- Reservation and Rooming List :
Bookings must be confirmed by fax or email with all necessary details (flight number or check-in time; single bed or twin bed, double bed; smoking or non-smoking; or any special requests…)
A complete rooming list must be provided to Indochina Sunshine Travel not less than thirty (45) days prior arrival date. Indochina Sunshine Travel reserves the right to charge any partial cancellation fees for any reduce pax number, room number within 24 hours upon arrival for all booking and to release all room reservations if the Agent does not meet the above conditions, without prior agreement with Indochina Sunshine Travel
- Deposit: a deposit equivalent to 30% of the services reserved, to be deducted from the final invoice, must be received by Indochina Sunshine Travel at least thirty (45) days before the arrival date.
- Final Payment: You must pay the balance for the journey to Indochina Sunshine Travel at least 30 days prior to departure. For reservations made less than 30 days prior to departure, you must provide full payment and complete booking details at the time of making the reservation. Your reservation cannot be accepted or confirmed until we have received full payment and complete booking details from you. Failure to pay in by this due date will result in the reservations being automatically cancelled and you being held responsible for any cancellation fees as per our cancellation policy.
- Method of Payment: Indochina Sunshine Travel accepts the following form of payment: cash, check, money order. We prefer the method of payment by bank transfer to our account in Vietnam.
- Validity & Pricing: Prices are quoted in U.S. Dollars and are valid for travel for the date ranges shown for each journey. We will use our reasonable efforts to ensure the prices do not change but we may be required to impose surcharges depending on currency fluctuations, changes in government legislation, air prices, fuel surcharges or other variables outside our control. You acknowledge and agree that you shall be responsible for the prompt payment of all surcharges and price increases.
- Cancellation Charges: Requests for cancellation of confirmed bookings must be made in writing and addressed to the reservation department of Indochina Sunshine Travel and will be subject to the following cancellation fees applied per person, per journey:
- More than 05 days: without charge
- Within 04 days – 3 days prior to arrival: 50% of total invoice
- Less than 3 days and no show: 100% of total invoice
Some special tours may apply different policies which are confirmed case by case.
- Refunds and Unused services: Travel arrangements cancelled, amended or altered within 24 hours of your departure or once travel has commenced do not qualify for any refund whatoever. Service unused or cancelled for any reason are not refundable.
Tipping
Tipping has become an accepted part of tourism in South East Asia. Your tour leader will be able to advise you inthis area; however, as a guideline we would recommend tipping $5 per day for guide/driver and a small tip to hotel bellboys for carrying your bags.
At you pre-tour briefing your tour leader will discuss with you the idea of running a tipping kitty, whereby everybody contributes an equal amount and then the tour leader pays the tips and keeps a record of all monies spent (except restaurant tips). The record can be checked at any time and any money remaining at the end of the tour is returned to group members. This is often the easiest way to avoid the hassles of needing small change and knowing what is an appropriate amount to tip.
It is customary to tip your tour leader, at the end of the trip, if you are happy with the service. A minimum tip of US$ 3- 10 per day (depending on your group size), from each member of the group, is the usual amount expected.
Others important notes:
Infrastructure
Please note that Vietnam is a developing country whose infrastructure may differ from what you expect in your homeland. Expect poor road conditions and be prepared for some inconveniences due to such things as restaurants or tourist sites being closed and our regular transport services not always being available
Visa Regulations
Visas are required for all nationalities except Thai, Malaysian, Philippinos, Laotian, Singaporean, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finish, England, Italian, French, Germany. If visas are to be obtained via Indochina Sunshine Travel, the following personal data must be supplied to us at least 2 (two) weeks before traveling to Vietnam:
- Full name as per passport
- Passport number, date of issue and expiry
- Date and place of birth
- Occupation and nationality
Visas can also be obtained upon arrival at international entry points to Vietnam, in which case the stamping fee will be quoted separately. We also require passport details in advance for visa stamp upon arrival. We will send a confirmation letter to show to airport staff at the departing airport, confirming that clients will get the visa on arrival. Visas can only be requested via us in connection with the booking of travel arrangements to Vietnam.
Passport
Well before travelling, please ensure that you have a current passport, with an accurate photo, that is valid for at least six months after your scheduled return home. Also check that your airline tickets are in exactly the same name as your passport. Some countries may require that you have a return air ticket, or have sufficient funds to purchase such a ticket.
Insurance
On all our holidays you must have comprehensive travel insurance that covers you for medical costs associated with hospitalisation, emergency travel and repatriation back to your home country. Please take your insurance policy with you when you travel. You may take other cover, of course, but we require you to be adequately insured before we can allow you to participate in our programmes. Your Indochina Sunshine Travel leader will need to see and record your policy details at the pre-tour briefing, so please bring a copy along to the meeting. If you arrive without travel insurance your tour leader will require you to purchase a policy before you continue your journey with us.
If you are covered by a policy arranged through your credit card company you will be asked to provide evidence of this cover, as well as a 24-hour emergency contact number. Many credit card companies do not provide an insurance policy number. In this instance, the tour leader will need to record your credit card number, as this is required to activate any request for emergency assistance. You should also bring along the travel insurance information booklet provided by your credit card company. It is your responsibility to ensure that you meet the requirements set out by your credit card company in order to be effectively covered and that the cover offered is of a suitable standard.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations may be required for this trip. Please consult your doctor or a travel health specialist. The choice of vaccinations can depend on a range of issues including the specific destination, the duration of the trip, your personal health and of course what vaccines you have had before.
Compulsory vaccines: These days the only compulsory vaccine is for yellow fever, which is required for many countries in Africa and South America. It should be done at least 10 days before travel and must be recorded in an official certificate book. Please note that very often you may not need to show this certificate book when entering these countries, but you will need to produce it to immigration/customs on returning to your home country.
Routine Background Vaccines: We strongly endorse current public health recommendations that all travellers should be up-to-date with their routine vaccines such as tetanus, diphtheria, measles/mumps/rubella, polio and influenza, and paediatric vaccinations for children.
Travel Vaccinations: While the food and water-borne diseases such as hepatitis A and typhoid will apply to most of our travellers, other travel vaccines such as hepatitis B, rabies, meningitis, Japanese encephalitis and cholera may apply to select travellers, especially long-term travel. Travel health experts can advise on what is required and also what is not required!
Malaria: There is no vaccination against malaria, which is transmitted by mosquito bites and is a risk in many less-developed tropical areas, particularly in Central, East and West Africa, Melanesia (especially Papua New Guinea) and the Amazon region. In Asia (particularly India) and Central America it may be a problem in rural areas. Protection against mosquito bites is essential and where the risk is considered high, anti-malarial medications are recommended. Anti-malarial medications should be discussed with experts as there are different medications available and not all medications suit all people or all destinations. We prefer that trekkers to altitude try to avoid the use of mefloquine (Lariam) if possible.
For travellers from Australia and New Zealand, we strongly recommend Travel Doctor-TMVC clinics to obtain the most up-to-date advice on health risks and vaccinations (see owww.traveldctor.com.au for locations and detailed vaccine information or phone 1300 658 844 for an appointment in Australia). Some vaccines require more than one dose, so arrange for your visit at least 4-6 weeks before you travel. Travellers living outside Australia and New Zealand will need to consult a similar organisation in their own country (please ask your travel agent for recommendations).