Q&A: Read Carefully

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Pre-Trip
1. Total cost includes travel insurance and airport taxes in Singapore and Vietnam?
Yes.

2. Will you be assisting in the preparation of RAMs and Notification to MFA?
Yes. We will prepare the form, and you will need to send from your school account.

Actual-Trip
3. Will the guide be bringing mineral water for us during the trek or do we have to carry 3 days' supply of water ourselves? Could I check with you if mineral water could be bought at the villages? Since it is a 3-day trek, how will be guide carry 3 days supply of meals? Will the food items be edible? Is it possible to include drinking water for meals?
All kinds of drink are not included, you will have to supply by yourself, you can carry from Sapa for the first day then you can buy water in the village or on the way trekking at somewhere. Yes, you can buy mineral water or bottled purified water in the villages, at the village you reach, the staffs of Vega Travel working in Sapa will deliver the food to the village then the guide will pick them up then cook for your group. Note: All kinds of drinks are not included in the whole trip (from day 1 to 15). Reference clause 3b)

4. I hope we are getting respectable vietnamese food for meals and decent hotels? Perferably in the Hoan Kiem Old Quarters area.
Guesthouse in Vietnam is not rank of star, it is normally run by a family or small business. Therefore it is a cheapest accommodation to stay, it is simple or called small hotel ( mini hotel) like Son Ha guesthouse in Sapa and Vietnam partner Hanoi's guesthouse (which is nicer than Son Ha or some mini hotels in Hanoi). All meals are offered during the trip is Vietnamese food ( even local food in Sapa or Binh Lu). however all dishes are alternate daily and I am sure that the group will feel content and good. In the fact, after the first meal offered, we can debrief then we can offer base on customized food. As my experiences from Singaporean tourist, the food I offered were rated excellent or good at least because when we go trekking, the tour guide is a cook who will cook for the group with major dishes: Spring rolls, Beaf, chicken, fish, potato, muchroom, vegetable, egg, rice, fresh fruits.

5. Are our meals in Sapa in the restaurants in the old part of town near the market? Like Chapa restaurant? The shops and restaurants in the newer part of Sapa don't look particularly good.
For the meals in Sapa, we will eat at restaurant in old Sapa or sometimes we eat at hotel.

6. Can I clarify how the rooming arrangements are like? 3 twin-share & 1 triple-share as suggested?
In Hanoi: You will take 3 big rooms in the guesthouse (each room has 1 big bed and 1 single bed, own bathroom inside, computer with internet connection). Each room has a computer connected to internet. There is no food at the guesthouse (office), but their are many food stalls around the area. There are food ranging from the roadside stalls, shop stalls and tourist restaurants. (5000VND to 100000VND a meal) In Sapa is 3 twin and 1 triple room. Yes, it is not a staff apartment. There have guesthouse rooms on top of their office.

7. What is the Hanoi guesthouse? Is it in the Hoan Kiem area? Do you know the name of the guesthouse we are staying Hanoi? I hope it's a guesthouse and not their staff apartment. Is there a restaurant in the guesthouse in Hanoi?
The guesthouse is located at Hanoi old commercial quarters, only 3 minutes walking from Hoa Kiem lake. The guest house belongs to Vega Travel and it is above their office, 3 minute walking to Hoan Kiem Lake, in the heart of Hanoi.. Each room is very nice, larger and much air than other guesthouses in the old quarters. Each room has 2 beds, 1 big bed + 1 single with aircondition and internet online. No, it's a guesthouse and not a staff apartment. No, there is one nice restaurant just next door to the office. Very classy and clean. The housing in Sapa is the Son Ha Guesthouse as the Guesthouse is runned by the teacher’s friend.

8. Can you detail the biking specifications: eg. types of bikes, with helmut, safety jeep?
Mountain bikes are made in Japan. Shimano brand. 9 chain gears, helmets are provided and must be worn. Standby jeep behind or a van will be taken instead of a standby jeep because a van has enough room for 10 bikes in case the group can not bike at sometimes or due to weather. Depend on the actual weather, if weather is not good I will change and you don’t have to pay extra.

9. Can you detail the kayaking programme for Days 12 & 13? Eg. where are we kayaking to, are we still having the junk to ourselves? are we doing a morning kayak on Day 13?
We will have our own boat with 5 kayaking boat, the boat has 6 en-suite rooms with fans (one kayak for 2 people) so we can go kayak at any time we want, as long as you like. Depend on the time we will have, the tour guide will take the group kayaking to wherever is nice. E.g: Titop island, Hang Luon (tunnel grottoes), Trinh Nu cave….

10. BTW any success with the search for DFOs (direct factory outlets) of Nike/adidas sportswear shops in Hanoi?
There are no DFOs, but small shops in Hanoi selling these branded goods.

11. A driver will pick us up from the airport to dinner and back to guesthse on Day 1?
Day 01: Yes, our tour guide and driver will pick up Mr Khoo Kay Yong’ from the flight TR308 1745/2010 at Noi Bai airport to our guesthouse. Then take the group for dinner.

12. A driver will pick us up for dinner and then to train station on Day 2? We are on our own on the train?
Day 02: The tour guide will take the group to dinner and then to Hanoi station, to the bed on the train. The train is is SP1 at 2130hr. It is the 4 pax per cabin sleeper aircon. Our tour guide will go and take care the group on the train.

13. A guide will meet us in Lao Cai train station?
Day 03: The tour guide will pick up the group at Lao Cai station to Sapa and take care the group to the end of the trip. Our Sapa specialized tour guide will come back Hanoi to pick up the group and take care the group to the end of the trip, this mean still the same tour guide from Hanoi.

14. It is possible for BFA to throw in a visit for us to the Musuem of Ethnology, Hanoi on one of the days?
Sorry. The visit to the museum is not included for in the amount. If the group really want to visit this museum, the last day when we go to the airport, we will stop at the museum for a visit of 1-2hrs, it is ok but the entrance fee(20.000vnd) is not included

15. How much is the cost for the community work?
The cost for the equipment for painting the Sapa primary school bordering walls is USD50. As part of our effort to contribute back to society, BFA will sponsor this amount and pass the USD50 to Mr Khoo before departure.

16. Since breakfast is included on many days in the itinerary, may I know where we will be having breakfast in Hanoi (if the guesthouse does not have a restaurant)? Do you give us a voucher to visit some place? And during the days in Sapa, if we stay at Son Ha, where do we go for breakfast? I am asking these questions because i need to mentally prepare myself for the logistic of bringing 8 students around and still keep to time.
After the first meal, we will ask the group if the food is good or not good then we can know how to make the best food for them. In Hanoi , the first dinner we will eat at Bach Giai restaurant. In Sapa we will eat at Cha Pa restaurant for the first meals.

17. English library: Is there a room set aside for the library? Can we do other forms of decorations to make it suitable? This is so that we can estimate how many books and other decorations to bring along.
This school has a library room of 30sqm, all basic educational equipments and Vietnamese books showing simply, it lacks of all English studying books and equipments. You can redecorate this liberary room and set a part of English liberary aside in this room. The Headmaster really want the group to help her to redecorate the more popular library for the school on the English study portion. It will be good and useful to bring English studying books along.

18. Teaching English: How many students are we looking at? What is their age group? What is their English language competence? Basic? This so that we can devise some materials and activities for the right number and the right target audience.
The school has 6 classes studying English, 30 pupils/each class, the age from 10-12 years Old ( class 4 and 5), their curriculum is “ English for primary school Pupils 1,2,3”. All the classes at school in the morning from 07h00 – 11h00. Their English language competence is not good, most can not hear and speak, the can only write on paper or black board. The school has only one female teacher teaching all the classes of the school

19. Painting: What is the area we are painting? Do you think we can put up colourful prints instead of just white-washing the walls?
We will paint the bordering external wall (300sqm) of the school and you can put up yellow colour (yellow lime liquid)

20. Is there someone in the primary school with whom we can liase directly by email so that we can have the best match of needs and resources?
The school and the headmaster have only telephone to contact and work (she can not speaking English), no email or other ways for good match.