Ms GODFREY Clare and Mr SUART Paul (Four people, July 30th - August 4th, Northeast Vietnam, Motorbike)Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Overall the amount of travelling was appropriate - if we didn't break down so often we would have arrived at the night stops in plenty of time. We enjoyed having some shorter days with activities other than motorbiking. More little breaks for water & snacks would have been good.
What were your favorite places? The ride to the waterfall Ban Gioc was excellent - very scenic and fun riding. The homestay at Quang Uyen was excellent, the hosts were extremely friendly & accommodation good.
Transportation: The motorbikes were a little old and temper mental, they could have done with a thorough service before the trip. However when they were behaving they were more than capable for the roads we were riding. The equipment was good quality.
Accommodation: We thought the guest house at Ba Be Lake was a little basic but we enjoyed the location. Our favourite was the homestay at Quang Uyen. We enjoyed the mixture of hotel & homestay.
Food: Insufficient quantity. Breakfast was generally too small and we were hungry during the riding as no snack was provided. At the guesthouse it was sufficient. Good quality. The meals at the guesthouse were very good. Breakfasts could definitely be improved. Some of the café/restaurants we stopped at were truly filthy with cockroaches around the tables.
The organization - Guide services: Hung was always working hard. He was very patient and he had many stories to tell. We don't know if he had knowledge as it wasn't shared. When we enchanted a Tay tribe he had very minimal knowledge on their culture + customs. Knowledge on international politics was very good! When we asked questions the answers we were given never satisfactory, however we were never given information spontaneously. We feel he may have had good knowledge but we don't think we learnt anything.
Good language. Hung's English was excellent however at times we feel our questions were misunderstood so not quite fluent.
We found it hard to include the host families in conversations as Hung often seemed reluctant to translate for us.
The price: We booked the tour with Voyage Vietnam as it seemed to offer the best value for services offered. On the trip we were disappointed by how much we had to pay for but we now understand the mistakes and once explained how the trip should have worked we think it is good value.
How did you hear about us? We found your company on the internet. The response to our email was very quick & efficient and the service at the office was very friendly and professional.
Others: We would have like to experience some more traditional villages and meet some tribal people away from the main visit trail. Some instruction on riding on difficult terrain would also have been useful. Using indicators - especially coming into Hanoi would make following the guide much easier.
Full name: GODFREY Clare and SUART Paul.
Address: 206 Hinckley Road, Leicester forest east, Leicester, ENGLAND.
Contact us if you want to email Ms GODFREY Clare and Mr SUART Paul.
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