VIET HERPING · TOUR POLICY
Cancellation & Refund
Plans change. Our terms are built so that a change of plan costs you as little as possible, while still covering what we have already committed on your behalf.
KEY PRINCIPLE
Your deposit is transferable
Your deposit is non-refundable, but it is not lost — it is transferable. And once a booking is cancelled, the remaining 70% is never owed.
WHICH TERMS APPLY?
Terms depend on tour length
| Your tour | See |
|---|---|
| One evening · one night — no overnight accommodation | Section 1 |
| 2 days 1 night · 3 days 2 nights | Section 2 |
| Four days or longer | Section 3 |
SECTION 1
Evening and one-night tours
| Reschedule | Up to 3 times, free of charge |
| Notice required | None. Tell us any time before your departure time |
| Deposit valid for | 6 months from your original departure date |
| Transfer to another tour | Permitted — your deposit moves with you |
| No contact before departure (no-show) | Deposit is forfeited |
| Outstanding balance | Nothing further is owed |
We would rather move your night than lose it. There is no minimum notice — just tell us before your departure time and we will find you another date.
The six-month window is counted once from your original departure date. It does not restart each time you reschedule.
The only exception is a no-show: if we hear nothing from you before departure, your guide has already committed the evening and the deposit is forfeited.
SECTION 2
Tours of 2 days 1 night and 3 days 2 nights
| Reschedule | Up to 2 times, free of charge |
| Notice required | At least 5 days before each scheduled departure |
| Deposit valid for | 6 months from your original departure date |
| Transfer to another tour | Permitted — your deposit moves with you |
| Less than 5 days' notice | Booking cannot be rescheduled; deposit is forfeited |
| Outstanding balance | Nothing further is owed |
These tours commit accommodation and tickets ahead of time, which is why they carry a notice period.
The six-month window is counted once from your original departure date and does not restart when you reschedule.
SECTION 3
Tours of four days or longer
| Notice given | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 30 days or more before departure | Deposit transfers free of charge to a new date or a different tour |
| Less than 30 days before departure | Deposit is forfeited and cannot be transferred |
| Outstanding balance | Nothing further is owed |
Longer tours commit ferry seats, park permits, accommodation and guide days well in advance. Those arrangements are made — and often paid for — weeks before you arrive, which is why the notice period is longer.
SECTION 4
If a tour is interrupted after it has started
Your 30% deposit is not refunded — it covers arrangements already committed before you arrived. The remaining 70% is refunded in proportion to the days not completed.
REFUND FORMULA
Refund = 70% of the tour price × (days not completed ÷ total days)
A day counts as completed once that day's field session has begun. Herping runs at night, so the marker is the moment you leave for the field — not midnight.
| Reason the tour stops | Refund of the 70% balance | Cost of returning you |
|---|---|---|
| Severe weather, natural event, official closure — no safe alternative site | Pro-rata as above | Viet Herping |
| Viet Herping cannot continue — guide illness with no replacement, vehicle failure | Full refund of all days not completed, deposit included — or a free replacement tour within 6 months. Your choice | Viet Herping |
| Guest illness, injury, or personal reasons | Pro-rata as above, or credit valid 6 months. Your choice | Guest — this is what travel insurance covers |
| Guest removed for breaching safety rules — alcohol, refusing guide instruction, handling animals without permission | No refund | Guest |
Rerouting is not an interruption. If weather or a closure makes the planned route unsafe, we move to an alternative site of comparable quality and your tour continues as booked. Guest safety decides the route, not the itinerary.
Stopping for safety is not a fault. A guide may end a session or a day at any point on safety grounds. That decision is treated as the first row of the table above — you are not penalised for your guide making the right call.
SECTION 5
If we cancel before departure
You choose one of the following:
01
Full refund of everything you have paid, deposit included
02
A new date, free of charge
03
Transfer to a different tour
No administration fee applies.
We do not cover flights, hotels or other travel booked separately from your tour. Comprehensive travel insurance is what protects you there, and it is why we ask every guest to hold it.
SECTION 6
If you miss the tour
Contact us as soon as you know. We will do what we can within the terms above.
Comprehensive travel insurance is strongly recommended for trip disruption — flight delays, cancellations and illness are exactly what it exists for.
