Name: Mystique Vietnam Vacation in 13 Days
Brand: Realistic Asia
SKU: N/A
Price: 1649 USD
Availability: LimitedAvailability
Rating: 4.9 (1 reviews)

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Vietnam Budget Kayaking Trips & Packages

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We did this trip in September with great experience from Highland to Lowland and Halong bay for 3 days. Highly recommended!

Go Vietnam Travel

Great way to discover Vietnam with small group tour

8 Days: Nature Forest Trekking, Tam Coc Rowing, Fishing, Mua Cave, Ha Long Bay Swimming, Kayaking, Cat Ba Island

Exodus Adventure Travels

Realistic Asia

S Vietnam Adventures

Bamba

PrestiGo Asia

G Adventures

Bravo Asia Tours

GeoEx

Exo Travel

Indotrek

Swallow Travel

Vietnam LVP Travel

Our trip was arranged by Thidara for our family of four - my husband, myself 
and our two 20-something daughters.
We asked for a trip which incorporated sight seeing with some more 
adventurous activities and some opportunities to do things independently.
The itinerary met our brief perfectly. We were able to see the main sights on 
our list with interpretation provided by our excellent guides and also do 
kaiaking, cycling and visiting a cave which was off the regular tourist 
trail.
We travelled by boat, overnight train, plane, bicycle, tuck tuck as well as 
dedicated minibuses with our trusty drivers braving the incredible traffic!
It was a fabulous trip which was made all the more enjoyable as all the 
stress was removed due to the reliability of our guides and the detailed 
organisation.
The two highlights had to be cruising and kaiaking on Halong Bay and seeing 
Angkor Wat at sunrise, however learning about the history of both Vietnam and 
Cambodia was also fascinating. Travelling south by road meant that we crossed 
the DMZ and could visit the museum there. We also went to the War Remnants 
museum in Ho Chi Minh.
We did a cooking class in Hoy An which was another must do. Our guide helped 
us out with finding an excellent class which we thoroughly enjoyed.


We had four guides during our trip and all were excellent. Helpful, 
informative and passionate about their country and its treasures.
It really added to the enjoyment of the trip that they were able to answer 
our questions and guide us through the process of getting to know the culture 
and lifestyle of this fascinating area.


Vietnam and Cambodia are great places to visit. They feel very safe and there 
is so much to see and do.
The tailor made trip worked very well for us as we had our two daughters with 
us who are 21 and 23.  They enjoyed the freedom of being able to choose 
places to eat in the evenings but were also keen to do all the activities

Trails of Vietnam

A busy trip, which gave a great overview of Vietnam, but with enough 
activities so that It didn't feel a sightseeing tour. There were journeys to 
be made but there was always a fun activity to look forward to. Vietnam is a 
fascinating country, and we met lovely people along the way.,
We were a very small group ( only 4) and it was lovely to be invited into the 
kitchen to eat at our first homestay. I enjoyed the buzz of cycling in Hue,


Thoa was a great leader. Everything was organised to perfection and we made 
great use of our time. Thoughtful things like ordering a take away on the 
train, and his attention to detail added to the trip. He is good company and 
I learned so much about Vietnam from him.


Bring earplugs! Apart from the risk of snorers in the homestays, there is 
also the risk of karaoke! The biking equipment is great, but padded shorts a 
must. Be prepared for lots of action, as well as some long journeys. Leave 
room in your suitcase for clothes from Hoi An.


Really enjoyable trip.. a great way to see and do a lot with comfortable 
accommodation, plenty of activities and great food.

I've been to Vietnam before, but this trip was completely different. This 
time I felt that I was really getting under the skin of the country to 
understand how ordinary people, rather than emperors or presidents, live. At 
each of the homestays we had the opportunity to chat with the families we 
were staying with and to ask them questions about things as varied as their 
daily working routines, the pressures they faced, family structures etc. and 
had the experience of staying in a typical family house.
In addition to that there was a packed agenda of sightseeing visits, 
activities and eating that left me happily exhausted by the end of the trip.
The first homestay was (just) the best part of the trip. The family was so 
welcoming, so obviously pleased to have us staying with them and so 
interested in telling us about their lives that it got the trip off to a 
great start and set the tone for the rest of it. Travelling there, amidst the 
devastation caused by recent unseasonably heavy rain, was an experience in 
itself.
Close behind this were: the trek from the first homestay to the second, 
through the hills, with amazing views down mist laden valleys to the lake 
where the second homestay was, and the dancing with the village dance troupe 
in the evening at the second homestay (I was grabbed by the village flautist 
to pair him in the dancing, probably because he thought that as a 64 year old 
male I would be even worse than he was, but I reckon I - just - edged it!).


The group leader, Linh Vo, was outstanding. He had a compendious knowledge of 
Vietnam and its culture,  people history and food, which he communicated 
effortlessly, coupled with personal experiences to bring it to life. His 
organisation was immaculate: everything that was supposed to happen did 
happen and at the time when it was meant to happen, with Linh on the phone 
double and triple checking ahead to make sure that it did. He was clearly 
well known, popular and much respected in many of the places that we visited, 
which meant that we got extra-special attention that made a real difference 
to my experience. He had a great sense of humour and was a terrific person to 
travel with.


Vietnamese food is amazing. Make a list of all the food you eat, because at 
the end you will want to look back on it and maybe cook some of it back home, 
but if you haven't made a list (I didn't) you just won't be able to remember. 
Make sure you try egg coffee in Hanoi.

Insight into how ordinary people in Vietnam live

This was our first Exodus trip and we were so impressed. The trip is action 
packed and Vietnam has so much to offer. There was a reasonable level of 
activity (walking and cycling and a kayaking trip), combined with a chance to 
immerse yourself in the culture of the country and meet the local villagers. 
I would recommend this to anyone who wants to maximise their time in Vietnam 
and get a really good feel for the country.
We went on a boat overnight on Halong Bay to see the stunning and famous 
limestone rocks. The sunrise the next morning was breathtaking.


Our group leader, Thoa, was fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble and he is 
a credit to Exodus. He looked after us very well, accomodated everyone's 
requirements and showed us the best sights and great places to eat and drink 
with the locals. All the travel arrangements were organised seamlessly and we 
felt rather spoilt. He encouraged us all to try new experiences and was great 
company.


This trip is very busy - a new location nearly every day and lots of 
travelling. This worked really well for our group as there is so much to 
discover in Vietnam but don't choose it if you want a restful trip.
The cycling and walking is manageable if you are active and great if you like 
variety but probably rather tame if you do walk or cycle regularly as a 
hobby.


This is a great value trip and I would really recommend it.
There was quite a bit of rain in the North when we travelled in August and, 
although it didn't spoil our trip, its unpredictability may affect some 
activities.

excellent trip with many highlights and brilliant guide --Son Nguyen
meeting the Hill tribe people  in North Vietnam and the two home stays which 
were both lovely


Son was  brilliant and an excellent guide --- was fantastic


travel light --dont need to much luggage and move frequently so too heavy a 
bag is a pain for all concerned !
mosquito repellent  is needed as we were bitten quite  a bit  even though 
mosquitoes were not immediately obvious  -
bring a refillable bottle  for water
go to some spin classes for the cycling --although distance not great it was 
hard work in that heat =-!


altogether was a great trip  and would recommend i!
we would certainly do another exodus trip if we travel to other destinations 
and felt it was very well organised
leader was great and many thanks for looking after us so well!

We were a group of 7 representing 5 nationalities.  The size of the group 
bonded us quickly and kept it that way through out the trip.  Couple with an 
excellent guide it was and will be remembered as a memorable trip.
Before booking a trip in January or February check to see when the TET 
holiday will occur and decide if potential deviations from the standard trip 
notes will have an impact on what you want to see and experience.
TET is not a festival, rather a holiday period for the Vietnamese people to 
leave the cities and return to the country to spend time with their families. 
  Millions of people are on the move which starts with the Vietnamese New 
Years Eve.  All told we experienced the impact from Day 5 through Day 13 of 
our trip.  Some guide books will advise you not to visit during TET as you 
will experience closed businesses and the businesses that remain open often 
hike their prices.  While the hotels are operating restaurants options are 
limited and may only offer a set course meal to serve to tourists.  Our guide 
was constantly adjusting our schedule to accommodate for TET--substituting a 
cycle day for a kayak trip, locating someone to do our laundry while in Hoi 
An and of course picking our restaurants.  On the plus side there was less 
traffic to deal with.
Reflecting back now it was clearly the two nights we stayed with the 
hill-tribes.  Given our small group it was easy to interact with the adults 
and especially the children.  The music and the dancing on the second night 
was as enjoyable for the village as it was for us.


Tuyen Nguyen was everything you would want in a guide--professional, well 
organized, capable of dealing with multiple changes in itineraries (think 
TET) plus a good sense of humor.  He worked his hardest to make sure we 
enjoyed our time in his country.  Our bus rides were filled with his wisdom 
and wit.


Weather in the north can be really cold especially at the homestays--a 
sleeping sheet or a light sleeping bag if you chill easily--the bedding 
provided is a sheet and a blanket.  Ear plugs are essential as the dogs and 
roosters are everywhere.  Bring the slippers from the Day 1 hotel to use in 
the sleeping rooms.
You will be backpacking on Day 3 to your new homestay.  It rained on us and 
was very slippery and muddy.  Your large bag will be stored at a hotel on Day 
2, 5, 11 &amp; 12.  You can pack more stuff after the homestay but you still have 
to carry it between the bus and your night's stay.
Day 7 is a long day and one needs to have cycle gear readily available--from 
the train right to cycling--gel saddle cover and gel cycle shorts really 
help.
We didn't see the sun until Day 7 but the sunscreen came out from then on.  
Bugs were not a problem.


The trip covers a lot of ground.  You will experience considerable time on 
the bus and periods of inactivity especially at the front end of the trip.  
This isn't a cultural trip nor is it an activity trip.  As a group we only 
kayaked on Day 5.  Cycling often seemed to have no purpose other than to keep 
us busy.  What was billed as trekking was really just walking.
A pleasant surprise was the overall quality of most of the hotels.  The 
guesthouse on Day 12 was a very nice end to the trip.
The trip is just an overview of Vietnam.  I arrived a week before the group 
and booked my own trip to Siem Reap.  In Hanoi I spent several days walking 
the city and going to the various museums.  That week will always be my 
personal highlight.

Vietnam Budget Kayaking Trips & Packages Tour & Trip Reviews

Great way to discover Vietnam with small group tour