However, it was former Valiant Wayne Corden who was first to test Mark Goodlad as he curled in an inviting cross for Gary Alexander in the seventh minute but the striker failed to connect.
Alexander looked keen to make up for his missed chance and almost did two minutes later when he thumped a low drive towards goal which had to be saved at full stretch.
After sustained pressure by the visitors, Vale finally managed to break when a throughball for Akpo Sodje had to be charged down by goalkeeper Glyn Garner to keep the scores level.
Orient continued to keep Goodlad on his toes and tested him once more in the 36th minute when Craig Easton's long-range drive forced a competent save.
The opener finally arrived two minutes before the break when a long ball from Colin Miles was headed across the face of goal by Sodje and was finished comfortably by Leon Constantine.
The Valiants could have had a second seven minutes after the restart but scorer Constantine only hindered his strike partner as he blocked Sodje's goalbound strike.
Colin Miles' lack of pace almost got him in trouble in the 58th minute with Shane Tudor easily beating the full-back allowing him to strike a low shot which had to be parried by the ever-present Goodlad.
Sodje continued to struggle in front of goal but remained a threat, blasting a shot from 15 yards that proved too hot to handle for Garner with the defence finally clearing the ball.
After a largely quiet game, Michael Simpson almost got lucky when his wayward cross from the left beat the goalkeeper but unfortunately for the midfielder, not the crossbar.
Jeff Smith made an immediate impact when his chipped cross from the by-line in the 72nd minute supplied Constantine with a similar finish for a brace.
New boy Sodje finally got the goal he deserved in the 78th minute when Paul Harsley's headed throughball allowed him to slot a shot underneath Garner from 14 yards to complete the rout.