I. Reservation and Booking
All reservations must be made in writing via our official website or through our email addresses. Your reservation requests will be handled and responded to within 24 hours. We will confirm your booking if your requested services are available. In case of any unavailability, our Mekong Essence will provide you with alternative recommendations before finalizing your booked services.
Once a booking is made, a confirmation and invoice will be sent to your designated email by our Mekong Essence. A deposit will be required, and the balance payment will be due as per our deposit and payment policies below.
II. Payment
A. Deposit
A deposit of approximately 25% of the total tour cost is required upon booking confirmation.
B. Balance Payment
Full payment for the tour shall be made 30 days before the departure date or earlier, as per our sales requirements, to ensure timely payment to our service providers.
In some cases, the balance payment date may be negotiable.
Deposits and payments can be made by 1) Credit card, 2) PayPal, or 3) bank transfer to the appropriate account (see Payment Methods).
III. Booking Amendments
Our strength lies in tailor-made tour programs. Customers have the right to change itineraries, transportation, and/or accommodation before or after the reservation. Our team will be glad to amend your booking accordingly and will inform you of any incurred expenses caused by such amendments. The final revised itinerary and invoice will be sent to your email once all amended services are confirmed.
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IV. Cancellations
A. Cancellation by the Company
If the deposit is not paid or the tour is not paid in full by the due date, the Company reserves the right to cancel the tour. If customers request a delay in payment for a valid reason, the bookings may be extended on a case-by-case basis, with no further delay after that.
B. Cancellation by the Customer
1. US $20.00 per person for individual hotel and air ticket bookings, or US$ 100.00 per person for package tours, will be charged as administrative fees in all cancellation cases upon service confirmation, plus the cancellation fees applied by the concerned service suppliers, such as hotels, trains, flight, or boat companies.
2. From 60 to 30 days prior to the arrival date: Cancellation fee of 20% per group/booking, plus the cancellation fees applied by the concerned service suppliers, such as hotels, flights, or cruises, in accordance with their cancellation policies.
3. Between 29 to 15 days prior to the arrival date: Cancellation fee of 50% per group/booking, plus the cancellation fees applied by the concerned service suppliers, such as hotels, trains, flights, or boat companies, in accordance with their cancellation policies.
4. Between 14 to 8 days prior to the arrival date: Cancellation fee of 70% per group/booking, plus the cancellation fees applied by the concerned service suppliers, such as hotels, trains, flights, or boat companies, in accordance with their cancellation policies.
5. Less than 7 days prior to the arrival date, or no-show: 100% charge per group/booking.
C. Refund for Unused Services
No refunds or exchanges can be made for unused accommodations, meals, sightseeing tours, transportation, or any other services included in the tour price.
V. Force Majeure
If, as a consequence of a "Force Majeure" event, the Company is obliged to curtail, alter, extend, or cancel the tour, the customer is not entitled to claim compensation or otherwise for any loss arising from such curtailment, alteration, extension, or cancellation of the tour.
"Force Majeure" events include but are not limited to:
- Natural disasters
- Adverse weather conditions
- Global pandemic diseases declared by the WHO
- Fire or other destruction of any vessel, craft, or vehicle used or to be used in connection with the tour
- Destruction or damage of accommodation on the tour not related to the customer or the Company
- Riots, acts of war, civil unrest, and the exercise of legislative, government, municipal, military, or other authority action
- Strikes or other industrial actions, the requisition of equipment, mechanical breakdowns, or shortage of fuel
- Insolvency or default of any carrier or service connected with the tour
- Fraud perpetrated against the Company
VII. Liability and Insurance
A. Liability
1. The Company is not responsible for any loss, injury, or damage sustained by customers. Additional expenses incurred due to delays, accidents, natural disasters, political action, and unrest must be borne by the customer.
2. The Company is not liable for any damages incurred by the customer through failure to abide by the contract or improperly implement the contract if: the failure is directly attributable to the customer; the failure is attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the contracted services and/or is unforeseeable and/or unavoidable; or the failure is due to a Force Majeure event as defined in Section 5.
B. Insurance
The customer is required to have travel insurance and is responsible for reading the insurance policy prior to traveling to ensure the insurance provides them with the appropriate level of coverage. All customers must buy a comprehensive travel insurance policy to cover all aspects of the tour, including the loss of deposits through cancellation, loss of baggage and personal items, personal injury and death, and all related COVID-19 matters.
C. Passport and Entry Visa
The customer's passport must be valid for at least six months following their entry date to the travel destination. It is the customer's responsibility to ensure they have a valid passport and visa and that all travel documents are valid for travel.
D. Settlement of Disputes
1. The terms and conditions are governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of Vietnam.
2. If any dispute arising out of or in connection with the terms and conditions cannot be resolved amicably between the customer and the Company within 30 days, it will be referred to the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) for a final and binding settlement in accordance with its rules of arbitration. The place of arbitration will be Hanoi, Vietnam, and the language of the arbitration will be English.
3. The contract will remain in effect during, and without prejudice to, the course of the arbitration.