in the itinerary as B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
09.09.09	Depart Sydney at 11.30am on SQ 232, arriving in Singapore at 5.40pm. Transfer to Peninsular/Excelsior Hotel in Central Singapore. Depart Brisbane at 11.45pm on SQ 246, arriving in Singapore at 5.50am the next morning (10.09.09).
10.09.09 (D)	Depart Melbourne at 12.05am on SQ 218 (check in by 10.00pm on 09.09.09), arriving in Singapore at 6.00am.   Sydney passengers transfer back to Singapore Airport. All passengers depart Singapore at 10.05am on SQ 218, arriving in Hanoi at 12.30pm. You will be met and transferred to your hotel. A tour briefing for the whole group before an interesting cyclo ride around the Old and the French quarter of Hanoi. Dinner at a local restaurant. Accommodation: Galaxy Hotel.
11.09.09 (B/L/D)	Hanoi Hanoi full day city tour with visits to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Museum and Residence, One Pillar Pagoda then to the Temple of Literature built in the 11th century known as Vietnam's first university. Lunch at KOTO. Afternoon at leisure. In the evening enjoy a water puppet show, the unique traditional art of Vietnam from the11th century.  Dinner at a nice local restaurant. Accommodation: Galaxy Hotel.
12.09.09 (B/L/D)	Hanoi - Halong Bay Morning tour with visits to the Army Museum and the Ethnology Museum then a short working tour around the Old Quarter of Hanoi. Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon,  depart Hanoi for Halong Bay.  Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation:  Saigon Halong Hotel (Ocean View)
13.09.09 (B/L/D)	Halong Bay A 7 hour cruise on Halong Bay with seafood lunch on board.   Halong Bay is listed as a world heritage area ouf of outstanding beauty.  'Dragon descending to the sea' as it is known by the Vietnamese, picturesque Halong Bay has around 1,969 limestone islets rising from the clear emerald water, many of them containing beautiful grottos.  A visit to a beautifu cave and an opportunity for a swim during the cruise.  Dinner at a local restaurant. Accommodation:  Saigon Halong Hotel (Ocean View).
14.09.09 (B)	Halong Bay - Hanoi Return to Hanoi and on the way stop at a ceramics village.  The rest of  the day is at leisure. Accommodation: Galaxy Hotel
15.09.09 (B/L/D)	Hanoi - Vinh Morning departure to Vinh, a city in the north damaged by the American bombing which was rebuilt by East Germany. Vinh is the homeland of Ho Chi Minh. En-route stop at Tam Coc - Bich Dong, known as Dry Halong Bay. Enjoy a one hour boat ride in a sampan on a small stream winding between rice fields and limestone cliffs rising almost vertically out of the paddy fields. A spectacular sight! Lunch on the way. Dinner at the hotel. Accommodation: Saigon Kim Lien Hotel.
16.09.09 (B/L/D)	Vinh - Dong Hoi A short drive to visit the birthplace of Ho Chi Minh (known as BAC HO = UNCLE HO), and the village where he grew up before heading off to Dong Hoi. Lunch on the way. Arrive at the hotel mid-afternoon, free time to enjoy a nice new resort of the area. Dinner at a local restaurant. Accommodation: Sun Spa Resort.
17.09.09 (B/L/D)	Dong Hoi - Hue Depart Dong Hoi for Hue, the homeland of the Nguyen dynasty, the last dynasty of Vietnam, which ruled the country from 1802 to 1945. On the way stopover at Ben Hai River, known as DMZ demarcation line between the north and the south in the Vietnam war and then a visit to Vinh Moc Tunnels, which were built in the war for hiding and storing ammunition to suplly Con Co Island. Lunch on the way. One hour cyclo tour around to Citadel and the city of Hue in the afternoon. Dinner at a nice local restaurant. Accommodation: Saigon Morin Hotel.
18.09.09 (B/L)	Hue Morning tour visiting the Citadel which was built from 1804 -1833 by the emperors of Nguyen dynasty,  then to Thien Mu Pagoda, a famous pagoda in Hue and Vietnam, then a boat trip on the Perfume River.. Lunch at a nice local cafe "Mandarin".  Mid afternoon, there will be a tour to the tomb of Tu Duc, the 4th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty which ruled the country from 1848 to 1883 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.  Accommodation: Saigon Morin Hotel
19.09.09 (B/L)	Hue - Hoi An Depart Hue for the ancient town of Hoi An, the major trading port of Vietnam from the 16th to late18th centuries. Beautiful drive on the way across the Hai Van Pass (Pass of the Oceans Clouds), passing through many pretty red tiled villages with fruit orchards, enjoying spectacular views of sky and sea. Stop over China Beach where the Americans came for R & R during the Vietnam War, then  the Five Marble mountains. Lunch at the excellent "LY" cafe.   In the afternoon a short walking tour to discover the historical town of Hoi An, which was a prosperous seaport city during the 16th to18 centuries. Its community of foreign merchants resulted in a unique architectural style with Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and French influences. Accommodation: Hoi An Hotel.
20.09.09 (B/D)	Hoi An Day at leisure. A good place for shopping especially tailoring, a very laid-back town, only 4kms to the beach, a good place to relax. One hour cruise on the river before a cooking demonstration at a nice local restaurant. Accommodation: Hoi An Hotel.
21.09.09 (B/L/D)	Hoi An - Qui Nhon This morning we head off to Quang Ngai, a short drive to visit the My Lai memorial, where 504 villagers were killed by the American soldiers in 1968, six weeks after Tet offensive. Picnic lunch on the way, arrive Qui Nhon late afternoon. Dinner at hotel. Accommodation: Hoang Anh Resort.
22.09.09 (B/L)	Qui Nhon - Nha Trang A long beautiful drive through prawn, crab farms, sugar cane & rice paddies. Lunch on the way.  Arrive in Nha Trang mid-afternoon. Accommodation: Nhatrang Lodge.
23.09.09 (B/L)	Nha Trang Enjoy a morning boat trip to visit Tri Nguyen Aquarium and Mieu Island with an interesting coracle ride then time for swimming and snorkelling. Lunch will be at Bao Dai's Summer Palace.  Afternoon at leisure for own exploration of Nha Trang. Accommodation: Nhatrang Lodge.
24.09.09 (B/L/D)	Nha Trang - Da Lat Depart Nha Trang for Dalat, a honeymoon capital of Vietnam, the cool mountain holiday resort established by the French. Its lakes, waterfalls, forest and gardens make Dalat one of the most enjoyable places in Vietnam. On the way visit the Po  Kong Garai Cham Towers and stop for a picnic lunch.  Dinner at a nice restaurant in town. Accommodation: Hoang Anh Resort.
25.09.09 (B/D)	Da Lat This morning there will be a city orientation tour with visits to the Crazy House, Bao Dai's Summer Palace, the Valley of Love and an embroidery workshop.  In the afternoon enjoy a train ride through vegetable gardens to Trai Mat then visit Long Phuoc Pagoda, a famous beer bottle and ceramic fragments pagoda in town.  On the way back stop over at the city flower garden.  Dinner at a nice local restaurant. Accommodation: Hoang Anh Resort.
26.09.09 (B/L)	Da Lat - Saigon Depart Dalat for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a beautiful drive through rubber, coffee & tea plantations, with a stopover at Dalat cable car station  for a 15 minute ride overlooking beautiful pine forest, flower and vegetable gardens. Lunch at the Liern Do restaurant in Bap Loc. On the way you pass La Nga floating village. Arrive in Saigon late afternoon.  Check into hotel.  Accommodation: Huong Sen Hotel.
27.09.09 (B/L)	Saigon  Morning walking tour around Saigon downtown (known as District 1) passing the Opera House, City Hall, Notre Dame cathedral and post office, then a visit by bus to the former Presidential Palace (reunification palace), war remants museum, Chinatown witha tour driving around Cho Lon and a visit to Thien Hau Temple, which is dedicated to a sea goddess.  Pho traditional Vietnamese noodle soup and spring rolls for lunch. In the afternoon visit to the famous Cu Chi tunnel network (70km north west of Saigon), an amazing complex of underground tunnels used during the Vietnam war.  Accommodation: Huong Sen Hotel.
28.09.09 (B/L/D)	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 170,000 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. Back to Saigon late afternoon. Accommodation:  Huong Sen Hotel.
29.09.09 (B)	Saigon  - Singapore Depart Saigon  at 7.50pm on SQ 185, arriving in Singapore at 10.45pm.  Melbourne passengers depart Singapore at 11.35pm on SQ 237, arriving in Melbourne at 9.55am the next morning (30.09.09)
30.09.09	Brisbane passengers depart Singapore at 12.10am on SQ 255, arriving in Brisbane at 9.40am. Sydney passenger depart Singapore at 12.25am on SQ 231, arriving in Sydney at 9.55am.

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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 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 Australian passport holders to Vietnam. Visa fee for Vietnam is $72.00 and we charge $30.00 for processing.
Basic Tour Price and Taxes -  Air taxes and fuel levies are included in the basic tour price, therefore, as air taxes and fuel surcharges change regularly the exact amount will be advised at time of final payment. Total tour cost may therefore change by a small amount.
Not  Included in the Cost
All items of a personal nature such as telephone calls, drinks, excess baggage, tips, meals, (except those specified in the itinerary), travel insurance, etc.  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 out 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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