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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325 Reviews

4.8 out of 5

Cameron Dunn

Reviewed February 2024

Still reeling !

This was an action packed tour with not a moment lost, traversing a great selection of Vietnamese coutryside and towns.
Each day was breakfast at six, cycle and bus via interesting sights to the next town, dinner, hotel (with a couple of two nighters and an eye-opening train sleeper). At times exhausting, which enhanced camaraderie with the rest of the group (six solos, six couples).
The quality of the bikes and the provision of en-route refreshments was superb, as were the hotels. It was such a varied and full-on trip that I’ve come away with a head full of great memories and a pretty good knowledge of Vietnam.

Most Inspirational Moment

The local kids yelling Hello! and holding out their hands to be clapped as we cycled past.

Thoughts on Group Leader

When describing places we were visiting, Lam spoke passionately about his country, its people and history . His depth of knowledge and way of speaking was very engaging. He was patient and generous with his time to anyone who had a question or needed help. For example, on a tour of a temple he came over and we had a nice chat as we walked back to the group. Another day, I was waiting with the group as Lam went to find a missing member who was late returning from a temple. He came back chatting happily with the guy - I then realised that earlier he had retrieved me because I was late back, and I didn't even know!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Going solo was a slight concern for me but getting to know other group members was very easy.

James Preston

Reviewed February 2024

Amazing country. Group leader a star.

Non stop trip with so many memories made. From villages and local markets to the chaos of the cities. Cycling tiring but great support and well balanced days to make it manageable.

Most Inspirational Moment

A personal moment demonstrating the kindness and generosity of the local people.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Faultless. Thank you so much Son for being out leader during the Lunar New Year. It would be like me working over Xmas and New Year and not seeing my family. But if you wished you were elsewhere, you didn't show it. You were the best humoured and professional group leader one could hope to have.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You have to want to experience Vietnam as it is. It's not a sanitised experience. It's the real deal. That means some meals are simple and some of the amenities are basic as times. I say this because you will read some negative reviews about this but it's all part of the trip and it's authenticity. The food is amazing and the people really welcoming. Go!

Mary Kinoulty

Reviewed February 2024

Action packed holiday

Excellent holiday with Lam as a fantastic experienced guide and 3 other helpers. Log days of cycling and coach journeys, excellent food and good company from around the world

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the top of Hai Van Pass and the rest of that very varied 100km cycling day

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lam was excellent, incredibly well organised, always cheerful and full of information. He was particularly helpful to a team member who fractured her ankle and spent most of the trip on the bus

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a full on holiday with 12 hr days - breakfast at 6m, 7am start and not finishing til 5/6pm depending on th day. Not for the faint hearted or those who want a lie in. The heat of 34 in Ho Chi Min was a shock and along with the humidity made cycling tough. the temperature dropped as we headed north ad was around 10 in Hanoi.

Andrew Lawson

Reviewed February 2024

An Enjoyable Journey of Discovery

I knew very little about Vietnam before taking this trip, but I feel that it has given me a good understanding of the country, as well as an enjoyable experience. It helped that our fellow travellers were a group of likeable, diverse & interesting people, and our guide and his support team did a first-class job of looking after us.

Most Inspirational Moment

I find it hard to identify a single most inspiring moment , but the overall experience certainly was inspiring. Some beautiful scenery, friendly people, great food, some challenging cycling (and some fun descents), plus insights into the history, economy and the everyday lives of Vietnamese people.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Nam Nguyen was great! Each day would typically start with him saying "xin chào, xin chào, story time!" followed by an explanation of the day's itinerary and insights into Vietnamese life. He was friendly, organised and kept us safe and happy.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1) Pack light - there were opportunities to get clothes laundered at reasonable prices whenever we stayed more than 1 night in the same place and we also successfully hand-washed our own cycle kit in hotel washbasins and it dried OK after rolling in a towel and being left in front of the air conditioning. We took far too much stuff with us, which was a nuisance when travelling on the sleeper train and when lugging it through the airports. 2) Choose flights carefully - we preferred to fly from a regional airport rather than Heathrow. Exodus offered us a few alternatives and we opted for night flights which we hoped would minimise jet-lag (they did). The downside, which we hadn't thought through properly, was that we arrived after the rest of the group and departed before them, thus missing out on time to explore the cities of Saigon and Hanoi. 3) Cycling in high heat and humidity can be hard going - quite a few of our group thought that the cycling was harder than the official "moderate" rating of this tour might suggest. Heat and humidity affects people differently, but I think a decent level of fitness is needed for this tour. If in any doubt, you could opt for an e-bike.

Tom Whitehouse

Reviewed February 2024

Cycling Vietnam

The organisation, logistics and the team from the outset were absolutely faultless. Small details made the trip so much easier; keys ready at each hotel and no check-in, tickets for sites and tipping taken care of, bikes fully prepped and assigned etc etc. The trip also involved a lot of local people and services which allowed us to get a full view of the country, a little off the tourist trail. The guide and support team dealt with every challenge with patience, positivity and good humour. The riding could have been better. We seemed to spend a lot of time cycling on wide, straight, flat roads and then get on the bus for more interesting terrain. Hybrid bikes would also be a better choice than the MTBs supplied. Good mileages though and challenging enough in the warm, humid weather. Overall, a great trip!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Son was an excellent guide and host. As were the rest of the team.

Mike Baker

Reviewed January 2024

It was everything that I expected. And more!

On previous Exodus cycle trips other cyclists in the group would say: Mike, have you been to Vietnam with Exodus? When I replied: No they said: just go! So I did, and with a friend, and we loved it. There were many amazing experiences and the accomodations were all much better than I expected. The only downside is the many hours sitting in planes (two 7 hour flights) to get there. Our group leader (Lam) was excellent too, keeping us well informed and smiling, even when we got caught in torrential rain!

Most Inspirational Moment

Whale Island and Ha Lon Bay

Thoughts on Group Leader

Excellent

Christina McBreen

Reviewed January 2024

Cycling Vietnam Review

I rarely write reviews, but this experience warrants one. The trip leader and crew were excellent. They were organized, friendly and helpful. And the refreshments – the mangos, lemonade – everything was so good. However, the trip itinerary and discussions with Exodus personnel (though they were very nice) did not prepare me for the pollution, hazardous traffic (saw a semi-covered dead body in the countryside – could happen anywhere, but still marred the experience), subpar accommodations and lunches, and unexpected discussions of the US during the Vietnam War opened some wounds that I didn’t know were there. I suspect it would for many in the US, especially for those that served and their families The 12 out of 14 days of rain and wind in what was the dry season didn’t help either, but that’s weather. Everyone made the best of it. I got several items made in Hoi An. While they were very helpful and fast, I would not recommend getting anything tailored – overpriced and mediocre quality. I got to meet some wonderful travel companions. I saw some beautiful landscapes and smiles of the Vietnamese people. Unfortunately, the pollution and trash during 95% of the trip overshadowed anything good. For example, Halong Bay is ruined. Among the green waters and massive limestone structures is the smell of diesel fuel and trash with the immense number of boats/ships bringing so many people in to spoil it all. I would not recommend this trip. I hope that Vietnam decides to restore their environment and natural resources over tourism dollars. Exodus should be more comprehensive in its trip notes and conversations so that travelers like myself can better level set expectations. It’s surprising that an environmentally conscious company like Exodus would bring in people that contribute to the pollution. I wish Vietnam well and will look for ways to help. In the meantime, I will need to reflect on my life decisions. 🙂

Most Inspirational Moment

See above

Thoughts on Group Leader

See above

Advice for Potential Travellers

See above

Reply from Exodus

We’re grateful for Christina for leaving a review of her trip, and are glad to read her glowing praise of her tour leader and our local team in Vietnam. However, we really regret that she didn’t have the experience she was expecting in the country.
Vietnam is an iconic destination with a complex history which, unfortunately, does suffer from issues with pollution in some areas, especially those popular with tourists such as Ha Long Bay. Exodus travel in small groups and try to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment, and our local team do everything possible to ensure that any waste our groups produce is collected and disposed of responsibly. We’re working with our team to engage in local waste clean-up initiatives, and are confident that we’re doing our utmost to reduce our environmental impact on Vietnam, while still providing our customers with the opportunity to visit its most memorable sites.
We’re confident that we do a good job of setting our customers’ expectations about their visit to the country, but will consider reviewing our trip notes going forward.
We’re sorry to read that Christina found some of the accommodation to be subpar. The properties we use generally get very positive feedback; from the Holiday Evaluation forms we’ve received from customers who travelled to Vietnam on this trip in 2023, accommodation was rated at an average of 4.51 out of 5, which we consider to be an excellent score.
We wish Christina well for her future travels, and are glad that, despite the above, she saw some beautiful landscapes and came home inspired to help improve Vietnam’s environmental problems, which is an aim we share.
Kelly Reid, Exodus Product Manager

Helen Wardle

Reviewed December 2023

Full on brilliance

So many people had waxed lyrical over Vietnam we had high expectations of our visit and it didn’t disappoint. This is a full on assault of your senses with a packed schedule. From the high octane cities to the vast tropical forests, industrious local farmers and fishermen and vast coastline this was a spectacular adventure. Cycling was great on pretty good road surfaces. Our leader would warn us of potential potholes and hazards but most surfaces were better than our local roads at home. Distances perhaps don’t look far but in the heat most people were happy to see the coach. All the rides were broken up into manageable chunks with juice and a fantastic array of snacks to keep us going. Mango back in the UK will never taste the same.

Most Inspirational Moment

There were lots of things but the Vietnamese people were lovely. The way they drive for a start. Traffic is manic and chaotic but they are not aggressive and aware of everything around them. Despite the apparent chaos it all worked and whilst I was cycling I never felt nervous or threatened by other road users. Unlike some experiences at home. Whenever we came into contact with locals it was clear the love they have for their families and friends. We saw so many examples of people working tirelessly on the land and sea with a smile and a twinkle. They answered our stream of questions with patience and in turn were inquisitive about where we had come from. They were all proud of their country.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We have been on several Exodus trips and leaders are always good however Loc Phan was exceptional. His anticipation of everyone’s needs was spectacular. He was organised and sensitive with a great sense of humour. The group also had a coach driver, truck driver and mechanic. They were all very good however it was Loc who set the tone and led from the front setting the standard. There is a lot to fit in this trip and days have to keep moving otherwise it is clear that you could get to hotels late however because the team worked so well together we never felt rushed or unable to stop to take a photo.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The trip notes give distances and amount of time spent on a coach and this was pretty accurate. Most days our alarm went off at 5.30 for breakfast at 6ish to set off at 7.00 or not long after. There was very little down time so if that isn’t you then this trip would be a challenge. We were lucky with the weather but did get wet a couple of times so quick drying clothes are helpful. I wore trainers to cycle in but a few in the group had robust sandals with toe protection which I shall be purchasing for my next trip.

Iain Wright

Reviewed December 2023

Excellent

Did exactly what it said “on the tin”.
Well-organised and good fun.

Most Inspirational Moment

When I realised that Vietnamese scooter drivers are generally patient and competent. Loved Whale Island resort and the 31kms descent from Dalat.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Son Nyugen. Great balance of good-organisation, attention to safety and group enjoyment.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Read the Trip Notes. They are comprehensive and accurate.

Liz Jackson

Reviewed December 2023

Absolutely Fabulous Trip

This was an absolutely fabulous trip encompassing so many wonderful sights and experiences. The game drives and boat trips provided plenty of opportunities to see wildlife, and the landscape throughout was so dramatic and diverse – deserts, dunes, rivers, canyons, and bush. Camping was a great experience too as the campsites were quite special in their varying ways – unique locations, on site waterholes for viewing wildlife or just stunning views.

Most Inspirational Moment

Every day seemed to have a number of Wow moments, but perhaps the most awesome and memorable for me were, firstly, viewing the mighty Victoria Falls, an absolutely incredible sight. Took a helicopter flight over them which was well worth doing as you could see the enormity of the entire Falls. Secondly, the waterhole at Okaukuejo in the Etosha National Park was amazing. There were so many animals around, but there were at least three herds of elephants at one stage, & watching the little ones playing with each other and the interaction between them all was so, so special.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Gift and Petrus were brilliant - so friendly, helpful and caring as well as really great company throughout the trip. They were constantly working, whether cooking, driving or helping out the group generally and all the while ensuring that we saw and experienced as much as possible. Gift was an exceptional group leader, happily sharing his knowledge and experience of the places we visited, as well as being great fun, kind and a fabulous cook, conjuring up a variety of very tasty meals. Petrus had many long drives, along straight, dusty, non-tarmac roads, which must have been so exhausting, so kudos to him for that. Thank you so much Gift and Petrus! You were fabulous!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a good camera! My camera wasn't brilliant so I've relied on my generous fellow travellers for sharing their wonderful close-up photos of the wildlife.

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