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See what some of our clients have to say about our tours!
If you have any photos, thoughts or opinions on anything that you would like to share with the world, please email the information to the agent who helped you with your booking or email it to info@vietnamtravel.ca |
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Hanoi - Ha Long Bay - Hue - Danang - 7 Days and 6 Nights
Written on January 15, 2009
Hi David! Everything about the tour was excellent. The guides were very knowledgeable and always there to pick us up at the airports and always on time. Everything was perfectly planned and ran smoothly. We enjoyed everything that we did in each spot, it was all a highlight and very memorable. The food was awesome! We have already told friends about this tour and all that you have done for us. We can't thank you enough!
ciao for now,
Jana and Bill
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Hanoi - Ha Long Bay - Hoi An - Mui Ne - Saigon
Written on January 5, 2009
We loved Vietnam! The people, the food, the sights we saw, the experiences we had were all fantastic. The only negative would be the weather could have been better, but nothing you can do about that. Saigon was pure craziness with all the motor cycles, Mui Ne was beautiful and we had lots of fun there, Hoi An we loved with all the restaurants, shopping, history, etc, but our favourite part of the holiday had to have been Halong Bay on the Junk. What a beautiful part of the country. Kayaking through caves and seeing monkeys was great. We also really enjoyed Hanoi and so different from Saigon. Way more character. We walked out of the Water Puppet theatre to the streets filled with crazy soccer fans after Vietnam won the ASEAN Cup. There had to have been 500,000 fans in a sea of red Vietnam flags. Quite a sight.
We were very disappointed with the hotel in Hanoi for the 1st 2 nights we stayed there as the front desk staff were very unfriendly and had a real attitude. As far as they were concerned, we were wrong and they were right! When we returned on the 01 Jan, the family suite was available and was great. Front desk staff were still unfriendly though. The fellow from Sapio Travel came to the hotel and gave me 2 gifts (one for my family and one for our friends traveling with us). I was most impressed with him and he was very sincere. Please let him know we were very impressed with his professionalism. I did tell him about how we weren't happy with the staff at the hotel. We would return to Vietnam again as an add-on to a trip to Thailand. We'd like to visit the Sapo area and try getting to Phu Cuoc Island.
Thanks again.
John & Susan Webster
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Hanoi - Phu Quoc Island - 13 Days and 12 Nights
Written on November 28, 2008
We are about to leave Vietnam and heading to Cambodia. Two weeks in Vietnam is definately not enough!! We have moved around some and each time is not a disappointment. I wrote a very long e-mail upon arrival here on Phu Quoc Island, (off of the most Southern tip of Vietnam) but it got lost in cyber space for some reason. We are happily surrounded by water and spent the entire two days on the beach and in the water. The temp. is bathwater. This place is really gorgeous, not very crowded and definately a well kept secret. Google it if you are looking for an alternative to Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, etc. It's very cheap, once you get here and there are lots of resorts, restaurants and Island charm. You can rent a motorbike for $5. for the day. We had a gourmet meal last night in a tiny Island restaurant with drinks included about $15. Our room is $47. per night, tax included. They have a laundry service so you hardly need to pack much. Like I said before, when you fly to the city you can buy absolutely everything you need for cheap. Every hotel along the way provided soap and toothbrushes/paste, shampoo, even Q-tips...so pack light.
It's also a good idea to bring along a bunch of US ones for tipping. So much easier because you are constantly tipping different service people in a day and they love it. We stopped for lunch at a very remote resort awhile back and tried to pay with a $20. US bill. The owner came out and was all in a dither because of the "condition" of this bill. It was immaculate, except for one corner had a tiny piece off, and I mean tiny. She was a little anal about it and thank goodness we had the right amount in dong. Dong is 17,000 to one US. I hear in Cambodia it will be even better for our buck. Also that they love US money.
Ho CHi Min City was really exciting. Definately coming back to see it again. It has the Saigon River flowing real close to the heart of the city. They have way too many restaurants, tons of shopping, bars and services of all kinds. Everyone is more than willing to help you out if you get lost or are nervous about crossing the street when there's no crosswalk and 100 motorbikes zig zagging every direction in front of you. It's quite funny to them i'm sure because they grew up with it. A nice motorbike costs $500. US so they are affordable for everyone. Families of three or four is common, on one bike. Mom's with a baby or toddler in front of her is also the norm. Women dressed to the 9's in stillettos, barefeet, anything goes.
We had the most fantastic day in Nha Trang when we went on a boat trip. It was a party boat (which was a surprise to us!) and full to the max with 24 tourists from all over the world. It was a big old wooden tub with half a dozen Vietnamese guys serving us. One of the six was our host and he went by the name "Funky Monkey", he had a thick gold chain and big time tattoos, so take it from there. We stopped at five different Bays, each for a different reason. The first was for a swim and snorkelling, the second was for lunch, which they from somewhere on that tub, created a gourmet meal of fresh seafood, salads, rice and noodle dishes, all fit for a king, so to speak. After the meal he grabbed the mic again and informed us we were prisoners until after half an hour and believe it or not they formed a real band at the foot of the table (which were originally our seats and all layed flat, so the dining table took the entire walking surface of the boat). There was a drum set a base and an electric guitar and symbals. They sang songs we all knew and called people up to karaoke with them. Even the 'stiffer' ones from Europe jumped up by this time so it was hilarious. This band sounded PDG too. After that we all dove into the water, well actually only half of us, and clung onto the floating bar for "Happy Hour".
The next Island had an aquarium for us to tour and the next one had para-sailing (my first time and what a thrill!!) I think I was still "happy" from Happy Hour and was the first dare devil to go for it!! This boat trip/wonderful day cost us all of $7.00 each and our tour guide came along too. We saw numerous lobster farms along the way as well. We partied with some thirty something Aussie's for the day which made it even more fun and interesting. Everyone shares their stories and experiences when travelling, and some of them hilarious. In the AM we had toured a couple of historic, and I mean old (17th Century old) sites which are located very close by.
The day before the boat trip (I seem to be going backwards...) we toured a couple of temples then our tour guide and driver drove us about 10 minutes up a hill, through an old poor part of the town and the streets were really washed out from rain of course. It was rough and these people have to live with it until the rainy season is over. Then the locals who live around there band together and fix it. What a huge undertaking. Our destination was reached and we arrived at a fabulous paradise Spa which seemed to be a world of it's own. We were there for three and a half hours!!! Our driver and guide stayed as well somewhere outside and at no cost to us. We were given a large room of our own and a mineral water filled pool to float in, a shower to rinse off, up the stairs to our room where we had a large tub filled with mud! to soak in for half an hour. We jumped out and showered off, then into the jacuzzi with a half dozen mesh bags filled with herbs and flowers including lemongrass and lavender..., and brown champagne...then it was back to the shower, dried off good, then a 90 minute massage, side by side, and ending that session with hot stones. Then we had another cold one and all light-headed made our way downstairs for a pedicure each. AAAHHHHH. Our drivers were waiting and they whisked us off, back to our hotel. The entire spa was filled with lush tropical plants and all open and outside. Just a tropical heaven. We paid $80. US, FYI. Our guide recomended a seafood restaurant to us and so we changed and took a taxi across town for $2. He was right. It was phenominal! Every table had it's own server and so you never had to wait for a thing!! If my last e-mail would have arrived on your computer you'd have the name of it. Fresh squid and prawns seem to be our fave.
So that day brought us to the next which was a 30 minute flight to Ho Chi Min City, then here. We are certainly filling our time well, and as I may have said before, Vietnam Air is just great to travel on. We've flown on the airbus' a few times now and they are always clean and comfortable with lots of leg room. Now Cathay Pacific, from Vancouver to Hong Kong, another story. Too small for long flights.
We have 2 hours left before we have to say "good-bye to Paradise" so another swim in the ocean is the plan.
Bye from Vietnam, PHU QUOC ISLAND, the Thien Hai Son Hotel. The resorts here are mind blowing. Check them all out before you decide because some offer different things, and therefore prices vary (We just wanted a beach with a bar, ha ha ha). This one seems cheap but it is glorious to look at and quiet. There's jet skis for rent next to us on the beach, and massages where you lay on a mat ont the beach for $4.00. We watched a steady stream of recipients all day long. There's no speed boats just local fish boats and the odd local wooden tour boat. They take people out in the evening to participate in squid fishing. This Island is also known for making fish sauce/oil. Whoda thunkK Better go for real this time...thanks Trasi for all of the sample-sized face products. I think of you every morning and evening, PF Cheers!! |
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Custom Tour
Written on October 20, 2008
Hi,
I was just talking to Eileen and thought I would give you a quick note and a big thanks for all your help. Our trip was great and everything went off like clockwork. Sorry about the mini panic in Hanoi with the driver. We were concerned when the hotel did not know about whether our driver was coming or not and we knew the drive was far.
OK. Here are our thoughts on each hotel.
The Liberty 4 in Ho Chi Minh was spacious, clean and the breakfast buffet was very good. The location was excellent with only a short walk to the big market (10 mins). The staff were extremely helpful and very courteous. We easily arranged day trips at the local travel agency (Singh Cafe) around the corner from the hotel and it was highly recommended in the Lonely Planet guide (not that you wouldn't have done a great job too but we like the flexibility of picking our days for the day trips). Cabs are cheap so it wasn't that difficult to go to the other sites from our hotel. I compare the room to a motel quality but the breakfast made it an excellent deal (fresh pastries, pho, omlette station, bacon, eggs, congee, fruit, etc).
The First Hotel in Ho Chi Minh, which was 5 mins. from the airport, was a lot nicer and had the feel of a 4 star hotel. The room was smaller but everything was newer, if not cleaner. We didn't get a chance to try the breakfast (they made lunch boxes for us) because we left at 4am. The staff were again very courteous.
The Bro & Sis Hotel in Hanoi again had very good and courteous staff. The room was nicer but smaller than the Liberty 4 in Ho Chi Minh. The bathroom was larger and Barb liked that better. The breakfast was only OK. It lacked the selection (40% of the size of Liberty) and quality of Liberty. The location was not as convenient either. We preferred to walk most of the time (to see the sights) and it was about a 15 to 20 min. walk to the edge of the "old quarter" where the action really is. The lake (which is the center of the action is a good 35-45 min walk and we went there every day. The interesting thing about it was that our first choice we asked for ( I think it was the Galaxy hotel) we walked by every day. It is located right on the edge of the "old quarter". It looked pretty good too but we never actually saw a room. You might suggest it in the future to your clients if they want to be closer to the action.
The Eaton Hotel was pretty good for a Hong Kong hotel for the price. It is located really close to the Ladies and Jade market. The room was small (of course) but very clean and not noisy. It is 4 blocks from the subway exit (a little further than I thought) but otherwise in a good location.
The Bhaya cruise was the highlight of the trip. The scenery is exactly as the pictures present the area. Beautiful. The boat is fairly new (7 months) and it appeared to be the class of the bay when we compared it to the others we saw. The food was really good (lots of fresh seafood) and the staff was great too. The room was very nice as was the furnishings (including the sheets). The cruise on the 2nd day on "Little Bhaya" was really great because we were the only ones signed up for the extra day and night. We had the entire 60+ foot boat to ourselves and four crew too!! I highly recommend the 3 day 2 night cruise over the 2 day one night. Many of the passengers commented on how short the cruise really was with the 2 day/one night option. That is because you don't board till after 1pm and your off the next day by 10am. That is really only one day/one night.
I hope this helps you with anyone else in the future that may be interested in heading out to Vietnam.
Thanks again and we'll keep you in mind for our next trip.
Frank & Barb
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Wonders of Vietnam - February 8 - 25
Written on March 1, 2008
I wish to express a sincere thank you to Vietnam Travel Centre, for their considerations regarding my recent holiday in Vietnam.
The tour-based holiday over a two week period was exceptional. I was grateful for all the considerations given to me by my tour guides and their drivers. These gentlemen were courteous and considerate. It was through their efforts that I was able to appreciate this amazing country, the people and their culture. Without their guidance and support, I could not have enjoyed the “Wonders of Vietnam” as I had during my two weeks in Vietnam.
The modes of transportation, hotel accommodation, and personal tours in and around Vietnam were superb. I commend Vietnam Travel Centre for their efficiency and high international standard services. It would be my pleasure to recommend Vietnam Travel Centre to those contemplating a holiday either in Vietnam or to other Asian countries.
Sincerely, Marianne Schofield.
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