Reviews

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'.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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.

Most Inspirational Moment

Witnessing the resourcefulness, resilience and work ethic of the Vietnamese people, their smiles and how well they have built up their country after the horrific war. Arriving in the hustle and bustle in Hanoi with motorbikes every which way.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Thuy le, was wonderful, very likeable and hardworking. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him. He gave us an informative insight into Vietnamese history and culture. He answered our endless questions with patience and ease. He had excellent organisational skills. Everything worked like clockwork. Buses miraculously appeared and tables were always laid up ready as we walked into a recommended restaurant. He made sure we tried a variety of different types of excellent restaurants and escorted us back to the hotel if that's what we wanted. He had a wonderful sense of humour which was contagious and made for a very happy group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

In February/March, bring warm clothes for the north and be prepared for very hot and humid weather further south. Bring rainwear as well. Travel light as laundering can be done locally very cheaply. Bring a small overnight bag for the boat in Halong Bay and the homestay in the Mekong Delta. Having clothes tailor-made in Hoi An (or elsewhere) is great so bring a picture etc of anything you want copied, although they do have their own catalogues to chose from