Vietnam Adventure

Most Inspirational Moment

The atmosphere Mekong Delta and Hoi An were excellent.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Anh was brilliant, her cultural and historic knowledge was very good and delivered with humour and sincerity, nothing was to much trouble and everyone felt great affection towards her within days.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for early starts and pack for multiple hotel changes.

Suggestions

Crossing roads is something you soon learn to master and not for the faint hearted, take the advice of the guide - hand up 🙋‍♀️ don’t stop midway!

Most Inspirational Moment

Staying at a homestay in the Mekong Delta, delicious food cooked by the family and comfortable accommodation with en-suite facilities. The peacefulness of the countryside was a contrast to the busy cities. I also did the Angkor extension which I would recommend if you haven't seen the famous temples.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Bac Bui (BB) was excellent, very knowledgeable and helpful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure you have a selection of clothes for the different climates, cool in the north, hot in the south and cold in UK on your return. If you are doing the Angkor extension ,see below and be prepared.

Suggestions

I had a problem at Heathrow where the check-in clerk would not allow me to pass because I didn't have a visa and I couldn't prove I would only be in Vietnam for 15 days or less. This was because of the Angkor extension meaning my return flight was 18 days after arrival. Explaining that my return was from Cambodia was to no avail. I had no details of the flight from Saigon to Siem Reap. She said immigration at Hanoi would not let me in without proof, they didn't in fact ask for any. She said I could buy a ticket from Saigon to Singapore (£316), not use it and claim a refund less £40. This was early in the morning so I rang the out of hours helpline at Exodus and asked that they email me a copy of my connecting flight. In spite of carefully explaining what I wanted I was just emailed copies of the tickets I already had. With no more time to waste I just had to buy the extra ticket and take a £40 loss. The other person doing the extension had no problem, it depends who you get I guess.

Most Inspirational Moment

The diversity of activities and the knowledge of our leaders who provided so much information that we would not have got without their guidance. Absolutely loved our visit to Hoi An which was unspoilt by the war damage, and the difference in cultures between the north and the south.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was excellent. He provided lots of detail about the places we visited, about the culture in Vietnam and his own experiences when growing up. This detail greatly enhanced our experience. He was very attentive to people in the group and dealt with queries or problems efficiently. He was particularly helpful and supportive to us to make sure my husband's needs were met, as he had a knee injury at the time of the trip. He did this in a quiet, discrete way, just checking in if he was OK and if he wanted to maybe not participate in a full activity. We really appreciated his kindness and support. He was on hand throughout the tour and also provided us with helpful tips on where to eat and what the local delicacies were for the different regions. We thought our leader was an asset to Exodus and the tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If you want a very active trip then maybe look for a different Vietnam tour. This one was fine for us, just what we wanted, but those who like more walking or cycling would maybe prefer a different itinerary. Because of the internal flights and overnight train, do think about the size of the luggage you take. Large cases do not fit under the train seats!!

Suggestions

Maybe consider reducing the activities on the days when the group have travelled overnight, or had a very early start to move to another town/city. Many days started at 8.00 a.m. on the bus which meant getting up and having breakfast early. To then go on to a lot of activities/visits to sites, we found it quite tiring and a little 'overloaded'. Some group members (us included) did opt to sit out some activities for this reason. We found the day following the overnight train particularly tiring, having not had such a restful night (although great fun and lovely experience, so glad we did it), to then go straight onto site seeing until we could check in later in the afternoon was too much. Could there be earlier check in times for days which follow overnight train or very early transfers, and give the group an option? We went on to the Cambodian extension. I will send a separate report on this. My thoughts are that this is quite rushed as it is over four nights, and would benefit from being maybe six nights. It felt that too much was packed in to the short time, with long travel distances.

Most Inspirational Moment

Very difficult to answer, but the sheer beauty of Halong Bay takes some beating, but I also loved all the activities involving the Vietnamese communities and witnessing their lifestyles. Cycling and boat trips on the Mekomg Delta River were fantastic experiences too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

BAC (BB) is a top man! His enthusiasm, vast knowledge, professionalism, humility, sense of humour and advice was first rate. Everything he organised ran smoothly, from minibuses turning up on time, to never having to queue for entrance tickets at venues. Every restaurant he took us too was a resounding success. As a group we all gelled really well and were privileged to have him as our leader. BB is a true credit to Exodus and his country.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be assertive and purposeful when crossing the road, or you will wait forever, as nobody will ever stop for you!

Suggestions

My only disappointment (apart from some unseasonably inclement weather, which caused us to miss out on a couple of sights,) was the fact that the starting date of the trip was Vietnamese New Year’s Day. This meant that for five days, the majority of eateries and retail establishments were closed. New Year’s Eve fireworks were apparently an incredible sight around the lake in Hanoi, but we arrived too late to see them. Even BB agreed that the timing of the start of the trip was far from ideal. Perhaps future trip dates could either coincide with experiencing New Year’s Eve, or missing the New Year period entirely. This is my only constructive criticismof an otherwise fantastic experience which represented full value for money.

Most Inspirational Moment

Marble Mountain was mentioned by many on the trip as an unforgettable place to visit with great views and caves. For the less willing there is a lift plus stairs and for the more able you can walk all the way to the top.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide, Tuyen was a really likeable guy who was always willing and helpful. He took care of all requests however trivial and tried very hard to ensure all guest were comfortable and had what they needed. If people wanted to explore sites on their own he ensured they knew when and where to meet up afterwards. He looked after the group very well.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Yes, you do need a modicum of fitness to do this tour but not so much as you might fear. There were all ages in the group and everyone always found a way, even me! Clothing ? travel light and if you do find yourself needing an item of clothing, don't overpack your suitcase! prices in Vietnam are very very affordable

Suggestions

The only irritation for me and my partner was that when we were driving in the coach there was continual (too much) talk from the guide. Sadly, it was rarely about the towns and areas we were passing through and more about his family!!! this was repeated for every drive and at times you wished you could just have some silence or at least more relevant information/history about the localities that you could see out of the windows as they were what we came on the trip to learn about Some of the restaurants that the guide took us to were not very good. I would have hoped these restaurants are chosen on the basis of how good they are not on how 'cooperative' they are. Soul restaurant in HCM was a good example with many of the tour group very annoyed with the food and service. Sadly I was left wondering on what basis a restaurant becomes a favoured destination

Most Inspirational Moment

Visiting the local families and restaurants for lunch/dinner, and seeing Halong Bay in real life!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Amazing! Phuong Le was great, couldn't have asked for a better group leader. She gave us so much information about each place we went, taught us some of the language and took us to some amazing local restaurants.

Most Inspirational Moment

Bits of every day really

Thoughts on Group Leader

Phuong Le (pronounced 'Ful') was lovely - excellent English, always there and approachable, great sense of humour. Her organisational skills were outstanding - Bus, boats, train, bikes,restaurant tables, takeaways, always appeared as if by magic. She even managed to time the odd heavy downpour for when we were under cover. She gave us in-depth talks too, on subjects like driving, marriage etc

Advice for Potential Travellers

Our group used many different airlines, so check the options. We used Thai Airlines via Bangkok which looked considerably quicker than others.

Suggestions

Just go for it !

Most Inspirational Moment

We would like to think that the most inspirational moment of our trip was our Vietnamese cookery course in that we would hope it will inspire us to try cooking Vietnamese recipes at home! However the most thought provoking moments had to be the trips to the Remnants of War museum in Ho Ch Minh city. the Cu Chi tunnels, and especially in Cambodia the trips to S21 and the Killing Fields.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Phuong Le is an excellent group leader. She was always on hand if we needed her and she did her utmost to make sure we enjoyed every moment. Her knowledge of the destinations, history and culture are excellent and she managed the right balance between taking to us and letting us relax on the various bus trips. She seemed very quickly to understand the characteristics of the various individuals in the group and has a great sense of humour which all helped the group to gel with one another. We will not forget her as a couple of her phrases have already made it into our daily vocabulary.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If travelling in August you won't need anything of the "slightly warmer in case it's chilly in the evenings" category, not even on the boat. Take plenty of lightweight tops as you might want to change during the day due to the humidity but there are options for laundry. We would recommend trying all the optional extras that are offered - nothing is expensive by UK standards. If you go to Cambodia you only need US dollars, not Cambodian currency.

Suggestions

If you're tempted by this trip, just book it!

Most Inspirational Moment

Just walking around the cities and seeing how people live a totally different lifestyle half a world away.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent. Very knowledgeable, friendly. Helpful, always ready to give recommendations on food options, restaurant choices or optional sights to go and see.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't book unless you can cope with high heat and humidity, and don't expect comfort and modernity from the sleeper train. Be prepared to go for some periods of time without access to a shower and for long walks. But it's all worth it to see the sights.

Most Inspirational Moment

Cycling through the Vietnamese traffic in Hue was daunting but very rewarding once we had survived unscathed. This was due to the support of the additional leader and Viet who ensured the group were able to safely negotiate the large number of scooters and other vehicles which weaved their way around us. The visit to the Cu Chi tunnels was also fascinating and it was good to hear about the Vietnam War from a different perspective and witness the conditions that these people had to live in. Seeing the good nature of the Vietnamese people and how they make the most from the limited resources they possess makes you realise how fortunate we are.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Viet was full of enthusiasm and was always keen to share his extensive knowledge of his country and it's culture to the group or to individuals. As we travelled from place to place Viet had everything in place at the right time ensuring the smooth running of the trip. He even provided us with additional hand written notes of recommended places to visit or eat in our spare time. Throughout he displayed a great sense of humour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The train was a really good experience and although the noise and movement of the train was not an issue we did find the beds were very hard and the day that followed very long,

Suggestions

The only things that we thought could have been better were that after the meal on the boat in Halong Bay, it would have been good to encourage more socialising with some music or card games... This was also the case after the meal at the homestay on the Mekong Delta. The long day after the train journey could be better arranged. Perhaps, after going to the Citadel, it could be arranged to go to the hotel to relax by sitting around the pool or going for a swim as it would not be possible to check into the rooms at that time. Then have lunch at the hotel before going to the other places of interest later in the afternoon. The optional family meal could then be switched to the following evening. This would make it less tiring.