Just back from this wonderful tour of Vietnam with Just You, there were 20 Travellers in our group 3 men and 17 women and we all bonded well and without any problems for out TM manager to worry about and nobody falling ill though one lady did slip and fall near the pool one evening after a rain shower but thankfully no injury as such just an incident form for her to fill in
we flew with Malaysia airlines via Kuala Lumpur and no problems there the crew looked after us from start to finish arriving in Hanoi the capital of Vietnam in the early afternoon, this evening we had a welcome dinner and drink meeting up in the bar around 6.30 for happy hour before our couch took us to a top Vietnamese restaurant called Wild Rice, the following morning we had a full day tour which was intriguing rounded off with a very enjoyable especially our amazing Cyclo ride through the amazing streets of Hanoi, motorcycles everywhere as they all zip between and round us as we waive our way through the crazy traffic with no traffic laws whatsoever it was such a joy to see and be part of, the day was rounded off with a much more relaxed hour at the theatre for the water puppet show
after two nights in Hanoi we moved on by coach departing at 8am for the 4 hour journey to Halong Bay with a café stop being made midway, on arrived we were transferred to our Junk boat by Tender with lunch on arrival a eight or nine course of Vietnamese cuisine mainly fish as we cruised round the stunning Halong Bay with all the beautiful rock formations rising from the water, for this cruise you need to take a small bag with all your overnight needs as your main suitcase remains safely locked on the coach, you will be able to transfer toiletries etc back into your main suitcase the next day before we check in for our onward flight, after lunch you will have the opportunity to visit a cave, there are however around 200 steps to get up to it so if you have mobility problems I would advise to stay on the junk and relax this isn't compulsory and is not an optional, the cabins are pretty basic but very pleasant and have bathroom they are better than you would expect, the group though were divided into 2 groups onto two separate boats which they lined together as meals were taken all together on the one boat, dinner again was mainly fish, a little disappointing if like me you don't eat fish but our wonderful TM manager Branwen arranged for non fish eaters to have an alternative for the rest of the tour, ie: was only me really who refused to try it
The next morning was a joy as we awoke to find us cruising with stunning views from the cabin and out on deck was so lovely before sitting for breakfast at eight, not a fish in sight at breakfast I was pleased to see, breakfast at all the hotels on tour were of buffet style and plenty to choose from hot bacon sausage baked beans tomato etc etc they were all there and an egg station where you can have any egg cooked in front of you
back to port around nine am before our 4 hr coach journey back to Hanoi and our onward flight of 1 hour to Hue, most stayed in tonight as we arrived rather late but a few of us did get a taxi to a restaurant called 'Elegance' very nice indeed and so glad we went out, a bustling area of restaurants and bars
the following morning we left about nine with much sightseeing to fit in including a cruise on the perfume river and a lovely cruise along the ocean front and a stop at China beach to dip our feet in the south china sea arriving at our hotel in beautiful Hoi an around 5.30
Hoi an was a delight and a pleasure, a welcome break on the beach, if you get the Victoria you're in for a treat, beautiful place, has its own private beach and pool, lovely lovely staff, happy hour bar, super dinner buffet, you are here for three nights so ample time to do the excursions and relax, I really recommend the optional cycle ride which took place the following morning, its not difficult at all rather gentle and so much fun, you cycle for about an hour in total with regular stops, all on the flat using cycle paths out in the country and a visit to a country home, be sure to take your cameras a hat and water, the cycles have baskets to carry there, I would put this as one of the highlights of the tour and as with all optionals you can pay this on the day, after a little time to freshen up back at the resort we were taken to Old Town for lunch and a walking tour which was all very nice with another visit to a different restaurant tonight back in old town returning around half nine, some did a motorbike ride in Hoi an, you also have the option to stay on in Old Town after the lunch as we did and get the bus or a taxi back
My Son the next morning leaving at 8.30 around a 1hr 20 min drive, a pleasant morning out, saw a wonderful dance show when we got there before touring the sight, our guide Hai whom we had for pretty much most of the tour was a very likeable and knowledgeable guide, we all had thought very highly of him, the tour included lunch on our return to Hoi an with the afternoon to just chill out by the pool or explore the area
our final morning in Hoi an gave us more opportunity to chill out by the pool prior to our lunchtime departure to the airport and our onward flight to Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon )
Saigon was just an amazing city with millions or trillions of mopeds, absolutely crazy out there and if you think you are safe on the pavement think again you are certainly not as pavements are mounted on to round all the traffic all the time you really need eyes everywhere but its a sight to behold it'll grow on you and you'll love it, the cu cu tunnels were the next morning which I didn't do but the group that did do them enjoyed it, this was followed by our afternoon city tour covering Independence palace the church museum and post office an interesting afternoon returning around 5.30 followed by an evening meal at the house of Vietnam restaurant, our farewell meal, the night time journey was fascinating watching all the mopeds from the coach and again outside the restaurant trillions of them
our final full day in Vietnam took us to another hightlight The Mekong Delta, another 4 hr drive to get there but a very enjoyable cruise on the Delta watching all the river life floating markets and other barges etc with a visit to a visit and demonstration of pot rice, rice paper making etc which was nice to see before we returned to the boat to cross the river for lunch on an island, certainly different, after our day around mid afternoon this was where our group divided as those going on to Cambodia went their separate way whilst we returned to our hotel in Saigon where us 9 of the 20 not doing the add on ventured out to KFC tonight, another experience in the night time traffic that was
as we were not leaving for our flight home till 2pm some of us ventured down to the market, what an experience, good luck to anyone who can get past the first set of girls selling their tshirts, they are very persuasive and do hold on to you, they sure finished us off as we couldn't get to see the rest of the market so yes they all are rather aggressive we made back for the safety of our hotel
TOUR MANAGER
Branwen Edwards was one of the most wonderful Tour Managers I have ever come across, she will take care of you from start to finish always happy and smiling clearly loves her job so if you have Branwen you are in for a real treat and I can only emphasise the same with our tour guide Hai
HOTELS
all are super standard nice large rooms TV bathrooms tea/coffee complimentary water, mini fridges, most seemed to have hair dryers, super large beds and much more, in pretty good locations
MONEY
I took £50 worth of Dong and £300 in US$ both are widely accepted everywhere, this was ample and I came back with around 50$ and I gave Hai a $50 tip and forked out the same for a new suitcase as mine got badly damaged on route so other than that what I took was ample, food and drink was very reasonable, around 2-4$ for a beer depending on size, draught, bottle or can, a meal we had at that Elegance restaurant in Hue only came to around £10 and we had a couple of pints main meal and a dessert, we found Dong a nightmare with all the noughts and hard to get rid of at times as even when you pay in dollars you may get change back in dong so I recommend being in control of your dong ie: not too much of it left come the end of the tour BUT if you do go to KFC in Saigon be aware they only take Dong
WEATHER
was mostly Hot and Humid with the odd shower here and there, temp ranging from 28 to 34 in Saigon with 88 p/c humidity at times
CLOTHING
you don't really need any warm gear like cardigans and jumpers fleeces not in November anyway, rain mac is useful or small brolly, mostly tshirts and shorts were the order of the day or dresses and frocks, good walking shoes or crocs for climbing around sites or the cave at Halong Bay which can be slippery and also useful around the pool or getting on and off the boats
FOOD
was mostly this 8/9 course stuff, very good food but I am so fussy I will not try anything, too much fish dishes also and there were many included meals on this tour most people enjoyed the food ( only me didn't )
COACHES
very comfortable and regular water was given out which was a bonus hardly had to buy any, excellent drivers also, I would not like to drive with all these mopeds around and we did witness one horrific accident involving a coach and a moped/motorcycle
and I think that's about it for now I think I've covered pretty much everything, Vietnam is a very beautiful country which I highly recommend to anyone considering it DO IT
regards
Dave
