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

Remember you are not on holiday you are on tour! Early mornings and long days to fit everything in.
Vietnam was very interesting for a country that seems to always be at war. It had historic history with tunnels and museums full of war memorabilia and graphic photos. No-one wins at war and the least of all is the people of Vietnam. A good education though. Saigon is a mad busy city ruled on the road by motorbikes. The countryside quite different and the towns of Hoi An, Hue and Hanoi all have vast populations with the local markets generally selling the same products to tourists.
Laos is the the most underdeveloped country and dirty with rubbish everywhere, still dependent on farming and the population concentrating on looking after themselves rather than commercial gain. It's history revolves around visiting temples, sometimes three or four a day, quite boring. It would be difficult to name a person who has made their mark on this country it only seems to have it's Buddhist religion. Being land locked neighboring country's at war just walked in and occupied.
Cambodia was the most modern of the three country's it had new airports, buildings and was very clean. A lot of money has been spent and invested from China. Angkor is the jewel in the crown of the visit, quite stunning and amazing for how the temples of Wat, Thom and The Bayon ever managed to built with so much intricate carvings and height to the structures.
The people of all three country's are pleased to see you and friendly. The street hawkers can be tiresome but they are only trying to make a living. The cost of living is very cheap, paintings and art work is desirable and plentiful, make certain you leave room in your luggage.
I don't think I need to return having had this experience.

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.

Food was very ordinary and repetitive and often we were brought to pretty poor eateries like in Saigon. It was like a McDonalds!. Also Saigon hotel was ghastly!. The Adora Art was a horrible smelly dump!
Pace of tour was exhausting even though we did see a lot

Majority of the tour was very good with excellent food, hotels and a great tour guide. Unfortunately, did not enjoy the Saigon area.

Organisation and guide excellent. Itinerary good. Tours good, food great. Accommodation goes from excellent to just ok. Final hotel in Saigon left things to be desired. Eg run out of breakfast items at 830 and only an apology. Rooms dark though spacious. Bar facility very poor and this is in a major cosmopolitan city

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The tour from start to finish was excellently structured and organised. The tour guides on each leg of the tour were exceptional. Their knowledge and their caring of their ‘family’ made the whole tour a great experience. Nothing was too much trouble

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Overall everything was excellent. I would add that the Le Duy Hotel in Saigon was not the best. Whilst clean and tidy, the facilities were very basic. No room for everyone to congregate, no real bar area.
The Mercury Vientiane was a tired looking hotel with regards to the rooms and we had cockroaches.
In Laos we visited the Ban Na Ouane village which none of our group enjoyed. The children being used to sell goods to the tourists in that way was awful. A better visit would have been to the Heritage House in Luang Prabang which we did ourselves. Very good

The rating is due to the standard of tour guides , particularly Ducy in Vietnam who was exceptional. The first hotel in Saigon could have been better. Some meals were western food which was dissapointing as the local cuisine was excellent, particularly in Cambodia

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Would definitely recommend, well organised and tour guide phong was excellent

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Started in Hanoi and finished in Saigon all travel and tours were continually flowing

We saw everything we were promised, informed guides,towards the end we got a bit templeded out, but in fairness that was us.Shanghi fabulous. Not as cheap as expected in China or Vietnam. Pandas wonderful. Great Wall GREAT. Value for money yes. Saigon hotel needs updating.
Wendy Wu delivered a great holiday and holiday experiences.

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The tour guides in both Cambodia and Vietnam were excellent. They took very good care of us all and did a great job.
The food was very good in both countries and we were pleased with the hotels and so the price for the whole trip seemed at the right level.

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good hotels and food in both countries but found the food experience in Vietnam a bit samey by the end of the trip. One trip from Saigon out to a temple took 3 hrs in the coach and was definitely not worth the time. All other trips were very good.

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Both tour guides were excellent and well informed. They were willing to answer questions and made sure everything went according to plan.

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Hotels were of a very good standard. Excellent drivers and helpful co-drivers - the only negative was the bus used in Saigon which wasn't up to the standards of the rest.
Very tiring holiday but then there was such a lot to see - couldn't miss anything out really - so early morning starts were accepted.

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The guide was great, really knowledgeable and looked after us very well. Even in his free time when the day was finished he was willing to take us to places and constantly making sure we was ok and felt safe at any time.
Service in all the restaurants were great minus one in Saigon the rooftop restaurant near diamond plaza service was extremely slow and took so long for us to get a drink.

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Amazing, got to see so much a true once in a lifetime trip. Loved the cruise boat for halong bay so modern and luxury to a surprise when we researched junk boats. All hotels were spot on and the trips were out of this world. Early early starts around 5.30am was a bit of a off put as its such a long day but you understand why to try beat all the other tour groups.
Would recommend this trip so highly, gutted its all over.

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Guide very good. Little too much time in Saigon & Hanoi not enough in Hoi Ann & Halong Bay. Hotels good. Food sometimes repetitive & too many set meals. Pools in hotels could be better. Cruise fantastic & hotel/stay in Hoi Ann

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I would recommend it to friends but needs to be less set meals or a few free meals so we can go & choose what we want to eat. Good value for money though

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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.