Highlights of China and Vietnam - Private Tour

The order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.

Please note lighters and aerosol cans are not allowed at sights of special interest.

If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.

Vietnam visa requirements

A visa is not required for stays up to 45 days for British Passport holders. Further advice should be sought from the applicable tourist authority for other nationalities and for general queries. Passports must have at least 6 months validity from your date of entry and a minimum of 2 blank pages. However, we strongly advise you check your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy for the most up-to-date guidelines regarding passport validity.

China visa requirements

For all tours departing in 2026, no visa is required for British Passport Holders.

If you are departing in 2027 or later, you will require a visa to visit mainland China. We recommend you organise this 2 months before travel. If you’re 14 to 70 years old, you must apply for a visa in person at a visa application centre. If you’re aged 13 and under or aged 71 and over, you can only apply online.

You must provide biometric data (scanned fingerprints) for your application. There are visa application centres in London, Manchester, Belfast and Edinburgh. The details of their opening hours are on their websites. The Chinese Embassy has further information on visa categories and how to apply. The application process takes approximately 4 – 10 working days and the cost depends on the visa and class you choose.

You will require extra documentation for your application that you can request from us from 2 months before departure. They may ask for the Agency Licence Number which is China International Travel Service Ltd: 911100001013930695. We work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. When calling the Travel Visa Company they will advise you of any changes to the fees or the procedure, they will also advise you of all the information they will require to apply for the visa.

We recommend you check with your destinations' Tourist Board or Embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding these.

You will need to fill in an arrival card online before travel for all travel dates. This can be done on the NIA’s official website https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/. To complete the form you will need to have your passport number and visa number. Once the form is complete you will either need to print out the QR code or have the QR code available on your phone.

We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.

It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.

All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability to stroll around the sights, climb stairs and get on and off coaches and boats. The tour pace of Highlights of China and Vietnam is rated as Intermediate A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. You will be walking around the sights, getting on and off coaches, boats and climbing steps which may be irregular. You will stay in variety of hotels throughout the tour. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary.

The currency in Vietnam is the Vietnamese Dong, known as VND. You can exchange your currency in Vietnam, however, US Dollars are widely accepted in Vietnam should you wish to keep an alternative currency on you. It is important that you budget carefully and ensure you have the right form of currency before you arrive in the country. Cash machines will also be available throughout the tour in order to withdraw money in local currency. Money can be exchanged at the airport or branches of government banks. Credit and debit cards are accepted in most hotels and some shops and restaurants.

China: The currency in China is the Renminbi, known as RMB or CNY. It is often referred to as the Yuan. We recommend that you exchange your currency before you depart. US Dollars are widely accepted in China should you wish to keep an alternative currency on you. Most major credit cards are accepted in hotels and shopping malls in China. Small shops and restaurants may not accept credit cards as well as street vendors, so it's strongly advised to have sufficient Chinese currency with you. ATM’s are readily available in big cities and most small towns.

As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels.

You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any personal purchases, such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £500-£600 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour.

Tipping in Vietnam is not compulsory and is at your discretion. However, Should you wish to tip in Vietnam we recommend you tip your guide approx. USD $4 per person per day and your driver approx. USD $2 per person per day. Tips for the bells boys and porters at your hotels and the crew during the Ha Long Bay cruise will be at your discretion. Tips are accepted in the local currency, US dollars and British pounds.

In China, it is customary to tip your national guide, local guide and driver. We recommend approximately CNY40.00 per person per day. Your national guide will collect this for your convenience on the first day of your tour, approximately CNY360 per person for the total duration. Tips are collected in Chinese Yuan.

This is a fully escorted tour, meaning that you will be met on arrival by your national guide in Vietnam, who will remain with you for the duration of your trip until you leave for China. When you arrive in China you will be met on arrival by your national guide who will remain with you until you depart back to Vietnam. You will also be joined by local guides in some of the cities which you visit, ensuring that you have first-hand knowledge at all times.

Trains

During your tour you will have some day trains and overnight trains. Please note, that these are local trains and should not be compared to European standards and quality. Overnight trains have upper and lower berths and will be in a shared carriage of either four or two with other travellers. Beds usually come with a pillow, bed sheet and blanket. Toilets will be located at the end of the carriage. Please bring toilet roll and hand sanitiser. All trains are air conditioned. When travelling during the day on trains you will be booked into a comfortable air-conditioned carriage. Please note the Bullet Train has restricted carry-ons: Aerosol spray cans containing hairspray, hair gel, styling mousse, insecticide and air freshener must be under 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) Please note: Lighters are prohibited on planes, trains, and at key sights like Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Warriors. Spray cans are not allowed on planes or trains..

Please note: Lighters are prohibited on planes, trains, and at key sights like Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Warriors. Spray cans are not allowed on planes or trains.

Power banks without a 3C certification mark, spray cans of any form and lighters are not allowed on trains or planes.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist between the UK and Vietnam and China. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs. If you have booked a triple share please note that your room will be a twin room with a rollaway bed or sofa bed added. This may limit the floor space in the room.

Boats

During this tour you will be boarding various vessels. Cabins come with en suite facilities and air conditioning. However room size can be restrictive, If you would like to take a smaller overnight bag on to the ships this can be arranged by leaving your larger luggage on your tour bus overnight at your own risk.

Breakfast is always western style and served in the hotel each morning. Lunch and dinner (when included) will be taken in local restaurants or at the hotel. A variety of restaurants are visited giving you the chance to experience a range of dishes and flavours. Unlike the western world, Chinese people do not normally pre-heat their plates and food can be presented at a variety of temperatures, which is a typical Chinese way of doing things.

Please contact Customer Experience for questions about other dietary requirements or allergy information. Vegan, vegetarian options are available, all meal requests need to be sent over to our suppliers before travel.

It is not recommended to drink the tap water, even in developed countries water may contain unfamiliar elements that can cause upset stomachs. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way. In less developed countries water is not filtered in the same way, so to ensure your comfort and well-being, one bottle of drinking water will be provided on touring days.

If you are travelling within the below Chinese Public Holidays, please note that celebrations last for several days and during these times some businesses will be closed and coach, air and train travel may be affected. Tourist attractions will be open but may be crowded. Chinese New Year usually falls sometime between January 21 and February 20. Golden Week public holidays fall annually between 1st – 3rd of May and 1st – 7th of October.

If you are travelling within the below Vietnamese Public Holidays please note that celebrations can last a couple of days and during these times some businesses will be closed and coach, air and train travel may be affected. Tourist attractions will be open but may be crowded. Tet Holiday is between January and February, International Labour Day is on 1st May every year, Reunification Day is on 30th April every year and National Independence Day is on 2nd September every year.

Vietnam:

On your arrival in Hanoi you will be met by a representative from our local agent, Lac Viet (LV) Travel, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury holidays/Vietnam Travel Service representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your guide will be able to answer any queries.

China:

On your arrival in Shanghai you will be met by a representative from our local agent will be in the terminal, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. If landing at Terminal 1, Please exit from international arrivals gate 4. After exiting the arrivals gate turn left and walk to the passenger service centre. The Mercury Holidays representative will show you to your transfer vehicle.

If landing at Terminal 2, please exit from Gate 2A. After exiting, the arrivals please turn left and look for the pillar marked "Meeting Point." the Mercury Holidays representative will show you to your transfer vehicle.

Please find below the emergency contact details for LV Travel head office, Hanoi.

Contact Telephone number: Anna Hanh Office: 0084 865 016 939, Mr Len Office: 0084 989 200 116, Emergency cases: 0084 888713289

24 hour e-mail: operation@lvtravel.vn or len@lvtravel.vn

China:

Please find below the emergency contact details for China Travel Service:

During Office Hours: 0086 10 85228340 / 0086 10 85228722

After Office Hours: Ms. Linda Liu (Mobile): 0086 13911043036

Ms. Starling Wang (Mobile): 0086 13810153047

Ms. Faith Guo (Mobile): 0086 13716796859

• Sunscreen and hat in summer
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Loo paper for public WCs
• Binoculars
• Personal first aid kit containing travel pills, rehydration powder, plasters, stomach settlers, antiseptic creams, aspirin etc
• Camera and charger
• A travel plug adaptor: the voltage in Vietnam is 220-240 volts. You will need a 2 round pin plug or 2 flat pin plug adapter. The voltage in China is 220 volts. However, there are several types of electrical sockets throughout the country, some taking plugs similar to the UK’s, others for two or three thin prongs. Should you plan to use your own hairdryer, travel iron, video camera, battery charger, electric shaver, etc, it is advisable to bring a multi-adaptor
• A small overnight bag to take on your cruise of Halong Bay
• A travel plug adaptor as they use plug types A, C and I. The voltage in China is 220 Volts.
• Swimwear
• Insect repellent
• Swimming cap