F.A.Q regarding l'Amant Cruises
Visa and Passports
A visa is compulsory to enter Vietnam except for citizens of:
•Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand if the length of the stay is not exceeding 30 days.
•The Philippines if the length of the stay is not exceeding 21 days.
•Korea, Japan, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Russia if the length of the stay is not exceeding 15 days.
To obtain a visa, you must first ensure your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your return date.
There are 3 options at the moment to obtain a visa for Vietnam:
Visas can be acquired directly at Vietnamese Embassies and Consulates abroad.
You can apply for visa through a sponsoring travel agency. In that case, just provide us with the following details:
• Full name, date and place of birth, citizenship, occupation, passport number, date and place of issue, expiration date, date and port of entry into Vietnam.
• We will forward these particulars to Vietnam Immigration Office, which will in turn issue and send by fax an approval letter to the relevant embassy.
• From our side, we will send you one copy of the approval letter. Just bring it or send it to the embassy together with your passport, 2 passport photos and two fully filled out application forms to get the visas stamped.
You can apply for a visa upon arrival through a sponsoring travel agency.
• In that case, provide us with the same information as mentioned above and we will send you an approval letter issued from the Vietnam Immigration Office.
• This approval letter will be required at the time of boarding the airplane.
• Visa stamping fees can be either pre-paid to our agency or paid at Immigration counter on arrival.
Note that in all cases visas cannot be delivered upon arrival without a visa authorization from the Immigration Office. The cost of visa is not included in the price of your cruise.
Children Policy
Children less than 4 years old can stay free of charge in a cabin occupied by their parents. Baby cot is available upon request, however depending on availability. Children 4 years old and above must occupy a separate berth at the regular rate.
Pets
For hygienic reasons, pets are not allowed on board.
Health & Medical Facilities
No vaccination is required, but visitors are advised to receive inoculations against hepatitis A and B, typhoid and tetanus. Inoculation for yellow fever and tablets for malaria are not necessary although doctors still usually recommend them.
Our crew has attended First Aid Courses and first aid kit is available on board. However, for life threatening sickness or injury it can be necessary to be evacuated either to Ho Chi Minh City where there are good hospital staffed with foreign medical personnel or to Bangkok or Singapore and we therefore strongly recommend that you purchase medical travel insurance policy including repatriation.
While our crew will do everything in their power to facilitate landings, access to the ship at certain river stations can be difficult, with steep and sometime slippery riverbanks. Elderly clients should consult their doctor to ensure that they are fit to travel. Wheel chairs are not available.
Communications
International GSM phone coverage is good in Vietnam, although you may have no network connection in some remote areas in particular the journey to Phu Quoc Island.
On board calls can be made from your cabin to other cabin or to the ship's management team.
Currency
The official currency is the Vietnamese Dong (VND). At the time of writing exchange rate is US$ 1 = 20 500 VND.
Traveler’s cheques can be cashed only at major banks and usually incur a 2 to 5% transaction fee. Visa and Master cards are accepted now in most of hotels, restaurants and shops in tourist cities of Vietnam, but can also be subject to 2 to 3% transaction fees.
You can also get cash advances with your credit card from automated teller machines (ATM) located in most of the tourists cities (amount generally limited to 5 or 10.000.000 VND, that is to say around 300 USD to 600 USD depending on the bank).
All bills on board the ships will be payable in US$ in cash or credit card (Master or Visa card).
The Smoking Policy
For your safety and comfort, we are operating a strictly non-smoking policy indoors. Smoking is allowed for the outside areas only such as the Sundeck and your cabin balcony.
On board bills
Except for organized evening cocktails and other events, you will be asked to sign a bill for all items ordered at the sundeck bar. A statement of account in US$ will be presented on the last day aboard for settlement.
Meals on board
We serve breakfast and lunch buffets. Dinner is served at the tables with à la carte menu. We offer a blend of flavored Asian recipes and refined Western cuisine accompanied by a rich wine list. Season fruits, fresh vegetables and vegetarian dishes are always available. Special diets may be catered with advance notification and agreement.
Tea, Coffee and Mineral Water
Complimentary tea and coffee are available at any time on the Sun Deck or in your cabin. Bottled water is provided in all cabins daily. Purified water is used for cooking and food preparation on board as well as for ice cubes.
Your cabin
Your sunlit cabin with private balcony will ensure a panoramic view on the amazing sceneries the region offers
Air-conditioning
Your cabin is equipped with its own centralized air-conditioning unit which can be adjusted for your comfort. Note that the sea breeze is worth trying at night! For energy conservation, please do not leave your air-conditioner on while windows are opened.
Water, Toels and Electrical Applicanes
The ship's water supply comes from ashore facilities or is produced from seawater during the seashore expedition. This water is treated to be suitable for washing and brushing teeth but is not potable. Bottled mineral water is provided for drinking, free of charge. To save water, towels will only be changed if they are placed off the towel rack.
The ship is equipped with 220 volts, with European and American standard sockets. Other types of electrical adaptors are available upon request. Hairdryers are installed in all cabins.
Blankets
Blankets are kept in the closet under your bed. These may be needed in the cool season when night time temperatures drop.
Laundry
A laundry bag is provided for your laundry needs and the laundry list is to be found on the desk. Your laundry is collected each morning when your room is made up and will be returned to you the following day. Please leave your items in the bag provided and fill up the laundry list
Security and Mini-safe box
When in port, a 24-hour security watch is on duty on the vessel gangplank and only passengers and authorized crew are allowed to board. Keep your cabin door locked when you are out and leave the key at the lobby reception when going ashore. All cabins have a combination type safe box. However, the company cannot be held liable for loss of money, jewelry or other valuable items from the ship or whilst on an excursion.
Intercom
An Intercom system is installed in your cabin. On board calls can be made from your cabin to other cabin or to the ship's on board services. Wake-up call can be requested at any time. Please advise the Purser the night before.
