What people say about Indochina Odyssey Tours

 Itinerary: 4 days Vietnam & Cambodia & Thailand tour
4-day tour of Ho Chi Minh - Siem Reap - Phnom Penh -Thailand
Travel Date: 16nd, June - 19th, July, 2010  
Number of Travelers: 6 person
Nationality: USA

Eric,

1. What do you think of our guide service? Who impress you best and who impress you poorest?
Guide service was excellent:
Vietnam:  Hai was really exceptional in his attention to detail.  Everything was planned down to the second, yet he was flexible enough to fit in a stop at a supermarket for snacks when the kids started to melt.  He even noticed that it was my son's birthday two days earlier and had a wonderfully decorated cake as a surprise for him at lunch.  He was very friendly and relatively easy to understand.  He was extremely knowledgeable, and he was very open to answering any and all questions.  He was very attuned to our needs, and before we could realize that it was raining, he managed to produce rain ponchos for all of us (at his expense.)  Fantastic.

Siem Reap:  Prony was very sweet.  He was very knowledgable about both Hinduism and Buddhism and he really did his best to impart as much information as he could about each place and topic, while giving us a glimpse into his personal life and family history.

Phnom Pen:  Dara was incredibly impressive.  Every member of our family (from oldest to youngest) were enraptured as he taught us about the culture and the history (including the atrocities) of Cambodia.  We couldn't get enough of him.  He shared some incredible personal stories to compliment the facts and figures (of which he had an excellent command.) He was aware of our vegetarianism and asked us a few clarifying questions.  He then canceled the original restaurant that we were scheduled to go to and arranged for us to have an exceptional alacarte meal in a beautiful restaurant.  After lunch we were scheduled to visit the market until our flight, but having had enough marketing the evening prior in Siem Reap, we asked if we could visit the Killing Fields (which we were originally told we would not have time for) He told us that if we hurried we could make it.  The driver asked for an additional $20, and he drove us there, Dara continued his very moving guiding, and we made it back to the airport with just enough time to make our flight. 

Bangkok:  Wassana (Lucky) was incredibly caring and very informative.  She made sure that the kids were happy – for example, she bought fish food for them to feed the fish in the river (a highlight), the day before we arrived, she had scouted out the best restaurant for us as vegetarians – one that afforded us an incredible night time river view.  She walked streets and alleyways with us so that we got a sense of real Bangkok life,   She bought us little local treats to taste.  On our last day, she took us on a walk through gardens near the cultural center where we ate lunch, and introduced us to all kinds of unique plants – ones that you can brush your teeth with, others that close when you touch them, etc.  Again, the children enjoyed this as much as the adults.  She took us Elephant riding, and arranged for the local photographer to take photos of us on the elephants with our own camera…

2. What do you think of our driver service?
All of the drivers were very friendly, great drivers and got us everywhere quickly and safely.  In Vietnam and Cambodia they had plenty of cold water for us.  In Phnom Pen, the driver had umbrellas for each one of us when it started to rain. In Thailand, the driver gave us his personal umbrella.

3. What do you think of the hotel service and their breakfast? Can you please name the best one and the poorest one in your trip?
We only stayed at two hotels.  Tara Angor was a beautiful boutique hotel, modern asian furnishings.  The rooms smelled a bit musty, but that is probably because of the high humidity.  Its location was very convenient to the Temples.  Breakfast was average.  One day the baked goods tasted fresh, the next day, they seemed to be stale.  Orange juice was not fresh.  Otherwise, OK.
Eastin Hotel in Bangkok was a beautiful hotel in a very run down stinky neighborhood (the streets outside of the hotel smell like rotten trash).  The rooms were beautiful, even provided free internet, but the staff was not particularly friendly.  When we tried to get a third water bottle for each room (we were three in a room after all) they gave us a very hard time.  We did get the bottles in the end.  We also had to convince them to give us some extra towels.  Breakfast was decent, again, no fresh orange juice, baked goods were very mediocre.

4. Which meal makes you memorable? Please name the reason why you like or dislike it?
Our most memorable meal was lunch at the Rex hotel in Ho Chi Minh City.  We were served a literal Vegan Feast, many courses, new foods, fake meats… my wife was convinced she had real shrimp in her soup.  The Restaurant Manager came over to prove to here that it wasn't real.  They made a beautiful birthday cake for my son… everything was outstanding, and the setting was beautiful and nicely air conditioned. The best.

Other memorable meals included lunch in Phnom Pen in a beautiful Cambodian restaurant, dinner in Bangkok overlooking the river and the lights and our last lunch outside of Bangkok overlooking beautiful grounds of the Cultural Center… we did not particularly enjoy the buffet, but our guide had them make some incredible vegan Pad Thai that was probably my favorite single dish on the trip.
Our least favorable meals were in Siem Reap:  The first restaurant that we were taken to for lunch, at Angor Wat was way too hot and smelled strongly of fried foods. We couldn’t tolerate sitting there, so the guide took us to a much better restaurant, but it was at our own expense.  Dinner that evening, which was a buffet with a dance show was not particularly good, and the whole event seemed mega-touristy.

5. Would you mind sharing your pictures in the trip with us?
 I'll be happy to attach a few photos.

6. Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?
Happy to be a reference.

Zvi Weiss

July 27th 2010

Itinerary: 17days/16 nights Indochina Overture
17-day tour of Hanoi – Halong Bay – Hanoi – Hue – Danang – Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh – Mekong Delta – Ho Chi Minh – Siem Reap – Phnom Penh
Travel Date: 26nd, June - 12th, July, 2010  
Number of Travelers: 3 adults
Nationality: UK

Andrew,

1. What do you think of our guide service? Who impress you the best and who impress you the poorest?
All 5 guides we had were very good.  Smartly presented, polite and professional.  All knowledgeable on their areas.  The ones who made the biggest impressions were Naren in Siem Reap and Hao in Saigon.  Both very friendly and very informative.  We did feel we were being a little rushed around by Thach in Hue, but that’s just a minor comment!     

2. What do you think of our driver service? 
 Again, all drivers were professional.  Smartly dressed and courteous at all times.  A minibus was provided (for 3 of us) in all locations except Hanoi where we were a little squashed in the back of a car.  All vehicles were clean and well maintained.  One got a puncture but this was changed and we were back on our travels within 15 minutes.

3. What do you think of the hotel service and their breakfast? Can you please name the best one and the poorest one in your trip?
All hotels were very good.  All were clean and smart.  Staff were polite and helpful.  Full buffet breakfasts at all which offered everything.
Best hotels were Saigon Morin in Hue and Tara Angkor in Siem Reap.  I have chosen these 2 above the others for 2 reasons: both gave us a triple bedded room (not a folding 3rd bed) and both provided free internet facilities.

4. Which meal makes you memorable? Please name the reason why you like or dislike it? 
 Like some of the other travellers, we struggled with so many set lunches.  As we are not used to eating mid day, we did waste a lot of food although we had asked for smaller portions.  However, all restaurants were very obliging in providing non-fish dishes at our request.  All meals were well presented.  Some of the restaurants overcharged on the drinks though!
 
5. Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?
I am happy to provide a reference for your company.  We were delighted with our holiday and the planning by Andrew Wei.  All went without a hitch.  Perfect.

These are just minor points in what was an excellent holiday.  Thank you for making the arrangements and meeting our tight timescales.
 
Best regards

Alison Simpson

July 19th 2010

Itinerary: 3days/2nights Cambodia Smiling Tour
3-day tour of Siem Reap - Tonle Sap lake - Angkor
Travel Date: 2nd, June - 4th, July, 2010  
Number of Travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: USA
 

Eric,
 

1. What do you think of our guide service? Who impress you best and who impress you poorest? 
 Our guide was knowledgeable about the area and very friendly.  He arrived early each of the 2 mornings before our scheduled meeting time, and dressed very professionally. No one made a poor impression. 
 

2. What do you think of our driver service? 
 Our driver was polite and drove safely.
 

3. What do you think of the hotel service and their breakfast? Can you please name the best one and the poorest one in your trip?  The Ree Hotel was very pleasant - comfortable bed, nice pool area, a bit warm in the lobby but it was very hot out (the lobby wasn't AC'd).  We had a drink in the bar one evening and that was fine.  Breakfast was a plentiful buffet, good selections.  It might have been nicer to have been closer in to the town, but it really wasn't a problem.  We were able to take in a tuk-tuk at a reasonable cost and with no problems.  The service personnel were very friendly and helpful.
 

4. Which meal makes you memorable? Please name the reason why you like or dislike it? 
 No meal was particularly outstanding.  We had dinner in town our one night, met friends at a recommended restaurant, but it was more of a coffee/dessert place, with some light meals.  We still stayed to eat, and the food was good, just a more casual atmosphere than we thought we'd be having (Blue Pumpkin).
 

5. Would you mind sharing your pictures in the trip with us? 
 Sure - but I still have them on my camera....
 

6. Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?
 We would be glad to be a reference for anyone interested.
 

Besides, we welcome any other suggestions or comments from you. Thank you for your time.
 I can't think of other comments or suggestions.  We used IOT on the advice of friends, and were very pleased with your service right from your first quick response to our initial query.  Having to rebook twice because of complications with our starting point (Bangkok) turned out to be no problem at all, you were very helpful and accommodating. We've already told others (we just got home yesterday) what a good trip it was, and they are interested in what we did.  We'll be happy to recommend them to IOT.
Have a nice day,

My best regards,
 

Janet
 

July 5th, 2010

Itinerary: 12days/11nights Vietnam Highlight Sonata
12-day tour of Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta - Hue - Danang - Hoi An - Hanoi - Halong Bay
Travel Date: 24th, June - 5th, July, 2010  
Number of Travelers: 4 adults
Nationality: Australia

Hi Andrew,

Yes the family is home and settled back in. I was planning to write to you anyway to say a big thanks from all of us. We were really impressed by the job you did and also the way the itinerary was sorted and handled by the guides when we were in Vietnam. We had a couple of illnesses along the way, fortunately nothing really serious and it didn't really interfere with our travels. I'd be delighted to answer your questions below:

1. What do you think of our guide service? Who impress you the best and who impress you the poorest?
The guides were excellent. I think our favourite was Phu, we got on really well with him and when Daniella needed medical assistance he made it happen at amazing speed. We plan to keep in touch with Phu. Hao was also very good. We got on really well with Hao as well. Hao suggested during our drive from airport to hotel that we add Cu Chi tunnels to our itinerary (we had originally removed this). We decided to go with his local knowledge and had a really, really good day. We are really glad he took the time to explain why he thought we should change plans a bit. We didn't have any problems with Cuong but he wasn't as outgoing or chatty as Hao and Phu. When Hao and Phu met us at the airport they introduced themselves to us individually, making sure they got names right, etc. They chatted about Vietnam from pick up to drop off at the hotel. Cuong introduced himself but was otherwise quiet. We felt that with Cuong we had to start conversation, once we got him talking on something he was quite good. In all cases the local knowledge of the guides was outstanding and their ability to speak English was really good.

2. What do you think of our driver service?
No problems with the drivers. Clean vehicles, on time, air conditioning working. I felt safe while travelling (or at least as safe as you can feel on a Vietnamese road).

3. What do you think of the hotel service and their breakfast? Can you please name the best one and the poorest one in your trip?
We thought the hotels were all good value. Our favourite was the Hoi An Hotel. The whole set up was brilliant, we loved the pool, the service and the rooms. Is hard to nominate a least favourite as all the rooms basically lived up to expectations. Maybe the Beautiful Saigon hotels because on our first stay Christopher and Daniella were placed in a room a number of floors away from us and access to our room required use of a narrow staircase. On our return visit we were told there was no available room and transferred to Beautiful Saigon 2. The rooms were fine but the plumbing needs to be fixed as there was an unpleasant odour coming from the bath drain in both of the rooms. In all there was nothing that we couldn't cope with reasonably easily. The level of staff friendliness and service attention was great in all hotels. A special mention should go the staff at the Golden Sun 4 Hotel in Hanoi, truly excellent service.

4. Which meal makes you memorable? Please name the reason why you like or dislike it?
We pretty much enjoyed all the restaurants. The one in Hanoi (don't have the name) was by far the least favourite. The food just wasn't up to the standards of the other restaurants on the tour. The meal at Mekong Delta (Hao Ai – I think that is the name) was the most memorable. We had seen the elephant ear fish prepared on a TV show and wanted to try it. To sit in the Mekong Delta, such a beautiful location, and eat really good food that included the elephant ear fish was just magnificent. Morning Glory Restaurant at Hoi An was also very, very good. As I mentioned, apart from the Hanoi restaurant we thought all the restaurants were good value and served very tasty food. We have come back determined to learn more about Vietnamese food and cook more of it ourselves.

5. Would you mind sharing your pictures in the trip with us?
Happily, I'm happy to send more if you have a specific you are looking for.

6、Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?
I'm more than happy to tell people what a wonderful job IOT do in arranging tours. This has been a quality experience from start to finish. I can't say more than we would happily use IOT again again and also recommend IOT to friends and family.

Andrew once again I cannot thank you enough for the effort you put into getting this tour up and running. We will happily recommend IOT to friends and family and we look forward to using your services again. You have been absolutely brilliant.

Regards

Paul, Maria, Christopher and Daniella

July 9th, 2010

Itinerary: 6days Hanoi Highlights Tour & Halong Paradise Cruise
6-day tour of Hanoi – Halong Bay
Travel Date: 15th, June - 20th, June, 2010  
Number of Travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia

Eric,

 You have organized my trip well and I am happy with value for money. Only thing was that although lunch was supposed to be providing on the cruise on the second day, this was not so as the boat was trying to get back to port early for the next pick up.  When on land the tour guide has to call the agent for permission to organize a lunch for us.  I think you should rectify this for other customers.

1. What do you think of our guide service? Who impress you best and who impress you poorest? 
 Our guide Nguyen van Trang was excellent, spoke good English and was very knowledgeable.  He was always punctual and very helpful.

2. What do you think of our driver service? 
 The vehicles provided for land transport and the drivers were good.  The driver who took us to Ha Long was a safe driver.

3. What do you think of the hotel service and their breakfast? Can you please name the best one and the poorest one in your trip?
 The Sofitel Metropole Hotel was top class.  Good service and good meals, breakfast and dinner.

4. Which meal makes you memorable? Please name the reason why you like or dislike it? 
 My most memorable meal was a meal at a Chinese seafood restaurant that the found close to the Hotel. Although the waiter did not understand or spoke a word of English we managed to get out orders through and the freshness of the seafood was very good. The meal was cheap and we had good value for money.

5. Would you mind sharing your pictures in the trip with us? 
 My pictures of Halong were the same as many I have seen in the advertisements.  The best views were from Ti Top Hill and the climb was worthwhile.  I have no outstanding pictures to share with you.

There were too many things included in the tour and due to the very hot weather, the day tour was very exhausting.  We have a very different outlook and understanding of the Vietnam people and culture.  Not having been there before we only heard the American side of the story.  Now we can appreciate more of Uncle Ho and who he was doing for his countryman.
Intime I will be in touch with you for a tour to HCM city and Angkor Wat.

Once again thank you for your organization.

Dr.Peter Lim.

June 22nd, 2010

Itinerary: Wonderful travel in North Vietnam
13-day tour of Hanoi – Halong Bay - Ho Chi Minh city - Phuket - Ho Chi Minh city
Travel Date: 24th, May-5th, June, 2010  
Number of Travelers: 4 adults
Nationality: USA

Hi Kelly & Martin,
 
Just wanted to say "THANK YOU" for arranging our travel needs in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Phuket. Thank you for being so patient when we had to make a lot of travel adjustments. Sharon, Linda, Annette & I enjoyed our travel to Vietnam and Phuket very much. It was so reassuring to see your reps at the airports when we arrived tired and weary from our flights. They took good care of us. 
 
The Halong Bay Paradise Cruise was the highlight of our trip in Hanoi. We're so glad we went with Paradise Cruise. 
 
We commend you both for a job well done and we will definitely refer you to our friends. 
 
Warmest regards,
Mary Ann

June. 17th, 2010

Itinerary: Vietnam Highlight Sonata
16-days tour of Ho Chi Minh – Dalat – Nha Trang – Danang – Hoi An -  Hue – Hanoi – Halong Bay - Hanoi
Travel Date: 11th – 26th May, 2010  
Number of Travelers: 6 adults
Nationality: Australia

Hi Andrew,

We have been home for over a week now and, generally speaking, we were extremely happy with the itinerary and the excellent service you gave us. We found the heat and humidity very trying but of course that is nothing to do with you. This made us better appreciate the coolness of Dalat and the Resort life at Hoi An.

Yes, I am happy to answer your questions and would summarise by saying that only one guide was a little poor, that is compared to the others, who were all excellent. And only one hotel was a disappointment, the others were top class. All airport pickups etc were also very professional.

1. What do you think of our guide service? Who impress you the best and who impress you the poorest?

We were generally very happy with the guides supplied to us. We thought that Tran Xuan Thao, who joined us in Dalat, lacked confidence and struggled a bit with his English - but he was still OK. It would be difficult to try and separate the other three for excellence.

2. What do you think of our driver service?

We found all the drivers supplied to us were first class, and they all drove under quite difficult conditions.

3. What do you think of the hotel service and their breakfast? Can you please name the best one and the poorest one in your trip?

Generally the hotels were fine except for the Yasaka Saigon Hotel in Nha Trang. This was our biggest disappointment, this hotel has a good position but it is run down and badly needs refurbishment. The amenities and service were also not up to standard - the only dining area for breakfast and lunch was outside and very hot. We thought it should only be a 2 star hotel compared to the others, which were all clearly 4 star.  We thought the best 2 hotels were the Grand in Saigon and the Saigon Morin in Hue, although the Saigon Dalat and the Maison d'Hanoi were also very good. The breakfasts in the Yasaka and Saigon Dalat were a little disappointing for variety and presentation.

4. Which meal makes you memorable? Please name the reason why you like or dislike it?

It is hard to answer this question because we enjoyed many memorable meals throughout Vietnam. One comment was that when Lunch and Dinner were provided on the same day, a full 8-10 course for each meal was a bit too much food!

5. Would you mind sharing your pictures in the trip with us?

Our group are still sorting out their photos, when complete I will share some of them with you.

 6. Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?

This would be OK Andrew.

Many thanks again for your good work and I hope the above comments are helpful to you.

Kindest regards,

Bob Lanigan.

June. 9th, 2010

Itinerary: Laos & Thailand World Heritage
9-day tour of Luang Prabang – Chiang Mai - Bangkok
Travel Date: 29th, March-3rd, April, 2010  
Number of Travelers: 1 adult
Nationality: USA

Dear Eric,

Please find my answer below.

1. Guide Service:
My guide was great.  Knowledgeable and delightful.

2. Diver Service:
The driver was excellent.  They were both always on time and friendly.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Manoluck was nice hotel but too far away from the downtown area to be really convenient.  I would have preferred to be closer.  Since I was the only one at the hotel for a few days...the breakfast service was a minimal menu.  The one day that the hotel was fuller, there was a delicious buffet.  Their general service was good.  The Lao Spirit Resort was fabulous and I would highly recommend it!

4. Lunches & Dinners
My best meal was at Lao Spirit.  Well prepared food.

5. Pictures:
I'd be glad to...I'll send a link shortly.

6. Reference(s):
I am happy to be a reference for you.

Best regards

Joani Carpenter

April. 22nd, 2010

Itinerary: Indochina Odyssey Tour
27-day tour of Bangkok - Siem Reap - Luang Prabang - Hanoi - Ha long bay - Sapa - Hue - Hoi an - Danang - Ho Chi Minh - Cu Chi Tunnel - Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh - Bangkok
Travel Date: 10th Feb - 8th Mar, 2010  
Number of Travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: UK

Hi Kelly,

Thank you for the money transfer. We have collected it. Also thank you for the photos of your break. They are good and it is nice to put a face to the "emails" And finally, thank you for the great service you gave us throughout our holiday arrangements and we would certainly use you again. Do you cover Myanmar?

Hope you enjoy them
 

Best Wishes

Sue

May. 27th, 2010

Itinerary: Photography Tour
17-day tour of Bangkok – Samui - Koh Tao & Nangyaun– Bangkok – Luang Prabang – Hanoi - Ha long bay – Yangon
Travel Date: Mar.12th – Mar.28th, 2010
Number of Travelers: 1 adult
Nationality: USA
 
Hi Kelly,
 
I had a wonderful trip. I was very happy with everything. The locations, guides, hotels, food, and arrangements were all top notch. Thanks for such a memorable trip.
 
1. Guide Service:
The guides were all great, I don't want to pick favorites really, but my guide in Laos was especially good, as was my guide in Burma. The guide in Northern Thailand also did an excellent job. My Viet Nam guide did an excellent job of changing my program because of the bad weather. 
 
2. Driver Sercive:
The driver service was safe and on time and very good.
 
3. Hotel & Breakfast:
The best hotel was probably the Movenpick in Hanoi, although all were very good. The worst breakfast, at least for Western tastes was at the hotel Cat Ba Island.
 
4. Lunches & Dinners:
The food was very good everywhere. It's hard to pick the best.
 
Once again thanks for your help and I will definitely contact you the next time I come to Asia.
Sincerely,
 
Tom Till
 
April. 5th, 2010

Itinerary: Indochina Odyssey Tours
13-day tour of Bangkok – Chiang Mai – Bangkok – Siem Reap – Ho Chi Minh - Quy Nhon – Quang Ngai – Hoian – Danag – Ho Chi Minh - Bangkok
Travel Date: Marth.24th – April.5th, 2010
Number of Travelers: 4 adults
Nationality: USA

Dear Eric,

Our trip was amazing. We had a really good time. The only bad part was coming home. The eastbound trip is so long!

1. Guide Service:
Your guide service was great. Not one guide was inadequate. Tiger (Vietnam) impressed me the most. Tiger was always happy and seemed thrilled to show us his country. Oui (Thailand) came in a close second. Oui showed us so much that wasn't off the beaten path. We never seemed rushed and she shared stories of her life in Thailand with us. Both Tiger and Oui walked with us up the temples and gave us lots of interesting information.

2. Driver Service:
Driver service was great, I felt safe.

3. Hotel & Breakfast:
The Life Resort in Qui Nhon, Victoria Hotel in Hoi An, and Green Plaza Hotel in Danang were definitely my favorites for lodging. They were unexpected elegance and being on the ocean was beautiful. I think the breakfasts at the hotel in Chaing Mai were the best for variety and quality.

4. Lunches & Dinners:
My favorite meal was at the Pho Hoi Restaurant in Hoi An. The service was timely and food very tasty. I like the small dishes to share type meal. Our lunch at the Elephant camp in Thailand was fantastic because of the location.

5. Reference(s):
Question: Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?
Answer: Of course.

 
I will send you some pictures.

Feel free to use us as reference discretely.

Thank you for your service.

Vicki Johnston & Kathy

April. 13th, 2010

Itinerary: Vietnam Highlights Tour
13-day tour of Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hue - Hoian - Ho Chi Minh - Mekong delta - Ho Chi Minh
Travel Date: Feb.14th – Feb.26th, 2010
Number of Travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia

Dear Eric:

It is also an opportunity to give thanks to Indochina Odyssey Tours and yourself for the beautiful tour that organized for us.
 
Also, We appreciate that you accomplish all your promise in the tour, and you open a door for us if decide in the future to go again for holidays to another country in Asia.

1. Guide Service:
The team was really good and each guide perform his best: In Hanoi Mr. Phuong (Smiley) had time to take us one night, to our request, to visit a traditional local restaurant.
In Hue Mr. Tran Van Dung (Tiger) have an special sense of humor and made us a pleasant run in the car on the way to Hoian. He was very worried because he could not picked us from the airport due a mistake from Vietnam Airlines on the arrival time, but we solve the problem and he picked us from the hotel the next day according with the program.

In Saigon Mr Minh always tried to give us good information and also made our stay in Ho Chi Min very pleasant.

2. Driver Service:
Very impress and all drivers perform very well. The car (van) used in Hue was very good with space to carry inside bags, cameras, etc.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
All was good, but the best was in Elios Hotel in Ho Chi Min.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
We enjoy all al the meals that you arranged for us in the local restaurants; but we remember with pleasure My Tho in the way back to Saigon and The Koto in Hanoi that we ask Smily to booked us for lunch.

5. Pictures:
We don't mind sharing our photos with you.

6. Reference(s):
Question: Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?
Answer: Yes you can do it.

7. Suggestions:
a. We notice that all the hotels including the boat at Halong Bay, entertain the people during the meals with western music, no one single beautiful Vietnamese music.
b. The standart room of Pho Hoi or Riverside in Hoian have an inappropriate mattress that gave us sore back. (if you have some special requests about the mattress, Please kindly let us know and we will arrange a suitable one for you.)
c. The meals at the boat in Halong bay had too much fried food, sea food, with no traditional Vietnamese food.
d. The best hotel was Duy Tan (superior room) in Hue.

Thanks a lot again.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Ruben and Carmen Vernal

Mar. 26th, 2010

First Trip with Indochina Odyssey Tours: Thailand Tours

Itinerary: 5-day tour of Bangkok - Ayuthaya – Bangkok - Pattaya
Travel date: Dec. 30th, 2009 – Jan. 3rd, 2010
Number of travelers: 3 adults
Nationality: Singapore

Dear Eric,
See my response below to your questions.
 

1. Guide Service:
The guide service was great. The guide, Mr Nat, was very knowledgable, service-oriented, helpful and showed a lot of patience and was always on time. I will. Undoubtedly recommend him to my friends that want to visit Thailand

2. Driver Service:
Driver was very efficient, knows the cities very well and was able to find alternate roads to take us on time. Thanks to him, we were always on time despite the high volume of traffic due to the holidays

3. Lunches and Dinners:
All Thai food was delicious but a little bit too spicy sometimes. Mr. Nat always gave us good recommendations that allowed us to know what to order and enjoy.

4. Reference(s): 
Yes, I would be more than happy to recommend your services.

Enrique
 

Jan. 4th, 2010 

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Second Trip with Indochina Odyssey Tours: Indochina Tours

Itinerary: Vietnam & Laos & Cambodia Highlights
9-day tour of Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh – Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hanoi – Luang Prabang - Siem Reap - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Jan. 29th – Feb. 6th, 2010
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Singapore

Dear Eric,
Here are my answers to your questions.
 

1. Guide Service:
Guide service was very good. If I have to grade them I would give the highest to Ms Tuly (Laos), who did a fantastic job. To grade her just as "excellent" would not make justice to her terrific job. She was "super" excellent.

I have taken two tours in the past couple of months with Indochina Odyssey (one to Thailand in December and the other one to Indochina). Definitely, the tour guide in Thailand (Mr. Nutt) and the one in Laos (Ms. Tuly), were the ones that deserve the highest grades. They deserve a 7 over 5. They were very helpful, knowledgeable, showed a great attitude and definitely, if I recommend some friends to take those tours, I would tell them to request Mr. Nutt and Ms Tuly's services.
 

2. Driver Service:
All of them were very good.
 

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Hotel services were very good too. Sokha Angkor (Siemp Riep) and Majestic (Ho Chi Minh) were the best.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
Everything about lunches and dinners was memorable. No complaints, no regrets.

5. Pictures:
I would prefer to keep pictures private.

6. Reference(s):
Question: Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?

Answer: Yes, no problem.

7. Suggestion to Future Visitors:
I would just suggest to include information about the weather and what are the type of clothing that packs should take with them.

Enrique

Feb. 16th, 2010

Itinerary: 2-day tour of Nha Trang - Hue
Travel date: Jan. 31st – Feb. 1st, 2010
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia
 

Dear Cindy,

I wish to congratulate your company on the excellent service provided. We had 2 lovely guides and everything went well. We would not hesitate to recommend your company.
 

Regards,
 

Susan
 

Feb. 8th, 2010

Itinerary: Indochina Exploration
14-day tour of Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise – Hanoi - Hue – Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh - Phnom Penh - Siem Reap - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Jan 11th - Jan 24th, 2010
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: USA
 

Hello Eric,

Well we are finally back home in the U.S.
 

We really enjoyed our tour with you. Everything was well organized and we didn't have any delays at all. At each stop, our guide and driver were waiting for us and we were briskly taken to our hotels or even right to sightseeing depending on arrival time.

1. Guide Service:
Regarding our tour guides. We loved Mr. Ha and Mr Toa. I thought Mr Dung was very knowledgerable, but did go on a bit too much and he had no sense of humor at all. Mr Savon in Cambodia could have presented himself a little better, he looked a bit untidy.
 

2. Driver Service:
All the drivers were pleasant and respectful.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
We really liked all our hotels but found a few of the big hotels especially in Cambodia extremely quiet, no tourists. Our favorite was in Hanoi because it was a small hotel with excellent service, each room had a computer and internet access. Our least favorite was in Hue, our room wasn't the best. Breakfast at all the hotels was fine, nothing out of the ordinary, but very nice. The Junk at Halong Bay was fantastic, we really liked that, but again way too much seafood for us and not much other choices.
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
We were not fans of the included luncheons, not much choice and always seafood.
 

5. Pictures:
I will try and send some pictures as soon as I get them downloaded.
 

6. Reference(s):
We would highly recommend Indochina Odyssey Tours to everyone, please let us know if you want us to.
 

7. Others:
The highlight of the trip for me was Cambodia's Angkor Temples, just brilliant.
 

With best wishes,
 

Bridget
 

Feb. 4th, 2010

Itinerary: Vietnam & Cambodia Highlight Tours
16-day tour of Hanoi - Ha long Bay Cruise - Hanoi – Hue - Hoi An – My Son Holy Land - Hoi an beach - Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh - Siem Reap
Travel date: Jan. 3rd – Jan. 18th, 2010
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Britain
 

Dear Kelly,
 
Stella will reply in more detail in the near future, but I would like to thank you for a marvellous holiday, all went exceedingly well thanks to your organisation.
 
There were one or two things that could have been improved on and Stella will tell you about those, but there were far more good things than bad ones.
 
Best Regards,
 
Peter Wilson
 

Jan. 27th, 2010

Itinerary: Cruise Excursion in Vietnam Ports
1-day tour of Danang – My Son - Hoi An – Danang &
2-day tour of Tay Ninh & Cu Chi Tunnels & Ho Chi Minh City tour
Travel date: Jan. 12th – Jan. 15th, 2010
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: USA
 

Dear Andrew,
 
We've arrived home safely after a very memorable vacation in south-east Asia.
 

We thoroughly enjoyed visiting Vietnam and found everything we saw and visited very interesting. The itineraries in both Danang and Ho Chi Minh City were great and the drivers did a good job of transporting us safely from place to place. Both drivers and tour guides were on time to pick us up at the ports. The tour guides were both very professional and knowledgeable and shared a lot of information with us, BUT we did have trouble with their accents. At various sites we visited, we heard other tour guides speaking to their clients and had no problem understanding them, but our guides were difficult to understand. It was unfortunate, because it became very difficult to concentrate so hard all the time when they spoke to us. I understand that English is a very difficult language for Vietnamese people to speak, and that's why I made a point of telling you in my emails that I wanted to be sure that we would understand our guides, but unfortunately, that didn't work out.
 

I haven't yet had an opportunity to edit my photos and will get to it as soon as I can.
 
We will be in contact when next we plan to visit south-east Asia.
 
Kind regards,
 

Helen
 

Jan. 29th, 2010

Itinerary: Tropical Sunshine and White Sandy Beach in Southern Vietnam
9-day Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi – Phan Thiet - Mui Ne- Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Jan. 6th – Jan. 14th, 2010
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: New Zealand
 

Hi, Andrew,

Thanks you very much for your prompt and diligent service. Everything went according to plan. I have recommended Indochina tours to others and we wouldn't hesitate to use them again. We loved Mui Ne, in a way we wished we spent another few days there and maybe less time in Saigon.

1. Guide & IOT Travel Consultant Service :
You impressed us a lot, with your communication and such great service and also Tony.
 

2. Driver Service:
Great, nice and friendly.
 

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The Elios was okay. I wouldn't stay there again. We upgraded to another room with a window. Breakfast was okay. But this hotel was nice and close to the city. We loved Allez Boo at Mui Ne.
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
The best meal we had was when we went on the Chu Chi tunnels and we stopped for lunch.
 

5. Pictures:
Yes, we would share our photos with you once we get organized.
 

Regard, 
 
Helen Henkes
 

Jan. 22nd, 2010

Itinerary: 16-day Vietnam & Cambodia tour of Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Hanoi – Hue - Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh – Siem Reap
Travel date: Dec. 27th, 2009 – Jan. 11th, 2010
Number of travelers: 1 adult
Nationality: Mongolia
 

Dear Andrew,
I am sorry that it took for a while to send it back. I was pretty busy with many different things after having a nice and long vacation with you though. Anyways I've responded in below. Many thanks for your efforts and assistances to make my trip safe and easier.
See below, please. 
 
1. Guide Service:
I think they all were good and helpful. I most impressed with Tuan from Hue and Hoi An guide. He was the most professional and ethical guide I thought. I can't say that there was a worst one and luckily I didn't have the worst one. Thank you.

2. Driver Service:
They were all great. The cars were clean and taken care and maintained in good conditions.
 

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The hotels were good since I wanted to keep my costs down and asked not luxurious ones. The best hotel I'd call the Camellia of Hue city. I was so much impressed with the services and the hotel itself. The breakfasts were good in all hotels and I very much liked Vietnamese food in general. The lunch in the Royal restaurant of Hoi An city has impressed me the most. I can't recall that was worst. Sorry but thank you very much.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
I recall the meal at the Emotion boat in Ha Long Bay was the best because they had really fresh meal and made it more sociable event for me. However the meal at the Emotion restaurant in the city wasn't really great. I surprised. Also service in the restaurant wasn't good since I was spoiled with good services.

5. Pictures:
I'd be happy to share my photos and have attached some pictures. With the names of photos, I tried to express my description of them. I'd like to send some more photos separately if possible.

6. Reference(s):
Question: Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?
Answer: Sure. You can use my address as a reference person.

7. Others:
One thing I couldn't understand for me was the TIPPING. It's still a question to me.
 

Thank you for keeping followed up.
Many thanks and take care.
 

With best regards,
 

Bilge
 

Jan. 20, 2010

Itinerary: Indochina Exploration - Vietnam & Laos & Cambodia
16-day tour of Ho Chi Minh City – Long Tan Nui Dat - Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta - Hoi An - Cooking at Tra Que Village – My Son - Hoi An – Hue - DMZ - Hue – Hanoi – Halong Bay - Hanoi – Luang Prabang - Pakou Cave - Luang Pra Bang – Siem Reap - Phnom Penh – Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Dec. 24th, 2009 – Jan. 8th, 2010
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia & Japan

Hello Eric,
 
we are finally back in Sydney after the beautiful trip made possible by your company. Thank you very much Indochina Odyessy Tours. And thank you Eric for making our dream come true all the way from China.
 
I will try to answer your questions now.
 

1. Guide Service:
Yoko and I thought that your guide service was pretty much excellent overall. They were where they were supposed to be and always punctual and ready to help us no matter where we were. They really took care of all our needs and if we had questions they were willing to answer them. Some of the guides even went out of their way for us, that was really special. The guides gave Yoko and myself time to be free and relax and understood our needs. We thought that was the extra touch that the guides felt and obliged themselves depending on the situation at the time. Thank you very much for your choice of guides at our disposal.
 
The guides that impressed us most were Vinh in Hoian and Hue, Lim from Pnom Penh and Touly in Luang Prabang. These guides made the service not just a service but pleasure, and it was these guides who were the best listeners and the people that I felt had the best people skills. Vinh was very knowledegable, he knew his history, he made everything clear and had a great sense of humour. Great guide. Lim was a great listener, knew his history and was able to mix his professional career with his personal life giving him a very human outlook on life and he made us feel what he felt. Great people skills and a friend as well. Touly was the combination of the above too. She expressed herself very clearly and it was easy to notice how much she loved her country and the sites she was showing us. We felt her passion. These three guides were very passionate about their job and as tourists we were connected to them which made the trip an altogether a different outlook on the trip making it more a memorable occasion. Thank you very much.  * all these guides had water available for us as soon as we stepped in the car.
 
The guides that impressed us the least were Viet in Saigon, Hieu in Hanoi but Sovan in Siem Reap was pretty good. Viet and Hieu were younger than the other guides so they did not talk about the history of their country and at times they didn't seem to be interested in their country - the passion was missing, everything seemed like a routine and sometimes we felt like robots. I think these guides didn't plan our itinerary as much as the other guides did. It felt as though sometimes they were improvising. We were not impressed but we understood because of their age and their link with postmodernism in their country and their roots of their history. I guess they will get better as they get older. But apart from that they took care of us and made sure we had to get to where we were going. We were not unhappy, on the contrary we were very happy because they did their job and if we asked questions they helped us out. But there was less connection as compared to the top 3 guides. Sovan from Siem Reap was different, he was the perfect guide who wouldn't over indulge us or under indulge us. He was fun and very personable and really went out of his way. Out of the guides in Indochina Sovan was the guide that helped us to take some great photos of Angor Wat, so he was special like that. We did have a connection with Sovan but he just out of the same class as the top 3 guides as I have mentioned above.
 
A special mention to our short day guide Peter in the Long Tan area. He was excellent value, he really knew the history of the place and set up the scenario very well. He seemed very passionate about his work and from his tour group we got a cap and t-shirt as a memory of our time together. Long Tan was one of our favourite days on the tour because it was a solemn time made possible by Peter and his tour company with a rose supplied and a moment to reflect on the people that died in this area. That the time with Peter, we will never forget it.
 

2. Driver Service:
The driver service was just great but of course some drivers were friendlier than others, and some knew  a little English. However they were all pretty much safe. The drivers who knew a little English were more friendlier. In order our best drivers were in order: 
                                       1. Hoian - Huay
                                       2. Siem Reap
                                       3. Pnom Penh
                                       4. Saigon
                                       5. Luang Prabang
                                       6. Hanoi
 
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The hotels were a highlight of our trip and thanks Eric for your great choice of Hotel in Siem Reap - Hotel De La Paix. The Legend Hotel had the best breakfast by far. By and large all the hotels were great but some hotels were in another class although they had the same amount of stars. The Sofitel Plaza in Hanoi was the best - the best service - and we must say thank you Eric again for setting up on the VIP level. That was unbelievable - we felt great and thanked Eric for his help. Location could be a problem for some tourists maybe. The view was sensational. The least impressive was Palm Garden Resort. Even though it is a 5 star it doesn't compare to the class of a typical 5 star hotel. The Saigon Morin in Hue was very elegant and beautiful. This is a 4 star hotel but should be a 5 star hotel. You cannot but just remember forever the beautiful memories made in this luxuorius government building turned hotel. The Ramayana boutique hotel in Luang Prabang was lacking with a reception desk that is outdated and rather small. It seems more like a tour desk. However the location of this hotel is excellent, everything is at your doorstep. The breakfast selection is at a minimum but it didn't stop us from eating. It did the job but it doesn’t compare to the Legend Hotel for breakfast - they are two worlds apart. The Amanjaya hotel in Pnom Penh had a great view from the balcony and we were in the perfect room but it is not in the same class as the other hotels above. But the view is worth it. The Del La Paix was majestic and luxury combined in a great location, very close to the night markets. Beautiful hotel in a great location. The Elegance 3 in Hanoi was great for service and having the internet in the room and we were upgraded, just like we were in the De La Paix - VIP treatment - thank you again Eric. The location of the Elegance was great, pretty much central and the hotel was clean and plush in its own sense and for a 3 star hotel it is certainly recommended.
 
                                                  1. Sofitel Plaza Hotel (Hanoi)
                                                  2. De La Paix (Siem Reap)
                                                  3. Saigon Morin ( Hue)
                                                  4. Legend Hotel (Saigon)
                                                  5. Amanjaya Hotel (Pnom Penh)
                                                  6. Elegance 3 (Hanoi)
                                                  7. Ramayana Boutique Hotel (Luang Prabang)
                                                  8. Palm Garden Resort (Hoian) 
 
4. Lunches and Dinners:
The meal that was the most memorable was in Saigon on the second day where we had lunch and it was not a set menu so we could choose what we wanted. We don't know the name of that restaurant. At first Yoko and I were uncomfortable with set menu's but by the end of the trip we didn’t feel obliged to eat everything and just picked and ate what we could. So in the end we enjoyed the set menus.
 
5. Pictures:
We don't mind at all and would love to share our photos with you. 
 
6. Reference(s):
Yes. We would love to be your reference, without a doubt. Thank you Indochina Odyssey Tours for giving us the trip of our lifetime.
 
Thanks Eric,
 
Glen and Yoko
 

Jan. 13, 2010

Itinerary: 11-day tour of Ho Chi Minh - Long Tan ( Nui Dat Battle Field Tour) - Nha Trang – Hanoi
Travel date: Dec. 27th, 2009 – Jan. 6th, 2010
Number of travelers: 7 adults + 1 child
Nationality: Australia
 

Dear Andrew,

We'd like to respond your questions as below.
 

1. Guide Service:
The tour guides were very good, particularly for the Saigon part. I think his name was thong who was excellent as he had a very good knowledge of the places we visited and showed a great passion for his Country.

2. Driver Service:
The driver service was excellent.

3. Lunches and Dinners:
We only had two meals provided but they were ok for what we wanted.

4. Pictures:
We will send some photos later as we are just about to depart for Thailand on a business trip.
  
5. Reference(s):
This is ok for us to be your reference by authorizing you to give out our email address.

6. Others:
The only part of the trip we were disappointed with was in Nha Trang, particularly with the boat and the snorkeling trip. The boat we had did not have a ladder to get in and out from the water. This made it very difficult for us.
 

Marlene & Denis
 

Jan. 17th, 2010

Itinerary: 13-day Vietnam Tour of Hanoi - Hue - Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh - Mui Ne - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Dec. 25th 2009 – Jan. 6th, 2010
Number of travelers: 4 adults
Nationality: Ireland & Portugal
 

Andrew,
We were busy on our return and only just recovered from jetlag!
Here are some comments to our specific questions (interspersed below) and I hope you take these as constructive comments - as they are intended. Overall, we had a wonderful holiday. We were impressed with the organisation and the service but we have some suggestions. If we were to do it again, we would have done things a little differently! Nevertheless, we had a very good time overall!

 

1. Guide Service:
Overall, the guides were good. The guide in Hanoi was the best. Command of English was not great for the guides in Hue/Hoi An and (especially) in Saigon. However, all provided interesting perspectives.

2. Driver Service:
Drivers were generally good. Driving conditions in Vietnam are challenging! The driver from Saigon to Mui Ne was below standards - he took too many risks and I had to request him to cease using his cell phone - the trip was difficult and more stressful than necessary. In contrast, the return trip to Saigon was relatively "easy".

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The hotel in Hanoi was not great - basically it was much poorer standard all round than any of the others. The rooms were shabby and even dirty; the breakfast offering was minimal. The hotel in Hue was fine. The hotels in Hoi An was great - lovely location and facilities. The hotel in Saigon was OK - again, the facilities were just satisfactory but could have been better.  The beds in general were not very comfortable. The best hotel was Coco Beach in Mui Ne and I would recommend it for future guests. The only other hotel I would recommend would be the Hue hotel.  

4. Lunches and Dinners:
The organised meals were fairly forgettable. The standard was not great and the menus were pretty similar. The so-called final dinner (in Saigon) was nothing special either - I know that we had to change this at the last minute. We found many good (and reasonably priced) restaurants in all locations and felt that the ones which were selected for us were generally of a lower standard. We would have appreciated having exposure to different types of food whereas by the end, we could almost predict the menus as all organised meals were pretty much "standard". Don’t get me wrong, the food was in all cases acceptable, but it was just a bit monotonous. So much so that next time we would rather organise our own. As to the best meal, I would have to say that they one in Hue (on the boat) was of a very high standard and the musical entertainment was very good. Also, the restaurant in Hoi An was very nice even if the food was just OK.
(IOT Note: IOT has informed our guides to ask our guests' diet preference and taboo before they book lunches or dinners.)

5. Pictures:
I would be happy to share some photos when I get some time.

6. Reference(s):
Yes, I would like to be your reference by authorizing you to give out my email address.

Kevin

Jan. 12th, 2010

Itinerary: 2-day tour of Cai Lan Port – Hanoi – Cai Lan Port
Travel date: Jan. 4th – Jan. 5th, 2010 
Number of travelers: 6 adults
Nationality: Canada & United States

Dear Eric,
We'd like to respond your questions as below:

1. Guide Service:
Our guide Wendy was great and very professional.

2. Driver Service: 
Our driver did a wonderful job.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Inter Continental Hotel: great rooms and breakfast.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
All meals on the town were great. 

 Neil & Cheryl

Jan. 13th, 2010

Itinerary: Vietnam Tour
10-day tour of  Hanoi - Ba Vi – Hanoi - Ha long Bay – Sapa - Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)  - Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
Travel date: Dec. 26th, 2009 - Jan. 4th, 2010
Number of travelers: 5 adults
Nationality: Australia
 

Dear Miss Kelly,

Thank you! We had a wonderful holiday. Vietnam is gorgeous, the food and the people.
 

The tour and its organization was very good. There was no waiting for someone to turn up or a room not booked etc. We think you did a fantastic job the hotels particularly in Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Sapa were of very high standard and the breakfasts were really excellent.

Below are the responses to your questions.
 

1. Guide Service:
We really liked Mr. Bang. He reorganized the timing that made sense, by taking us around to Cat Cat straight after breakfast, allowing us to take a walking path he had not taken before, this allowed us free time after we had been familiarized with Sapa. The following morning was also free time, that allowed us to sleep in have lunch and then do a second walk, having opportunity to ask more questions. Mr. Bang has a worldly view and shared information intelligently and respectfully with us. He guided us about $ to pay for tipping and haggling, and he had fun with our family.
 

Mr. Hoang did not have a great attitude on the tour and made very little attempt to inform us about certain things particularly our day to the Mekong Delta. It is possible he is tired and sick of tourists, perhaps he needs a break for a while so he can do his job with enthusiasm. We also had to ask for water each day – awkward for us.
 

Miss Tum/Miss My were both lovely and they were caring and genuine. 
 

2. Driver Service:
All drivers' service is good.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The hotels were of excellent standard in both Hanoi and Sapa, however Ho Chi Mihn City was not so good. The allocation of rooms was not ideal, our children were assigned to a room on another floor (fine as they are older but what if they were a few years younger?)  And the double room was 2 beds pushed together not allowing us to control the lights etc because the beds were in front of the bedside tables…the room was stuffy and smelly and although in a central location very noisy!
 

The breakfast at the Continental Hotel was poor, the quality of the food was not of the same freshness or standard as the others.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
Our first breakfast in Hanoi was yummy!  The authentic foods on offer were fresh and tasty. We were all very keen to try each dish and this was a lovely family memory for us!

5. Reference(s):
Yes, we would be happy to be an email reference for your future customers.

6. Suggestion to Future Visitors:
** A suggestion when visiting the Mekong Delta
Start the day early – 6 am?? And arrive for morning tea/breakfast and do the tour leaving at lunch time to avoid the traffic jam on the way home! This tour was good, but the lunch was disgusting – Mr. Hoang even walked us through the kitchen to witness mother cats lying among the prepared dishes, without any explanation! The meal was basically noodles and water/broth and we felt a bit on the hungry side when we realized we had finished. Not of the very high standard the day before after visiting the lovely dairy family and before visiting the  tunnels. Our trip back to Saigon took almost 5 hours! And this really took the shine off the day.

7. Others:
I will happily promote your services to anyone who expresses interest in visiting Vietnam or other parts of Indochina!

Thank you so much!
 

Erika
 

Jan. 5th, 2010

Itinerary: Vietnam Highlights
18-day tour of Hanoi- Halong Bay - Sapa-Hanoi- Hue - Hoian–Ho Chi Minh - My Tho - Can Tho - Ho Chi Minh - Phu Quoc - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Dec 16, 2009 - Jan 2，2010
Number of travelers: 2 adults + 2 children
Nationality: Danmark
 

Dear Andrew,

Firstly, we would like to express our sincere satisfaction with the whole holiday. Everything went smoothly as planned with absolutely no mishaps or delays. All the guides were extremely welcoming, well structured and took notice of our little family and our needs.
 

I'm only happy to respond to your questions below with some more specific wording and evaluation over the next few days.
 

But for now, I just wanted to let you know that this holiday has been the best of holidays ever and that we will definitely highly recommend Indochina Odyssey Tours to all our friends and family.
 

We are so impressed with all you services including the professional correspondence that we have had in the planning of this holiday.
 

The very best regards,
 

Hanna
 

Jan. 5th, 2010

Itinerary: Rose & Wine - Honeymoon Tour
14-day tour of Ho Chi Minh – Hue – Hoi An – Danang – Hanoi – Halong Bay - Sapa - Hanoi
Travel date: Dec. 17th - Dec. 30th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: USA
 

Hi Andrew,
Here are our responses (below) - thank you for your help.

1. Guide Service:
The guides were all great but we particularly liked our guides in the north and south. The guide in Central Vietnam did not have great English.

2. Driver Service:
The drivers were all good.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The hotels were great, particularly the Nam Hai and the Park Hyatt. The Melia Hanoi was disappointing and the Movenpick was much nicer and more modern. While modern is not particularly our taste, we did appreciate a new/updated hotel. 

4. Pictures:
I will try to forward you some photos.

5. Reference(s):
I am ok with being a reference.

Jake & Elizabeth
 

Jan. 3rd, 2010

Itinerary: 5-day tour of Ho Chi Minh – Mekong Delta – Can Tho - Ho Chi Minh – Hanoi - Halong Bay - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Dec. 24th - Dec. 28th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Canada
 

1st Email: from Peter

Dear Eric,

Here are my answers to your questions.
 

1. Guide Service:
Hoang was our guide in Ho Chi Minh and Can Tho. We were impressed by his superior customer service. Ha was our guide in Hanoi and Halong Bay. We were impressed by his knowledge in the history and culture of Vietnam.  
 
2. Driver Service:
Driver service for the most part was good. The vehicle used in Hanoi / Halong Bay was only a 4-door sedan which was not big enough – we had to put a piece of luggage in between the back seats which made the ride less enjoyable.
 
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Hotel rooms and breakfast services were good. Hotels were conveniently located which made it easy to walk around the cities during night time.
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
The meal on Phoenix Island in My Tho was the most memorable because the food was good and that we had a chance to enjoy the river view.
 
5. Pictures:
I certainly will share my pictures with you after picking out the top 2 or 3 photos.
 

6. Reference(s):
Yes, I would like to be your reference and you can give out my email address.
 

Peter
 

Jan. 6th, 2010

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2nd Email: from Tony

Hi, Eric,
See below for response to your questions.
  
1. Guide Service:
Huang was our tour guide in Ho Chi Minh and Can Tho. His service was very good and very friendly. Ha was also very nice and very knowledgeable.  
 
2. Driver Service:
The driver in Ho Chi Minh and Can Tho was very good and provided us water each trip. The driver in Hanoi/Halong Bay made less of an impression. In Ho Chi Minh, we had a large wagon/van which was very comfortable and had lots of room for luggage and comfort in the back seats. When we arrived at Hanoi, there was no consistency in the vehicles. It was downgraded to a small sedan with insufficient space in both the back seat and trunk. That was disappointing because it was not comfortable, especially the long ride from Hanoi to Halong Bay and back. 
  
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Most of the food was pretty consistent in all hotels. I would say the first hotel (Tan My Dinh 2 *** in Ho Chi Minh city) had the most selection and nicest café.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
I would also say the lunch meal on Phoenix Island and on the boat in Halong Bay were the best meals. The views were good and the food was very tasty.
 

5. Others:
We got a small and old boat on our trip in Halong Bay while everyone else even small groups got larger, newer and nicer boats. We should have been given an option. Like said before, the vehicle used for our Hanoi trip was unacceptable. Overall, the trip went very well.
 

Thank you!
 

Tony
 

Jan. 6th, 2010

Itinerary: 2-day Dalat Tour
Travel date: Dec. 10th – Dec. 11th, 2009
Number of travelers: 7 adults
Nationality: Singapore
 

Hi, Eric,
Here are my responses to your questions.
 

1. Guide Service:
Our guide & his assistant provided very excellent service. Our travel consultant, Mr Eric, did a very impressive job in ensuring all is well planned.
 
2. Driver Service:
We had a great time sitting in his car- A very endearing man.  
 
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The hotel was very nice in particular with the fact that it is a villa-a new experience for us. Their breakfast was definitely above average.
 
4. Lunches and Dinners:
We kind of like the street store which sells very nice beef pho. However, lunch at peace restaurant was not as of the same standard which we are expecting from a lonely planet recommendation - the little portion left us very hungry after lunch.
 
5. Pictures:
Yes, for sure. It is very nice memories for both you and us.

I will also like to request to have softcopies of the two group photos sponsored by the company, taken in love valley to be send to us if possible. We don't mind paying the cost, as the pictures were very nice!!! We will appreciate much if you could provide this service. 
 
6. Others:
We could also appreciate bottles of water to be in the car, as they will keep us hydrated throughout the trip.
 

Jason
 

Dec. 14th, 2009 

Itinerary: Splendid China & Charming Cambodia & Thailand Tour
20-day tour of Hong Kong – Shanghai – Beijing – Xi'an – Guilin – Guangzhou – Siem Reap – Bangkok - Koh Chang – Bangkok – Chiang Mai - Phra That Doi Suthep - Elephant Riding – Bangkok
Travel date: Nov. 20th to Dec. 9th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Canada
 

Hi Andrew,
 
First, we want to comment on Koh Chang. The upgraded suite was very nice, and your prompt actions were appreciated. We really enjoyed our trip, and the service provided by the tour guides, and will recommend you to others when they are heading to China.
 
We are still in Hong Kong, and return back to Canada next week.
 
See below for my responses to your questions.
 

1. Guide Service:
Overall, we were quite happy with our guides, however given the number of guides that we had, we definitely had our favorites, and could tell who put in more effort. The best guide that we had was Susan in Beijing. We were also highly impressed with the guide in Cambodia, and thought that the guides in Chiang Mai and Guilin were quite good as well. The least favorite guide that we had was in Bangkok, as she was not overly engaged with providing us with facts and points regarding the city, how the people live, or the things that we were seeing.
 
2. Driver Service:
We were happy with the driver services provided, although at times it did seem overkill to have a large van/small bus for the two of us in the cities (excepting Shanghai, and Beijing).
 
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Service provided at all the hotels was quite good. By far our favorite hotel and service was that of which we received in Cambodia. Our least favorite hotel was the one in Beijing as it was smelled strongly of cigarette smoke which was irritating for us personally as non- smokers. As for breakfast all were good.
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
The best meal that we had was at the Hutong in Beijing, and the second best was the guide chosen meal for lunch the first day in Shanghai. The meals in Cambodia were also excellent and had good selection. Our least favorite meal was the Peking duck, as it did not live up to our expectations (however, the restaurant and service was nice).    
 
5. Pictures:
Yes, I can send a sample of pictures. Is there anything in particular that you are looking for?
  
6. Reference(s):
Yes, that would be fine. 
 

David & Holly
 

Dec. 10th, 2009 

Itinerary: Vietnam Tour
13-day tour of Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hanoi - Hue - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Nov. 27th - Dec. 9th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Britain
 

1st email: 

Hello Andrew,
 
Just thought I should let you know that the tour is working out really well. The guides are very good and all the visits so far have been very interesting. We particularly liked Halong bay. We were on the boat called Emotions and it is probably the best boat in Halong harbour.
 
Our first guide was Dong and we now have Tiger who is also excellent. Tomorrow we move on from Hue to Hoi An. Just hope the weather is a bit better as its nearly as cold and raining as much as England here!!!
 
Thank you for your organisation of this tour!
 
Keith and Particia

Dec. 02, 2009
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2nd email: 

Dear Andrew,
Thank you for your email. We are sorry for the delay but we have just returned from Thailand where we had a rest after our lovely but busy time in Vietnam.
 
Here are the answers to your questions.
 

1. Guide Service:
The guide service was very good, we had no faults or trouble with any of the guides. They were all very helpful and going beyond their duty and helping us when we went shopping or finding a restaurant for us. The best guide? I really could not say they each had very depth knowledge of Vietnam geography, its history and local specialities. Because of his age!! Tiger probably had the most knowedge but both Dong and Tin were very good too. We were happy to be in their company.  
 
2. Driver Service:
The drivers were all very safe, observed speed limits and were most courteous and on time.                      
 
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The hotels were all great, breakfasts had a variety of Vietnamese and European foods. Best hotel? Not sure perhaps Victoria in Hoi An or Grand in Saigon. We were disappointed at the location of the Flower Garden as we had understood we would be at the Maison d' Hanoi hotel, although the flower Garden is a good hotel and all the staff very friendly and helpful.
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
We did not have a bad meal or disliked any of the food in Vietnam. Nor did we suffer any bad effects from the food. We particularly liked the restaurant Tin took us to on the way back to Saigon.
 
5. Pictures:
This is a bit difficult as Patricia's camera broke after day 2. Later Tiger helped us buy another one in Hue which Patricia left in the museum just as we were leaving Danang. So we don't really have many photos. Tin very kindly took lots of pictures and I will email them to you.

  
6. Reference(s):
We would be very happy to be a reference and authorize you to give out my email address.
 
We had a wonderful time and are already thinking of going back next year!
 
Thank you again so much for organizing this very memorable holiday
 
Happy Christmas to you, your team and family!
 
Best wishes,
 
Keith and Patricia
 

Dec. 17th, 2009  

Itinerary: Indochina Adventure
29-day tour of Vientiane -Vang Vieng - Lang Prabang - Khuang Si Waterfall - Pak Ou - Luang Prabang - Hanoi - Halong Bay - Sapa - Hoian - Ho Chi Minh - Phu Quoc Island - Siem Reap
Travel date: Oct. 24th - Nov. 21st, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia

Hi Eric,
I apologise for taking so long to reply, I have been a little busy since arriving home.
To answer your questions as below:

1. Guide Service:
I think Mr. Sonh (Cambodia) was the best and Mr. Chinh (DaNang) worst because he was not at all flexible.

2. Driver Service:
No complaints, I think all the drivers were polite and friendly, even with the language barrier.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts: 
 Hotels were great, no breakfast was provided at hotel in Vang Vieng. As far as the best hotels I would say both the Viet in Hanoi and the Ellios in Saigon were fantastic and the staff incredibly helpful.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
The most memorable lunch would have to be the set menu we had in Hanoi, not for best but certainly memorable! The best lunch was onboard the Halong Bay cruise.

5. Pictures:
I am unable to get my photos at the moment as my hard drive has broken, however I will send some through as soon as I have them.

6. Reference(s):
I would like to be your reference. Your customers who want to learn about Indochina tours can email me.

7. Others:
The guide we had in Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang was fairly ordinary, he wasn't very helpful and the language barrier was a problem.

Overall we had a fantastic trip and I would be happy to recommend your company to anyone traveling to Indochina in the future.
 

Thanks again Eric for all your hard work and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year.
 

Thanks
 

Miki
 

Dec. 19th, 2009

Itinerary: Northern Vietnam Highlight Tour
8-day Hanoi - Perfume Pagoda – Ninh Binh - Halong Bay - Sapa – Hanoi
Travel date: Nov. 12th, 2009 – Nov. 19th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Switzerland
 

Hi, Eric,
 

We'd like to comment your service as below:
 

1. Guide Service:
The guide service was good everywhere, especially in Sapa. As it was very bad and foggy weather, the guide could organize an additional trip to the local market of Coc Ly, which we enjoyed very much. 
 
2. Driver Service:
The driver service was good in Sapa and again when we came back to Hanoi for the sightseeing tour. During the first period, however (Ninh Binh, Halong Bay), there were moments we thought that the driver was not very experienced. 
 

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The Boss hotel in Hanoi and its breakfast for Europeans were quite simple, but the staff was friendly, we felt okay and enjoyed the central situation in the old city (***).
 

The Saigon Halong Hotel in Halong Bay and its breakfast were good (****).
 

The Chau Long Hotel in Sapa was good (quite cold, but we got a heater), the breakfast was excellent (****).
 

We would not recommend the Van Long Hotel in Ninhbinh, neither the room nor the breakfast (**). 
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
The meals on the way were okey (except Ninhbinh), but we remember three meals which were even excellent: seafood dinner in Halong Bay, lunch on the arrival day in Sapa and lunch the last day in Hanoi (day 7, sightseeing-day).

We liked Vietnamese food very much. For breakfast, however, we preferred western food (sorry).

5. Pictures:
This question we are not yet able to answer. We made countless photos, starting in Ho Chi Minh and ending in Hanoi, but we haven't had the time yet to sort out. If you are interested in a photo selection of the tour, please let us know and give us some time.

6. Reference(s):
We could be a reference, but please take note that our English has its limits. 
 

7. Suggestion to Future Visitors:
The night-train back from Cao Lai (day 6/7) started about an hour earlier and we arrived in Hanoi at 4.30 am. However we had no hotel room to rest, breakfast was available only at 06.30 and the sightseeing started at 9.00. We were quite tired!
 
Trudi and Kurt
 

Nov. 27th, 2009

Itinerary: Indochina Highlights & Leisure Tour
21-day tour of Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta – Ho Chi Minh - Siem Reap - Luang Prabang - Hanoi – Ha long Bay Cruise – Hanoi - Hue - Da Nang - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City
Travel date: Nov. 16th  - Dec. 6th , 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia & Britain
 

1st email:

Hi Kelly,
 
I just want to thank you for the most wonderful holiday and to let you know everything has been perfect.
 
The organization of hotels and guides has been superb and we really feel we have a better understanding of Vietnam and the sights it has to offer. Probably the people we have met have been the best thing.
 
If I had anything to mention it would be that the superb hotel in Hoi An (the Victoria) is probably not the best place to be in the wet season which runs from Nov - Jan. All we have been able to do is sit inside and watch the rain.
 Once again, thank you so much
 
Regards,
 
Peter Clargo
 

Dec. 5th, 2009

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2nd email:

Hi Kelly,
 
In response to your requests, I can't fault the service.
 

1. Guide Service:
We were met and picked up on time at each place and the guides really looked after us. If I had to rate the guide, Ha in Hanoi would be far the best, then the 2 guides in Cambodia and Laos. Nam was OK in Saigon but his English wasn't so good, and Mr. Lang (Ricky) in Hue was OK but irritated us by constantly repeating things.
 
2. Driver Service:
The drivers were all good, drove safely and kept us alive which is no mean feat in ietnam.
 
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
All the hotels were good but we would probably have liked to be in town in Luang Prabang.
 
4. Lunches and Dinners:
One general point is I think most westerners prefer to eat in the evening, and although the lunches were terrific, 10 courses for us were difficult and we then compounded the problem with having dinner as well. Just a snack for lunch with the same superb restaurant for dinner would have been great.
 
The best meal was one of the 2 vouchers you gave us (thank you) for the seafood buffet at the Victoria on Saturday night.
 
5. Pictures:
We haven't done our photos yet but if I remember I will send one or 2 to you.
 
6. Reference(s):
Yes, you can use our name for reference.
 
Regards,
 
Peter Clargo
 

Dec. 8th, 2009

Itinerary: Indochina Highlight Tour
16-day tour of Siem Reap - Phnom Penh - Ho Chi Minh- Nha Trang –Hoian - Hue -  Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hanoi
Travel date: Nov. 20th – Dec. 5th, 2009
Number of travelers: 4 adults
Nationality: Britain

Dear Eric,
Compliments of the season.

We had a memorable holiday. Thank you very much for organizing this. We very much appreciate the service you and your company provided. 
 

Now to answer your questions: 
 

1. Guide Service:
All the tour guides were satisfactory. If I had to pick one who impressed us most was Mr. Nha at Nha Trang – Had a personal touch to everything he did for us, took care of all our needs (including giving water bottle daily – which some tour guides omitted) in a pleasant way. Also spoke English with clarity. Mr. Heut at Siem Reap was the second best. This was the first place in our tour itinerary and he made us feel very welcome.
 

2. Driver Service:
All the drivers were good. They all had driven with good care.
 

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
All the hotels we stayed were in good location – This was important for us more so as our stay in most places was short. The breakfast was adequate in all hotels we stayed.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
Most restaurants we were taken to for lunch had a good array of food and the service was good. In some the rest rooms need to be improved. Only one restaurant where the food and the service was poor was the one in Tay Ninh.
 

5. Reference(s):
I will be happy to give reference if needed.
 

6. Suggestion to Future Visitors:
As I mentioned above the holiday on the whole went as planned the only few glitches – the change in our flight to Phnom Penh from Siem Reap – we were scheduled to take the 8.10 am flight instead our flight was at 10 am – we were a bit rushed up in Phnom Penh and did not get to see all the sights.
 

Suggestion: It would be helpful if the tour guides or  "we" had references for the internal flights – Most often the tour guides asked us for the references, which we did not have but somehow they reconfirmed this for us. But in Phnom Penh the tour guide wanted us to reconfirm our flights to Saigon in person and took us to the Vietnam airlines office- we spent 1 hour doing this – and already we were short of time.

(Note: IOT has required the local partners to confirm the flights one day earlier for all our guests. Thank you, Reka.)

Also in your confirmation letter in what's not included- it is best to mention that airport tax for international flights from Cambodia is not included and that it is $25 per person.
 

The visit to Ba den Mountain (Ho chi Minh) - was forgettable – the guide was not enthusiastic about this itinerary  and we did not see  or learn anything  about this place. Also the cable cars were out of order on that day.
 

Once again thank you very much for the services rendered and all the very best wishes for the coming year.
 

Regards,
 

Reka
 

Dec. 8th, 2009

Itinerary: Southeast Asia Tours of Malaysia - Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam
21-day tour of Kuala Lumpur - Siem Reap - Luang Prabang – Hanoi - Ha long Bay – Hanoi - Hue - Da Nang - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - Mekong Delta day trip - Penang - Kuala Lumpur
Travel date: Nov. 8th - Nov 28th, 2009
Number of travelers: 7 adults
Nationality: Britain
 

Thanks Kelly.
You have beaten me to it! I was going to give a feed back once I got over the jet-lag. Just got over the jet lag and got back to work today.

Your organization of the tour was excellent and cannot be faulted in any way. The only 'fly in the ointment' was Air Asia flights because it is a cheap carrier and does not allow more than 15kg baggage which had been paid by your company. Had we known about this earlier we could have sorted it out. It is difficult to manage with 15kg when you are on a 3 week holiday and also you want to buy things in places you are visiting. However we managed. We paid the excess. Other than that we enjoyed the trip. It was an exhausting schedule especially because of the high temperatures in Cambodia and Laos and the fact that we had to climb in that heat! The Hotels were good and we have nothing to complain about your choice of Hotels. The service was excellent.
 

Only suggestion I would make is that when arranging long tours like these to use Airlines that allow normal 20kg luggage allowance. After all when one takes the whole cost into account this extra is nothing.
 

Thanks once again for arranging everything as per our request and for the trouble you took at every step of the way.
 

We certainly will recommend your company to our friends and if the need arises use you again.
 

Have a nice day!
 

Best wishes,
 

Suren

Dec. 2nd, 2009

Itinerary: Indochina Adventure Tour – Vietnam & Laos & Cambodia
23-day tour of Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta - Nha Trang - Hoian – Hue – Hanoi - Halong Bay – Sapa - Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Hanoi - Luang Prabang - Xieng Khuang - Pakse - Champasak - Kong Island - Pakse - Siem Reap - Phnom Penh - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Nov. 3rd - Nov. 25th, 2009
Number of travelers: 4 adults
Nationality: Greece
 

Dear Eric,
I wish you all the best with your multi-countries tours.
Except some details our trip was pretty good.

1. Guide Service:
Your guide service is pretty good and for our opinion, the best is Mr. Ha in Hanoi and Sapa, also in Vientiane a very nice guide.
 

2. Driver Service:
The driver service is pretty good also (kind and clean).
 

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Mainly hotels look nice but the rooms are not very convenient. The best hotel was in Hanoi, Maison D'Hanoi Hanova hotel; the worst was in Phnom Penh, the Phnom Penh Hotel (dirty).
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
Our meals were very good except in Hue, we had dinner in our hotel that it was enough for one not for four persons. The best ones were in Metropole hotel in Saigon.

5. Pictures:
I don`t mind sharing our pictures with you.

6. Reference(s):
I am sorry but i don't like to give out my email.

7. Suggestions:
There is something I suggest you:
After the return from Sapa, avoid this miserable hotel (IOT Note: Venus Hotel) in Hanoi (I don't remember the name), it is better to pay one more day in the normal hotel.
 

Some friends of mine want to make the same trip and I will give them your email address.
 

My best regards,
 

Maria
 

Dec. 01, 2009 

Itinerary: 2-day tour of Long Tan – Mui Dat Battle Field
Travel date: Nov. 17th – Nov. 18th, 2009
Number of travelers: 7 adults
Nationality: Australia

Dear Andrew,

Our guide was excellent, his name I think is Lee, he also had another guide for us at Lon Tan Nui Dat, Vung Tau. We had a very enjoyable experience there and particularly liked the accommodation that was magnificent. One thing I would recommend that they have dinner at the resort on the night of arrival as having late flight made dinner very late.
 
I would be happy to be a reference for your company and will forward photo's when I return.
 

Many thanks!
 

Marie
 

Nov. 19th, 2009  

Itinerary: Indochina Highlight tour of Vietnam & Cambodia 
21-day tour of Phnom Penh - Siem Reap – Ho Chi Minh – Dalat - Nha Trang – Danang – Hoian – Hue - Hanoi - Halong Bay - Hanoi
Travel date: Oct 26 -  Nov 15, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia
 

Dear Ms. Mayten,
 
We are now back home after a wonderful trip. The organisation for our holiday was way beyond our expectations and everything was just great, and our drivers and guides very good. If we had one suggestion for improvement for older people such as ourselves it would be. We found the set lunch menus far too big. We would have preferred to order something small from the menu to suit our appetites. Two of our guides very kindly allowed us to do this and it was great. Maybe you could let people order something to the same value as the set menu if they wish.
 
This is only a very small comment as the trip on the whole was really good.
 
1. Guide Service:
All our guides were excellent and very informative and helpful.  We would put Mr. Hao in Saigon first followed closely by Mr. Chien in Dalat both of whom went out of their way to make us feel welcome. We cannot say who was the worst as everyone without exception was GOOD.
 
2. Driver Service:
The driver service was also very good and I don't know how they managed to get us through all that traffic safely.
 
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The hotels you picked for us were all high quality and also the ones we picked for ourselves were very good. The Dreams Hotel in Dalat although small made up for it in the friendly family who ran the hotel. The best hotel was the Lotus in Hoi An which had the advantage of a shuttle bus service into town.
 

We were also impressed with the Elios which we picked ourselves for its location. It was right opposite the park where they were celebrating the Asian Indoor Games with entertainment every night. We were very lucky and saw some great dragon dances.

The Green hotel in Hue was probably at the bottom of our list as it was not in a very good location and the room smelt a little musty. However it was still a nice hotel.
 
All the breakfasts were of a high standard.
 
4. Lunches and Dinners:
Our most memorable meal was at a small restaurant next door to the Lotus Hotel in Hoi An. The food was good and included the local specialities and the staff were very friendly.
We also enjoyed the Blue Pumpkin in Siem Reap. We usually pick our restaurants from  the Lonely Planet when we can and they rarely let us down.
 

5. Pictures:
As soon as we sort our photos out I will send some on to you.
 

6. Reference(s):
It would be permissable to give our email address to anyone of our age contemplating this trip. However we would ask for your discretion as we do not want too many emails.
 
Once again thank you for arranging our trip and helping to make it so memorable.  We would have no hesitation in recommending this trip to any of our friends.
 
Regards,   
 

Bruce and Gloria
 

Nov. 19th, 2009

Itinerary: Indochina Overture - the best of Vietnam & Cambodia & Thailand
15-day tour of Nanjing - Hanoi – Halong Bay – Hanoi – Siem Reap – Bangkok - Pattaya – Bangkok - Nanjing
Travel date: Oct. 31st – Nov. 14th , 2009
Number of travelers: 2 travelers
Nationality: Britain

Dear Andrew,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and your Company for arranging our holiday to Indo-China. The hotel selections breakfast where perfect and the itinerary was ideal for our needs.(attached are some photos)
All the arrangements are fantastic and the experienced guides we had are excellent.

The guide in Vietnam (Mr Ha) was a great guy always happy, very informative, I would recommend him to anyone.
The guide in Cambodia (Mr Som Sovann) was so caring, he could not do enough for us, also I would recommend him.
These guides made our holiday experience far better than expected, not forgetting the drivers they where very efficient and punctual.

Finally we jus had one slight problem, the return flight from Guangzhou to Nanjing was a problem, as we arrived at 13:00hrrs (owing to the 1 hour time difference) our connecting flight was at 13:10hrs(see below)

The airline company arranged for us to travel on the next flight, so this was not a problem. 

Finally I would like to thank all who made our holiday a great success and I will be using your company again in the future, also we will recommend this Company to all our friends.

Kind regards,

Dave & Pauline Stevenson

Nov. 16th, 2009

Itinerary: Indochina Tour
20-day tour of Pakse – Don Khone - Pakse – Savannakhet -Vientiane – Lang Pra Bang – Hanoi – Halong Bay - Hanoi - Hue – Ho Chi Minh – Siem Reap
Travel date: Oct. 26th – Nov. 14th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Britain & Netherland
 

Dear Eric,
Firstly, I must say how impressive your new website is - very comprehensive and informative. It was nice to see your picture. Now we know what our very efficient tour organiser looks like. The English on your website is pretty good, but needs checking in some areas.
 

On our own tour, I comment as follows:
 

1. Guide Service:
Overall excellent, they were all well trained and charming. Level of English good, but they should try to speak a little more slowly, even to an Englishman. Of particular merit were Mr.  Khamkeo at Pakse, Mr. Dung (Hanoi), Mr. Hao (Saigon) and Mr. Houet (Siem Reap) who were particularly well informed and distinguished. None of the guides were poor.

2. Driver Service:
All excellent, safe drivers and very knowledgable of the geography. Only one was a little untidy, but we shall not give his name as he was probably the best driver of them all.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Generally good value in line with the competitive cost of the tour, but variable standard, from almost 5 star to 3 star. We classed them as follows:
    Sensouxeun & Park View - 1 point
    Champasack & Golf 4 - 2 points
    Villa Santi & Metropole - 3 points
    Green Park & Tara - 4 points - the best two.
The above points takes into account the breakfast also.
The Emotion Cruise was excellent in every way - accommodation, meals and service - except one. This was the cruise on Day 9 on the smaller boat, which was definitely below standard - poor facilities, poor lunch and no sun chairs or anywhere to sit comfortably.
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
Standard was generally acceptable, not the best quality. The best meal we had was at an excellent roadside garden restaurant on the way back to Saigon from the Delta on Day 17. The worst meal was on Day 15, returning from a visit to the Cao Dai Temple, it was indifferently served and of poor quality.
 

5. Pictures:
Unfortunately we lost more than half our photos, due inexplicable damage to the camera's memory card. I shall look at the others and see if they are worth sharing.
 

6. Reference(s):
You may use our e-mail to obtain any references.
 
We believe that is all we can say for now, except to make the general comment that we had a wonderful experience, brilliantly organised and would be pleased to recommend IOT to anybody thinking of making such a tour. We also found communication with yourself was very quick, efficient and accurate.
 
Congratulations and every success with your enterprise.
 

Best Wishes,
 

Philip and Alijda Maycock
 

Nov. 27, 2009

Itinerary: Cambodia & Vietnam
11-day Siem Reap – Hanoi - Halong Bay – Sapa - Hanoi
Travel date: Nov. 3rd – Nov. 13th, 2009
Number of travelers: 3 adults
Nationality: Ireland

Dear Eric,

I'd like to answer your questions as below:
 

1. Guide Service:
All 3 guides were good but Sorvan and Bang were exceptional in the way they imparted their knowledge in a lovely relaxed way and took the pace of the trip at the level that suited us.

2. Driver Service:
All e drivers were very safe and drove very well. I would recommend them to anyone.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Hotels were all very good in fact you could not say one was poorer than the other.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
We are adventurous eaters and all meals were of a high standard. The two lunches we had in Siem Reap were an unexpected surprise as we were not expecting such a meal. The location of both restaurants was good with a lovely view from the second one.

5. Pictures:
We took over 1,300 pictures and you are welcome to any of them. I will edit them when I return home and maybe send you on the best ones.
 

6. Reference(s):
I would have no problem with this as it may help some other travelers have a better time.
 

7. Suggestion to Future Visitors:
The trip to Ha Long bay is a long trip from Hanoi and is too short on the boat. You think you have a 2 day trip on boat but we were not on the boat until after 1pm and off it the next day by 11.00am. Swimming that morning was not on offer and Kayaking was never offered. The Cave and fishing village were lovely. I think you need to look at length of time on boat against the length of time travelling in car. Maybe trip should be done from Ha Long and not Hanoi. Apart from this we had a really enjoyable trip and a good experience of the areas we visited.
 

Regards,
 

Bill
 

Nov. 16th, 2009

Itinerary: Marvelous Mekong Delta Tour
4-day tour of Ho Chi Minh – Cu Chi Tunnel –Mekong Delta Cruise –Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Nov. 9th - Nov. 12th, 2009
Number of travelers: 4 adults
Nationality: Norway
 

Dear Andrew,
Now we just have arrived Norway again. Today the first snow came, but not more than 2 cm. The trip to Vietnam was very successful and I will come back next year I hope. Your service and the guide service I can recommend. And thank you for the birthday greetings.
 

1. Guide Service:
Your guide did a nice job and answered all our questions in a nice and polite way. He talked a good English and was easy to understand. I can very well recommend him.
 
2. Driver Service:
The driver was nice. He took us around in safe way, and I was never afraid in the traffic chaos in Vietnam. The car was also ok.
 

3. Tours:
The tour to the tunnels and the tour on Mekong River was the most memorable. We were the only passengers on the boat that day and had a very superb service.  

4. Pictures:
I will send you some pictures later.
 

5. Reference(s):
I can very well be your reference, but I think it will be best for the Scandinavian countries because my English is not so good.
 
Best regards, 
 

Geir Stangeland
 

Dec. 3rd, 2009

Itinerary: Vietnam Central Highland Trails
7-day tour of Ho Chi Minh - Dalat – Buon Ma Thuot – Pleiko – Kon Tum – Hoi An
Travel date: Nov. 3rd – Nov. 9th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia
 

Hi Andrew,
It is hard to believe that we have been back home for a week now, and meeting with friends and family.
 
1. Guide & Driver Service:
We were very pleased with the IOT tour (Former websit: PNT Travel), and our guide Mr. Vu was excellent, good company, humorous, well organised and knowledgable. Our driver Mr. Phong was very good, we were always relaxed with him at the wheel, even in Vietnam traffic! The 4WD car was very comfortable.
 

2. Hotels & Breakfasts:
All the hotels were good, but the Indochine Hotel in Kon Tum needs many things repairing. Breakfasts were good, and the meals arranged by Mr. Vu were excellent and varied. Mr. Vu introduced us so many interesting facets of life in rural Vietnam, and the mountain scenery was fantastic. We are so pleased we did this tour.

3. Pictures:
I am currently composing a photo album of our whole Vietnam holiday using Blurb.com which is a website where free software is available to compose an album. When completed, I can, if you wish, arrange for an extra copy for you. It will be 40 pages with approximately 200 photos with captions.

4. Reference(s):
We are happy for you to contact us for references regarding the tour.

5. Suggestion to Future Visitors:
The design of the tour was good, but the journey from Buom Ma Thout to Kon Tum would be better with an extra day inserted, as the roads in this area are not good, and slowed our progress, perhaps staying in Pleiku rather than Kon Tum. Mr. Vu could advise other places to stay.

6. Others: Hoi An – Halong Bay – Sapa – Singapore tour arranged by Chris & Pat Coates themselves:
After we left Mr. Vu, we stayed 6 days in Hoi An. At the Hoi An Trails resort which was very nice, and just what we needed for relaxing. We spent a lot of time walking around Hoi An, eating and drinking at the White Marble Wine Bar, and had clothing made for both of us at LaNa shop. We visited the Marble Mountains which was great, as I do a bit of sculpting myself. Looks like the coast up to Danang is being transformed with lots of new resorts, I hope it doesn't spoil Hoi An.
 

Halong Bay was beautiful, as I am sure you know. Tha Bhaya cruise boat was great, we were well looked after and had good food.
 

Our 3 days in Sapa, with a day trip to Bac Ha markets was excellent, and our hotel, Cha Pa Gardens Boutique Hotel was very good, and provided heating, which some hotels in Sapa do not.
 

We ended our holiday with 3 days in Singapore, which was very enjoyable and such a contrast to anything in Vietnam, but much more expensive.
 
Chris & Pat Coates
 

Dec. 8th, 2009 

Itinerary: 1-day Hanoi Tour
Travel date: Nov. 8th, 2009
Number of travelers: 1 adult
Nationality: Denmark

Dear Andrew,
 

I'd like to comment your service as below though it is only a 1-day tour:
 

1. Guide Service:
High standard, appreciate, especially the excellent English the guide spoke.
 

2. Driver Service:
Very good.
 

3. Lunches and Dinners:
High standard (even if there was a misunderstanding on the evening meal at first)
  
Regards,
 

Lars Fredlund
 

Nov. 14, 2009

Itinerary: 6-day Vietnam Tour of Hochiminh-Danang - Hoian-Danang-Hue - Hanoi-Halong Bay – Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Nov 2nd - Nov 7th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia
 

Hi, Eric,  
We would like to offer the followings feedback to you:
 

1. Guide Service:
We found the guide service very useful, having somebody show us around a new town/country is easier then trying to find the best way from one area to another.
Our tour guide in both Saigon (Mr. Tao) & Hanoi (Mr. Phuong) were extremely welcoming and very informative during our pick up & drop off services but we didn't get any particular time with them touring. Therefore I would have to say in Hoian/Hue (Mr. Thuan) was the better guide only because he got to show us around in these places and also assisted us locally for purchases and meals (other than included in itinerary). All the guides were helpful.
 
2. Driver Service:
Again this is a perfect service, having a driver who is familiar with the area - all drivers were cautious and patient in both long distance and peak hour inner city traffic.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
We were very happy with all hotels for accommodation, facilities & location.  The breakfast in each place we limited to western clients (although I would have been happy trying some traditional breakfast items if advised exactly what it was or how to eat it - this is when the guide would have been helpful). I feel the poorest was the Duy Tan breakfast.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
The Imperial Palace Restaurant in Hue was terrible in service, atmosphere and food (Note: IOT has investigated this matter. Most Australian does not like this restaurant, hereby IOT has avoided using this restaurant to Australia except it is specially required.). I really wouldn't suggest this at all. Our favourite meal was at the Secert Garden in Hoian, also in Hoian we had a snack at a local restaurant suggested by Mr. Thuan, both Greg and I feel that this was more memorable and eatable then the set menu's.

A suggestion if Guests are having B/fast, Lunch & Dinner in a package the 5-7 course meals are too much at both lunch & dinner (remembering that tourists purchases local food items to snack on and also some of the tourist spots give you something to try).

5. Pictures:
As soon as I get them uploaded, I will forward in another email.
 

6. Reference(s):
Question: Would you like to be our reference by authorizing us to give out your email address? 
Answer: I would be happy to assist but maybe you could give me a quick email first (so I know who it may be), otherwise I might think it is spam emails.

7. Others:
We found it difficult understanding whether to give a tip or not to particular services - it appeared to be expected but I couldn't find anything in your information on internet or in Hotel guide information. Also with new visitors to Vietnam, I feel you should STRESS the travel time between each place, even though it was our choice to do several destinations in 8days we had no idea the amount of time wasted needing to travel between each place. (example - in Australia, to travel 100km takes only 1hr - 1hr 15min on highways - not 3 or more hours).
 

Regards,
 

Jan & Gregory
 

Nov. 12th, 2009

Itinerary: Best Vietnam and Cambodia
17-day tour of Hanoi – Halong Bay – Sapa – Hanoi - Hue – Hoi An – Danang - Nha Trang – Ho Chi Minh – Siem Reap
Travel date: Oct. 16th – Nov. 01st, 2009
Number of travelers: 4 adults
Nationality: Britain
 

Dear Andrew, 
 

1. Guide Service:
The best guide was Mr Dung Tiger Hue/Hoi An. The poorest Mr Huan possibly because of his very poor English.
 

2. Driver Service:
All is excellent.

 

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
All is very good. The best Palm Garden Beach Resort Hoi An. The poorest Hoabinh Palace Hanoi.
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
The lunch in Sapa on the 21st October, the quality was excellent.
 

5. Pictures:
We will email the pictures at a later date.
 

6. Reference(s):
Would you like to be our (Indochina Odyssey Tours' ) reference by authorizing us to give out your email address?
-- Yes
 
The tour was excellent and we will be recommending your company to family and friends.
 

7. Suggestions for the Future Tourists:
We really enjoyed Sapa and the visits to the ethnic groups. However, the visit to the Red Dzao at Ta PhinVillage was spoiled by the pestering of 12 women.

The drive from Sapa to Bac Ha market was too long. The market was interesting but a drive of 3 hours was too far. Longer in Sapa would have been preferred. We would also recommend 2 nights in Ho Chi Minh City.
 
Once again the whole tour was excellent. We really enjoyed it.
 
Robert and Susan Comrie,
 
Nov. 05, 2009    

Itinerary: 5-day tour of Hanoi - Sapa - Halong Cruise - Hanoi
Travel date: Oct. 26th – Oct. 30th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Australia
 

Dear Andrew,
 
1. Guide Service:
Ha was fantastic. He was so helpful with lots of information about Vietnam, the people and the history. Anything we asked him he always knows the answer. We liked him very much. All the drivers were great as well. There was no one who impressed the poorest.

2. Driver Service:
The driver service was always good. The cars were always clean and always waiting for us wherever we went.
 
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
The Bamboo Hotel in Sapa was fantastic with the view from our room fabulous. The "Emotion" junk was so beautiful as well. We enjoyed our stay at both places. The train trip from Hanoi to Lao Cai and back was also pretty comfortable. We do not have any complaints about anywhere we stayed.

4. Lunches & Dinners:
We had breakfast with Ha and Thai on the street in Hanoi when we arrived back early in the morning after the train trip. Ha took us to a street restaurant where we had Beef and Noodles in a bowl for breakfast. This is not something in Australia that we do, so it was memorable. All the other restaurants we went to were great as well.

5. Pictures:
I will attach some photos. The brief description of the photos is as below:
1) View from our room Bamboo Hotel Sapa. Beautiful
2) Sapa village
3) Breakfast in Hanoi
4) Peter on "Emotion" junk in beautiful Halong Bay

6. Reference(s):   
It is no problem for me to be your reference. I would highly recommend your service and would use you again when we next return to Vietnam.
 
I would like to thank you and your professional agency for making our Northern Vietnam tour with Ha as our tour guide.  He made it very special time for us and we will never forget our time there.
 

Bev

Nov. 2nd, 2009 

Itinerary: 15-day tour of Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta –Danang – Hoi An – My Son – Hue – Hanoi - Sapa – Hanoi - Halong Bay – Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Oct 12th  -  Oct 26th, 2009
Number of travelers: 9 adults
Nationality: Portugal
 

Hello Mayten,
 
First, sorry for answering so late, but we have been with lots of work!
 
Well Vietnam was amazing! We enjoy it a lot and I am recommending it to my closest friends. Not only the country is amazing but also PNT as everything well connected and well organized.
 
IOT worked very well. Everything is well connected and well organized. We follow the schedule. If we take more time visiting pagodas and temples where because we take a lot of pictures!
 

1. Guide Service:
The guide that impresses us best was Hao in Ho Chi Minh City. He told us a lot of everyday life in Vietnam. He also told us how he grows up and how he reaches who he is today. That mean a lot to us because we learn more things that simply Vietnam´s history.
But all the other guides were very good too. They always answer all of our questions and they were always very helpful. They also recommend us very good restaurants, nice markets, good bars, or simply good tips so that we spend well our free time. Only in Sapa were a little difficult to understand everything that our guide explains to us. Mainly because of the accent, but we also learn, with her, a lot of things about the way of life of the Ethnic minorities. 
 
2. Driver Service:
Everything went well and they all drive safely. 
 
3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
All the hotels were very well located. We can reach everything just by walking around. In all of them the service was also very nice. The one that I like most was Hoain Beach Resort. They put all of us to sea view and the rooms were very good. The food was also good and with lots of possible choices. Bamboo Hotel in Sapa was the poorest of the trip. Not because of the location (that is also very good), or the service or the food, but because of the construction that were going on while we stay there. In my opinion the hotel should close during the construction period. 
 
4. Lunches and Dinners:
For sure the memorable meal was the one in Zao´s house in Giay Village. He and the tour guide cooked for us the best meal that we have in Vietnam. We saw them preparing the food and it was a very nice moment. Then the family shared the food with us and that feels very good. The one that we have in Mekong Delta was also very good and I specially enjoy it the pumpkin flower. 
 
5. Pictures:
Mayten, we will share our best Photos with you, but I need a little more time to gather them. We are 8 friends so I ask them to send me their best shoot and then I willl forward it to you.
 

6. Reference(s)
Yes, feel free to do so. We also have a blog with this trip, but it's almost everything in Portuguese. Nevertheless, I will send you the address and you could use it if you have more Portuguese, Brasilian or even Spanish "customers".
http://indochina.hugo.sg/
 
Best Regards,
 
Carla Cortesão
 

Nov. 12th, 2009

Itinerary: 14-day tour of Bangkok – Hanoi – Halong Bay –Hue –Hoian – Ho Chi Minh-Mekong delta-Mui Ne-Siem Reap – Bangkok
Travel date: Oct. 10th - Oct. 23rd, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Ireland
 

Hi Eric,
I have just arrived back in Ireland after a very enjoyable trip. In answer to your queries
 

1. Guide Service:
While all guides were good, our guide in Hue and Hoi Han had great knowledge of the history and made every effort to give us as much information as possible.
 
 

2. Driver Service:
All drivers were polite and drove safely.
 

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
We were impressed with all hotels except maybe the hotel in Mui Ne. It was empty of guests, the beach was tiny, and it did not have the standard of the other hotels. We also felt the trip there from Saigon was too long for the length of stay and we had to leave at 7.30 am for a 4.30 pm flight.
 

WE really enjoyed the hotel in Hoian, great beach and staff and food. We were sorry we did not have longer there.
 

All the other hotels were very good especially the Intercontenental and Sokha in Siem Reap.  
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
All lunches supplied were fine but were too early as we usually stopped for lunch at 11.30 to 12.00. Our lunch on the paradise cruise was best.
 

5. Pictures:
I will forward you some pics later.

6. References:
Please use me as reference if you wish.
 

Kind Regards,
 

Sean Kenna
 

Oct. 28, 2009 

Itinerary: 8-day tour of Hanoi – Halong Bay – Sapa - Silver Waterfall - Hanoi
Travel date: 5th – 12th October, 2009
Number of travelers: 4 adults (family tour)
Nationality: Australia
 

Hi Andrew (name of IOT's Travel Consultant),
Have provided responses in below.
Thanks to you and your team for your always helpful attitude and making our travel arrangements go smoothly. Your responsiveness for any query we had was greatly appreciated.

1. Guide & Driver Service:
We were happy with all the guides we had, but would say Mr Phong in Hanoi was the best. And we are very happy with all the drivers we had.

2. Hotels & Breakfast:
The family liked the Hanoi Paradise hotel the best but the Hoi An hotel was very good also.
 

3. Lunches and Dinners:
All meals that were arranged for us were good, but we did find that getting a full 8 or 9 courses for lunch and dinner day after day for us was probably more food than we wanted to eat all the time.
 

Regards,

Andrew (name of IOT's Guest) 

Itinerary: 14-day tours of Hanoi - Halong Bay – Sapa – Hanoi – Hue - Nha Trang – Dalat –Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Sept 6th – Sept 19th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: USA
 

Dear Andrew,
Sorry for the delay!  We were trying to gather all the photos for you. Let me know if there's anything else we can do for you - and again, thank you so much for all your help. We had a wonderful time on our trip to Vietnam!  Also, is there any way you can send these photos to our guides in Viet Nam for us?
 
1. Guide Service:
We had a wonderful time with our guides and received wonderful service all around.  Particularly, we were impressed with Mr. Trung in Hanoi. He was very professional and quite knowledgeable in English and Vietnamese Historical facts.  Also, Mr. Mau in Hue was amazing! His english was impeccable and the depth of his wisdom and knowledge was truly appreciated.  Mai in Sapa was very sweet and helpful. While our guide Vinh in Nha Trang was very excited and nice we spent very little time with him so we didn't have much of a guide/tourist connection. 

2. Driver Service:
All our drivers were excellent - we especially appreciated Mr. Manh’s services, in Hanoi, the most.  He was quite jolly and very accommodating and even helped me out tremendously in returning sunglasses I left in the van after we were already leaving for Sapa.  However, I was a bit dissappointed with our driver in Sapa.  We were never really introduced to him, so we don’t even know his name.  He was obviously unaware that one of us understood Vietnamese.  So, his attitude was overall unpleasant and he often complained about carting us around.  On more than one occasion he brought along friends with him while driving us.  They taunted and harassed our sweet little guide, Mai, and it felt like they outnumbered us (since there were only 2 of us travelling) which left us feeling a bit unsafe.  

Note: After investigation, the driver in Sapa is called Son. We will never use him for our service. And we have communicated with our partners in Sapa to instruct and train the drivers and guides. We are sorry for the unhappy experience caused to you.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
All of our hotels were quite satisfactory.  We liked the Majestic in Ho Chi Minh City the best but I believe that was an upgrade for us.  Their breakfast was top notch with a huge variety to choose from.  Of the hotels that were not an upgrade we enjoyed the room at the Heritage Hotel in Hue the most.  The room there was very roomy and beautifully decorated.  We slept very well in Hue.  The breakfast there was also quite wonderful, fresh and delicious.  Our room at the Bamboo Hotel in Sapa was nice and had a wonderful view, but they were doing construction - so it was difficult to rest as there was constant hammering and pounding from 6am to 7 pm.  The poorest hotel of our trip was the Golden Hotel in Nha Trang.  The room was small and stuffy, the bath tub did not have shower curtains.  I do not believe breakfast was available for us at this hotel.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
Absolutely loved the meal Cha Ca La Vong in Hanoi because the presentation was so specactular and it tasted delicious!  Also our meal on the junk boat in Ha Long Bay, because of the taste and ambiance. I don't believe there was one meal that was unpleasant.

Tori Labs

Sept. 26th, 2009

Itinerary: 34-day Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Tours of Ho Chi Minh – Mekong Floating Market - Can Tho - Chau Doc - Phnom Penh -Siem Reap – Luang Prabang - Vientiane – Hanoi – Sapa – Halong cruise tour - Hanoi – Hue - Hoi An - My Son - Nha Trang – Dalat - Ho Chi Minh – Phu Quoc - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Jul 21 – Aug. 23, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 travelers
Nationality: Australia

Hi, Kelly,
 
We are now back home and had a great trip. Thanks for making it so memorable. 
 
Refer responses below in red to your specific questions.
 
Further, we have completed feed back forms and given them to each guide and I assume they have been forwarded to you.
 
You are welcome to use me as a referee for potential future clients and we will recommend you to our friends. 
 
1. Guide Service
All guides were great and I would not like to say who was best/poorest - excellent local knowledge, friendly, flexible (in making suggestions on other places to visit and changing order of visits), good communication with locals on our behalf in explaining our needs/requests.   

2. Driver Service
Whilst most had limited knowledge of English, the guides were able to communicate with them and there existing good working relationships. All were experienced and safe drivers. All vehicles were modern, clean and tidy.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Clearly the best hotel was Royal Empire in Siem Reap - new, excellent facilities, friendly, professional - would rate this as 4 Star. Lot of new hotels are in Siem Reap.
Worst was Hysoke in Luang Prabang - poorly renovated, we had to request a change of room for various reasons, breakfast poor, too far out of town. Lucky to be 2 star. If you go into the hotel web site you will see the adverse comments made by other people.

Otherwise the hotels were generally acceptable but on reflection we should have asked you to book 4 star accomodation as the cost differential between 3 and 4 star at this time of the year is not significant.    
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:
All of the restaurants were excellent. I do not know who selected them but they were very good. The tree top restaurant ( cant recall the name) in the Mekong Delta was perhaps the stand out.   

5. Others:
I will send you a picture taken at My Son and the guide at Ankor Wat had a photo taken by a professional photographer and I thought it was going to you. We took over 1,000 photos of our trip and if you would like some I will send to you when I have a moment.

There was overall too many temples and pegodas. When we reviewed the initial itinerary that you sent to us we did not realize how many there were. If the tour was purely cultural then it would have been fine but we were looking for both cultural, adventure plus local places of interest.

The local guides were keen to show us their local temples/pagodas as they were on the itinerary plus they were either pre booked or they were proud of them thus we did not want to upset them. Some of the guides suggested additional local trips.

Mekong - we saw the wholesale floating market but the guide suggested we include the retail floating market which we did and it was great. He arranged for us to transfer to a boat and have a pineapple with a local - other tour companies do this.

Phnom Penh - the guide suggested going to S21 and Genicide Park as this was part of the recent Cambodia history. We took up his suggestion and found it very interesting.

Vientiane - the guide suggested going to Budda Park. It was interesting and gave us an opportunity to see more of the country side in Laos.
Luang Prabang - visit the waterfalls with the elephants, or some white water rafting, or kayaking. Time did not permit us to do this but talking to other tourists in LB who did it they thought it was great.

Halong Bay - there was a typhoon in the area thus we could not spend a night on a junk which was meant to be a highlight of our trip. We had to spend the night on the mainland at Halong which the guide did a good job in organising but when we went out to the caves the next day found out that there were some junk operators that did go out over night. Maybe our junk operator was purely looking at our safety.

Hoi An - we had a spare day and the guide recommended that we went out to Cham Island diving, snorkling, swimming etc. We did it and had a great time.

Nha Trang - again we had a spare day and the guide recommended a day trip to Bamboo Island and other areas of the bay - snorkling, swimming, lunch etc. It was very entertaining and we had a great day. It is one of the most popular attraction for both locals and tourists - we went on the Mama Linh boat and it was great.   

Suggest that in future you ask clients if they are seeking cultural, adventure, fast, slow or what ever in their itinerary. This will help you in planning the itinerary.

Rgds,

Peter

Aug. 26, 2009
 

Itinerary: 14-day tour of Ho Chi Minh - Mekong Delta - Danang – Hoian - Hanoi - Halong Cruise
Travel date: Aug 13th – Aug 26th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: New Zealand

Dear Air,
I was most impressed with the organization of the tour, from the moment we walked through Customs at HCM, everything happened as it should, cars and guides turning up on time, like at Ha Long we arrived at the jetty along with 100 other tourists and we were identified, picked up and escorted to the small barge which took us out to the Junk, very efficient.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Vietnam but if we did it again we would restrict ourselves to half day tours as we found with the temperatures in the 30’s the 10 -11hour day was just a bit too long. Also I think we should have planned a day of relaxation for our first day after having spent nearly 24 hours travelling to get there.

Our best day was the Mekong Delta tour. Memorable

1. Guide Service:
The enthusiasm displayed by all the guides was wonderful but I guess the one who was slightly above the others was Tiger who picked us up from Danang and showed us round Hoi An. None of the guides would be classed as poor.

2. Driver service:
All the drivers were careful and considerate in what to us horrendous traffic conditions.

3. Hotels & Breakfasts: 
The Hoi An Resort was definitely the best accommodation. The rooms at the REX and the HANOVER were a bit on the small size and lacked comfortable easy chairs. (Mind you the Hoi An did have two chairs but they were both wooden)
Breakfast was very good at all the hotels and on the Junk.

4. Lunches and Dinners:
The dinner we had at the French/Vietnamese Restaurant opposite the Sheraton in HCM city was the outstanding meal for us. The meal in the Rex Dining room the second night was also excellent. Overall the Dining rooms lacked ambience – like absolutely no music -  At Hoi An there was only four other people in the dining room. That lack of ambience was also the problem with the evening meal on the Junk.

5. Pictures:
I will add pictures after I have downloaded my camera.

Keith Walsh / Mr.

Aug. 28th, 2009
 

Itinerary: 18-Day Vietnam & Cambodia tour of Ho Chi Minh–Tay Ninh - Can Tho - Ho Chi Minh - Hue-Hanoi - Ha Long bay–Hanoi - Siem Reap–Ho Chi Minh - Phu Quoc Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: July 27th - Aug 13th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: US

Dear Air,
The whole tour arrangements are quite good. Below are some comments for our tour.

 1. Guide Service:
The guide in Cambodia had a great knowledge of history as well as current political situation, perfect english. Very helpful and flexible.

The lady in Hanoi however was not that great. Talked more about her family and work than about Vietnam. She was late to pick us up for the Water Puppet Show. We always had to correct her what time to pick us up for the airport. (Note: IOT Tours has investigated the real situation and this guide will never serve IOT guests. )

2. Driver Service:
We had no issues with drivers at all with the exception of that late pick up which was not his fault.

3. Pictures:
I will have more pictures later, right now I only have few over here:


 4. Hotels & Breakfasts:
Hotels were fine. No issues. I wish the hotel in Hanoi was closer to the old quarter, but it's my fault. I know I asked to save us some money.
Breakfast was ok everywhere. THe hotel in Saigon had the smallest selection of food but still ok.

5. Lunches and Dinners:
The meal on Halong Bay Cruise is outstanding!!! Huge selection and really really well made.

In general i am very happy with IOT Tours (Former: PNT Travel). I already recommended it to one of my co-worker who is planning to go to Thailand,Vietnam and Cambodia in November.

Sincerely,

 Vitaliy

 Aug. 17th, 2009

Itinerary: 2-day Smiling Vietnam Tour from Rach Gia to Chau Doc
Travel date: Aug 8th - Aug 9th, 2009
Number of travelers: 16 adults
Nationality: USA

Dear Andrew,
We would have liked more time at the temples on Saturday and time to climb Sam Mountain around sunset. We thought there was a night market.

On Sunday, we probably shouldn’t have taken time to see the market. We liked lunch at the beach and wanted more time there.

The time from Rach Gia to Chau Doc was about 3 hours. It was about 3 hours to beach and 3 hours back to Rach Gia. 

Bernie Reeves

Aug 19, 2009
 

Itinerary: 6-day colorful Thailand tour of Bangkok - Phuket Island
Travel date: Jul 16th - Jul, 21st, 2009
Number of travelers: 3 adults (family tour)
Nationality: Ecuador

 

Dear Andrew,

Thanks for all your help in Thailand, he had a great time there, Bobby our guide was very good and we enjoyed the time.
Good job!

 

Best regards,

 

Esteban

 

Jul. 28th, 2009

Itinerary: 15-day Mountain Trekking and Scuba Diving Tours of Hanoi – Halong Bay – Sapa – Nha Trang – Whale Island - Hanoi
Travel date: Jun 29 – Jul 13, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: US 
 

Dear Andrew,
We are at the Hanoi airport waiting to depart on our return trip from the Vietnam itinerary you booked for us.  I want to thank you and your organization for an outstanding trip.  Things were very well organized, the guides were all good, as were the accomodations.  You helped us to plan an itinerary that suited our interests and needs.  So, kudos and thanks to you.  Please do not hesitate to use us as a reference if it would be helpful to you.

1. The guides were very good.  Our guides in Sapa and Nha Trang were both exceptional.

2. Drivers were fine, all were safe.  The first driver (to Ha Long Bay) did not know how to correctly use a manual transmission.

3. The best hotel was the Sunset Resort in Nha Trang, great hotel, great breakfast.  The Flower garden hotel in Han Noi was also very good, not in the same class, though, as the sunset.

4. The food at Whale Island was very disappointing. 

5. I will email some photos when I have finished editing them.

Gary Bloom　

July 13th, 2009

Itinerary: 6-day tours of Hanoi-Lao Cai- Sapa-Hanoi
Travel date: Jun 28 - Jul 3, 2009
Number of travelers: 4 adults (family tour)
Nationality: Australia

Hello Andrew,
Here are the answers to your questions.

1. The guide service was excellent. The guide at Sapa was very good and the guide that took us to the railway station in Hanoi was very helpful also.

2. The driver in Sapa was also very safe. The driver in Hanoi who picked us up from the airport did not speak much English but also drove safely.

3. The hotel in Sapa was the best hotel and the breakfast was excellent. The hotel in Hanoi was not as good and one morning they had cleared away the breakfast before the due time so we had to choose something from the menu.

4. Breakfast at the hotel in Sapa was the best as it was a really good buffet breakfast.

5. I will attach some photos for you of our trip.　
 
Thank you! 

 

Chris Duffield

 

July 18th, 2009

Itinerary: 6-day Vietnam Glimpse Tours of Ho Chi Minh- Mekong Delta - Danang- Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh
Travel date: Jun. 06 – Jun 11, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults 
Nationality: Australia

 

Hi Eric，

1. Guide Service: Both guides were excellent very different to each other but good to be with.

 

2. Driver Service: No problems encountered. The driver in Hoian didn't seem to enjoy much, may have had other issues but both were fully attentive to our needs.

 

3. Hotels & Breakfasts: All breakfasts were great; the hotel in Hoian was noisy at night (Hoian Beach Resort)
 

4. Lunches and Dinners:  Hoian lunch it was very hot and the room we went to was airconditioned and the food was excellent.

 

5. Others:
Can I suggest that a small pack is made up of tourist info that is relevant to the area ie: map sights that can be seen in walking distance from hotel, approx exchange rates, closest shopping etc. we found in Ho Chi Ming and Mekong delta that we didn't really know what to do in our spare time where was safe to go where was not, the guide in Hoian ensured we had ideas and places to go when he left us for the evening. 

 

The only other concern was on our last day our flight returned to Ho Chi Ming and our flight to Australia left at 10 pm this was poor organizing I believe something could have been arranged to core this time. (Note: IOT Tours has informed both our travel consultants and local partners to arrange the proper schedule to connect flight. )

 

Suzanne Kathryn Jones/Ms.

 

June 13th, 2009
 

Itinerary: 9-day tour of Ho Chi Minh – Hue – Hoian - Hochiminh
Travel date: Apr. 28th – May 6th, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults 
Nationality: Australia

 

Dear Mayten,
I am just writing to let you know how much I appreciate all the hard work you put into organising my visa for my recent trip to Vietnam with my friend Marie Mason. I feel it was very lucky Marie chose your company to arrange the holiday and I wanted to let you know that I am extremely grateful to you. The whole trip was wonderful and we really enjoyed the itinerary. My only regret is that we did not have more time! The hotels were great. Our drivers were very skilled and made us feel safe in the busy city traffic. Both the guides were fantastic; informative, helpful and friendly. I can highly recommend them both. Marie's birthday was made special in HCMC and Hue and I know she was thrilled!
 

Thank you again, Mayten.

 

Best regards,

 

Fiona O'Sullivan

 

May 8th, 2009

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Hi Mayten,

yes back to dull boring home and to work this Monday morning at 7.00 am, never mind. Have to pay for next holiday somehow. Can't wait to do it all agaIn. Martin still doesn't have his passport but when he does we will look at booking flights and then returning to our favourite tour operator (you) for another successful tour plan. I really can't recommend you enough ! IOT Tours is very lucky to have you for an employee. As soon as I am rested a bit more I am sending you an account of our great holiday, maybe a few suggestions but absolutely no complaints. I would be happy for you to use my comments on your website. The best part of the tour was that there was only Fiona and I so it was easy to ask lots of questions without having to share our time with other tour group members. And having my birthday in an exotic place is all I have wanted to do and I enjoyed it immensely.

Happy day to you!

 

Best regards,
 
Marie

Itinerary: Hanoi- Halong Bay- Hue- Hoian- Nha trang- Dalat- Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) - Siem Reap
Travel date: Mar. 31st – Apr. 17th, 2009
Number of travelers: 3 adults 
Nationality: Australia

 

Hi Mayten,
We have now returned from out trip to Vietnam and Cambodia which you organised for us. Just wanted to thank you for doing such a great job -everything went very smoothly and we really enjoyed seeing your beautiful and interesting country.

If in the future we come again, I will certainly contact you to help us and will pass on your details to our friends if they want to organise a holiday.

Many thanks again.

Yolanda
 
Apr. 19th, 2009

Itinerary: 16-day tour of Bangkok – Chiang Mai – Phuket
Travel date: Mar. 30 – Apr. 16, 2009
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: Britain

Dear Air,
Just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to you and your company for the all the arrangements you made for our trip to Thailand. We had a fantastic time, the itinerary was perfect although we had to make a couple of last minute alterations due to sickness but the tour guides were superb and changed the trip to suit our needs. All our guides were very friendly, helpful and very informative, especially lucky in Bangkok who was very special.

We have hundreds of fantastic photos and hours of DVD footage which will keep our memories of a great trip alive for many months to come. Attached a great photo of John and I at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. We will be returning to Thailand sometime in the future and would certainly have no hesitation is using your company again or in recommending you to our friends should they ever consider a trip.

All your help is greatly appreciated.

Yours,

Lynette Davis and John Parkes

May 17th, 2009

Itinerary: 8-day Tours of Ho Chi Minh -  Mui Ne - Siem Reap
Travel date: Oct. 25 – Nov. 01, 2008
Number of travelers: 2 adults
Nationality: US

Air Yang,
Overall we were very happy with the tour. The travel arrangements around the countries were excellent and the tour guides did a good job too.  Below are some thoughts for future tours

Viet Nam visa process - PLEASE explain to future travelers that they need to print out the form showing the Governments visa approval.  We didn't have that with us and it delayed our process. 

1. Meet and Great at the Airports - Excellent

2. Drivers - Excellent safe and courteous

3. Tour Guide's Command of Language:
Viet Nam - good (we had some trouble understanding him and vice verse)
Cambodia - good to excellent ( again some troubles on pronunciation)

4. Hotels
Saigon - Quality of room and services Good. Room was a bit small and they put us in one with no view! Breakfast was good. Location Very good
Mui Ne - EXCELLENT The Cham Villa's room was beautifully set up and the staff was very attentive. Location central and staff willing to transport us to see sites and restaurants. Very relaxing and the food in the restaurant was very good -excellent.
NOTE: We saw the Romana Hotel and were not impressed. It is located at the end of the town and had a worn look to it.
Seim Reap - Okay  - Rooms were fine but street noise was very loud and the shower was poor.  Breakfast was good. This hotel felt like it was specifically designed for tours and felt rushed.  Location - poor.  At edge of town with little to offer.  Fortunately the cost of a Tutu was $1-2 dollars to get to old town.  Would have preferred to be within walking distance.

5. Tours 
Saigon - good
Cambodia - very good.  Ruins were awesome but the trip to the lake was not very interesting.
Mui Ne - Hotel arranged for tour of Red Dunes and Canyons very enjoyable.
We do not hesitate to recommend your company to others for making arrangements. You were attentive and worked with us on our switching very well.  When we return to Viet Nam we will use you again. Curious do you arrange for tours in Hanoi and Laos? (Note: IOT Tours deals with the tours to Hanoi & Laos. )
 
Jamie Herbert

Nov. 6th, 2008