Dear members and friends,

I look forward to hosting all of you for our 15th Biannual Meeting and Retreat in Singapore and Vietnam. Whilst the main scientific program and post-meeting cruise will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam, many of you indicated that you would like to visit Singapore as well! I suggest you make the most of your trip to South East Asia and plan for one or two nights in Singapore prior to arriving in Hanoi.

We will be organizing a Pre-meeting Welcome Dinner near the Marina Bay Sands Hotel on Saturday, 31 October, 2026. This dinner is the only group activity planned for Singapore, but feel free to enjoy a little sightseeing on your own before continuing to Hanoi on Sunday, 1 November 2026. We have decided that this should be an optional pre-meeting visit so please note:

1. Book your own hotel and get the best price you can on line. I suggest that if you want to stay somewhere iconic, stay at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel which is THE signature hotel in Singapore. It's the hotel featured in "Crazy Rich Asians" - expensive but unique. Otherwise any of the other hotels in the Marina bay area would be fine; eg Ritz Carlton, Conrad Centennial, Pan-Pacific Hotel and of course the Raffles Hotel. There are of course numerous other cheaper options around Singapore and the local Uber equivalent GRAB is very efficient as is the MRT(Subway) system.
2. Arrive in Singapore on Friday 30 or Saturday 31 October 2026 (or earlier for more exploring).
3. The IIIC Singapore welcome dinner will be at a special location near to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel on Saturday, 31 October 2026 at 6pm onwards so make sure you arrive in good time so you don't miss this unique experience.
4. Depart Singapore for Hanoi on Sunday 1 November 2026. There are two flights a day by Singapore Airlines (SQ192 & SQ194) arriving in Hanoi 11:05 and 17:35. It may be less hectic taking the morning flight to Hanoi and settling into the Metropole Hotel before the special IIIC Vietnamese welcome dinner that night. For those of you flying to Singapore by Singapore Airlines, it makes sense to book your ticket to Hanoi with a stopover in Singapore.

For our Scientific Meeting in Hanoi, we will be staying at the Hotel Metropole from November 1 - 5, 2026 for 4 nights. Our scientific sessions will take part during the mornings from November 2 to 4. Social activities are currently organized and I will let you know details as they become available.

On Thursday November 5, 2026 we will depart from Hanoi for our post-meeting Retreat, a 2-night cruise to the world heritage site of Halong Bay. Transport to Halong Bay will be provided by bus and we will board the luxurious "Elite of the Seas". We will have the boat exclusively for ourselves and there are many activities to enjoy. After the cruise, you will be transported back to Hanoi arriving around 3pm at the Metropole on Saturday, 7 November, 2026. You can depart Hanoi by night flight that same night or stay on for a few more days!

I look forward to welcoming you to the unique sights, sounds and flavours of South East Asia!

Ron Yeoh,
President

PART I: Welcome in Singapore
October 31 - November 1, 2026

• Arrive on Friday, October 30 or Saturday, October 31, 2026.
  
• Suggested stay: Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
  Note: This hotel stay is NOT included and has to be booked independently!
  
• Welcome Dinner on Saturday, October 31, 2026 near Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
  The dinner is the only group activity. More details will follow about 6 months prior to the meeting.
  Everything else, such as sightseeing, has to be organized by yourself.
  
• Departure on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
  Your flight from Singapore to Hanoi is NOT included and needs to be booked independently, there are several non-stop options available.
  
  

PART II: Scientific Meeting in Hanoi
November 1 - 5, 2026

• Arrival in Hanoi on Sunday November 1, 2026.
• Individual transfer to hotel.
• Stay at Hotel Metropole for 4 nights.
• Scientific program during the mornings from November 2 to 4, 2026.
• Departure Thursday November 5, 2026
  
  

Part III: Cruise at Halong Bay
November 5 - 7, 2026

• Transfer from hotel to Halong Bay by bus on Thursday, November 5, 2026
• Boarding of the Elite of the Seas" for a 2-night cruise (We will have the boat exclusively for ourselves.)
• Cruise to the world heritage site of Halong Bay.
• Return to Hanoi in the afternoon of Saturday, 7 November, 2026.
  
  

Photo credit:
By Ray in Manila - Marina Bay, Financial District and Singapore River
CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79585362