Most Inspirational Moment
The diversity of activities and the knowledge of our leaders who provided so much information that we would not have got without their guidance. Absolutely loved our visit to Hoi An which was unspoilt by the war damage, and the difference in cultures between the north and the south.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader was excellent. He provided lots of detail about the places we visited, about the culture in Vietnam and his own experiences when growing up. This detail greatly enhanced our experience. He was very attentive to people in the group and dealt with queries or problems efficiently. He was particularly helpful and supportive to us to make sure my husband's needs were met, as he had a knee injury at the time of the trip. He did this in a quiet, discrete way, just checking in if he was OK and if he wanted to maybe not participate in a full activity. We really appreciated his kindness and support. He was on hand throughout the tour and also provided us with helpful tips on where to eat and what the local delicacies were for the different regions. We thought our leader was an asset to Exodus and the tour.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you want a very active trip then maybe look for a different Vietnam tour. This one was fine for us, just what we wanted, but those who like more walking or cycling would maybe prefer a different itinerary. Because of the internal flights and overnight train, do think about the size of the luggage you take. Large cases do not fit under the train seats!!
Suggestions
Maybe consider reducing the activities on the days when the group have travelled overnight, or had a very early start to move to another town/city. Many days started at 8.00 a.m. on the bus which meant getting up and having breakfast early. To then go on to a lot of activities/visits to sites, we found it quite tiring and a little 'overloaded'. Some group members (us included) did opt to sit out some activities for this reason. We found the day following the overnight train particularly tiring, having not had such a restful night (although great fun and lovely experience, so glad we did it), to then go straight onto site seeing until we could check in later in the afternoon was too much. Could there be earlier check in times for days which follow overnight train or very early transfers, and give the group an option? We went on to the Cambodian extension. I will send a separate report on this. My thoughts are that this is quite rushed as it is over four nights, and would benefit from being maybe six nights. It felt that too much was packed in to the short time, with long travel distances.