• > How Strenuous are these Trips?
• > Group Participants and Tour Leader
• > Private Tours and Custom Dates
• > Local Transportation
• > Accommodations
• > Meals
• > Climate
• > Travel Documents
• > Flights
• > Airline Tickets
• > Money
• > Health
• > Luggage & Clothing
• > Resources
• > Communication

How Strenuous are these Trips?

We attract travelers of all ages. Our trips are very active and involve quite a bit of walking and nature exploration. We rarely use the bus or van once we have reached a city or location but rather explore on foot and take the local forms of transportation. There are often challenging hikes and always physical activities for the most energetic travelers, but also more relaxing choices for other participants.

Group Participants and Tour Leader

Participants

This trip is available to be booked on a private basis for two or more travelers. Price reductions apply if you have a group of four or more.  If you book Land & Air with us, you may select the departure date of your choice, however, please be aware that there is an additional charge for flights departing Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Guides 

Private Tours and Custom Dates

Local Transportation

Once in Vietnam we travel in our own locally hired, comfortable car, van or bus, depending on the number of participants.  In places where we spend one or more days, the vehicle will not be used within the city. The hotels in Vietnam and Cambodia are centrally located and foot, bike or cyclo can easily cover distances in the cities. Hué, Hoi’an, Nha Trang, and Ho Chi Minh City (the former Saigon) and surroundings are best explored by bike. For a few dollars you can rent a bike or scooter for a day and discover the country by yourself or with others. Cars are sparse in Vietnam as they are only affordable to a very small minority of the population. In both countries most residents travel by bike, scooter or public transport. Some parts of the Vietnam are best seen from the water, like Halong Bay and Hué, where we will take a boat tour. In the Mekong Delta you can explore the water by yourself or with others.

Accommodations

We have made reservations in centrally located, comfortable hotels, from where the interesting places are easily reached. We do not lodge in any American chain hotels, rather in comfortable, local hotels. Do not expect the same amenities as in the States (icemakers, candy machines, workout rooms, mini-bars etc). Furniture and décor will reflect the local flavor, which we consider integral to our trips. The singles, doubles and triples have their own bath facilities and nearly all are air-conditioned. A good Vietnamese habit is the presence of a flask of hot water and a box of tea in the room. Most hotels in Vietnam work with two voltages, 110 and 220V. In Cambodia, voltage is 220V. Bring an adapter.  Laundry service is available in most hotels. Use the following link to view some of our lodgings:
http://www.djoserusa.com/hotels

The cost for a single room is listed on the price pages for this trip, on our website. Because the small numbers on these trips, it is sometimes difficult to match a single with  a roommate. 

Our group trips with Dutch & Belgium travelers usually have 15 to 20 participants so there is a good chance of matching you with a roomamte. On the group trips, if you request a roommate but  we cannot match you , there will be no additional charge for the single room.

Meals

Other than breakfasts, meals are not included in the cost of your trip. The guide will suggest interesting, safe and reasonable places to eat. Be sure to ask for recommendations of places that have a special ambiance, or perhaps evening entertainment. Breakfast usually consists of fresh French bread with butter, jam, eggs and/or cheese. At least once you should try the Vietnamese breakfast, pho, a noodle soup with rice, vegetables and often fish or meat. This popular meal is eaten during the whole day, but mostly in the early morning. The traditional Vietnamese cuisine offers over a hundred dishes. Very popular are the small spring rolls with different fillings. The main course often is rice with vegetables and meat or fish, or a pho. Several Chinese restaurants offer a chance of variation and these often offer European food too. The price of a meal varies, depending on where you eat, from a few quarters to about three dollars. Vietnamese restaurants might appear simple and untidy but the food generally is fine and reliable. Please note that people are used to eating with chopsticks and often cutlery is not always available. The national drink is tea, but coffee is widely available, as are mineral water and soft drinks. Beer is relatively expensive.

Cambodian food is similar to Thai food. Most dishes are cooked in a wok and almost always include soup, eaten with the other courses. Samla Machou Banle is popular fish soup with a sour flavor. Most of the fish in Cambodia come from fresh-water sources. The salads are excellent although very different than what we are accustomed to. Phlea Sach Ko is a beef and vegetable salad flavored with coriander, mint leaves and lemon grass, herbs, which are found in many Cambodian dishes.

Climate

As Vietnam is a diverse country with considerable differences in altitudes, several seasons can be distinguished. Therefore it is not possible to say what the preferred season to travel is. If one region is cool and a little wet, the other region is sunny and dry at the same moment. The north has subtropical climate with warm summers and mild winters. Temperatures in Hanoi vary between 63and 84 Fahrenheit. The center and south of the country have a warm tropical climate. Two wet periods can be distinguished: between October and April the northern part of Vietnam, reaching to Danang, is relatively wet and from April or May until October the south is warm and humid. In the rainy season there might be a shower in the late afternoon or at night. The amount of rain can differ considerably in different regions. Temperatures in the southern part can differ from those in the center part of the country, ranging between 68 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The climate in Cambodia is very similar to that of southern Vietnam.

Travel Documents

For entering Vietnam you need a valid passport and a visa. The Vietnamese embassies and consulates issue visas. Your visa is good for thirty days and may be extended after your arrival in Vietnam. Fees vary from embassy to embassy. You will need a single entry visa. If you extend your trip to travel to another country, returning to Vietnam to fly back to the U.S. you will need a double entry visa. If you are taking the 23-day Vietnam/Cambodia trip, you will not re-enter Vietnam and you will need a single entry visa. Check with the Vietnamese embassy for the most up to date rates and requirements. As of March 1, 2005, the SINGLE ENTRY rate per visa is $65 for the Embassy free. For $20 addition, you can request rush service (2-3 business days). You will purchase your visa for Cambodia at the airport in Phnom Penh. The cost is approximately $20 (US). We ask that you consult the embassy directly to obtain the latest visa forms and most current rates and requirements. We will provide you with a dated itinerary and a contact source in Vietnam for your visa application.  
Current entry requirements as well as other information may be obtained from the Vietnamese Embassy, 1233 20th Street, Suite 400, NW, Washington, DC 20036, telephone 202-861-0737, fax 202-861-0917, Internet home page: www.vietnamembassy-usa.org; the Vietnamese Consulate General, 1700 California Street - Suite 430, San Francisco, CA 94109, telephone (415) 922-1707, fax: 415-922-1848, Internet: www.vietnamconsulate-sf.org or from a travel agent who organizes travel to Vietnam.

 
THIS IS THE NAME OF OUR LAND AGENT. USE THIS NAME FOR YOUR VISA CONTACT IN VIETNAM
Ben Thanh Tourist Co.
86, Ly Tu Trong Str., Distr. 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Tel: 84 8 8222506, 8298597
Fax: 84 8 8296269
E-mail: inbound-e@benthanhtourist.com
Mr Dzung (vice director): 84 90 3954974

It is less expensive if you process your visa through the embassy. They do provide rush service. But if you need to a passport or visa expeditor, we recommend a Passport/Visa service called It’s Easy, located in New York. You can check their website http://www.itseasypassport.com for all passport and visa requirements and to download the current forms and rates. Or you can call them to fax you forms if you do not have Internet. Please include on your form that you have come through Djoser. They will honor a 10% discount off the service portions of your fees. You will need to know the dates of entry and departure from Vietnam, which we supply on your itinerary. You will also need to list the contact name in Vietnam provided above. 

It’s Easy  (Passport & Visa Service)
Satellite Airline Terminal
125 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Phone - (212) 286-8500,
Fax (212)-490-3224
Website   http://www.itseasypassport.com
E-mail      mail@itseasypassport.com 

Flights

We book our flights with top airlines. Most airlines will honor earned mileage. You will need to submit your mileage credit yourself upon receipt of your flight information. For airlines that allow advance seating reservations, we typically request aisle and adjoining seats unless otherwise instructed on your registration form. It is vital that you arrive at the airport early, according to the airline (often 3 hours prior to flight time). We do provide airport transfers (airport pick-up and drop off) in our destination country for those who book the Land/Air package. Flight times are subject to change. It is recommended that you book your domestic Add-on (connecting) flights through Djoser in association with the international flight. To avoid penalties for flight changes do not book your own domestic add-on (connecting flight) without first receiving a printed copy of your flight record from Djoser confirming your actual departure and return flight times. Below you will find the usual flight times for the airline indicated.

Usual flight times – subject to change

We can arrange connecting flights from most major cities in the United States at competitive rates. You will find these cities and rates on our website: see Add-Ons on the Homepage of www.djoserusa.com. If you do not find the city of your choice, you can call us to see if it is available. There will be a stop in Singapore en route to and from Vietnam and Cambodia.

Airline Tickets

You will receive your tickets or E-tickets 10-12 days prior to your departure date.
In case the airline uses E-tickets you will receive two documents:

•    A document that shows the E-ticket number & flight itinerary (sent by email & mail).
•    A receipt of the E-ticket (sent by mail).

The first document listed is needed to check in at the Automated kiosks. If you check in at the E-ticket desk you don’t need any of the provided documents, you can simply show your passport and you’re good to go. Both the automated kiosk and the e-ticket desk insure a much faster check in than at the regular check in desks. It is important to hold on to your e-ticket receipt, as you might need it to claim your mileage credits (if the airline awards mileage for this particular flight).

Money

The unit of currency in Vietnam is the dong. Notes come in denominations of 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10.000, 20.000 and 50.000 dong. The American dollar operates in parallel to the dong as an official tender. In Cambodia, the currency is the Riel but the US dollar is widely accepted. In addition it is very handy to bring a small amount of cash dollars in small bills. In some places you can use your credit card or debit card to get cash out of a machine, but that is definitely not widespread yet. Of course, in most large restaurants, souvenir shops, and hotels, major credit cards are accepted.

As you read in our literature the tour cost does not include meals and personal expenses.  For meals, drinks, entry fees, souvenirs, and such you can count on approximately $225 per week. Of course this is an average and depends on your own spending patterns. It is always sensible to bring a little extra money in case of unexpected expenses, such as special souvenirs or medical expenses.

Tipping
It is customary in Vietnam to tip. This quite often forms a part of the monthly income of most people in the service industry. To prevent you from having to hand out tips all the time, Djoser organizes a joint tip pot, which is distributed to the various hotel employees, bus drivers, etc. Depending on the size of the group, contribution per person should be around $25-$30 for the short trip and $35-$40 for the longer program. It will also be appreciated if you tip your tour leader at the end of your trip. The amount is up to you, of course, depending on your tour leader’s performance. A typical guideline is between $1-$2 per day per person.

Health

You can read about travel issues on the Center for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/. Further questions may be directed to the CDC at 1-800-311-3435. There is a CDC traveler’s information call line at Travelers Health 1-877-394-8747 if you need information faxed to you. Internet is the best mode of communication. Here are the current CDC recommendations.

•    DTP
•    Hepatitis A/yellow fever: 
•    Typhoid: only if you are staying longer than three months
•    Malaria Tablets

In the countryside a few cases of malaria have surfaced, thus we definitely suggest taking malaria tablets. It is also important to bring along a strong bug repellent for the evenings.

Luggage & Clothing

We recommend you bring along a mid-sized suitcase, duffel bag or a frame-less backpack as your luggage. A small daypack is also handy. This will make transporting your luggage easier for you as well as for the tour operator. A request: try to keep your luggage between twenty-five and thirty pounds because the luggage compartment in the bus is not always spacious. In most hotels en route you can have your clothes washed so there is not need to over pack.

In general we suggest you bring along airy cotton summer clothes. In winter months, bring along a jacket and long pants for cooler weather. During the trip there are plenty of optional walking tours on the program so bring along a pair of sturdy shoes with good traction.  Also some comfortable sandals or slippers will come in handy.

Resources

It is extremely useful to pick up a good travel guidebook. We highly recommend Lonely Planet. You will find a wealth of practical information regarding money issues, maps, local customs, history, activities, and much more. There are always great travel journals, historical and political books at your local bookstore as well. The internet is also invaluable for researching and finding great photos. Be sure to check out this trip’s Slide Show (see link above) to get a good feeling for the trip, lodgings and modes of travel.

Communication

 You will also have access to internet cafes. In the event of an emergency we will provide contact numbers for you at the hotels and you will be provided with our emergency contact numbers, in the event your contacts at home need to reach you. We are in close contact with our land agents.