Most Inspirational Moment
I know many people nominate Hoi An as the place they liked most in Vietnam but for me the homestay with the family in the Mekong Delta was by far a more rich and rewarding experience of the whole trip. Having said that it was a close call between that and the overnight trip on the Reunification Express from Hanoi to Hue or the night on a boat in Halong Bay.
Thoughts on Group Leader
This is the reason why I've only given the trip four stars and not five stars. Our group leader Dat was no better than OK on a generous assessment. His punctuality was variable to say the least, getting relevant information out of him at times was a challenge and he too often relied on his cheeky chappy persona to cover up his obvious shortcomings. More seriously his proactive endorsement of the use of rhino horn and bear bile as effective medicines , on a couple of occasions, upset some of the group. This along with a major issue that he failed to resolve regarding my accommodation on the Halong Bay boat trip is the basis for my assessment.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't change too much of your currency in to Vietnamese Dong as the cost of meals, drinks etc is very cheap. The difference between temperatures in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh is marked. The former can be cool and wet whilst the latter can be very warm and sunny. Come prepared for all eventualities. If you are on the direct Vietnam Airlines flight from Gatwick it is worth trying for the standby upgrade from economy to business. This works out at about £280 per person each way. We got it going out from Gatwick but not coming back. The trip in economy is pretty dire so , whilst it is nowhere near as good a business class as the other flights I've been on, it is well worth the investment.
We are very glad that Martyn had such a great trip, but we were very disappointed to read about the comments made by his tour leader. Exodus does not endorse such practices and it goes entirely against our Responsible Travel policies. Martyn’s feedback and the serious nature of the comments have been brought up with his leader.
Megan Devenish – Product Manager for Vietnam