CHƯƠNG TRÌNH DU LỊCH HÀN QUỐC ĐẶC BIỆT: “BÁO HIẾU SONG THÂN”

TEMPLESTAY – VU LAN FESTIVAL – SEOUL – EVERLAND

Time: 4 Days 4 Nights

In the conscious of every Vietnamese, Vu Lan Festival (15th of July of Lunar calendar) has long become one of the most the important events because of its cultural and spiritual significance. Vu Lan festival doesn’t not belong exclusively to Buddhism but has become a major part of many Vietnamese’s life. Whenever it is the July of the Lunar calendar, the minds of many people turns to the thought of honouring their parents. A trip combining the experience of Buddhist cultural life, especially with the Vu Lan festival in Korea will definitely be the most meaningful gift for the younger generations!

TEMPLESTAY PROGRAM

The Buddha Ceremony

The Buddha Ceremony is the most basic ritual at the temple to start and end a day, the time when the whole universe and the Buddha in our hearts meet each other. When the sound of the Four Laws (Drum, Great Bell, Wooden bell and Little bell) resounds, we feel that we and the wishes of all beings in the world are this universe. Try to experience meeting that small self that can cover the whole universe like that.

Meditation 

It is a delicate time for us to turn to the inner world of our mind and not the outside world. With this basic practice, if we can maintain it in our daily lives, whenever and wherever we are, we will become our own masters and confidently develop ourselves.

Tea

As a special experience that Templestay brings to you, it is the opportunity to sit and drink tea and talk with serious monks. Practitioners will have the opportunity to understand more deeply about the monastic life here and will be consulted about the difficulties and problems in life they are facing. Drinking a cup of awakening tea with the monks and sharing interesting stories is a really meaningful time of the program.

Baryugongyang

Baru Bowl is a traditional tool for monks to eat Baryugongyang, a monastic meal.  The key philosophy behind Barugonyang’s eco-friendliness is that of taking only as much food as one needs, and pairing just the right amount of salty side dishes with the rice to ensure one leaves no leftovers or waste because the way one eats can also be considered a philosophy as well. To be able to understand the effort of making this meal and to appreciate the cleanliness of it are the first steps to the path of enlightenment. 

Experience the Air of the Four Bodhisattvas

The Four Bodhisattva Prayer is a ceremony in the evening that seeks blessing for every being in the world. The sound of the Great Drum is the sound of prayer for ever creatures on land, the Great Bell for every souls born in the underworld, the wooden bell for every beings in the sea, and the Little Bell for every creatures in the sky. If pilgrims were to do this prayer then they would hear the answers of every living things in the world.

108 Prostrations

108 prostrations is act of penance, self-reflection; for every prostration, one would let go 108 pains and sorrows. Thus, with the amount of time need to prostrate 108 time, we learn to humble ourselves and renewal our mind. They say that to be a monk, one will learn to always expect to fall. 

TOUR SCHEDULE

NIGHT 1: TP.HCM – INCHEON (SLEEPING ON THE AIRPLANE)

EVENING: The group will gather at Tan Son Nhat Airport, International Terminal, 2nd floor, and do the procedure to catch their flight to Korea. The group will spend the night on the airplane. 

DAY 1:  INCHEON – TEMPLESTAY (3 meals)

MORNING: The group will arrive at Incheon, after doing the entry procedure, the tour guide and vehicle will take the group to breakfast. After breakfast, the group will head to the temple. On the way, the group will have lunch at a local restaurant. 

NOON: Upon arriving at the temple, the group will receive rooms to stay and rest. 

• The Templestay program begins with a tour of the temple. Tourists will get to hear about Korean Buddhism. 

EVENING: The group will have a simple dinner at the temple. 

• Prayer – Striking the Great Bell. 
• Practicing 108 Prostrations – an act of penance, self-reflection; for every prostration, one would let go 108 pains and sorrows. Afterwards, prayer with beads. 
• Enjoy tea with Monks
• Evening rest at the temple

DAY 2: TEMPLE – VU LAN FESTIVAL – SEOUL (3 meals)

MORNING: Continuing the Templestay program with these activities:

• Morning exercise 
• Breakfast 

NOON: Tourists will return their rooms to the monks in order to see the festival

• Vu Lan Festival – combining the traditional Vu Lan festival with modern performances which includes Vietnamese Opera and other genres that focuses on the subject of “Honouring Parents”. 

After the festival, the group will visit Seoul:

• N Seoul Tower where you can see lover locks and even put in yours as well. 

EVENING:  Tourists will have dinner at a local restaurant before watching one of the two shows listed below:

• Nanta Show – is a South Korean non-verbal comedy show created and produced by Song Seung-whan and incorporates traditional samul nori rhythm. The show involves acrobatics, magic tricks, comedy, pantomime and audience participation. The unifying element throughout the musical is the use of traditional Korean samul nori music, which in this case is performed with improvised instruments, such as cutting boards, water canisters and kitchen knives.

• Hero Show – is also known as “THE PAINTERS HERO SHOW”. Watch in amazement as painters create beautiful art pieces within minutes by combing humour, choreography, and music.

DAY 3: SEOUL – CITY TOUR (3 meals)

MORNING: Tourists will have breakfast and head to Everland: 

• Everland Park – built by the Samsung corporation and made public in 1976,  the Everland Park brings in millions of guests every day. This amusement park ranks 8 in the top 10 amusement parks in the world. 

NOON: Đoàn dùng bữa trưa, sau đó tiếp tục tham quan Everland và mua sắm tại: The group will have lunch before continuing the Everland visit and shopping at these locations:

• Red pine Oil Shop – this place sells products made from red pine extracts which helps preventing poliomyelitis, diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis which is common for people with age.
• The Government Ginseng Centre – tourists will see numerous ginseng products being displayed and have a chance to buy these famous products
• Beauty Stores with well-known local brands of Korea.

EVENING: The group will have dinner at a local restaurant before turning in the day at a hotel. 

DAY 4: SEOUL – HO CHI MINH CITY (3 meals)

MORNING: After having breakfast at the hotel, the group will wrap up the trip with these locations: 

• Gyeongbokgung Palace: built in 1394, is the biggest and the main palace of the Five Palaces in Korea, the feudal symbol of power of the nation. The Gyeongbokgung Palace draws in its guests with its ancient architecture style, perfectly and wholly preserved, beautiful gardens, where the people of Seoul come to sightsee.  

• National Folk Museum of Korea: situated within the boundary of The Gyeongbokgung Palace, the museum is built in 1945. The museum has three display areas with more than 98,000 artifacts. The first area is dedicated to the very beginning of South Korea’s history to the end of the Joseon dynasty in 1910; the second one for objects from the everyday lives of ancient South Korean, and the third one for the origin of Confucianism in Korean’s culture. 

• The Blue House: the living and working place for the current President of South Korea (photography is prohibited inside).

NOON: Đoàn dùng bữa trưa tại nhà hàng địa phương, sau đó tiếp tục tham quan: The group will have lunch at a local restaurant before continuing: 

• Namsan Hanok Village
• Shop at Tax-Free stores

EVENING:  A ride with take the tourists to Incheon Airport to catch a flight back to Vietnam. 

(The order of the schedule can be changed depending on the local situations)

TOUR INCLUDES:

1. Two-way flight ticket : HCMC – SEOUL -HCMC
2. Thuế phi trường 2 nước, an ninh, phí xăng dầu (chi tiết thuế theo thông báo hàng không vào ngày xuất vé) / 
3. You can have 7kg of carry-on + 15kg of check-in luggage.
4. A new and modern transportation for the tour.
5. Note:
• 01 night at the Temple: group room
• 02 nights with 4-star hotels: 2-3 people / room
6. Meals according to the schedule and a water bottle per day. 
7. Visa, invitation letter to Korea, and fee for translating documents to English. 
8. Fee for tour programs
9. Tour guide from Vietnam. 
10. Travel insurance in Korea and international. 
11. Souvenirs. 

TOUR NOT INCLUDE: 

1. Passport with validity no less than 6 months from the date of return. 
2. Over-sized or over-weight luggage.  
3. Surcharge for single room + transportation for non-scheduled activity – shows at night. 
4. Phone, laundry, drinks in the hotel and other personal expenses. 
5. Extra charge for the tour driver and local guide (6USD/person/day).

CONDITIONS FOR CANCELLATIONS:  

In the case that you are unable to make it to the tour, please notify our company and pay the required fees below:

• Postponing or cancelling after putting down the deposit: the entire deposit and have your passport held for 3 months (for tourists who already have a  Korean visa yet decided not to join)
• Postponing or cancelling more than 15 days before the departure date (except Saturday and Sunday): 80% of the whole tour and have your passport held for 3 months for tourists who already have a Korean visa. 
• Postponing or cancelling within 15 days before the departure date (except Saturday and Sunday): 100% of the whole trip and have your passport held for 3 months for tourists who already have a Korean visa.
• Cancelation must be notified directly to our company or faxed, emailed and must be confirmed by our company. Cancelation through the phone is not acceptable. 

NOTE: Cancelation does not apply for holidays and Tet. 

• In the case tourist are denied visa from the Consulate, the non-refundable fee is 1.500.000VND and 500.000 VND for translating documents. 
• In the case tourist are denied visa from the Consulate due to INSUFFICIENT DOCUMENTS ACCORDING TO THE REQUIREMENT, the non-refundable fee is 5.800.000 VND.

THINGS TO NOTE WHEN SIGNING UP FOR THE TOUR:

• Tourists are required to bring their passports (original), make a deposit when signing up for the tour and complete the transactions at least within 15 days before the departure date (not on Saturday and Sunday). 
• Because certain fees must be paid, even in the case that you are denied to be given a visa by the Consulate, you will still have to pay full charge of visa application and translation fee: 2.000.000 VND/person
• For some documents in special categories, you will need to pay 200.000.000 VND/person as an escrow fee in order to have a guarantee that the schedule is followed closely. 
• Departure date is subjected to change depending on the visa result from the Korean Consulate. 
• In the case that tourists are denied from entry or exit for personal reasons or due to the decisions of the security department of visiting country, our company will not be responsible and will not refund. 
• Depending on the local situation, the order of the schedule and hotel can be changed but the listed locations on the schedule will not be changed. 
• The flight number and the flight hour can be changed in the last moment depending on the airline. 
• In the cases of: natural disaster, terrorism,…or incidents or changes made to the scheduled of public transportation like: trains, planes,…then our company will reserve the right to make changes to the schedule for the sake of convenience and safety for the tourists and will not be responsible for any reimbursing anything. 
• Our company does only organize tour, therefore tourists are not allowed to separate themselves from the group without permission for the entire trip. If you wish to do so for personal reasons like business, visiting relatives,…then you must notify the group and pay a fee of 100USD/day/person.

WE WISH YOU A FUN AND COMFORTABLE TRIP!

REQUIRED PROCEDURE FOR APPLYING KOREAN VISA

1. Passport with an expiration date 6 months apart from the entry date. 
2. 4×6 cm photos, white background, taken within 6 months before the application.
3. Registration book + identity card (photos as certified copies on A4 papers)
4. A copy of certification of marriage or a proof of living together approved by local officials if not married – in the case of accompanied by a spouse.  
5. Old passport with visa from places like Australia, Europe, America, South Korea,…(proof to get exempt from financial regulation 6) 
6. A saving which contains more than 100 million VND + bank statement (in English, provided by the bank)
7. Proof of possession: estate, house, cars,…(if available) 

8. Work documents:

If you are an owner of a business
A copy (approved) of certificate for owning a business + a tax receipt of the most recent month 
– If you declare you tax online, print out the document, the owner must give their stamp and signature twice and stapled the documents there are more than 2 pages. 
– If you are doing head tax: please provide the tax receipt of the most recent month or a receipt of your business-license-tax. 

If you are an employee
– Your employment contract (a copy that has a stamp of your company)
– Time-off request for vacation (confirmed by the official of your company – the purpose of the trip must be stated clearly: “Vacation in South Korea”) 
– Records of your salary within the most recent 3 months (in the case the Consulate requires it)

If you are a monk
– Monk card / Certification of monkhood (copy printed on a A4 paper). 
– Time-off request (confirmed by the Abbot – the purpose of the trip must be stated clearly: “Vacation in South Korea”) 
– If you are the head of the Abbot, include this: a certification of your promotion. 

If you are a student
– Student card (copy printed on an A4 paper)
– Time-off request (the original must be approved by the school – the purpose of the trip must be stated clearly: “Vacation in South Korea”) 

If you are retired
– Retirement proof (copy printed on an A4 paper)
– Decision for Retirement
– Pension statement

9. Application form for Korean visa. 

In the case of children accompanied by parents: 
1. Passport with an expiration date 6 months apart from the entry date. 
2. 4×6 cm photos, white background, taken within 6 months before the application.
3. Birth certificate
4. Time-off request for vacation (confirmed by the official of your company – the purpose of the trip must be stated clearly: “Vacation in South Korea”) 
5. Student card (copy printed on an A4 paper)
6. A saving of your parents that contains more than 200 million + a bank statement (in English, provided by the bank)