23/07/2024
Amazing ! Outstanding Guides and Great Support!
We had an amazing family trip where people were coming from different cities and arriving a departing at different times and days. Our planning started by looking at the tours, picking and choosing sights from the set tours and adding our own for a private, custom tour. Lan at Vivo travel seamlessly and patiently made the itinerary, with helpful suggestions along the way. We couldn't have asked for better handling of all of the logistics.
We started our trip in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) with the wonderful Mr Ty Do as our tour guide. He was a generous wealth of information, not just about sights but also culture, food and naturopathic health. We did a Mekong Delta cruise and a number of stops along the way. It was so much more informative and beautiful and fun than I expected.
Next we went to Hanoi and had the pleasure of Mr Phoung as our tour guide. He was knowledgeable and helpful, pointing out all the best places to eat for the times we were on our own for meals. He also managed to pick us up from the airport, take us to lunch, get us to Train Street on schedule and also fit in the Water Puppet Show, all without making us feel too rushed.
The next day we went to Ninh Binh. We climbed the nearly 500 steps to Mua Cave and were rewarded with the picturesque views of lotus fields in bloom and Tam Coc. If you forget or drink all of your water, there’s a spot on the way up where you can buy beverages and many spots along the way to take a well needed breather. After working up an appetite with the climb, we enjoyed lunch and then a leisurely sampan ride on the Ngo D**g River. On our way back we were asking our tour guide about farming practices. He shared so much about how rice is farmed and even had the driver pull over so he could show us a farm and explain in more detail as he pointed out different fields and farmers planning baby rice.
When we went to Ha Long Bay the next day, I was amazed that the views could get even more breathtaking. We were on La Casta Cruise for an overnight cruise. The rooms were good size and the bathrooms about as big as the ones in most hotels, and each room had its own private balcony. It was a perfect spot to sit back and take in the majestic views in peace. The highlight of the cruse was probably when we went to the beach and then went kayaking. At the suggestion of the cruise director, Lucky, we paddled into a lovely cove. Just as we were turning around and thinking it couldn’t get any better, it started to rain. It was still sunny and the rain was absolutely perfect! It was cooling and when a rainbow showed up it was magical. I was too lost in the joy of it all to get a picture, though I’ll always have that picture in my mind as the perfect moment on an amazing trip.
Thank you VivuTravel!
Christine Kim Tai
