I have just returned home from taking the Jules Verne "Vietnam Cultural Journey, Hanoi, Hue and Ho Chi Minh City" Although the tour was OK, with a little better organisation and thought it could have been fantastic. The tour broke down into 4 parts with different tour managers for 3 parts and no tour manger for Halong Bay.First Ho Chi Minh City, by and large this all went off well with my only criticism being the 3rd day there which involved a trip down to the Mekong Delta - We all felt that there was far too much time on the coach for too little time there.Then an internal flight to Hue, all went well, 2 nights near Hue followed by an interesting coach journey and another 2 nights at Hoi An - Again everything ran reasonably smoothly.We then had another internal flight to Hanoi and on arrival there, things took a bit of a dive. We were met by our 3rd tour manager, Duc, things didn't bode well when he couldn't find our coach and had to make a phone call. It was now mid afternoon and none of us had had lunch. We went to the hotel but were told we didn't have time to eat, or go on the planned visits as there wasn't time as we had a Puppet Show booked. The transportation to this didn't arrive and we spent over an hour in the hotel lobby waiting (When we could have eaten) The transport eventually arrived and we went to the puppet show which was excellent. We were all very hungry so we asked Duc if he would drop us at a restaurant recommended by him on the way back to the hotel - Unfortunately when we arrived, there were no tables available and yet another long wait - We did eventually get our meal which was good...The next few days went well, we were taken to Halong Bay and that all went well enough, but other that ships staff, we had no tour manager. After Halong bay we went to Nin Binh and then onto a splendid resort hotel but, because Duc had rearranged the schedule we didn't arrive until after 6pm, so we didn't have opportunity to avail ourselves of the excellent facilities on offer. We also missed visiting the temple above Nin Binh and seeing the views.We then took a very slow drive back to Hanoi arriving around mid day. Duc did take us to Train Street which wasn't on our schedule, but proved to be very interesting. a final night at the Hanoi hotel with a late check out the following evening and an overnight flight back to London.So - Overall a good trip, but it could have been Amazing. My main recommendation would be to have one tour manager with us for the entire trip. (This was my 3rd Jules Verne holiday in less that 1.5 years)
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Jules Verne offers expertly curated small-group tours and independent journeys to some of the world's most captivating destinations. With over 45 years of experience, we create immersive travel experiences that blend discovery, comfort, and convenience. Each itinerary is carefully curated, providing unique insights and unforgettable adventures, guided by experts who will enrich your journey every step of the way.
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