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Reviews

Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers  

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It’s the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you’re interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers.

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182 Reviews

4.7 out of 5

Reviews

Vietnamese

This trip lived up to what it promised from the start to the end. It was excellent value for money and provided a real insight into this wonderful country and it’s people. Our group consisted of 16 people, some couples, some travelling independently with a range of ages from the UK, USA and Spain. By the end of the two weeks we were all good friends. The weather started pleasantly warm, although very cloudy, in the north and steadily became hotter and sunnier the further south we travelled. Our group leader Anh Tran, who we knew as Viet, also helped to make this trip special as he worked hard throughout to provide us with information and guidance about the places we visited.

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,

Amazing and hot!

Vietnam is everything you think it may be and everything you can never imagine! So opposite to your life in the western world, the country is a beautiful, absolutely chaotic, in your face and also serene at times. This is an extremely well organised trip and you will definitely get a flavour of Asia. Food is beyond amazing and our tour guide was unbelievable and a wonderful human!

Most Inspirational Moment

On a boat travelling down the Mekong river wearing traditional hat and savouring the quiet!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Joilee was beyond wonderful and professional and was also pretty funny! She cared for us in the group like her own and she was the most wonderful representative for her country of Vietnam

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring lots of loose clothing, laundry wash as you will be changing your clothes a lot! Don’t bother with any make up or stuff for hair, within a day that all goes out of the window! Enjoy your rest afternoons relaxing, the tour is pretty full on and will get tired otherwise. And close your eyes at times, savour what you are experiencing

Vietnam Adventure

I had high expectations for this trip and I was not disappointed. The trip was perfectly described in the brochure and offers an unforgettable experience of this fascinating country.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were lots from watching in disbelief as mopeds carrying everything weave between each other in Hanoi, to the mysterious Halong Bay, to the beautiful lanterns in Hoi An to the vibrancy of Saigon. I particularly enjoyed being part of a group to share the whole experience with. And of course having a Vietnamese guide who gave us such an in depth insight into this country.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Tan Nguyen, made the trip. He gave us such an insight into the life and culture, as well as share some wonderful stories with us. His knowledge of Vietnam and his spoken English was excellent and everything was always done with a smile. We were never disappointed with his restaurant recommendations. On numerous occasions he guided us safely across the busy roads. Anyone who has been to Vietnam will know that this is no mean feat!

Advice for Potential Travellers

It is a hectic schedule with some early starts and a lot of travelling including the overnight reunification train. There is also plenty of walking in hot humid conditions. But if you want to see and really experience this country, I cannot think of a better way of doing it. Taking a silk sleeping bag liner for the train is very useful and a pack of cards to pass the time away with fellow travellers! Also, when changing cash in Hanoi, they much preferred new notes. They weren’t keen on my crumpled £20 notes!

Exceedingly Good Trip

it was a fantastic holidays exceeding all our expectations.

Most Inspirational Moment

The 2 cycling trips in Hui and Hoian were exciting and memorable. Cycling in busy Hui city was an experience compared to non. Visiting the organic farms in Hoian demonstrated the fundamentals and the source of the freshness and originality of the Vietnamese cuisines. The trip to Me Son visiting the Champa kingdom and seeing the ruins gave me a different historical and religious perspectives about the country which I knew little about before the visit.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Quan was an excellent tour guide and group leader. He provided second to non travel customer service. Travel and visits were arranged like a well oil engine, everything went smoothly. Although the itineraries were structured he listened and tapped into the needs and desires of our group and would alterer to suit. He was very generous with information. Apart from the factual historical facts he also accompanied these with his social commentaries giving a personal and fascinating perspectives into the country from someone who has lived through the tremendous political and social changes of his country.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Fabulous and worthwhile experience for first time visit to Vietnam as the journey from Hanoi to Saigon gave a very comprehensive exploration of the country geographically, culturally, historically and politically not to mention the different and changing cuisine during the travel.

Don't understand this

Well organised and very good well informed guides. Very comprehensive trip.
Grateful for arriving a day early and leaving a day later arrangements – accommodation & airport transfers.
Excellent accommodation.
Very variable activities – some included (cycling) and some optional (kayaking, cooking)
Hoi An – too touristy.
Saigon – uninteresting.
Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, My Son, Tunnels, Mekong delta, Angkor temples, Floating villages – all excellent.
Phnom Penn s21 prison and nearby “killing fields” – very harrowing.
Meals – some were relatively expensive and I found with a good breakfast that I only needed a snack at lunchtime if eating a full meal in the evening.

Most Inspirational Moment

see above

Thoughts on Group Leader

see above

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't need passport photos for Angkor complex pass. They take your photo when getting your pass.

Vietnam Adventure

Our Vietnam Adventure was indeed an adventure – having such a varied itinerary – but not over-organised – with interesting places visited – travel by boats and train- and activities such as bicycling and kayaking-and crawling through tunnels. Staying in excellent hotels – and overall led by a very competent, entertaining and knowledgeable guide – who looked after us, without being imperious

Most Inspirational Moment

Climbing up Marble Mountain and seeing the cave used as a hospital by the Viet Cong

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for an active holiday with enjoyable - but long - days

Loved it!

This was an excellent tour. We packed a lot in but the pace never felt too much. It was a really good mix of culture, history and activity.

Most Inspirational Moment

The boat trip in Ha Long bay is stunning, though the bay itself suffers from the 21st century blight of plastic and rubbish at high tide. The cycle trips were a lovely relaxing way to see the countryside; easy paced.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide - Mr Q - was absolutely brilliant, knowledgable and efficient. His advice was always sound and we felt well looked after.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We learned so much about the history of Vietnam - much of it brutal - and its worth knowing that the 'Hanoi Hilton' and the museum in Saigon display some pretty graphic and upsetting images - so be warned.

Travel from north to South Vietnam

What an amazing adventure that we have had with exodus, never been to Vietnam before this was a great way to see the country.

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational was for us was the trip to Halong bay on the boat, seeing all the islands and the caves. The boat was basic but clean the food was gorgeous and staff where willing to help.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Huy was full of information regarding different places that we visited, he was flexible if we wanted to do our thing i.e having a meal by our selfs.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The over night sleeper train was hard, lack of sleep and noisy.

Still OK but not excellent as previous 3 Exodus trips.

This is my 4th trip with Exodus and the worst. Still OK but not excellent as previous 3 were.
We spent too much time in unbelievably noisy polluted cities instead of maybe explore countryside a bit more. Also by returning from Halong Bay (which were fantastic) we lost the whole day sitting in Hanoi lobby to be able to take overnight train and to have a very busy day after this. Train is awful – not possible to sleep, even for someone like me who experienced many overnight trains in Russia. Instead it would be better to take a day train, rest in the hotel overnight and then have the busy day. Cycling inside the city in Hue was not safe, especially considering that more than a half of the group are not experienced cyclists and the amount of traffic grows very fast every year (Ref: Vietnam population doubled in size within last 60 years). But cycling in countryside was lovely. Hotel in Hoi An was miles away from the city centre for no reason – there are plenty hotels closer for the similar rate. And finally our guide kept disappearing for an hour or two and was very vague with his instructions.

Most Inspirational Moment

Halong Bay

Thoughts on Group Leader

He was a nice chap, but he was not the best exodus guide. He "forgot" about a single lady traveller on the 1st night and had to go back when he remembered (about half an hour later, when we already were sitting in the restaurant). He kept disappearing for an hour or two, was contantly very vague with his instructions and was ignoring questions when you ask him something - it alsways shall be 2-3 times before we get a reply.

An amazing trip!

This was an outstanding and memorable trip which taught us so much about the history, culture and geography of Vietnam. Travelling from north to south, the itinerary was exceedingly well planned and varied – from the variety of accommodation and modes of transport to the experience of both city and rural life.
As members of the generation which remembers the Vietnam War on the TV screeens for a decade, it was a profound experience to visit those places where momentous events took place, heightening our awareness of both the suffering, resilience and achievements of the Vietnamese people.

Most Inspirational Moment

Every day was enjoyable and there were many memorable activities. We particularly liked the tranquillity of Ho Chi Minh’s site in Hanoi, spending the night on the boat on a misty Halong Bay, the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, cycling through the paddy fields from Hue, visiting the ruins of the My Son valley, sailing on the Mekong Delta and staying in the island homestay. There were opportunities to reflect on the troubled history of the country at Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, the War Remnant Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and the Cu Chi tunnels.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Vuong Truong, known to us as V, was an outstanding leader. He was very knowledgeable about the history and the culture of his country and imparted this in a very positive and entertaining way. We travelled in a lovely group of 9 and V’s manner, sense of humour and awareness of people’s needs helped us to bond together from the outset. V’s enthusiasm and positivity were infectious and we had many a laugh. He was always very professional, all arrangements went smoothly and he was good at making minor adjustments to suit individual needs.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for early starts and a full itinerary. Make the most of the optional activities offered. The overnight journey on the train from Hanoi to Hue should be regarded as an interesting experience!