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
$ 3225 if reg before
Does it include airfare? Yes
No
1/14/11. If after
1/14, cost increases
to $3425
$ 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
CPR
BLS
Expiration:
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
Glacier 2010

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
Belize 2011
Co-leader name
Co-leader address
Co-leader email
Co-leader phone
Wilderness first aid training*
CPR training*
Prior leading experience
Dick Cable
8 Heather Lane, Burlington, CT 06013
r.cable@sbcglobal.net
Home
Work
WFA
AWFA
WFR
Expiration: 4/2010
CPR
BLS
Expiration: 2/2010
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
Sicily April 2010
Trip one
Trip two
Trip three
Other related trip experience
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.
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
parks)
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
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
Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 2 of 6
Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi
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
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 helmuts, 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 mult-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 63 miles. There is a sag wagon if someone cannot ride the
miles on a certain day.
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,
two-way radios) do you plan
to use, if any?
Vietnam Bike Tours has a 29 seat bus to transport 10 participants, plus a truck to carry
Evacuation
Please describe your plan for
the bikes. If we have more than 10 participants, they will hire a passenger bus.
evacuation from the
Revised October 2009
Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 4 of 6
Lynn Matt/Dick Cable
Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi
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.
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
do not get the minimum
number?
Reference web links:
MEC Home Page:
Forms:
Deadlines:
E-Mail Addresses:
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 credit card.
30% of amount is due at time of booking and 70% is due upon arriving in the country.
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
participants. If more people sign up, they will provide a fourth guide to accommodate up
to 16 people (15 paying trippers).
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/application/
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/listings
Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 5 of 6
Cycling Vietnam: Saigon to Hanoi
Club House:
MEC Chair:
Revised October 2009
Lynn Matt/Dick Cable
cyout@outdoors.org
mecchair@amcboston.org
Major Excursions Trip Proposal Form, page 6 of 6