Vietnam North to South
By: John Sands, Sheffield, UK
Really good - we were really impressed with the homestays. The Saigon hotel was really comfortable and 50yds from a large park which was a relief from the frantic traffic. Our main leader Hoang Van Lan was exceptional.
I thought the people were fantastic, majority have little but they live with such a positive outlook and are so welcoming. I loved the kids as we walked through the villages shouting hello how are you? No suggestion of any demands on the tourists and hello and goodbye in Vietnamese brought huge smiles from parents and grandparents.(Maybe it was my accent). I enjoyed the cultural visits, particularly an unscheduled visit to a Taoist pagoda on the way to Halong bay which was stunning.
With regard to the trip preliminaries, we called in the office to sort out a couple of queries and as usual found this personal contact helpful although your documentation and help by email and phone is always good.
By: Martin & Anthea Hebblethwaite, Hereford, UK
The itinerary and pace was very good. We saw a good cross section of the country in the time available. There was a nice balance between trekking, touring, boating and biking. We think this trip deserves to get more "takers". Our leader was excellent with good personality, knowledge, command of English and enthusiasm. They related very well to us over the 8 days. We most enjoyed seeing the village life i.e. the Mekong segment: the chance for Tai Chi in the Saigon Park with the local people.
