More than excellent! There was plenty of activity and just the right amount of down-time. We added the Cu Chi tunnels and Ho Chi Minh’s body, and we were glad to see both. Our guide suggested a rickshaw ride through the old quarter in Hanoi, and that was a great way to see it. (about $15 for three of us) The hotels were superb, especially the hotels in Hoi An and Hanoi. Please tell future travelers about the chocolate bar in the Metropole in the late afternoon!!
Vietnam is a difficult country to explore. There is no public transportation, and driving a car, scooter, or riding a bike is not safe for foreigners. There are hardly any traffic lights, and everyone just goes! We saw people on the side of the road after crashes. Therefore, having a car and a driver is the way to go. Our drivers were always there when we needed them, and always supplied us with cold bottled water when we got in the car. We were totally spoiled!
On the boat, on Ha Long Bay, there were about 5 staff people for the two of us. A guide, a kayak person, a chef, a captain, and I think one other person, and they all expected tips at the end. It was overkill. Of course, Ha Long Bay was the most beautiful part of the country, and we loved kayaking there.
Our guide, Le Van Cuong, was outstanding, as promised. He spoke English perfectly, explained everything with his broad knowledge, and even sang to us. He took us to his family alter and showed us generation after generation on his family tree. On the last night he invited us to his home in Hanoi, and we found ourselves drinking 30-year-old Scotch with he and his Viet Cong war buddies while his wife served us dish after dish of home-cooked food. We never would have guessed we would find ourselves there!!
We had trouble with the amount of pollution in the air and water. Everyone says Vietnam is beautiful, and we weren’t expecting that. The MeKong, where food is grown for 65 million people, is brown. The air and water were so dirty in Ho Chi Minh City that we couldn’t get our hair clean. The boat in Ha Long had a balcony outside our rooms, but the exhaust in the back of the boat smelled lethal so we didn’t use it. We’ve both lived in NYC - I don’t think we’re that picky. It was just so polluted.
Thank you Myths & Mountains for all of the work you put into organizing our trip. You really did a fantastic job. We never could have seen this country on our own — this was definitely the way to go!
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