Best of Northern Vietnam 6 days

15 August, 2019

"Good program and price"

Thank you for the good itinerary. We met a group from Taiwan who planned DIY, and they were surprised that my family of 3 had a nice itinerary and good price. They may recommend to their friends.

Ninh Binh experience was marred by the uninvited photography along the boat rowing. We did not ask to be… MoreThank you for the good itinerary. We met a group from Taiwan who planned DIY, and they were surprised that my family of 3 had a nice itinerary and good price. They may recommend to their friends.

Ninh Binh experience was marred by the uninvited photography along the boat rowing. We did not ask to be photographed but she insisted and did not stop even though we did not want to respond to her. Although we understand they do this for a living, but we felt like we were cornered and forced to buy the printed photographs, and the photographer showed an angry and unfriendly face when we refused to buy. It was not a nice experience.
Compare this experience to what we did in Sapa. We bought some crafts from the ladies who followed us along the trek in Sapa, as they were friendly, genuine and helped us along the trekking as it was very slippery and muddy. We were grateful for their help and thus we bought some items from them. That was OK for us because we received help from them that are crucial for us to complete the trek safely.

Tom had been very friendly and helpful. It is very nice of him to call on the night we arrived and to inform us on some activities that we can do at night, and what to look out for.
The food tour was good as he showed us many places which we would not dare to venture in on our own. It made the entire Hanoi food experience more wholesome. Recommended to do food tour on 1st or 2nd day in Hanoi to get familiarize with the area.

Jon? Pho? Is speaks very good English and brought us into the villagers life in Sapa. Trek was tougher than expected due to muddy grounds. It was a good trek and a good work out. It would had been even better if he had prepared us to wear good shoes for walking in nature, and bring sunblock and enough water, as well as raincoat in case it rains. The second day tour in Cat Cat village was good. Nice views and he gave us a tour of his house. It is also very interesting to hear form a guide who is a local in the village as he can show us the actual life of villagers in Sapa. Overall, he was a good guide.

Munh? Is an average guide. Compared to Tom and Jon, her English is not that great. Her knowledge about the history of the places are also OK, but it could also be due to the limitation of what she could share because of the English command. She also come across as always talking about tips and how we need to give tips, which we understand that it helps her income, but it makes it seemed like an obligation to give tips. In Asian culture, giving tips is not the norm, thus we don’t usually tip where we come from. Tipping is a very US culture. Less

15 July, 2019

"Best tour i have done, so much variety."

Guide in Hanoi: Perfect introduction to vietnamn. 10/10
Guide in Sapa: The hike was the best thing, In the wet season should make wearing gumboots compulsory, We had no idea what to expect. 10/10
Guide in Ha long bay: Breathtaking and gorgeous. 10/10

Highlight of Our trip was Swan Cruise Halong Bay:… MoreGuide in Hanoi: Perfect introduction to vietnamn. 10/10
Guide in Sapa: The hike was the best thing, In the wet season should make wearing gumboots compulsory, We had no idea what to expect. 10/10
Guide in Ha long bay: Breathtaking and gorgeous. 10/10

Highlight of Our trip was Swan Cruise Halong Bay: Was an incredible experience, staff were lovely. The water activities could have gone for a little longer Less

5 June, 2019

"Overall trip is OK"

Overall trip is OK except for the weather especially in Hanoi. The night train ride was horrendous as we could not sleep and my wife fell sick.

One day tribal village trekking in Sapa is good and not 2 days as it was very hot doing trekking middle of the day. The second day should be to Fansipan and… MoreOverall trip is OK except for the weather especially in Hanoi. The night train ride was horrendous as we could not sleep and my wife fell sick.

One day tribal village trekking in Sapa is good and not 2 days as it was very hot doing trekking middle of the day. The second day should be to Fansipan and that is why we have to change our second day itinerary instead of trekking to another tribal village.

The Ecosapa Limousine ride was good. It is better to take this type of transport to Sapa
Tour guide in Hanoi is good. Ecosapa Limousine Driver is ok, only communication problem. Tour guide at Sapa average. Lunch at Panorama Hotel Sapa is good. Less

4 June, 2019

"great time and great holiday"

Overall we have had a great time and holiday, Jenny was fanastic in her follow up and attention.

Guide in Hanoi Mr Le was very knowledgeable in his history of Hanoi and spoke very well in English we have a great time in our Hanoi tour.

Guide in Sapa Ms Phuong spoke very well in English and was very… MoreOverall we have had a great time and holiday, Jenny was fanastic in her follow up and attention.

Guide in Hanoi Mr Le was very knowledgeable in his history of Hanoi and spoke very well in English we have a great time in our Hanoi tour.

Guide in Sapa Ms Phuong spoke very well in English and was very attentive during us trekking, though it was raining but we had a great time.
The train condition was average and no wifi, toilet dirty and smell, cabin was very small, should arrange with a newer train fleet/ operator instead. Luckily we were able to catch some sleep before arriving Sapa. The bus ride up to Vista Hotel was old and not very comfortable.
The bus ride back to Hanoi was very comfortable and very present with wifi.


Guide in Ninh Binh Mr Alex Van spoke very good English and was very attentive and we had a great bicycle trip enjoying the beautiful scenaries of “Ha Long On Land” also the river boating was very nice, we were able to catch some of the best views of Ninh Binh. We had a wonderful time.
Guide in Ha Long Bay: Mr Ken was attentive and spoke good English, he was helpful and have given us an overview history of Ha Long, a great quite time indeed to enjoy the beauty of Ha Long.

Guide in Hanoi Food Tour: Ms Phuc was cheerful and she have brought us to some good food eateries in Hanoi, some of the best food we have eaten so far during this trip. The food tour have exceeded our expectations.

Accommodation
1. Hotel in Hanoi - La Suite Hotel & Spa - Deluxe Room
Hotel is in a very good location, room and wifi was good though hotel is old, needs some renovation, the breakfast was poor with very limited food and variety, however serving staff was helpful in providing us with our request for Chicken Pho as there was nothing much to eat during breakfast even when we arrived early.

2. Ha long bay cruise: Oriental Sails - Deluxe Cabin overall was good, however the bathroom shower was very hot and cannot control the temperature, wifi poor and food was average/ poor.

3. Hotel in Sapa– Vista Hotel – Superior
Hotel was good and spacious, buffet breakfast and dinner was good, great wifi, hotel is old perhaps some renovation was do good. A great time staying in this hotel.
Less

10 March, 2019

"The trip is great"

It was a fantastic tour and we would highly recommend it to other people, in fact we already have!

25 February, 2019

"fantastic tours"

Thank you for organising this tour for us, it was fantastic. We also would like to say Linh was an amazing tour guide. We would highly recommend it to other people, in fact we already have!

22 October, 2018

"Well organized"

1. Itinerary: (+) The activities are properly arranged. (-) I expected to visit more places in Hanoi. (-) The activities in Ninh Binh was a little bit boring. I also expected to visit more places. 9/10
2. Food/ Drink: (+) Everything were very delicious. I appreciate that they introduced me to lots of… More1. Itinerary: (+) The activities are properly arranged. (-) I expected to visit more places in Hanoi. (-) The activities in Ninh Binh was a little bit boring. I also expected to visit more places. 9/10
2. Food/ Drink: (+) Everything were very delicious. I appreciate that they introduced me to lots of Vietnamese food. 10/10
3. Tour Guide: (+) I was amazed with all the tour guides that I met. They are knowledgeable and their English is fluent. 10/10

3.1. Guide in Hanoi
+10/10
(+) She’s very knowledgeable and is also fluent in English. She’s a good driver also.
3.2. Guide in Sapa (+10)
(+) She knows lots of things. She gave us lots of interesting information about the life of the tribes in Sapa. She was able to answer all of our questions. I find her as a very intelligent person.
3.3. Guide in Ninh Binh (+9)
(+) He’s very knowledgeable and I can see his perseverance to learn more in English. I find him humble and nice.

. Accommodation
4.1. Hotel in Hanoi – La Suite Hotel and Spa (+9)
(+) I love the accommodation. The staff were also very nice and helpful. (-) I was not informed on the time for breakfast. Even though I forgot to ask about it, I think it’s their responsibility to inform their customers.

4.2. Hotel in Sapa – Sapa Vista hotel (+10)
(+) I am thankful that they gave me the best room (in my own opinion) in the hotel. I just love everything there.
Less