VivuTravel paves the way for a great journey in Vietnam.

Travelling to a foreign country where language and culture is different from yours can be challenging. VivuTravel organized every aspect our trip while making sure that all are needs, wishes and interests are fulfilled. We had a guide and a driver for the 3 weeks. This allowed us to travel through the country side, into cities and visit remote areas. The guides speak English and for the most part can be easily understood.

The drivers were all excellent and the vehicles used were all very new and comfortable. We visited the north, center and south of Vietnam. We took 3 internal flights while there. We loved the easy hikes in the Sapa region and adored the Topas Ecolodge. We highly recommend this resort. Fantastic views and perfect for hiking if you like.

Food was great. Our favorite city was Ho ian. Good place for long walks or bike tours in the country side. The city has less traffic and we enjoyed our shopping experience at the night market. As always knowing a fair price for the item you wish to buy is key as the asking price can be 3 times higher than it should be. ( Knowing what your money is worth is also key: $1.00 US is about 22 000 VD). Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh (SaiGon) are extremely busy cities with millions of scooters. Walking around can be challenging but the experience is priceless. We would recommend no more than one day in SaiGon. Here are some places we enjoyed while in Vietnam: the homestay (may not be for everybody), the hiking in Sapa, the pagodas and temples, the Cu Chi tunnels, the basket boat ride, the cooking classes, the Halong bay one day/night cruise, the Vespa (scooter) tour of SaiGon, the water market near Can Tho, boat tour on the canals of the Mekong river, the community gardens of Ho ian and I could go on.

We chose hotels which included breakfast and found this to be a very good option. Starting the day with a buffet breakfast which included great coffee, fruits, breads, eggs, pho soup and local dishes served us well. Be sure to sample local fruits and local cuisine. If possible we would recommend flying into Hanoi and flying out of Ho Chi Minh as this would save you one day of travel.

If you book the trip with Vivu travel keep in mind that they are very open to your suggestions and you can Skype with an agent to iron out certain details. I would not hesitate in recommending VivuTravel. They are honest and easy to deal with. Our trip was from January 20th to February 10th 2018.

Jan N
Montreal, Canada