Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions

Overview

The Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and all general information provided on this website or in our brochure outline the contractual relationship between Next Continent Limited and the participant, as well as any individuals represented by the participant on the Booking Form. Please ensure you read our booking conditions before completing the form.

Next Continent Limited is an international tourism company based in Vietnam. Our international tour operator license number is 48-404/2023/CDLQGVN-GPLHQT, and our registered company number is 0402214876.

In these Booking Conditions, ‘you’ and ‘your’ refer to all individuals listed on the booking (including those who are added or replaced later). ‘We,’ ‘us,’ and ‘our’ refer to Next Continent Limited.

These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time, and it is your responsibility to review them regularly for any updates.

1. Booking Your Tour

To book with us, you must complete our booking form. If more than one person is joining the tour, you must be authorised by all individuals listed on the booking, including the parent or guardian of any participants under 18, to make the reservation in accordance with these Booking Conditions.

By submitting the booking form, you confirm this authorisation and agree to our use of personal data as outlined in our Privacy Policy. You are authorised to provide the personal details of everyone listed, including any special categories of data (e.g., health conditions, disabilities, dietary requirements). You are also responsible for all payments due to us. You must be at least 18 years old to make a booking. All bookings are subject to these Booking Conditions.

To finalise your booking, you must first submit a completed booking form. Once we have received your form and confirmed availability or your requested tour date, we will send you an invoice and payment link for the required deposit (or full payment, depending on the booking or tour type). We reserve the right to return your deposit and refuse to confirm your booking at our discretion.

After receiving both your booking form and payment, we will confirm your tour by issuing a confirmation email with an invoice receipt. A binding contract between you and us is established once we send this confirmation email. Please review the invoice carefully upon receipt.

2. Deposit and Payment

Your spot is not secured until we have received the correct deposit or full payment and sent you the confirmation email.

2.1. Single Day Tours & Multi-Day Tours: Full payment is required to confirm the booking.

2.2. Extended Tours and Major Scheduled Tours: A minimum deposit of 30% of the total tour cost is required. This amount may vary depending on the tour, logistics, the time between your booking and the scheduled date, and other factors.

The remaining balance for all confirmed bookings must be paid 60 days before the tour begins. However, this may vary for some specialist tours and experiences. We will send you an invoice at least two weeks before your deadline, showing the payments already made and the outstanding balance for your chosen tour. If the balance is not paid by the due date, your booking may be considered cancelled, and we reserve the right to retain all deposits paid or due at that date. For tours departing in less than 60 days from the booking date, full payment is required immediately.

We accept payment via bank transfer and credit card (a surcharge applies). Full payment details will be provided in our invoice.

2.3. Guests Under 18 Years Old

All guests aged 17 years and under must be accompanied by an adult (over 18 years old) during the tour. For our multi-day, extended, and major scheduled tours, we typically do not accept guests under the age of 12, even when accompanied by parents or supervisors; however, we assess this on a case-by-case basis.

For our standard day tours, we follow the Vietnamese standard pricing scheme:

  • Less than 2 years old: Free of charge
  • From 2 to 11 years old: 75% of the tour cost
  • 12 years old and above: 100% of the tour cost

3. Pricing

3.1. Amendments
Please note that the information and prices on our website or in our brochure may have changed by the time you book your holiday. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy at the time of publishing, we reserve the right to amend the price of any tour at any time, subject to unexpected changes in operational costs. Therefore, it’s important to check all details of your chosen holiday, including the price, with us at the time of booking.

3.2. Exclusions
The quoted price excludes flights (except for some tours where flights are included), travel insurance (see clause 7 for more details), passport and visa fees, vaccination costs, and excess baggage charges. Additionally, the price does not include drinks (unless provided), à la carte dishes when a fixed menu is included, laundry, phone calls, private excursions, or any other personal expenses such as taxes, porterage, or service charges.
You can find the specific inclusions for each tour on the individual tour page on our website.

3.3. Tipping
Next Continent Limited allocates a portion of the tour cost for tips and gratuities for drivers, hotel staff, restaurants, local guides, and services. We kindly ask clients to avoid giving additional tips without first consulting the tour leader, to prevent any potential cultural misunderstandings.
Our price does not include tips for the tour guide(s). It is at your discretion to tip them appropriately; however, please note that a tip is never expected.

3.4. Taxes
Our prices do not include VAT (Value Added Tax) or any other government-imposed taxes unless explicitly stated. If applicable, these additional charges will be clearly outlined at the time of booking and added to the final cost of your tour.

4. Changes to Your Booking

All changes must be notified in writing as soon as possible. While we will do our best to assist, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate your requests. If changes are possible, an amendment fee of $50 USD per booking may apply, along with any costs we incur and any fees or charges from our suppliers.

4.1. Transferring Your Booking to Someone Else
If you or someone in your group cannot travel, it may be possible to transfer their spot to someone else, provided the following conditions are met:
a) You introduce the new person, and they meet all the requirements for the holiday.
b) You inform us in sufficient time to enable us to make the necessary changes and logistics before departure (this timeframe may vary depending on the tour and other partner organisations, such as accommodation providers).
c) You pay any outstanding balance, an amendment fee of $100 USD per person transferring, and any additional fees or costs associated with the transfer.
d) The new person agrees to these booking conditions and all other terms of the contract. Both you and the new person are responsible for paying all amounts due.

If you cannot find a replacement, cancellation charges (as explained in clause 4.2) will apply to cover our costs. No refunds will be given for passengers who do not travel or for unused services. Please note that some arrangements cannot be changed or transferred once confirmed, and any changes could result in a cancellation charge of up to 100% of the cost of those arrangements.

4.2. Exiting Your Tour Early
If you need to return home early or cut your holiday short without a valid complaint about the quality of the services provided during the tour, no refund will be given for the unused portion of your tour, nor will we cover any related costs. We highly recommend that you make a claim directly with your travel insurance provider, as they may be able to cover this, depending on the situation.

4.3. Changing Your Tour Date(s)
For our private, custom, single-day, and other non-shared group tours, it may be possible to alter your tour date(s). If you need to change your date(s), please notify us in writing via email, and we will do our best to accommodate your request. If we can make the change, an amendment fee of $100 USD will apply, along with any costs we incur and any fees or charges from our suppliers.

Please be aware that, due to the nature of our industry, we cannot always guarantee date changes. Therefore, we strongly recommend being certain of your travel dates when making your tour deposit or payment. If you do need to make a change, please provide us with as much notice as possible.

5. Cancellation

5.1. Cancellation by You
You may cancel your booking at any time by notifying us in writing. Your cancellation will only be effective once we have received your written notice. If one or more people in your group cancel, the price per person for those still travelling may increase, and you will be responsible for covering this additional cost. We strongly encourage you to have adequate travel insurance from the time of booking to protect yourself financially.

5.2. Cancellation Charges

Notice PeriodCancellation Charge
More than 90 days before departureDeposit only
90–60 days before departure50% of total tour cost
60 days or less before departure100% of total tour cost

Please note that we often have to pay for certain elements of your tour in full, upfront, and on a non-refundable basis (e.g., flights, permits, etc.). If you cancel, we may need to retain payment for these services if our non-recoverable costs are higher than the standard cancellation charges. Where possible, we will deduct the cancellation charges from any payments you have already made to us.

5.3. Cancellation by Us Before Departure
We will not cancel your tour less than 30 days before your departure unless there is a Force Majeure event. ‘Force Majeure’ refers to any event beyond our or our suppliers’ control that could not have been avoided even with all due care. Examples include, but are not limited to, war, terrorism (or the threat thereof), civil unrest, significant health risks such as a pandemic or serious disease outbreak at the travel destination, natural disasters (e.g., floods, earthquakes, or severe weather making travel or stay unsafe), government actions or orders (including port or river authorities), industrial disputes, strikes, lock closures, natural or nuclear disasters, fires, chemical or biological disasters, unavoidable technical issues with transport, and other events beyond our or our suppliers’ control.

We may also cancel the tour before this date if we fail to reach the required number of guests to run the tour.

If we need to make a significant change or cancel your booking, we will notify you as soon as possible. In such cases, the following options will be offered to you:

  1. Accept the revised arrangements.
  2. Accept an alternative tour from us of an equal or higher standard, at no extra cost (if available).
  3. Choose any other available tour; however, you will need to pay the difference if it costs more or receive a refund if it costs less.
  4. Cancel your booking and receive a full refund of all payments made.

You must inform us of your decision within 7 days of our offer. If we do not hear from you, we will contact you again and give you a final opportunity to confirm your intentions. If we still do not hear from you, we will assume that you have accepted the changes or alternative booking arrangements.

Please note that these options do not apply if the changes made are minor.

Important Notes: If any of the above cancellation circumstances occur during your tour, no refund or transfer to another tour will be possible. Therefore, it is essential that you have comprehensive travel insurance, including cancellation cover.

6. Changes and Alterations of Tours

Next Continent Limited specialises in travel to both local and remote destinations, some of which can be inherently dangerous, relatively undeveloped, and subject to the uncertainties of local bureaucracy and transportation. As a result, while we aim to follow the proposed itinerary, flexibility is essential, and we cannot guarantee that the itinerary will be strictly adhered to. We reserve the right to change the itinerary, accommodation, number of participants, tour leader, tour vehicle, or any other aspect of the tour, both before and during the tour. If unforeseen circumstances require changes, we will make every effort to communicate and discuss these changes with clients where possible.

Please note, we are not liable for any loss resulting from delays or alterations, and no refund will be provided if guests miss opportunities to see any specific targets or visit certain places due to these changes.

We often plan and prepare our tours months or even years in advance. Occasionally, we may need to make amendments or correct errors in our brochures and other materials, both before and after bookings are confirmed. In some cases, we may also need to cancel confirmed bookings. While we strive to avoid such changes and cancellations, we reserve the right to make them if necessary.

7. Insurance

While the quoted price of your tour includes the insurance fee for the duration of the tour, please note that this insurance only covers medical expenses (injuries, hospital stays, doctor visits, and emergency surgeries) and compensation for any lost, stolen, or damaged luggage and personal belongings. It is effective only from the start of the tour until its conclusion.

Consequently, our policy requires all guests attending our multi-day, extended, and major scheduled tours to obtain comprehensive travel insurance prior to the commencement of the tour. This insurance should cover at least cancellation, accidents, medical evacuation, medical expenses, repatriation, and loss of personal belongings throughout your holiday, not just while you are with us. As many of our tours take place in developing countries, the passenger liability insurance for the vehicles we hire may be insufficient. Therefore, it is essential that your insurance provides adequate coverage in the event of an accident. This comprehensive coverage is also crucial in the rare instance that a tour is delayed, resulting in you missing your booked international flights.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance you purchase is suitable and sufficient for your specific needs. We do not review insurance policies and cannot be held liable if your coverage is inadequate. Should you choose to travel without proper insurance, we will not be responsible for any losses that could have been covered.

8. Special Needs and Requirements

If you or anyone in your group has a medical condition, reduced mobility, or a disability that may affect your holiday, please inform us before confirming your booking so we can advise on the suitability of the arrangements. While we are not a specialist disabled holiday company, we will do our utmost to accommodate any special requirements you may have.

It is essential that you provide full details in writing at the time of booking. We may request a doctor’s certificate to confirm that you are fit to participate. If we reasonably believe that we cannot meet the specific needs of the individual concerned, we reserve the right to decline your reservation. Should full details not be provided at the time of booking and we later become aware of them, we may cancel the booking and apply the relevant cancellation charges.

By accepting the arrangements, you agree to review the difficulty levels of our tours, as outlined in our Tour Pace section and individual tour literature, ensuring that the tour matches your fitness level and does not adversely affect any medical conditions. If you have questions about the physical requirements of a specific tour, especially if you have health issues or restrictions, please contact us directly. We can advise you on whether the tour is suitable for your participation.

9. Flights

Our tour prices do not include any flights, including international or internal/domestic flights, unless otherwise stated. We recommend booking your international flight online or through your local travel agent; we can usually offer advice on the best routes. For internal/domestic flights, our agents can arrange them as needed, but Next Continent Limited does not issue these flights—we simply pass on the incurred costs.

In some cases, where flights to a less popular destination are limited, we will include the flight cost in the total tour package price and handle the flight arrangements for you. This will always be clearly outlined on the tours page, brochure, and other booking documentation.

Please do not book international flights before receiving final confirmation from us.

10. Passports and Visas

Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least six months beyond your return date. You are responsible for ensuring that you have the necessary travel and health documents before departure and for covering any costs associated with obtaining these documents. We cannot accept liability if you or any member of your party is denied entry onto transportation or into a country due to incorrect or missing documentation.

In Vietnam, unless your country of citizenship is eligible for a visa exemption, you will need to apply for a visa to enter the country. Please exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of any visa services, as there are many agencies and independent services available. The official website to apply for a Vietnam visa is https://evisa.gov.vn.

This advice also applies to all of our tours that operate outside of Vietnam. We recommend conducting thorough research into visa, travel documentation, and other requirements for your intended country of travel.

11. Health and Vaccinations

It is your responsibility to consult your doctor or healthcare provider to ensure you receive the most up-to-date recommendations on immunisations, malaria risk, and vaccination certificates based on the countries or areas you will be visiting. Any costs resulting from non-compliance will be your responsibility. If you have a health issue or physical limitation, please inform us either on the booking form or via email, so we can be prepared in case of an emergency.

12. Liability

12.1. Limitations of Liability
Next Continent Limited accepts no liability for any injury, death, damage, monetary loss, or loss of property resulting from participation in any tour. It is the participant’s responsibility to secure comprehensive health and travel insurance to cover unforeseen costs.

12.2. Release and Indemnity
By participating in the tour, you agree to release, indemnify, and hold harmless Next Continent Limited, its affiliates, agents, employees, shareholders, officers, directors, solicitors, and contractors from any claims or liabilities. Next Continent Limited acts solely as an agent for the provision of travel services and does not assume responsibility for:

  • Any injury, damage, loss, or accident resulting from defects in transportation or other causes.
  • Actions, defaults, or bankruptcies of companies or individuals involved in providing tour arrangements.

We do not accept responsibility for any additional expenses or losses due to:

  • Transport delays, illness, quarantine, weather conditions, strikes, war, political instability, acts of God, or other force majeure events (as defined in clause 5.3).
    Participants will bear all costs arising from such circumstances.

12.3. Acknowledgment of Risks
You acknowledge the inherent risks involved in the tour, which may include boat travel, hiking on challenging trails, and other risks associated with remote or underdeveloped areas. You voluntarily accept these risks and agree to assume all associated liabilities, including those related to injury and death.

12.4. Waiver of Claims
You release and discharge Next Continent Limited, its owners, agents, employees, heirs, and contractors from any claims related to bodily injury, death, property damage, or loss resulting from negligence or any other cause during or after participation in the tour. This release extends to all members of your party included in the booking.

By accepting these terms, you affirm that you are over 18 years of age and that this document constitutes a legally binding contract.

13. Complaints

Immediate Notification: If you have any complaints during your tour, please promptly inform your tour leader and the service provider (e.g., accommodation supplier). They will make every effort to address and resolve the issue.

Formal Complaint Submission: If the issue is not resolved during your holiday, please submit your complaint in writing to us within 14 days from the tour end date. We will review your complaint and work towards a resolution.

14. Conduct and Responsibility

14.1. Orderly Conduct

  • All customers must behave in an orderly and acceptable manner, ensuring they do not disrupt the enjoyment of others.
  • If your behaviour, or that of your party, causes distress, danger, or annoyance to others, damages property, or disrupts transportation, we reserve the right to terminate your booking immediately.

14.2. Termination of Booking

  • In the event of termination, our liability ceases, and you and your party will be required to leave your accommodation or other arrangements immediately.
  • No refunds will be given for lost accommodation or other arrangements, and we will not cover any expenses or costs resulting from the termination.

14.3. Liability for Damage

  • You are responsible for any damage or loss caused by you or any member of your party.
  • Payment for such damage must be made directly to the accommodation owner, manager, or other supplier. If you do not settle the payment, you will be responsible for any claims made against us, including legal costs.

14.4. Smoking Policy

  • Most of our guests are non-smokers. All of our staff (guides and drivers) will not smoke while on tours. To respect their comfort, smoking is not permitted near other group members or in confined spaces (e.g., lounges, dining areas, minibuses, shared bedrooms).
  • Smokers must refrain from smoking during group activities and wildlife watching.

14.5. Behaviour and Termination

  • If your behaviour causes danger, upset, or distress, or damages property or wildlife, we may terminate your holiday without prior notice.
  • The affected person(s) will be required to leave the accommodation or service, with no further responsibility on our part, including return travel arrangements. No refunds or expenses will be covered.
  • We are not responsible for the actions or behaviour of individuals not connected to your booking or us.

15. Contract Agreement

By completing and submitting the booking form, you enter into a contract with Next Continent Limited (licence number 48-404/2023/CDLQGVN-GPLHQT). This contract signifies your acceptance of all booking conditions.

Our confirmation of your booking indicates our commitment to operate the tour as detailed on our website: https://nextcontinenttours.com/.

The contract is governed by Vietnamese law and is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Vietnam.

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