TOUR IN VIETNAM

Violent crime against foreigners is rare; however, petty crimes, such as theft, bag grabs, and pickpocketing occur regularly, especially in crowded areas and tourist locations. Typically, there is a rise in petty crime during the Christmas and Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday seasons, including during the day and in well-lit areas. Motorcyclists are known to snatch bags, cameras, cell phones, and other valuables from individuals riding or walking on the street. If you are targeted by thieves, do not resist, and report the incident immediately to local police and to the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi or the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City. Keep a tight hold on bags as you enter and exit vehicles and as you walk around. Hold tightly to cell phones when using them outside and lock and stow phones until you actually need to use them.

TOUR IN VIETNAM

Accessibility: Most public places and public transportation are not accessible to persons with disabilities. Sidewalks, curb ramps, restrooms, road crossings, and tourist areas are not equipped to assist such individuals. New, modern buildings and facilities in larger urban cities are regularly built with ramps and accessible entryways.

The second Indochina War created wide-scale devastation and turmoil for the people of Vietnam, leading to mass migration to other parts of the world as asylum seekers tried to escape the conflict that ravaged their homeland. By the 1980s Vietnam's economy had all but collapsed, leading to further waves of migration out of Vietnam. More recently, Vietnam has benefited from the free market economy that was set up in 1986. Vietnam's economy continues to expand, with agriculture and industry providing the backbone, and the tourism sector also contributing. Although many Vietnamese people live below the poverty line, there have been widespread improvements in literacy and health which hopefully will continue to improve in the years to come.

Qui Nho - Quaint Qui Nhon is a sleepy beach town off the main tourist trail. It's worth coming here just for the drive. The road hugs granite cliffs that plunge into the South China Sea, and islands, lagoons and sand dunes slowly give way to sugar plantations and rice fields.

Most nationalities are required to obtain tourist visa in advance to travel to Vietnam. When obtaining your visa you should allow 3 weeks for processing with your nearest embassy or consulate, the cost is approximately US$60 to US$100. Please check with your embassy or consulate for further requirements.

You'll have to adjust to different standards of hygiene and sanitation while in Vietnam. The standard toilet is of the squat variety and this may take some getting used to, although western-style toilets can be found in large hotels and some tourist areas.

Vietnam has an incredibly diverse tropical climate, and temperatures vary from 39F (4C) in Sapa in winter to humid 97F (36C) days in Saigon in the middle of the dry season. The monsoons bring heavy rain to the south, and a cooler winter to the north depending on when you plan to tour in Vietnam.

Despite having a high population of people with disabilities, accessible infrastructure and facilities are still limited in Vietnam. Chaotic traffic and pavements blocked by parked motorbikes and street stalls, uneven footpaths and high curbs add to the challenges of getting around for travelers with mobility or vision disabilities. Most entrances to hotels, shops, restaurants and tourist sites will have steps and many doorways will not be able to accommodate wheelchairs wider than 23 inches. Some sights and destinations will not be fully accessible (ie. Ha Long Bay boats, Cu Chi Tunnels) but other places such as Hoi An are flat and much more wheelchair-friendly. There are likely to be situations where travelers with disabilities may need to rely on local people to help. Taxis are readily available and an affordable way to get around for travelers who are not confident in exploring independently on foot.

Please note that this tour is offered on a join in basis, so there may be other guests joining you on the tour. Our maximum group size is 16 people. For guests that do not want to go in a group, we also offer a private tour option for an extra charge.

We arrive in Hanoi and check into our hotel. This afternoon, webegin our sightseeing with a city tour that introduces us towonderful Hanoi. We visit the Temple of Literature, a stunningtemple built in 1070 that's home to Vietnam's first nationaluniversity. We continue with a traditional cyclo (a pedal-poweredtuk-tuk) ride through Hanoi, taking us through the bustling streetsof the Old Quarter. Here, the architecture dates back to the 13thcentury, and the streets are packed with colonial buildings thatsit alongside Buddhist temples and pagodas.

Our train arrives in Hue this morning, and we check into ourhotel. We head out into the city in the afternoon for a visit tothe Imperial Citadel. The historic royal complex sits in the heartof the city and is one of Vietnam's seven UNESCO World Heritagesites. The vast citadel is surrounded by a moat fed by the PerfumeRiver, and its towering walls, dotted with ten ornate gates, guardthe array of gardens, temples and palace within. We discover moreabout the site with a fascinating guided tour.

We discover riverside Hoi An, known for its history as amerchant trading post. We head to the colourful Old Town on aguided tour. We visit the Tan Ky Old House, a merchant house withJapanese and Chinese influences, and the 400-year-old Japanesecovered bridge. We have time in the local market before we visitthe Precious Heritage Art Gallery Museum, admiring Frenchphotographer Réhahn's collection. After lunch, we take part in alantern-making workshop where we learn how to create traditionalpaper lanterns. Lanterns became popular here in the 16th centuryand the city's Old Quarter still lights up with rainbow-huedlanterns on an evening.

We get to know Phnom Penh on a full-day guided tour thatintroduces us to some of the city's main sights. We see Grand RoyalPalace and Silver Pagoda, two sites that occupy an impressiveriverside location surrounded by beautiful, manicured gardens andiconic yellow walls. We continue to the Central Market, a typicalCambodian market on a huge scale, found in a landmark Art Decobuilding. Enjoy time here to peruse the stalls, which sell a widevariety of treats from ornaments and clothing to unique food items.We also visit the poignant Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, for aninsight into the history of Cambodia.

Provisional departure and return times, where available, can befound together with our dates and prices by clicking on the 'Prices& Availability' button. We write to all booked customersapproximately 10 weeks prior to the start of their tour to advisethe exact departure and return time for their particular group.

There is a 600m lake below the Great wall of Vietnam. When the expedition team first approached the area, all of the water in the lake had drained out, leaving a hip-deep muddy passage. The members of the expedition team had to work really hard to go across this 600m muddy passage. It somehow reminded them of the movie about the battle of Passchendaele in World War I, the team decided to use the name Passchendaele to name this long and difficult passage. In many other months of the year or when it rains a lot, the water will fill up the passage to form a big beautiful jade-green lake. During the occasions when the lake is full of water, tourists will use rafts or boats to go through the Passchendaele. You can read more about the Passchendaele passage here.

Before 2011, caving tourism in Phong Nha - Ke Bang mainly focused on caves such as Phong Nha, Tien Son, Thien Duong, Dark, and Mooc Eco-spring on a large scale. These tourist places welcome about 500,000 visitors every year. Most of these tourists stay in big cities such as Dong Hoi, Hue, and Da Nang after their visit. So local people did not have many opportunities to take part in tourism activities, which led to difficult living conditions due to unemployment and many people had to continue going into the forest for illegal logging and hunting.

In 2013, the Son Doong Expedition tour was approved by Quang Binh authorities as an adventure tour with a duration of 6 days and 5 nights, operated by Oxalis Adventure. The expedition immediately resonated around the world, and many major newspapers and Hollywood filming crews came to film and tell the news. Son Doong has contributed to the promotion of Quang Binh as a world tourism destination. From the effect of Son Doong, many tourism services opened in the region, other tours were developed, and hundreds of homestays were built to serve tourists. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Sid Perou travelled to Phong Nha and Son Doong and made a 40-minute documentary titled: "Son Doong- the cave that built a village".

Phong Nha - Ke Bang in which many caves are located is today the best cave tour destination in Vietnam for domestic and international tourists. Thanks to that, the living standards here are getting better and better. There are many other famous caves in Vietnam located in Tan Hoa, Minh Hoa, Quang Binh such as Ken Cave, Song Cave and others in the Tu Lan Cave System with tours operated by Oxalis.

After a few pilot tours in August 2013, Son Doong Expedition was officially launched in 2014 by Oxalis. Following the core values of safety, conservation, and community involvement, Oxalis Adventure has been continually trying to support Phong Nha - Quang Binh in particular and Vietnam in general.

Hang Son Doong Cave is confirmed as the largest natural cave in the world by many domestic and international organisations. From its values, the cave has contributed a lot to Quang Binh's tourism development, bringing this province to the world tourism map.

Thanks to Son Doong, other tours and services in the region have opened and developed. A lot of homestays and hotels were built for tourists and many people have jobs with stable incomes. The Son Doong tour has created jobs for 125 men in Phong Nha and hundreds of indirect jobs for locals through food supplies, accommodations, transfers, and many others. 041b061a72