Hello Thao,

We made it home to US safely but a couple of delayed flights so we got home about midnight last night. 27 hours total travel time. But it was all worth it!

We had a fantastic time and learned soon much about Viet Nam. We loved it. And you did a fantastic job of setting everything up for us and all of your guides and drivers were really great. I never comment on Trip Advisor bit this week when I have time I plan to give your company a great review. Thank you again. We will tell all of our friends who may want to go to Viet Nam to contact you.

Be safe and prosper!

Mr. Gary Tagtmeier_12 Days_VIETNAM HERITAGE

Hello Vy,
 
Just to let you know that I arrived safely at HCM airport and as usual the driver was at the hotel ahead of time.
 
All in all the trip has gone very well indeed. Thank you for your excellent job setting everything up and making sure it all went according to plan. Your organisation, quick communication, making any changes that were required, the guides, drivers and cars were all excellent. I enjoyed the imformative discussions I had with all the interesting guides.
Without all that I’m sure I would have spent half my trip organizing and working out the next move but you really did make this an easy, seamless trip for me. It has been great dealing with you and I had great confidence that should I have had any problems you would have resolved them quickly.
 
Hard to pick out one highlight as really for a snapshot of Vietnam everyday had highlights.
As I’ve done so much it seems so long ago when I was meeting you in Hanoi !

Please feel free to share my comments with your management and supervisers.
 
With best regards,
 
Philip

GILBERT group x1 Vietnam Highlight 12 Days

Dear Thao,
Extremely happy that we engaged Tonkin Tonkin Voyage Travel for our recent 16 day tour of NW Vietnam, for the following reasons;

• We had to cancel our original tour date in February because of events beyond our control and Tonkin-Travel were extremely helpful and fair with our later rescheduling for September - October.
• Their price was exceptional value for what we received.
• We had a special interest in the war area and history. They researched and found a guide who had extensive knowledge of the country including the battle of Dien Bien Phu. His father was at General Giap's headquarters. Mr Khue is a very friendly character who had us meeting lots of village people.  Ms Huyen is a very safe, cautious and friendly driver with a great sense of humour. They made the trip so enjoyable, it was sad to see it end.
• They were attentive to our needs right until the finish, very professional. We were treated like VIPs everywhere.  
• We had most meals included so got to try lots of places and dishes we would have been unable to find and order on our own.  
• Personal service from Ms Thao was very attentive throughout our planning, canceling and re-booking stages. She visited us before the trip and had dinner with us after. One couldn't better the first class attention we received from her.  
• Our pre and post tour hotel and airport transfers were great.  
• Everything stated on the itinerary was delivered .
• We would definitely recommend this company."  

Robert_190219  2 pax - 27 days

Dear Vy,

 Well here we are back settled at home in New Zealand. The weather is vastly different and we are missing the heat in Vietnam!!

Thank you so much for your amazing help and organization of a wonderful three weeks touring. From the very first contact you were prompt with your replies and clear with the options. All the accommodation you organised was excellent and there was not a single hitch with the tour. All guides and drivers were always on time ready and waiting. I must make special mention of Linh in Hoi An and our driver in HCMC .The guides and drivers were excellent but these two in particular were outstanding. Mr T in Hanoi was very informative and kindly bought us Longan berries which we had not tried before and really enjoyed and Ms Thoa in HCMC introduced us to delicious Vietnamese confectionery. We were very impressed with the courtesy afforded us throughout our tour and felt that we hade made new friends.

I think if we returned being of the age we are and having travelled quite a lot we would have less markets in the itinerary and maybe a longer stay in each place with a free day! Maybe next time!

Thank you once again Vy it was lovely to meet you and we shall most definitely be recommending you to anyone wishing to travel to Vietnam

 We have already told people of your superb service.

Kind regards,

Josephine

JOSEPHINE group x2Pax Essence of Vietnam & Cambodia 15 Days

Hi Vy,

Thankyou so much for your e mail. You are right – it has taken us a little while to readjust.
We all wanted to write to let you know how much we enjoyed the trip. You did a fantastic job of organising it to our requirements. We all agree that there was not any day we would have changed . The hotel choices were all good and the choice of lunch venues and menus also gave us a chance to experience almost every local dish.
The absolute highlight were our guides. Chien was the ideal introduction and got on well with all of us, but especially our children who loved his sense of humour. We really enjoyed his love of food and the frequent stops we made to try out local foods and drinks. Pineapple with chilli and salt was my favourite. We felt totally safe in his hands and his relationships with all of the people we met – made our trip fun and relaxing. His intelligence and knowledge about Vietnam and world affairs made talking to him about the country and other issues very interesting. Our driver was also very reliable and we felt very safe with him – even in the chaos of Hanoi.
Huy ( Im not sure if I have spelled this correctly) was also an excellent choice for the central part of our trip. We had a lot of interesting conversations with him about the American war, local and village life and Vietnamese culture. He is very knowledgeable about history. Again, our driver was both reliable and safe.

I’m not sure about how much detail you want in the feedback so feel free to ask me more questions – I thought it was easier to do day by day:
Hanoi – definitely stay in the old quarter. We loved it. The Quoc Hoa hotel was absolutely fine – fantastic air conditioning, good breakfast and very central. It was good to have the first day to ourselves to get oriented. The best trip was to the museum of ethnology – Chien was very a interesting guide – it gives you context for the whole trip. We also loved the cyclo ride. Maybe an extra day would be good if you had the time. The trip to Duongs for lunch was excellent – probably the best food of our trip.

Mai Chau – I loved this area and if we visit again would definitely like to visit more of the tribal areas. The drive up there was great and the roadside stop for eggs and sticky rice is not to be missed. The location of the eco lodge is beautiful. The highlight was the cycle trip, such a great way to see the countryside. We also enjoyed the evening dancing – even our adult children!

Ninh Binh – It was a long drive here, but given we were going to Halong its difficult to see how we could have avoided it. Perhaps this was our least favourite day. Tam Coc is beautiful but nowhere near as spectacular as halong. The hotel here was nice.

Halong – I nearly avoided going to Halong as I was worried it might be too touristy. That would have been a mistake. It is a must-do experience. Such a beautiful part of the world. It is definitely worth paying extra for the cruise – our boat was spectacular and we also got to cruise in a much quieter part of the bay. We hardly saw any other boats once we left the Marina. The standard of the boat matched ( almost) the beauty of the surroundings.

We were very sad to say goodbye to our guide and driver at the airport. Some of our most interesting experiences were the stops we made for food/drink or to look at and talk about something he had noticed at the side of the road. Chien took us into the terminal, sorted our check in and made sure we were in the best queue for baggage drop. Excellent service.

Hue – our arrival was great – we weren’t an hour early this time! The driver met us and took us to the Romance hotel – again a great hotel perfectly located. We used the pool and the spa here. We met Huy the next day and had a very interesting trip around the city – the highlight was the citadel- maybe we could have spent longer here if we had more time. Huy was very interesting on the wars, the Vietnamese kings and religion. We learned a lot. I also enjoyed the trip to the market. Hue is a really enjoyable base. The city feels so much less busy than Hanoi – more manageable. Its low rise and beautifully situated on the river.

Phong Nha – a long trip up there but worth it if you like caves! They are spectacular. We travelled up on a very wet day and Hui changed the schedule so we did the boat trip the following day. Paradise cave is very impressive. Also very busy with domestic tourists. Huy made sure we visited at lunchtime and so missed the crowds. The dark cave experience was great – more fun than I expected and definitely a good trip if you have children with you. The lakehouse hotel was fine.

A highlight on the way back was the visit to the Vinh Moc tunnels. Very interesting. Both the tunnels and the museum are worth a stop.

Hoi An – the choice of hotel at the beach was perfect for the end of our trip. The Palm garden was very nice and perfectly located on the beach but within about 15 minutes of Hoi an centre. We had mixed feeling about the town – having heard great things about it before we travelled. My daughter loved it – it was a highlight of her trip. Both Dom and I were a bit overwhelmed by the crowds of people – it is busier than Venice! The tour with Hui was excellent – we saw a good variety of buildings. We were pleased not to be staying in Hoi An itself. As far as shopping is concerned, we did use the tailors but to be honest found Hanoi the best place for clothing and souvenirs. ( this is also because Chien took us to some good places)

The transfer to the airport was easy and on time and the flights home were on time. We were very sad to leave.

It was a wonderful experience and we have recommended Vietnam to our friends! We are so glad that we chose your company – we would not have been able to see , experience or learn nearly as much if we had travelled independently – and certainly not in such short a space of time. I was also very pleased that we had not tried to visit the south on this trip. To us northern Europeans the heat is exhausting and so 9 days of trips worked well and was also tiring. We needed the three days at the end to rest and get ready to return to work!.

Thankyou so much for the photos. I have a few that I will send to you from my phone.

With best wishes
Sarah

SARAH group x4Pax From Northern to Central Vietnam 13 Days