Trails Of Vietnam

Our Clients’ Reviews

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. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

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  Christopher Dickins

  TRAILS OF VIETNAM

  

  Written April 2013

  Loads of different activities, experiences, sights and sounds are packed into this holiday, which really shows you the whole of Vietnam. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Waking up on the boat in the middle of Halong Bay. Kayaking round islands and seeing the monkeys leap from tree to tree. Learning to cook by imitation and gestures in the Mekong Delta. Walking through emerald green paddy fields, up steep hills. Sleeping on a bamboo floor in a traditional Thai longhouse. Handling a python in the snake farm. Being entertained by local dancers, and being dragged up to dance the finale. Cycling through villages on windy canal paths, with little children rushing out to shout "hello!". 

  What did you think of your group leader?

  A wonderful story teller, full of interesting anecdotes and insights into Vietnam history and culture. He even got out his guitar on occasion and entertained us with some of his songs!

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Be prepared for lots of travel, by coach, rail, road, boat, kayak, and air. Bring earplugs and a jumper, as Vietnam can dip below 20 degrees in the evenings. Be ready for all sorts of extras not necessarily on the itinerary. Don't worry about the Cu Chi tunnels: the bit you walk through is only right at the end and easily omitted if you're claustrophobic - the rest of it is fascinating. 

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Just remember it's a communist country and you won't necessarily get the same picture as at home in the more political, government-run places of interest that you visit, though they are very interesting. Be ready to supplement your visit with extra research online!

   
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  Thomas Somerville

  TRAILS OF VIETNAM

  

  Written January 2013

  This tour is not for the faint at heart. There is a lot of travelling and a lot of action so be prepared. Fascinating country with wonderful people, not least of all Giang the tour leader. Fasten your seatbelts! 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  The people were so friendly and relaxed.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Great. Giang,s calm and ever willingness to help make him a strong candidate for leader of the year.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Pack light as it is hot in the south. the north can be cool in the winter but the payback is the dry season. Saigon is the best local beer!

   
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  Raymond Hall

  TRAILS OF VIETNAM

  

  Written January 2013

  Truly amazing place and well thought out trip, which really does make it feel like you have seen so much of the country. Some truly stunning sights (Halong bay is the second wonder of the world). Hanoi is a complete culture shock and impressive to see how many people can fit onto one moped. Food is very good and for very little you can get some very impressive street food. Only slight complaint not as physical as the itinerary makes it sound. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Halong bay was my favourite part of the trip, kayaking from the boat to a lagoon then watching a monkey sitting the rocks eating. Hoi an was a close second with cycling at six in the morning to watch the sunrise over the spice fields (helped by the fact it was snowing in England at the time).

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Pheong was a brilliant fella, informative with a deep love of his country, always cheerful and amazingly patient, one morning even giving a meditation lesson for those who were interested and not only all that also a fantastic pool player.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Be warned Hanoi and northern Vietnam can be colder than expected, although my trip was in January so maybe I should have been better prepared. Don't overpack you can get your laundry done at lots of different places on the trip. Also shopping is very good out there I bought a north face jacket for 45 dollars which is'nt too bad.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Don't bother changing your money into Dong, stick with dollars it's easier to keep track of what your spending and they are accepted everywhere.

   
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  kevin beards

  TRAILS OF VIETNAM

  

  Written November 2012

  An excellent and varied trip with a great group of people who gelled together instantly. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  The overnight stays in the stilthouses were great fun,and a great way for us all to get to know eachother.Also the cycling in the Mekong Delta was pretty special.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Mao was the best group leader I've had when doing many of these trips.He started as our leader and left as our friend! He made a great trip brilliant,a true asset to Exodus which I hope will be recognised.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Be prepared to be flexible with the itinary,as the weather can be very unpredictable,unfortunatly.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Try hard to "go with the flow"! Vietnam is like nothing you've experienced before!

   
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  Paul McFarlin

  TRAILS OF VIETNAM

  

  Written October 2012

  A really enjoyable trip. Fascinating cultural experiences in the tribes, spectacular and relaxing Halong Bay, the madness of Hanoi, and the sights of the rest of Vietnam. A couple of days of trekking, but more walking after that. Still tiring due to the heat/humidity, early starts and some long bus rides. Well worth the experience. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  The hiking through the hills out from Mai Chau was great even though it was incredibly hot. Very interesting visiting the tribes and hearing their stories. Also the boat trip in Halong Bay - the seafood dinner, the kayaking, the swimming, the relaxing on the ship's deck, the scenery. Awesome. Cu Chi tunnels. Really interesting while also a little freaky experience.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Linh was great. Organised us really well, and looked after us well with pointing out good restaurants etc when going to be on our own, and taking us to really good restaurants when with him. We ate REALLY well! Was really informative, explained a lot about how the hill tribe people live and their past etc. Ended up telling the same things a couple of times, and sometimes would go off on a tangent, turning a piece on the pagoda etc we were at into a long winded story of his childhood. But mostly told good stuff. Is a little quirky, which made it entertaining with some of his songs. Has a lot of character, which has left us with a great memories to retell amongst group members. Overall, Linh was really great value.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Take a light weight jacket with you in case it rains at any moment (even though it'll likely only be brief). Say so at the beginning if you don't like fish (or anything for that matter), you'll get well catered for with other food for you. A few people on our trip didn't say so until halfway through, after a number of entrees and meals with fish, so didn't eat as much those times.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  Only thing might have liked different, was a little more time in Hoi An. We essentially only had less than a couple of hours after dark the day we arrived to do any shopping. This was the only time we had to order stuff to be tailor made, and it was quite a rush to do in that time, and after dark so it was tricky to see. We had plenty of free time the next afternoon, but as we were leaving too early the next day we couldn't order anything then as there wasn't enough time to get it made. When that is what Hoi An is so well known for, we were very rushed to achieve it, and definitely would have done more with the chance. That would be only real gripe about the trip. Oh and the overnight train wasn't exactly comfortable! I come from a country/culture where we don't tip, so having the group tipping kitty and Linh taking care of it was great, and quite a relief.

   
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  Rafik Taibjee

  TRAILS OF VIETNAM

  

  Written January 2012

  A great way to see Vietnam, with a little activity thrown in.  Vietnam had it all with history, culture, friendly people and amazing food too! 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Kayaking in Halong bay was amazing - tranquil waters with incredible island scenery and the sun setting, and seeign the moneys on the cliff above

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Thuy was great.  He was attentive to the needs of the individual group members sorting out little issues when they arose.  He was passionate about the history of his country and this showed.  He made sure we had fun on new year's eve and it was agreat night out, and the group stuck together til 2am.  He also got us singing karaoke on our halong bay cruise.

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  leave space in your suitcase to bring stuff home.  I had a suit had in hoi-an which is lovely and i'm pleased with - for £200, also lots of opportunity to buy paintings and embroidery, and with all the amazing foods we tried most people wanted to take home something, even if it was coconut toffee or banana chips or fish sauce.

  The internal flights officially limit to 20kg but in reality don't really get too stressed if you are at 23 or 24kg

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  The trip notes sound like there will be more walking and cycling than there actually was.  There was nothing that was wrong on the notes but one needs to understand there is a lot of travelling on the bus on this trip which then limits the amount of time doing activities like the walking and cycling.

  Of all the things we did, I was least inspired by the stay in mai chau, as we all had to share one room sleeping on mattresses on the floor, and there wasn't much to do (we paid some local teenagers to put on a show and drank lots of rice wine which made for a good night in the end).  I think a tour of the same length but without mai chau might be better as then could spend more time in halong bay or hue, for example.

   
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  doug gilchrist

  TRAILS OF VIETNAM

  

  Written October 2011

  Well organised. Our guide was fantastic through out. The trip never flagged even though we had some long bus trips. The diversity of scenery and weather made every day interesting. Would go back. 

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  What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

  Halong Bay was a place apart. Would happily have spent another day or so there. Loved the faded granduer oh Hoi An and ofcourse it is a shoppers paradise. Also thought Hanoi and HCM City were buzzing.

  What did you think of your group leader?

  Best guide I have had in 30 odd years of travelling. Never met a guy so hell bent on making sure every one was happy. As I am over 60, the trek up the mountain(hill to younger mortals)was hard and exacerbated by the heat and humidity but I did it and that night as I happily lay on my mattress in the long house, Phong came over and gave me a resuscitating back massage! How is that for looking after your brood ?

  Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

  Drink more water than you think has satisfied you and don't overpack your suit case when you leave London other wise you will be ditching stuff to accomodate what you cannot resist buying in Vietnam.

  Is there anything else you would like to add?

  I hope every one who undertakes this trip enjoys it as much as my daughter and I did.

   

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