14 independent reviews for Vietnam vacations, tailor made
Reviews for Vietnam vacations, tailor made
David Elsey review 9 Oct 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Sapa - arriving at the summit of Fan Si Pan even though low cloud hid the scenery2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Watch how you cross the roads in Hanoi, the traffic can be scary with near miss on most occasions3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The use of local services meant ongoing employment4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Ms Trang without doubt is a great organiser and she made sure our travel wishes were metKate Foster review 16 Apr 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Staying in Mau Chau Eco Lodge and the Scooter Street food Tour in HCM2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Maybe don't tryt and pack too much in! Stay longer in Mau Chau and Ninh Binh area which was beautiful3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Probably4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
The tour operator was excellent. The guides were very knowledgable and interesting. The days were incredibly well organised- we never had to wait for anything. Excellent hotels.Grace Ding review 20 Mar 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Too many- scooter ride in Saigon and food market, water puppet theatre in Hanoi, swimming in the beach in Hoi an….2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Book it and pick your own accommodations.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Hopefully provided employment to your guides, drivers and hotel staff. Feels guilty about internal flights but don’t fancy the alternatives.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
4 out of 5 There was a couple of hiccups but the tour company was very responsive.Ros Pennefather review 1 Mar 2020
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Trekking and camping in Sapa, followed by the boat trip on Bai Tu Long Bay2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
The meals provided are generally set-menus which are lovely as it is a great way to discover Vietnamese food, but they can be a lot of food.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, particularly true of the trekking, boat cruises and visit to Nam Cat Tien National Park4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
We had a fantastic time in a very scenic and interesting country. The vacation was exceptionally well organised and good value for moneyStewart Fox review 30 Jul 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
That’s a difficult question to answer as there were so many exciting and memorable parts to this vacation.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Put complete trust in the local agent to give you a vacation of a lifetime.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The vacation gave us many opportunities to see how the real people of Vietnam and Cambodia lived and worked and also an opportunity to buy some of their wares. Fortunately we had plenty of spare luggage allowance for the return journey!4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
The vacation was spectacular and offered a huge variety of activities that kept even our 16-year-old son entertained for the entire duration. The itinerary was flexible enough to allow us to meet our elder son in Vietnam halfway through our trip and our activities for that particular day were extended to include him and his four friends.Neville Isaacson review 18 May 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Most of it was fascinating... Singapore, Vietnam and Laos are amazing countries.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Cambodia, unless you have a need to see Angkor Wat, I would give it a miss. Be prepared for serious heat.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Not that much, except our hotel in Luang Prabang was involved in tree planting along the river and other good stuff.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
A fantastic experience.Tomasz Majewski review 9 Dec 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Walking through the wonderful Luang Prabang and relaxing on the fantastic beach of Phu Quoc.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Don't miss out on Saigon!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It supported local people in the way that we were taken to small villages, where we could eat and buy local products.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Fantastic!Tracy Ring review 22 Aug 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
We had a fantastic vacation and enjoyed many memorable moments, including Bang Mealea temple in Siam Reap, Cambodia, Bug hunting in Cat Tien Vietnam, diving in Cham Islands, Water Puppet show in Hoi An, Mekong river cruise from Vietnam to Cambodia2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Wear cool clothes, bring mosquito repellant, ask your guide lots of questions about the country and the people and get their advice on best places to visit, eat etc. enjoy the culture, take a good camera and some comfortable shoes. Visit the local markets, they are fascinating3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The tour used local people and local families and locally run businesses to look after us, so we were able to support the local community rather than a corporation. We stayed in local homestays, eco lodges, and noticed that Vietnamese people have a use for everything so nothing goes to waste. Unfortunately Asian countries don’t seem to be controlling use of plastic too well and we noticed that most street food and drink was served in 2 plastic containers or bags. We tried where possible to re-use our bottles.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
We had a wonderful and varied vacation. We travelled extensively and made the most of each day. The experience was fantastic and we would definitely recommend this trip to othersAngela Camp review 14 Aug 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Kayaking in Bai Tu Long Bay2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Travel very lightly3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Definitely helped local people as hotels, restaurants and trips were booked with smaller companies not big chain companies. The Vietnamese talk about the environment but not much visible evidence except re-filling of plastic bottles on the boat trip.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Fantastic experience, we learned such a lot about the Vietnamese history and culture from the local guides. They made the trip for us.Linda Edward review 11 Nov 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
There were so many highlights, the Vespa food tour of Saigon, the hiking in the mountains near Sapa, the boat trip on Halong Bay, the exquisite hotel, Shinta Mani, in Siem Reap.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Allow the operator to plan you an exciting, thought provoking trip involving a lot of interaction with local people and cultural exchanges.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I hope so. It seemed that we were giving our money directly to the people living and working there, as accommodation, restaurants and guides.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent. A full on cultural experience. Some people might have wanted more R&R but not us! We loved and felt as if we had taken advantage of every minute!Denise Brooks review 6 May 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
No one particular thing. It was all fantastic and so varied it is difficult to choose one thing. Loved the people, the culture and the scenery2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Be prepared for the weather. Went beginning of April and very hot and humid especially in the South. Take time to talk to local people. They are very friendly and interesting. Embrace the culture and try everything . The food is good, even the street food. A good way to pass time people watching, sitting at the side of the street with a beer and a plate of good food. Make sure you have a good guide. They are invaluable. Without one you will miss so much.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, especially the people. The company is based in Vietnam and use local people.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
This was an amazing vacation. Very varied and interesting and great fun. Loved everything and good for all ages. ( we are 6 not so young ladies and really enjoyed the motor scooters, fishing, ''clubbing' ) we felt safe in the streets and met many interesting people. Our guides were second to none and the tour company had everything well organised and went the extra mile for us. Couldn't fault them. Now is a good time to visit Vietnam as it is changing fast and I would recommend anyone who is doubtful to just go for it. You will have stories to dine out on for a very long time. Only four stars as have had other amazing vacations especially in Africa so find it very difficult to compare, but this is up there with the best.Alisa Lipson review 11 Mar 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Halong Bay. Hoi An. The latter is a World Heritage town, and is beautiful. We also spent 2 nights at a resort nearby, and would have like an additional day on the beautiful beach (but no lifeguards, so be cautious).2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Our vacation was completely planned by our travel agents. If you have knowledge about where you would like to go, you should let your agent know. We enjoyed the trip, and felt we saw a lot. But do not be fooled that this is some kind of vacation that is not geared expressly to tourists. We are tourists and were fine with that. Halong Bay was spectacular, and was a good example of a pure tourist destination, with many junks traveling together on the bay with people like us. The northern indigenous communities that we visited have many tourists tramping through. Having said this, it was very moving and enlightening to do these visits. The tourist dollar really helps these people, at least so it seems. We were interested in the 'American War' memorials, etc, but none of these were on our itinerary. Our travel agent was very accommodating in arranging a visit to the tunnels near Saigon and also the War Remnants museum which we had read about, and adjusted our trip accordingly. We had only 9 days, and travelled from north to south. This involved 2 overnight train trips to Sapa and back. Worth the trip, but the night trains were tough on me (little sleep). Our travel agents had us booked into hotels on arrival for breakfast and to freshen up, anyways, so we still had some hotel costs to deal with. We heard about a new road, and good busses, so you might consider this alternative if you have the time, and skip the overnight trains.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
There were times on our trip that we had so many local folks taking care of our little family of 3--on the Mekong Delta, we had 2 guides, a boat captain, his assistant and a cook. Everyone treated us like royalty---quite a bizarre feeling, really. It seemed that the tourist industry does provide a lot of jobs for enthusiastic locals. Sometimes these jobs are the best paying, compared with such jobs as teaching. There were orchestrated visits to farmers and fishermen, who we 'helped' and then tipped. We did not feel exploited, and did feel we made their lives possibly a bit easier. Sometimes there was a sense of scripted frivolity ('aren't we all having fun!!') that was annoying but kind of sweet at the same time. We did not feel we supported conservation or reduced environmental impacts.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Very varied and interesting. A great way to see the country if you have little time and do not want to do the planning yourself. We were well taken care of. There were many local tour guides who would need to meet us and orient us, and every single one was on time, pleasant and professional. We were very impressed with how well organized this was.Susan Glover review 17 Nov 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Certainly over night train from Hanoi to Danang, when for 4 hours the train was a slight embankment and all around as far as the eye could see was flooded paddy fields and swirling rivers.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Try to avoid traveling long distances by road, as their tarmacced roads have virtually continuous ribbon housing eitherside of the roads. Slow and dull, with little opportunity to see countryside.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
In the hotels and homesteads local re employed.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent organisation from Vietnam agent, with mostly very good accommodation. Downside was lack of any sunshine for two weeks in mid to north Vietnam.Yvonne Chapman review 29 Jan 2014
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Halong Bay and Siem Reap were amazing, but there were lots of other lovely places and people.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Check local flight times before going to the airport. I think we found out we had been put on a later flight after we got to the airport about 3 times.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
All our guides agreed that Haivenu was a good company to work for and paid better. We were also able to support many restaurants training disadvantaged children or disabled people, and found crafts made by landmine victims and other disabled people.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was a great overview of an area new to us. We would have liked to be more active, and perhaps visit more remote areas, but having said that, I am not sure what we would have left out to achieve this!Holiday Reviews
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