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A packed ,varied schedule but the guides were not always very organized.

A comprehensive, enjoyable itinerary in the main. I particularly enjoyed the region of Nimh Binh and the lovely boat trip through the caves. Both Saigon and Hannoi had lots to offer, though our guides didn't always include everything promised. I would rethink the long bus trip to the Mikong Delta from Ho Chi Minh and subsequent, relatively short boat trip there. The history of Hue was fascinating and we all enjoyed the cooking class and foot massage with the local family afterwards. The boat to Halong Bay was very comfortable and the food excellent .The team on the boat were also extremely well organised and I enjoyed all the trips offered . All the hotels were quite plush but with such a packed schedule we had little time to appreciate them. We had three guides, all very pleasant but lacking in organisational skills and they were not always good at disseminating clear information. Duc, the last one, who picked us up in Hannoi changed the schedule for Nimh Binh and we missed out on the pagoda complex. We also ended up kicking our heels in the hotel lobby a couple of times waiting for a bus and again ran out of time to follow the schedule as we had to get to the water puppet theatre . The puppet show, however was delightful.The food was very good but some days there was breakfast, lunch and dinner included and others only breakfast when we had to point out to the guide that we still needed to eat! If the itinerary were tweaked a little and more experienced guides chosen it could make a real difference to this trip.

Date of experience: Feb 26, 2026