Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

There were a few: Halong Bay with its monumental limestone karsts and then visiting the Wow cave. The trip in the countryside Hoi An with its beautiful lanterns along the waterfront Saigon with its modern buildings lit up at night and the preparations for New Year.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Phuong Le is the best. She was extremely efficient and made everything appear to happen like clockwork. She was attentive to everyone in the group and nothing was too much trouble for her. She was passionate about making us aware of Vietnamese culture, language, history, customs and food and her talks on the bus when we were travelling from place to place were interesting and gave us insights into everything Vietnamese. She went out of her way to ensure that we were individually catered for throughout the trip (eg dietary needs) and even helped us by booking taxis for us on our onward journeys, even though we weren't travelling with Exodus.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go along and enjoy yourself!

Suggestions

Vietnam will be with you for a while after you've come back. You'll want to read up about all the things you've learned.

Most Inspirational Moment

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and the estate where he lived and worked. A great feeling of serenity and peace in this place; the respect which is afforded to this towering figure of the twentieth century

Thoughts on Group Leader

Fantastic, and key to making this trip so good. Great empathy with the group. Clearly loved her country and culture. Gave us great insights into life in modern day Vietnam

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go for it!!

Suggestions

No

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the variety and had several special moments on this trip. Waking up on Christmas morning on Halong Bay with the sun shining and amazing views was just one of them. Walking around the lake and the backstreets in Hanoi early morning after just getting of the plane. So much to see! I would also recommend the optional visit to the Woman's museum in Hanoi. We enjoyed the overnight train journey to Hue. Really enjoyed the cycle ride in Hue despite the heavy rain and the optional cycle ride in Hoi Ann, which had a lot of surprises, including a ferry ride, going on the river in a basket, eating local snacks. The local guide was very enthusiastic! We left around 2.15 and did not get back to the hotel until 6 pm! Walking around in beautiful Hoi An with all the lights.The acrobatics show on New Year's Eve in Ho Chi Min was amazing. Then afterwards to experience the whole city buzzing for New Year's Eve, which according to our guide, was nothing compared to the crowds at the Vietnamese New Year celebrations! Following our guide through the throngs of people and mopeds to the river for an amazing fireworks display! I found the visit to The Cu Chi tunnels very interesting. It was worth getting their early with a 7 am start after New Year's Eve. The War museum in HCMC was very well put together, although at some point I had to walk out as there was so much suffering displayed. Also loved visiting the Mekong Delta. And of course not to forget the delicious food we had everywhere!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Khoa was an excellent guide. He was very organized, committed, knowledgeable, flexible and had a fun sense of humour. He made sure that everyone was looked after. He did an amazing job at New Year's Eve in Ho Chi Min to guide those ,who wanted to, through the crowds of people and mopeds to get to the river for an amazing fire works display. He also took us to some really nice restaurants and always had some dishes to recommend.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We travelled as a family with 2 teenage sons who loved the holiday despites some early starts!

Suggestions

Looking back the only suggestion I have to Exodus is that I would have preferred one night less in Hue and Hoi An and spend those in the hills north west of Hanoi.

Most Inspirational Moment

Watching the day to day activities of the Vietnamese people going about their daily lives, the traffic, the scooters, the noise. The abundance of fruit, vegetables and flowers on display at the markets, Also kayaking in the lagoon at Halong bay as dusk was falling and everyone else had left, we watched the monkeys scurrying along the cliffs and it was silent and magical.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Cong was a lovely patient man who was obviously very proud of his country.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Do all the optional trips offered to you, or get out and about on your own in the free time parts of this trip. It feels very safe in Vietnam so don't spend any time in your hotel room unless you are asleep!

Suggestions

Nothing to add, the trip was as described in the brochure/website and met all our expectations and more.

Most Inspirational Moment

Night time on the boat in Halong Bay, with lights all around us from other vessels. The beauty of Hoi An Getting away from the popular tourist sights and seeing some of the real Vietnam The quality and abundance of the fruit, herbs and vegetables The feeling of bustle, dynamism and progress in the country in general

Thoughts on Group Leader

Cong was extremely efficient and personable. Our group was the maximum size of 16 and he managed to cater well for everyone's needs and expectations. His knowledge and enthusiasm for his country were clear for all to see and we really enjoyed the insights that he gave us.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Cash machines are much more available than we had expected and quite a number of establishments are happy to take cards. Wifi is widely available. If you like coffee, you'll love it in Vietnam! We found the trip notes to be very accurate , so it's worth studying those along with other feedback comments on this website. The pace of the trip is stated to be 'leisurely/moderate'. While that is undoubtedly correct in terms of the physical activity undertaken, bear in mind that there is a lot of travelling and some fairly long days. Having said that, our leader was adept and giving us free time to relax and the accommodation was always comfortable and pleasant.

Suggestions

We learned a lot more about the French and US wars, the civil war and the subsequent conflict with Cambodia. This country suffered a lot over a period of around 50 years and is making a great job of recovery. Given the enormous damage caused by bombing and use of defoliant chemicals in particular, it is inspiring to see how the Vietnamese have chosen to put the past behind them and to look to the future. Visitors from the US should not be nervous about coming on this trip but should perhaps be ready for some unpleasant revelations.

Most Inspirational Moment

The whole trip. Experiencing a different country, new foods, people and cultures. Amazing scenary. We visited some fantastic temples and I learnt a lot of history along the way.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Ngoc made the trip as he was a local guide with a wealth of knowledge and experiences that he was always willing to share with the group. He was very attentive to the groups needs and always willing to please. He also had a great sense of humour to keep us all amused.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Fantastic trip. First time that I have been on a holiday alone. I had absolutely no need to worry. Exodus were able to give ages and sexes of other travellers on certain dates when I was booking. I was so lucky with my group, a fantastic mix of ages, some couples, friends and other lone travellers. Everyone got on so well and we all mixed with each other and no one was ever left out This is a full on trip and it is all go for the 2 weeks but I can't see how else would have seen what we did. There was free time in the afternoons which you can spend alone or with others. Lots of shopping opportunities. I made the most of any extra activities, cycle and boat trips which were great fun. Such fantastic scenery. All flat ground and at a leisurely pace. I would suggest a bit of practice in the Uk first just to get your confidence as the Vietnamese roads can be busy and unexpected to say the least! A must do activity though. I also went on a cooking class where we cooked what we ate, saw the water puppet show in Saigon and saw an acrobatic show as well. All amazing. My advice: Pack light. There were at least 3 opportunities to have washing done cheaply and it came back ironed and smelling fresh. Take clothes that can cope with creases and wick away, travel clothes were my lifeline. It was soooooo hot and humid and I went in the "cooler" month. You sweat as soon as you get out of the hotel so I would rinse clothes in the bathroom too. Take swimwear as we had 3 tiny pools overall on the trip. Take comfortable shoes and sandals. No need to dress up really smart in Vietnam. Be cool and comfortable Make sure you leave space in your case when you leave home as you have to live out of your suitcase and everything gets messed around and difficult to fit back. We all found this. Plus you will buy things that you want to bring home. I took a mixture of Vietnamese dong and American dollars but the Dong was much more useful day to day. Credit cards weren't excepted everywhere. Western toilets everywhere. Take loo roll and hand sanitiser out in your day bag. I spent far

Suggestions

I spent far to long wondering whether to book this trip, would I like, would I be left on my own, would everyone in the group be nice. I had absolutely no need to worry. I had so much fun, met a fantastic group of people, ate wonderful food and had the most amazing experiences. I would definately recommend this trip to any of my friends and family.

Most Inspirational Moment

On our bike ride when we were in Hoi An visiting with the veteran from the war with Cambodia. Hearing his story, listening to him sing and watching the awe that our bicycle guide had on his face as he listened to him sing was very special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Cong was excellent. As said previously, he was extremely organized and kept a close check on each member of the group, making sure we were all doing okay. His attitude was always positive and he gave us insight into the Vietnamese people and culture. His love of his country and his people was evident in all he did and said. He made sure that whenever possible we visited and ate at places that supported the more needy in Vietnam. As I stated, I am used to traveling on my own and pretty independent. At times this may have been a bit difficult for him, but I felt I had enough time on my own and he worked with me allowing me the freedom at times I needed. A wonderful kind and caring guide.

Suggestions

I enjoyed my trip immensely, but I have a couple of issues with some things that occurred prior to my trip. I booked through an agent in the US, as she had helped me with flight information and other details of my trip (I spent 2 l/2 weeks on my own before meeting up with the tour). As a result of that, I had difficulty getting the information I needed from Exodus. One woman in the California office was actually somewhat abrubt and somewhat rude when I tried asking for information (not Sarah). In trying to get information about the necessary Visa’s required, as an American I was offered little information. When I asked I was told to check online as things change all the time. That is fine but I think it really should be emphasized that a Visa might be necessary and it is important to check and see if one is required. That detail is not one that can just be included in with the tons of other information we read online. Some extra notification is necessary prior to the trip. As a result of all that occurred prior to the trip, I was worried about how my experience on the tour would be. I have to say that the tour itself was great. I believe there may be quite a difference in how things are handled in England and the US as most travelers are from the British Isles. I found it quite frustrating and now as an experienced traveler with Exodus, I believe that is not what you want your customers to feel prior to travel.

Most Inspirational Moment

We had an amazing thunderstorm on Halong Bay that showed the mountains in a mythical way and gave me goose bumps. I loved the bike ride in Hue and Bon always made sure we could communicate with the locals, who were extremely friendly.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bon was amazing. He was so knowledgeable about the history and so good in telling us stories about every day life and get us to interact with the local. He e.g. arranged for us to have a lunch with a family in Hue, in their home and that was one of the highlight of the trip, for sure. He was very helpful with everything and went above and beyond the call of duty.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Get massage...many massages. It helps you to get the jet lag out and well...it´s just really lovely :) Good idea to bring a sleeping bag linen for the night on the train...and not to expect a great sleep that night. And well...don´t think too much about it, if you want to go to Vietnam than this is the tour!

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved Halong Bay, Hanoi, Hue and the Mekong Delta.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide Trung was great; knowledgeable, funny and kind. He was passionate about his Country and made sure that we saw as much as possible on our travels. An excellent guide and a lovely man.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Vietnam is changing fast and the old ways are beginning to disappear. I would go sooner rather than later. Go with an open mind and have fun.

Most Inspirational Moment

Our guide took us to a Buddhist pagoda run by nuns, we were the only visitors present apart from a couple of other lady travellers. We had the most wonderful vegetarian lunch there and the peace of the place remained with us after we had left.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jay was the perfect group leader. He was enthusiastic, caring, polite and worked very hard to make our group a mutually supportive and inclusive team. He had a good sense of humour, answered questions and sorted everything out. Everything ran like clockwork

Advice for Potential Travellers

Remember it is a 20k allowance on the internal flight. Pack light as there is lots to buy in Hue

Suggestions

Dont hesitate to book this trip. Vietnam will always be special to me now