Reviews

An absolutely amazing adventure with a great group of people and an amazing guide in Vietnam - Kim !
This was my first solo holiday and I would not hesitate to go on another Wendy Wu tour but this will take some beating !
We saw Vietnam essentially from top to bottom . From the bustle of Hanoi to the peace of the Panhou retreat just 30km from the Chinese border to the majesty of Halong Bay . Then onto Hoi An and Hue both so different but both equally memorable . Then Saigon - a Vespa tour is an essential for everyone - and the time to reflect on what we saw in the Cu chi tunnels and the war remnants museum . And then onto the Mekong delta for an overnight stop in Ben tre
The walking in Hoang Su Phi was not as challenging as the itinerary might have suggested and I chickened out of the cycling ! The hotels were all well situated and all of a more than acceptable standard - the most important part was the beds as certainly needed good nights sleep to keep up with the adventure .
The group was sad to leave Vietnam and Kim who as I have already said was amazing at looking after us and was full of amazing stories and shared his experiences with us .
However we still had Cambodia to visit and I guess my only criticism of the whole trip was it should have been slightly longer to give us a bit more time in Cambodia . The Angkor Wat complex was amazing as was the visit the following day to the village on stilts . Our guide Chet obviously had a hard act to follow but again he was great !
My highlights - the retreat , walking in the mountains , Halong bay , the bamboo circus in Hoi An and the mad ride on coracle boats , the Vespa tour ,eating and drinking fresh coconut in the Mekong the Angkor complex and the Phare Circus !
A truly amazing adventure

We were very pleased with all aspects of this trip. The booking process was straightforward and all queries were dealt with professionally.

The tour was well organised and everything went according to plan. Our local guide Dinh was exceptional and due to his willingness to answer all questions and volunteer all sorts of information - historical, sociological, geographical - we felt that we really got to know something of the culture and the people of Vietnam. The activities were great fun and the visit to the vegetable garden and cooking class in Hoi An especially stand out.
The cruise in Halong Bay - despite the chilly/wet weather - was the highlight it promised to be.

All accommodation was good and the transfers smooth and well organised. It was a bonus not having to carry our own luggage! The food was also very good with only a couple of the western meals being a bit disappointing.

This was our first experience of an organised group tour and we were more than pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it. The group of people were friendly and enthusiastic and it was good get to know each other over dinner and to compare notes on the day.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate my husband's 70th birthday. I had organised it as a surprise for him and he loved it.

Japan is now on my wish list!

Full on travel experience. All travel arrangements and pick ups were organised superbly
The hotels were all of a good standard and the beds high quality aiding great sleep
Cambodia was beyond expectations as was our guide Buvnath. The Angor complex and the Ta Prohn temples ( Tomb Raider film) was breathtaking despite the high humidity and the rest of the itinerary was very interesting. A luxury coach transferred the 16 of us to Pnom Penn.
Next was a cruise down the Mekong river which was a welcome respite after a few days touring
The boat was lovely as were the staff and the evening entertainment was authentic.
Wendy Wu greeted us for the cruise and it was fun to hear how she had built her tour business
3 groups amalgamated on this cruise and I felt the trips out were a bit busy with all of us descendingon each location.
After 3 days on the Mekong River it was a transfer to Saigon.
This day was less successful as a packed and somewhat repetetive days activities and a late lunch meant we arrived in our hotel with little time to shower and freshen up for dinner which I decided to miss.
After that day the tour picked up again and our new guide Hoi kept the group engaged and the travel arrangements from then on were faultless including 2 internal flights from Ho Chi Min to Da Nang for the beautiful Hoi An and then onto Hanoi.
Hoi made sure each hotel had all our details in advance and arranged luggage collection /porterage so no lengthy lobby waits to get to our rooms.
The evening show in Hoi An was a spectacular display of acrobatics traditional music and dance and I am glad this was included
The seaplane flight over Halong bay was like something out of a James Bond movie and the cruise on the Junk was very pleasant
Why only 4 stars
I felt some of the food /set meals provided were bland , and unimaginative for the price point .The veg was always excellent but one restaurant gave us pork complete with hairy skin!! which nobody ate much of! The last nights meal was very average and a disappointment.
Overall a great experience which I would recommend
The food does need improved for the evening meals

Hotels in Hanoi and Hoi An below expectation.
Hotel in Saigon was good!
Victoria Mekong vessel, food and service excellent!
Siem Reap hotel Good!
Guides were good.

Service rating :

Very well organised tour. Pace and variety of experiences excellent. Very professional and knowledgeable tour guides (both national and local). Every day went really smoothly - transport ready and waiting , seats at tables reserved, tables reserved at different local restaurants serving excellent food, bottled water in an ice bucket on the coach. The attention to small detail excellent.

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Our first experience of a tour and the small group promised helped to make this trip special. Highlights for us were the four days up in the mountains walking, meeting and eating with local villagers was an outstanding experience. We also particulate enjoyed the cycle rides and the Vespa ride. Another highlight was the cycle trip in Hoi An to the market gardens. The day of activities in the Mekong Delta was also superb.

Service rating :

Itinerary was very good ,Mekong Delta a wasted day compared with Hoi An and Halong Bay and Hanoi.
40 % of Restaurant were empty seated in rooms without atmosphere just the group,Nha Trang Hotel Asian Paradise (hell) 2/10
All guides were excellent Hoang Van Toan In Hanoi 11/10 brillent.
Would have been lovely a additional day in Hanoi .
Hotel Le Nid lack facilities very poor dinning room layout more like a canteen.
No bar with alcohol drinks Le spirits .
Very good flights with Cathay and Vietnemese Airlines.

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Value for the money except the Menkong Delt

Service rating :

Spoke initially with Stephen Jordan, who was very efficient and helpful. Upon deciding to book, again spoke with Stephen who was able to deal with our request for a Hong Kong add-on.

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The Vietnam at a Glance Tour was superb and everything went so smoothly. Lots of early mornings but when you travel that far you do need to make the most of your time. Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi were typical city hotels, but very good and near the centre, enabling us to walk around in our free time.Those in Hoi An and Hue were a little more spacious, with pools and still in good locations. A special mention must be made of our guide for the tour, Robin (Dzung Duc Ngo), who was outstanding. Also very fortunate to have a good group of fellow travellers, and it was sad to say goodbye at the end!

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Excellent itinerary and a very good national guide plus experienced drivers.

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A lot to see of interest but, a little longer would have been nice at some venues e.g. Hoi An

Service rating :

The service on this tour was amazing. The national guides sort everything and want to ensure you have a great holiday in their countries. I found the Cambodian people to be extremely friendly. If you suffer from any allergies then the guides ensured you were given food that you could eat safely and tried to offer variety. The hotel rooms were all of excellent standard and most hotels had a swimming pool.

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The trip from Angkor to the Bay was amazing. Both of our national guides were outstanding. We had Sok in Cambodia and Zhou in Vietnam. They were both very knowledgeable and were good at telling the history of their countries in an interesting way and were fun to be around. Our favourite parts were Angkor Wat and Halong Bay. The boat trip on Halong Bay was a relaxing part of the trip and the scenery was stunning. The boat was positioned perfectly to enjoy the sunrise. In Hoi An we stayed at the silk resort which is a beautiful hotel. Most people's favourite. This is our second Wendy Wu tour and it was amazing and we would happily go with them again. The holiday includes everything so you don't need to worry about where to eat or how to travel around. The roads in Vietnam and Cambodia are chaos but all of our drivers made you feel safe and were very friendly.

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Would have been excellent if Saigon hotel had not been changed to one of lesser quality without warning or explanation.

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Hotel change spoiled Saigon experience. Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An were excellent.

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Dara in Cambodia and Tuan in Vietnam, our guides were fantastic

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Very well organised including 3 add one. Especial thanks to our wonderful guides, Dara in Cambodia and Tuan in Vietnam. Only criticism 2 dreadful 'western' meals in Vietnam and extra day needed for rest day in Hoi An. Some more infirm members of the group needed a rest and it would have been nice to sample the delights of the Hoi An Silk Village resort.
Thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you

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I cannot fault Wendy Wu tours, this was our 2nd holiday with them, the first being to China. Everything went as planned and no complaints from my husband and I. Would definitely travel with them again.

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It was a full on whirlwind tour with the bonus of Angkor Wat for free. If I had to pick one place which I felt really relaxed in it was Hoi An. We had an excellent experience at a cookery class, very enjoyable. The meals on tour were of good quality, you could not want for anything. The guide was knowledgeable and looked after us very well nothing was too much trouble for him. Overall, if you wish to see Hanoi, Hoi An and Saigon then this tour filled the brief.

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The guides were friendly and knowledgeable particularly the Vietnam guy.

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We enjoyed the trip very much but thought the Cambodia leg was rushed and we missed the Bantarsreay temple. We also thought a little extra time in Hoi An would have been wonderful and more enjoyable.

Service rating :

Company & service good, tour guide good.

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The hotel in Hanoi was tired, rooms old. Whereas the ones in Hoi An & next place, can't remember the name, where on a different level so there was no consistency with accommodation. Due to it being so hot, the waling around got a bit much, I realise there is an agenda & I did opt out of one half day excursion. I was the only Brit but that didn't matter, all the others, mainly from Australia, were great.