Vietnam FDIB

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Frequently Asked Questions


This page is divided into four sections:

-general program guidance

-pre-trip preparation

-destination/on-site information

-travel/packing information

 

GENERAL PROGRAM GUIDANCE

Cancellation Policy
Due to contractual obligations with hotels and tour operators in Vietnam, participants will be subject to the following fees:

If cancellation received by November 1, 2009 (5 p.m. CDT): $1,000
If cancellation received by December 1, 2009 (5 p.m. CDT): $2,000

If any participant needs to cancel, please contact Susan Huber Miller at (608) 263-7682 or shubermiller@bus.wisc.edu by the deadlines above.

Estimated Costs
The US$3,000 registration fee includes four-star hotel accommodations (based on double occupancy), airfare from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, ground transportation, breakfast, most lunches, site visits, and a selection of tours, including a Mekong River Delta full-day tour, and a Halong Bay tour. Participants are responsible for round-trip airfare between the U.S. and Vietnam (estimated $1,000-$2,000; check travel Web sites such as www.expedia.com or www.travelocity.com for estimates), dinners (average $15/night for 10 nights = $150), tips (average $5/day for 11 days = $55), passport costs (new: $100 + $5 photos = $105; renewal: $75* + $5 photos = $80), and visa fees ($65 + certified mailing costs to/from $40 + $5 photo = $110). Single occupancy is available at an extra cost (estimated at $1,000). Please note the aforementioned costs are estimates and for planning purposes only.

*See the U.S. Department of State Web site to determine if you are eligible to renew your passport by mail.

Funding
A potential source of funding is your regional CIBER. Please contact your CIBER and copy us on your request (grantkim@hawaii.edu and shubermiller@bus.wisc.edu) A full list of CIBERs is available at http://ciberweb.msu.edu/cibers.asp.

 

Flight Information/Travel Planning

Please plan to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City no later than Sunday, January 3. Official FDIB events will begin the morning of Monday, January 4 and will conclude by 4:00 p.m. on January 13. The program fee covers your hotel in HCMC beginning the night of January 3. In order for everyone to participate in the last program activity without incurring additional expenses, the program will cover a late check-out of 6:00 p.m. on January 13 in Hanoi for those with flights that night, or will cover the hotel in Hanoi for the night of January 13 for those with flights on January 14.

The program registration fee includes a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. You may arrange for an outgoing flight from the U.S. to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and a return flight from Hanoi (HAN) back to the U.S., or a roundtrip ticket between the U.S. and Ho Chi Minh City. If you choose the latter, we can arrange for a Hanoi-to-Ho Chi Minh City flight at an estimated cost of $140. Please contact Grant Kim at grantkim@hawaii.edu about these arrangements.

Please note: Participants sponsored by CIBERs should be aware that in compliance with federal regulations, all CIBER-funded air travel between the United States and a foreign country must be on a U.S. airline. A foreign airline may be used only if the flight has a code-share arrangement with a U.S. airline. For more information, please see the Fly America Act.

If you are interested in arranging independent travel before or after the FDIB program, you may wish to contact Michele Whealy (michele.whealy@buffalotours.com) at Buffalo Tours. This experienced firm, which organizes tours throughout Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, will provide transportation and tour activities during the FDIB.

PRE-TRIP PREPARATION

Insurance
All travelers must have full medical coverage. A well-known company that provides insurance coverage and travel assistance is Cultural Insurance Services International: http://www.culturalinsurance.com/. Select the "Enroll Online" tab to start the enrollment process, or you may start with the Frequently Asked Questions link. And again, your own risk management office may be best to advise you on these issues. In fact, they may be able to process your application for you if they already have a relationship with one of the major insurance providers. Medical coverage for one month with CISI is pretty reasonable -- about $37 and the application form is simple.

Optional but highly recommended coverage is medical evacuation and repatriation of remains insurance. Many universities carry this insurance for their employees. If this is not part of your standard insurance plan, Medex is a well known company which provides travelers insurance: www.medexassist.com/.

There are many insurance providers out there – the above mentioned companies are just a couple companies with which we are familiar. Feel free to consider other options independent of these.

Vaccinations
Consult with your doctor or a travel clinic for recommended vaccinations in October. If you need a series of shots you will need to allow adequate time. A good resource is the Center for Disease Control at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationList.aspx. Another resource for international travel is the U.S. Department of State’s travel information at http://www.state.gov/travelandbusiness/. Our time primarily will be spent in large cities (Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi). The only exceptions to this would be a trip down the Mekong River Delta and/or a trip to Halong Bay.

According to the CDC, travelers coming from the United States may be checked for fever and other symptoms of H1N1 flu upon arrival in many countries, including Vietnam. We strongly recommend that you consult with a travel health professional, and encourage you to ask if it is appropriate for you to receive both the seasonal and H1NI flu vaccinations. We also strongly recommend that you request an international certificate of vaccination, available only through a certified travel clinic. Although flu vaccinations are not normally recorded on this World Health Organization-approved certificate, if you receive both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccinations, ask your health care professional to list them. This will protect you and the group with which you’re traveling, and will reduce the probability of quarantine upon arrival into Vietnam.

Visas
Everyone will need a visa to enter Vietnam, whether you are a citizen of the U.S. or another country. If you believe you may qualify for an exception to this rule, please contact the Vietnam consulate.

Click here to access a blank Vietnam visa application and instructions through the Vietnam Embassy Web site. Be sure to apply for a tourist/visitor visa; this classification does not require a letter of invitation. Please use the information below to answer questions 9-12 on the application. If you plan to depart Vietnam on the evening of January 13, will extend your stay in Vietnam (before or after the program), and/or are planning to leave Vietnam and then re-enter the country, please modify your answers to questions 11 and 12 accordingly.

Q9 (purpose of visit): tourist
Q10 (contact): Hotel Majestic Saigon, 01 Dong Khoi Street, Dist. 1
Ho Chi Minh City
Q11 (dates): date of entry: 03/01/2010; date of exit: 14/01/2010
Q12 (visa length): single visit, one month

The current visa fee is $65.00 ($25 visa fee, $40 regular processing fee, 5-7 business days, not including mailing time), or $85 for rush service ($25 visa fee and $60 rush processing service, 3 business days, not including mailing time). These fees are imposed by the Vietnam Embassy. We recommend using a private visa service (such as Washington Passport and Visa Service or Perry International) to ensure timely and efficient processing. If you do use such a service, additional charges will apply.

Please note: In order to apply for a visa, your passport must be valid for at least six months past the date of entry into Vietnam, meaning it must be valid until at least July 3, 2010.

 

DESTINATION/ON-SITE INFORMATION

Accommodations
While in Ho Chi Minh City, the group will stay at the Hotel Majestic Saigon. In January 2009 the group stayed at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel while in Hanoi. Accommodations for Hanoi portion of the 2010 program will be confirmed shortly. All rooms will be non-smoking.

 

At least one person in each room will need to present a credit card at check-in to cover incidentals.

The FDIB organizers will arrange a late hotel check-out of 6:00 p.m. on January 13, at no additional cost to participants, for those individuals departing that evening, or will cover the hotel in Hanoi for the night of January 13 for those with flights on January 14.

Airport Transfers (upon arrival)
Ho Chi Minh City is served by Tân Son Nhat International Airport (SGN). Similar to other international airports, you will clear immigrations and customs. Prior to exiting the airport, you may consider exchanging USD for VND or withdrawing VND from the ATM. The FDIB will organize airport transfers upon arrival for those participants arriving on January 2 or 3. These transfers will be grouped based on participants’ arrival and departure times. Times will be determined after all participants finalize their air travel and provide their flight information to the FDIB. You must provide us with your trip itinerary no later than Friday, December 11, in order for us to make these arrangements. We will not be able to provide this service if we do not receive your flight information before this date.

If you plan to arrive before January 2, please use the officially marked public taxi stand and avoid anyone approaching you for a ride, regardless of the credentials they claim to possess. Public taxis are metered and the ride to the Hotel Majestic should be roughly VND110,000.

Reminder: please plan to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City no later than Sunday, January 3. Official FDIB events will begin the morning of Monday, January 4.

ATM/Credit Cards/Currency
The amount of personal funds you will need will vary depending on shopping, off-program entertainment, etc. To give participants a chance to do some exploring and dining on their own, some meals will be independent of the group, as indicated on the itinerary. All other meals will be provided.

Credit and debt-card facilities are constantly growing. You should contact your bankcard company to inform them that you will be traveling overseas and making purchases while abroad. You should also check to see which of your bankcards offers the lowest international transaction charge (typically varies between 1-3 percent).

There are money exchanges and ATMs in the airports and near the hotels in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. ATMs are located throughout each city, but often limit the amount that can be withdrawn per transaction and typically charge a transaction fee. The limits will differ depending on the bank. Credit cards are accepted at the hotels and larger merchants.

You may exchange USD for VND at the HCMC (Saigon) airport. There are money exchanges and ATMs in the airport and hotel. ATMs are located throughout the city, but sometimes have a VND200,000 limit per transaction plus a transaction fee. Credit cards are accepted at the hotels and larger merchants.

Communication
If you will need to check e-mail and phone messages only periodically, you will be able to get by with use of hotel direct-dialing and business centers.

Internet/computers
If you bring a laptop, consider bringing your own continental European plug adapter since hotels sometimes run low on those available for loan. Adapters are available inexpensively at electronics and travel stores.

Hotel Majestic, Ho Chi Minh City: Wireless access in guest rooms and public areas of the hotel is free.

Sofitel Plaza Hanoi: High-speed Internet access in guest rooms and wireless access in public areas is free.

Phone
Making an international call from Vietnam is still very expensive. Using a calling card will help you save money on calls back to the U.S. Pre-paid calling-card rates range from about US$0.75-.80 per minute between Vietnam and the U.S. Providers who offer these cards include nobel.com, pingo.com, and comfi.com. International calling cards may also available for purchase at newsstands in each country.

To call the United States from Vietnam dial "00" to denote an international call, then dial "1," the area code, and the seven-digit telephone number.

Cellular Phone
If you plan on making a couple of calls here and there, you should plan on using phone cards from land line phones in Vietnam (see above). Or you should check to see if your existing wireless phone will work in Vietnam (it should if it is a GSM phone but you may need to request international service) and determine what the cost will be if you use that service. You could also purchase a country-specific SIM card before you leave. If you plan to buy a SIM card to put in a personal GSM phone, contact your service provider well in advance of the trip to arrange to have your phone “unlocked” – otherwise it won’t work. Pre-paid, country-specific SIM cards can be purchased through a provider such as cellularabroad.com. A Vietnam SIM card through this provider includes 40 minutes of calls to the U.S. and free incoming calls for $25. In each case both local and international calls tend to be less costly than if you use your U.S. phone service.

If you will need to make frequent calls and your phone will not work abroad, you should consider renting a phone from a provider such as cellularabroad.com or check with your wireless provider about its own global phone services.

Skype

An excellent alternative for calling home is Skype. The software necessary to use this program is free. Making a call from your laptop to another computer equipped with Skype is free, and making a call from your laptop while in Vietnam to a cell phone or land line in the United States costs 0.024 cents per minute (including VAT).

Fax

Each hotel will receive fax messages for you for free (up to five pages at the Sofitel Plaza Hanoi). To send a fax to the U.S., the Sofitel Plaza Hanoi and the Hotel Majestic in Ho Chi Minh City will charge approximately 33,000-44,000 VND (US $2-$2.50) per page plus a 5 percent service charge and a 10 percent VAT.

Exchange Rate
The exchange rate as of June 18, 2009 is 1 USD = 17790 VND.

Please see an online currency converter such as xe or Yahoo! Finance for current exchange rates.

Health
The food is safe in the major hotels and relatively safe in most restaurants. If you have a sensitive stomach you may want to avoid eating at street vendors. In general, tap water and uncooked fruit and vegetables washed in tap water should be avoided. The same rule would apply to consuming ice cubes.

Be prepared to purchase bottled water throughout the trip. It’s important to stay hydrated while traveling. In general, stay away from any bottled water where the plastic of the bottle is not strong or clear, as this many mean the bottle was reused.

Safety
Vietnam is a relatively safe country. Similar to most tourist destinations, properly guard your valuables, such as wallets, purses, and cameras. Keep valuables to a minimum and carry them with you or preferably leave them in the safe in your hotel room. Keep copies of your passport and Vietnam visa page in a location separate from your passport.

Crossing the street is of concern due to lack of traffic lights and the multitude of motorbikes and cars and constant flow of traffic. When in doubt, walk the extra block or two to find an intersection with a traffic light and/or cross behind a local and don’t run across the street.

Tipping
The FDIB program will take care of tips for bus drivers, restaurant servers, etc. for all group activities. You do not need to tip individually while participating in group activities.

When you are on your own, the practice of tipping varies, but it is becoming common to give 5-10 percent to taxi drivers, hotel staff in tourist areas, and to staff at upscale restaurants or those frequented by tourists. Service charges of approximately 10 percent are often automatically added to the bill at upscale restaurants or those run by the government in Vietnam. Tips at simple restaurants are not customary, but small ones are appreciated.

Weather
It is expected to be in the high-70s in Ho Chi Minh City and in the mid-60s in Hanoi, both with little precipitation.

 

TRAVEL/PACKING INFORMATION

Baggage
Check with your air carrier about baggage restrictions and excess baggage fees. Participants will be notified in advance about baggage limits for the domestic flight between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Clothing
Attire for most business meetings require a long-sleeve dress shirt, tie, dress slacks, and dress shoes for men and the equivalent for women. A couple business meetings in each city require a business suit, while a polo shirt and khaki slacks (no jeans) is fine for the factory tours. During the cultural tours and outside the site visits, dress comfortably. A light jacket may be necessary in Hanoi during the nights and early mornings, which dips into the high 50s. A fleece-like jacket is recommended for the Halong Bay tour. Laundry services are available at each hotel and are relatively reasonably priced.

Essential Items (keep in your carry-on piece)

Suggested Items