Lynn Matt/Dick Cable Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi SUMMARY OF TRIP INFORMATION Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi Leader Lynn Matt Co-leader Dick Cable Hồ Chí Minh City, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Tuy Hòa, Quảng Ngãi, Hội An, Hué and Hanoi and back to Hồ Chí Minh City, Vietnam 4/16/2011 - 5/1/2011 Total # of days 16 Hiking Downhill skiing Kayaking Title of trip Leadership Location(s) Dates Type of trip check all that apply Backpacking Cultural Road biking Nordic ski Mountain biking Snorkeling Other – please describe Max 14 Number of participants (excluding leaders) Advertised cost Airfare range if not included Do you wish to have your trip listed online before it is published in The Outdoors? Smaller trips and leader subsidization Min 10 $ 2285 if reg on and Does it include airfare? Yes No before 12/14/2010. If after 12/14, the cost increases to $2485 $ 1100 - 1200 Yes No If yes, please list the approximate month (max is one year in advance of trip) April - as soon as possible after approval Is this proposal for a small group trip – i.e., less than 14 participants and 2 leaders or 7 participants and 1 leader? Yes No If yes, why is a small group proposed? Tour group has 10 person limit with one person no-charge if 11 people. I have priced the trip for 10 trippers and 2 leaders. If a participant fee increase of more than 15% is proposed, please explain why? LEADER AND CO-LEADER INFORMATION Leader name Leader address Leader email Leader phone Wilderness first aid training CPR training Prior leading experience Trip one Trip two Lynn Matt 3652 118th Avenue, Allegan MI 49010 lmatt2002@hotmail.com Home 269-673-3672 Work WFA AWFA WFR Expiration: 3/2011 Will be renewed prior to this trip CPR BLS Expiration: 4/2011 Will renew prior to this trip. Please list the last three longer (5+ day) trips you have led for the AMC including destination, type of trip, dates and number of participants. Feel free to list additional trips you have led, particularly if they demonstrate experience related to the trip you are proposing. New Mexico 2009 Greece 2007 To lead a major excursion you must have current CPR and WFA at the time of your trip (or AWFA for all backcountry trips). If you do not have the required level of certification at the time you submit your proposal or it will expire before the date of your trip, you will need to make arrangements to recertify in a timely manner. Revised October 2009 Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 1 of 6 Lynn Matt/Dick Cable Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi Trip three Other related trip experience Co-leader name Co-leader address Co-leader email Co-leader phone Wilderness first aid training* CPR training* Prior leading experience Trip one Trip two Trip three Other related trip experience Dick Cable 8 Heather Lane, Burlington, CT 06013 r.cable@sbcglobal.net Home Work WFA AWFA WFR Expiration: 4/2010 Will renew prior to this trip. CPR BLS Expiration: 2/2010 Will renew prior to this trip. If you are a new co-leader you must submit an application to be a major excursions leader or co-leader prior to submitting this application. Yosemite 2008 Mongolia 2009 Scouting Have either of you led this trip before or traveled to this area? Languages Does either the co-leader or leader speak the local language? Couples Do the leader and co-leader have a significant personal relationship? Private trips Do either of you lead trips that are private - not sponsored by the AMC? Yes No If yes, please describe below: Having bi-lingual local biking guides makes all the difference as some towns will not speak any english. Executive summary Please provide a brief description of the trip and the activities planned. On this classic Vietnam Bike trip, you will develop a deep appreciation for this fascinating country and experience an epic biking trip you will ever have. We will cycle back roads through some of the country’s most beautiful scenery and natural surroundings while breathing the cool fresh air from beaches and countryside of Vietnam. This trip is a great way to see and experience biking through Vietnam all the way from southern Vietnam, where Saigon is to northern Vietnam, where Hanoi is. All of the accomodations are at Class 3 hotels, except the one night on the reunification train. The reunification train will have four to a room with a soft bed. All hotels have a private bath in the room and two single beds or a double bed. There are three nights in Saigon that are not included in the Vietnam Bike Tours company. They will book the rooms for us, and I have it included in the cost of the trip. The contract rate for all the hotels, at the contract price, is until December 2010. All the meals on the trip will be included, except for three lunches and two dinners. The meals on the bike tour are all included, plus snacks, with the price of the tour. All meals will be at local restaurants. Vegetarian dishes will be available. Yes No Co-leader: Yes No Leader: Yes No Not applicable: Yes No If yes, please list who has agreed to be your back-up in case one or both of you need to drop out. This is required for approval! Yes No If yes, please note that you cannot advertise AMC and private trips together unless there is a clear distinction between the two in any marketing materials you send out. LOGISTICAL DETAILS OF TRIP Accommodations Please describe your plan for accommodation(s) Meals Please describe your plan for providing meals Permits or permissions Does the trip require special permits or permissions? (required on many U.S. federal lands and national Revised October 2009 If yes, please describe below what you will need to do to obtain them: There is no permits required on the lands, but a passport and visa are required to enter and exit Vietnam. I tried contacting the Vietnam Embassy in D.C. a couple of times with Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 2 of 6 Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi parks) Special equipment Does the trip require special equipment? Special experience Does the trip require special skills on the part of the participant? Pre-trip activities Do you plan to get your group together before the trip for an activity or social event? Conservation, education and recreation How will this major excursion meet the mission of the AMC? www.outdoors.org/about/ mission.cfm Lynn Matt/Dick Cable no luck. Vietnam Bike Tours will get Visa's for us, if I provide a sheet of pertinent information, for $22/person. I have included that in the price of the trip. Then, each participant will need the acceptance form, which I will email to them, to provide to the airport with $25 and a passport photo. This information will be included on the prospectus. If no, please describe the process you went through to find out that they were not required: The trip is guided by a local bike outfitter and they assured me that nothing else is required. Yes No If yes, please describe below what type of equipment and how you will ensure that people know how to use it: The outfitter provides top quality lightweight Trek hybrid bikes that can be adapted according to the terrain and they come in all sizes to accommodate everyone, including children. Bike seats, bike helmets, one water-bottle cage and a bike cushion are provided. Of course, anyone can bring whatever they want for their comfort. Yes No If yes, please describe below what type of experience? Also describe how you will ensure that the participant has this experience? The participant must be able to bike 50 miles/75 km at an average of 12 miles/hour. The hill with the steapest grade is under 7 miles and comes early in the day.The roads are moderately flat with considerable downhill on the 63 mile day, however, a sag is available for those who can't complete this day. Yes No If yes, please describe below what you will do: While providing 9 (optionally 10) days of a bike tour, it will be a very rich educational and cultural experience in terms of exposure to the vietnamese culture, their beautiful country and some history. TOUR OPERATOR AND GUIDE SERVICE INFORMATION Will this trip require a tour operator or guide service during part, or the entire trip? Name of tour operator/guide service Tour operator website Safety record Please provide information about their safety record. Insurance Do they have liability insurance? Emergency response Please describe the outfitters’ response plan in the case of an emergency. Revised October 2009 Yes No Please describe their services. If you are using a tour operator for the entire trip, please describe why you will be using them rather than doing this trip on your own: The entire bike trip of 10 days/11 nights will be guided with a local Vietnamese Graduate from Professional Tourism. Mechanic bike repair techniques, serving skills and experience in guiding the bike tour, as well as, biking skills of at least 4 years are required by the bike touring company. I have added on an additonal short bike day with bike tour company so we can see the Cuchi Tunnels. Vietnam Bike Tours/Van Phu Thuan group., ltd. www.vietnambiketours.com They have been a tour company since 2005 and led numerous bike rides in Vietnam. They provide and require helmets to be worn. They also lead bike rides in Cambodia and Thailand and multi-country. Liability? Yes No Maximum amt: $ 10,000/person Are they willing to list AMC as an Yes No additional insured? If an accident occurs, a Vietnam Bike Tours guide will help with first aid and/or use the local medical center to help. The guide carries a first aid kit. They have two bike guides on the ride along with their own driver and sag wagon to quickly transport the victim to the central/general hospital nearby. Vietnam now has some international SOS hospitals in larger cities and health care to support too. Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 3 of 6 Lynn Matt/Dick Cable Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi RISK ASSESSMENT Please assess the risks and hazards of your trip. Carefully consider each area of risk and how it may affect your trip. Devise a plan to prevent each hazard and to respond to it if it becomes necessary. Please be very specific for each section if applicable. Trail conditions, river crossings, weather, wildlife (bears, snakes, etc.) Climate/terrain Potential hazards This tour follows a mix of good asphalt roads and vehicle-width dirt roads, which may be smooth, gritty, stony, rocky, rutted, loose or hard-packed. Response Vietnam bike tours provides Trek hybrid bikes for the tour and in areas/cities where the traffic is bad, we will be transported by their van. Political concerns, crime, language translation, terrorism Foreign Country Potential hazards Country is politically stable; however petty crime is still common, and it is always wise to be cautious. They mostly use “dong” – merchants will take dollars, but at a bad exchange rate. Because it is very inexpensive for the U.S. to visit Vietnam, the Vietnamese may take advantage of this situation. Response Warn group about safeguarding passports, money and credit cards; monitor for unusual crime activity against tourists in advance. Have trip paid for before the trip, except or one lunch and one dinner. Only travel with guides in remote areas. Advise participants to keep 1,000 and 10,000 dong notes handy, because tourists typically get the wrong change on larger notes – and it’s easier to get a bargain on something if you are holding a small note. Road conditions, drivers, insurance Transportation Potential hazards Saigon is the New York City of Vietnam, Hanoi is second. The sightseeing is great, the food superb, very walkable, lots of charm and history. The number of vehicles on every street is astounding, thousands of motorcycles all moving like a flock of birds. Response We bike very little in Saigon or Hanoi. We leave the cities, on bike, as quickly and safely as possible. The bike touring company has a 29 seat bus to transport us through very heavily traffic areas when we won't be bike riding. Level of fitness, screening concerns, experience with equipment or activity Participants Potential hazards The longest day of bike riding is 63 miles. Response Trippers must be able to ride 50 miles. There is a sag wagon if someone cannot ride the miles on a certain day and the bike touring company assured me that they will pick people up who can't complete the day. Even though, I am screening participants for riding 50 miles/day, the bike touring company advertises that they cater to experienced riders and very inexperienced riders on the same trip. Conditions unique to this type of trip Other Potential hazards Extreme differences in bike riders ability, mainly speed of riders. Response Biking will be done at an average speed of 12 mph. That will be noted on the prospectus. There is one long hill of 6.2 miles, with a consistant grade of 10%, called Hai Van Pass, which trippers will be informed of. EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN Please describe your plans for dealing with emergencies. Use as much detail as possible, and list any special communications equipment you may need to ensure the safety of your participants. DO NOT LEAVE THIS SECTION BLANK Leader will have participant emergency contacts and medical information with her at all Emergency communication Phone contacts, language, times. documentation, distance from emergency services Leader and guides carry first aid equipment and have the ability to communicate with Emergency equipment What sort of emergency first their sag wagon and home office. aid or communication equipment (satellite phone, Revised October 2009 Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 4 of 6 Lynn Matt/Dick Cable Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi two-way radios) do you plan to use, if any? Evacuation Please describe your plan for evacuation from the backcountry location if applicable? Medical care Please describe the medical care available in the area(s) where you will be traveling and list names and telephone numbers for these facilities. Vietnam Bike Tours ownes and uses a Hyundai County 29 seat bus to transport 10 participants or less, plus a Toyota Hiace van to carry the bikes. If we have more than 10 participants, they will hire a passenger bus. Ho Chi Mih City (Saigon) - Choray Hospital - 201B Nguyen Chi Thanh Street, Dist 5, Ho Chi Minh City - (84-8) 855 4137 International SOS Vietnam, Ltd., 65 Nguyen Du Street, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City - 84 83 823 6520 Da Lat - Lam Dong Provincial General Hospital 4 Pham Ngoc Thach St, Da Lat - (063) 821-369 Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa General Hospital Yersin Street, Nha Trang - (058) 822-168 Tuy Hoa - Thirty miles from Nha Trang, which is closest hospital Quang Ngai - Quang Ngai Hospital: 184 Hung Vuong St, Quang Ngai - (055) 823 070 Hoi An - Hoi An Hospital, 4A Tran Hung Dao St., Hoi An town - ++(84) 3914434 Hue - Hue Central Hospital, 116 Le Loi street - Hue city - +84 054 822325 Hanoi - International SOS Vietnam, Ltd., Central Building, 31 Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi - +84 4 3826 4545 COST AND BUDGET DETAILS Foreign currencies For int’l trips list each foreign currency, the current $US dollar exchange rate and what contingencies you have if that rate changes. If a tour operator or agent is being used, what currency is the agent to be paid in? Deposits What deposits will be required by airlines, hotels, tour operators, etc., and when? Refunds What is the latest date you can cancel and still receive a full refund? Participant deposit What are the initial deposit and your schedule of payments? Cancellation policy What will your cancellation policy be for the participants? Minimum numbers Will you still run the trip if you Revised October 2009 Lately, the dong has been between 17,000 to 18,000 per dollar. The trip is priced prior to the trip, so a change in currency will not make a difference. The trip will be paid in U.S. dollars via a wire transfer. They will take a payment via bank wire transfer. Benefiiary: Van Phu Thuan Co., LTD Account No: 007-137-523-9456 (USD) At the bank: Vietcombank Ho Chi Minh city Bank Addres: 29 Ben Chuong Duong Street, District 1 Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam Swift Code: BFTV-VNVX-007 Cif: 405-8441 30% of amount is due at time of booking and 70% is due upon arriving in the country. The contract price for the tour is the same. The contract price for the hotels is until 12/2010 and the contract price for the flight from Hanoi to Saigon ($115) is valid until 6/2010. March 14th, 2011 An initial deposit of $850 is due, then the remaining balance is due on December 14th, 2010. The cost of the trip decreases by $200 if an applicant applies before December 14, 2010. $100 non-refundable cancellation fee; thereafter $100 plus any monies spent on airline tickets or non-refundable deposits, plus whatever is required to keep other participant costs from increasing. Yes No If yes, please describe conditions: Vietnam Bike Tours has quoted me a price for 11 people, based on 10 paying Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 5 of 6 Lynn Matt/Dick Cable Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi do not get the minimum number? Reference web links: MEC Home Page: Forms: Deadlines: E-Mail Addresses: Club House: MEC Chair: Revised October 2009 participants. They supply a bike guide for every 7 people, plus the sag wagon driver. They use 2 biking guides and 1 driver, plus 1 driver assistant for groups 8 to 14 people. If more than 14 people, they will use 3 biking guides. http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/ http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/application/ http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/listings cyout@outdoors.org mecchair@amcboston.org Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 6 of 6