Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

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178 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

M B

Reviewed February 2018

Vietnam Adventure

A busy trip that covered a lot of distance , seeing both north and south Vietnam .
Travelling prior / during and after Tet gave a different perspective to the country and people

Most Inspirational Moment

Exploring the cities ( Hanoi / Hoi An / Hue / Ho Chi Minh City ) was most enjoyable . From 15 degrees in Feb in Hanoi to 35 degrees in HCMC was a bit of a challenge .

Thoughts on Group Leader

TV ( Than Vu ) was very able and ensured everyone was having a good time. He spoke of the history of his country as well as traditions. Managed the logisitics of "Tet amendments " well and always communicated upcoming activities in a friendly , informative way .

Advice for Potential Travellers

Dont worry about the cycling element of trip. The countryside is iron board flat and the pace is very leisurely. If you cant use chopsticks before you go , try to get some practice in . Spoons and forks can be provided but might be worthwhile carrying your own set ( i.e those given away freely by takeaways/ supermarkets in UK )

Susan Ross

Reviewed January 2018

Amazing experience

I travelled on my 50th birthday, determined to conquer the ‘unknown’ and explore a country that has always fascinated me since a young age. It’s a hard core trip with lots of early starts but well worth any exhaustion as the exhilaration you experience, at all the new sights, smells and scenery is beyond any adjectives. It is a complete sensory experience and an opportunity to participate in this beautiful country and it’s stoic people.
I believe with Exodus, that I saw Vietnam perhaps at a more authentic perspective and for that, I am grateful.
The food is wonderful, the sights are breath taking and the history is intricate and fascinating.

Most Inspirational Moment

Most of my trip was inspirational as, personally I love history. A cycle tour to Cham Island was very humbling and gave me the opportunity to speak with a Veteran from the Vietnam/ Cambodia war. We had a family lunch in Hue, which was amazing to experience 'home cooked' food. Latterly, we visited the Cu Chi tunnels, which whilst fascinating, certainly brought a sombre reflection to my trip ( but a good sombre!)

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nhi Pham was our guide and a wonderful young woman. She was caring, precise and kept us all under control ( not that we were overly wild!) Her knowledge of local history really brought Vietnam alive for me, with antidotes and localisms. Without her, my journey and experience would have been very poor. Nhi takes great pride and respect her country, therefore making her a wonderful ambassador for Vietnam.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take some warmer clothes for the north and be advised that the overnight train journey is 'an experience'.

David Nowicki-stephen

Reviewed January 2018

Vietnam adventure

A feast for the senses! Amazing sights and stunning scenery! Wonderful food! Crazy sounds of manic cities! Balmy breezes humid showers tropical heat! A complete sensory experience! The most exotic country I have visited! Plus friendly people and a wonderful local guide Nhi PHam. What’s not to like!

Most Inspirational Moment

Local meal with Vietnamese family in Hue

Thoughts on Group Leader

Absolutely fantastic! She made Vietnam come alive! Knowledgeable caring funny and friendly

Advice for Potential Travellers

Warm clothes for the north

Miriam Carpenter

Reviewed December 2017

A fantastic experience

This trip really lives up to it’s name – every day is an adventure. Most mornings our alarm was set for 6am, sometimes earlier. There are so many different experiences, it was exhilarating. The food is amazing. I would thoroughly recommend this trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

It's hard to single out one moment out of so many. Each area we visited had its own characteristic. I loved the cycle trips in Hue and Hoi An (you don't need to be an experienced cyclist to enjoy it) and enjoyed meeting local people. The cookery class was great. I was fascinated to see the places I had read about, such as the breathtaking cave in Marble Mountain, used by the Viet Con as a hospital in the war.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We became very fond of Duy. He looked after us well and was great company. He was very knowledgeable and keen to share his country with us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the trip notes - if you don't like cities, want to get off the beaten track or like restful holidays this might not be the one for you. I was glad that I had learned something about Vietnam's history before I went, it made some of the places we visited more meaningful- such as the Cu Chi tunnels, 'Hanoi Hilton' & Marble Mountain. It's gruelling to see how much the country has suffered, but humbling to see the resilience and recovery.

Pam Peers

Reviewed December 2017

Great introduction to this wonderful country

This was a busy trip covering a lot of ground! It was my first trip to SE Asia and I feel the itinerary was well thought out to provide an overview of Vietnam. We also did the Cambodia extension, which was excellent

Most Inspirational Moment

There were a lot of them: Halong Bay was very beautiful, though very busy and in danger of overcrowding unless numbers are restricted. Our private boat was a welcome refuge from the crowds. Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum was very interesting. The homestay in the Mekong was lovely - many of our group would have preferred to spend an extra night there, perhaps reducing the time at Hoi An?

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bao was excellent and really helped us share his love of his country. He was great at finding interesting and unusual places for us to eat, even in locations where most of the other restaurants were offering identikit tourist-orientated menus. Bao managed very well the balance between organising us and our activities and giving us plenty of free time to do our own things.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't take too many warm clothes - you'll only need them in Hanoi, if at all. Do take lightweight clothes that are easily laundered - wherever we went, Bao could arrange laundry services that were efficient, fast and extremely cheap by UK standards. Do take lightweight rain protection i.e. a lightweight folding umbrella and/or cheap plastic waterproof with a hood. Don't bother with 'technical' rain protection Do take anti-mosquito protection. We used Incognito and found it very effective. I quite enjoyed the overnight train journey and slept well - it's certainly not luxurious but it was clean and moderately comfortable, though earplugs and an eye mask are a good idea.

Muriel Grantham

Reviewed August 2017

AOV170729

Firstly, I wish to thank EXODUS for allowing an 87 year old to take this trip. It was such a rewarding experience and I was very touched when on the last evening the group praised me and said I was an inspiration to them. I did opt out of only two activities but I was not the only one. Although I was with my daughter, our guide, KHOA DUONG , was wonderfully encouraging too. In fact he was outstanding the way he showed sensitivity to the group as a whole and altered timings and activities according to our energy levels or more to the point, how we were all coping with the heat and humidity! I was impressed with his knowledge of the history of Vietnam as it affected different areas of the population and he always gave both sides of the story. His impartiality was without irony too. At the end of the trip were all felt like an extended family, with myself as the great- grandmother.

Most Inspirational Moment

The war museum in saigon

Thoughts on Group Leader

KHOU DUONG was the absolute best. I have already commented o n this

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you have extra batteries and a memory card for your camera

Teresa Hoggett

Reviewed June 2017

Vietnam adventure

The tour guides behaviour on our trip to Vietnam spoiled a once in a lifetime holiday

Most Inspirational Moment

Boat trip to halong bay crew on the boat were very pleasant and place was amazing

Thoughts on Group Leader

Was disappointed with our guide. He did not interact with the group and was often rude and impatient with people in the group Was not very professional and this affected our enjoyment of the trip

Reply from Exodus

We were very concerned to learn that Teresa was so disappointed with the leadership of her trip and we have been in touch with her on an individual basis. We usually receive fantastic feedback about our leaders in South East Asia so to hear that Teresa was so underwhelmed was very disappointing and her leader is no longer being scheduled to lead trips for us.

Megan Devenish – Product Manager for Vietnam

Helen Organ

Reviewed April 2017

Amazing trip

Our trip was amazing, can’t believe we did so much! Leaving the hotel by 8 each morning we seemed to do a week’s worth of adventure in one day! Our guide was brilliant, he was informative, fun and had great English. The hotels were much better than I expected, the one in Hoi An was particularly good.

Most Inspirational Moment

We went to a local house for a meal. Not only was the food the best of the whole trip but it was really interesting to meet the family and to gain some understanding of their way of life.

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was excellent. I don't think he could have been improved upon. Clone him!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do it!

Donna Meyer

Reviewed April 2017

Vietnam for Americans

As an American who grew up in the 60s, the American war in Vietnam was a painful episode in our history. The exodus trip did not shy away from some the sites that caused me some personal pain. That said, I welcomed the reflection. For me it was not a trip entirely about lounging, great food and shopping. And I am grateful to our gracious guide for that; and the amazing Brits who were my traveling companions.

Most Inspirational Moment

Taking a side trip to a war memorial in Hue. The peddle car driver opened up to us that he lost a father and uncle in the war. He was very kind about your mutual loss.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I can't say enough about Binh our leader. He let us know that all subjects were acceptable to ask questions about. He wanted to share information about his country ; political and cultural. He told us his own personal story, which reflected the hardship after the reunification of Vietnam. His honesty and kindness are qualities he did not have to share with a bunch of tourists, but he went there. The first day he called us his little family. A two week family.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The itinerary is touristy. There are masses of people at each site. There are painful reminders of the war at several places.

Steven Endacott

Reviewed April 2017

What a Fantastic Holiday!

This was my first organised party trip and my first holiday experience with Exodus. Everything about the Vietnam Adventure exceeded my expectations, the group were great company, the hotels were so much better than I expected, the food was superb and Vietnam was such a wonderful experience – a fantastic country with lovely people.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were two: Halong Bay was such an amazing experience, I didn't know too much about before my trip, but it was breathtaking. Secondly, the vibrant colours of the night time lantern displays in the super resort of Hoi An were a sight to behold, a photographers dream.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Cong, was brilliant. He was so enthusiastic and caring, nothing was too much trouble. He certainly educated me on currant & past Vietnam.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't expect a relaxing holiday lazing around! This is a full-on trip, with a huge amount of variety to experience every single day. There are some free afternoons, but mostly you're on the go.

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