Testimonials from our FORMER CLIENTS

Dear Lee

I have been meaning to message to say thank you for what was a truly unforgettable trip. We absolutely loved our trip in Vietnam – thank you for creating such an excellent itinerary for us and for all the organisation.

Thank you for the beautiful gifts and also for my surprise birthday cake – it made the day even more special.

Real highlights for us were:

– the Vespa food tour on the last night – so special to see HCMC that way and we felt very safe with the careful drivers

– the beautiful boat on Halong Bay (although we were deeply sorry to hear about the tragedy the next morning)

– the family experience caving day with Loc (excellent guide)

– train street

– the row boat in Tam Coc – in fact we loved all of the boat trips

– walking along river in Hoi An and seeing the lanterns at night

– the war Remnants museum in HCMC – deeply moving

– Anhill hotel was absolutely stunning and massage was amazing treat

– swimming in the waterfall in puluong and visiting the ancient house where the couple let us play with all the old toys and showed us how to de-husk the rice

– Tung the driver in north Vietnam was great – so kind and patient with our family- we really would recommend him

– cycling, foot massage and cookery class in hue

– all of our guides were great

– there were so many more highlights as we really did love every day

A couple of very minor constructive comments that I share privately with you for you to consider:

– I recommend that drivers at airports /train stations have a name board and are waiting at arrivals

– by the end we felt we had seen A LOT of temples – possibly I would drop one or two.

Thank you again

Rachel

Dear Ms. Vy,

Thank you for  organizing our fabulous trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The  arrangements were seamless, and it was wonderful having a driver meet us at each airport. The guides were fantastic and very flexible.  We liked all of the hotels (Borei Angkor, Grand Peridot, Silk Path, Orchid Cruises, Villa Maly, Palm Garden Resort), in particular the Silk Path in Hue, and Villa Maly in Luang Prabang but we would stay at all of them again.  Villa Maly isn’t 5 stars but it is very inviting and personal, so I would definitely recommend it. Halong Bay was a great way to start the trip after a very long voyage. It allowed us to relax and start the time change.  Tai Chi on the boat rooftop was magical. The food everywhere was fabulous.
If I were to make any changes, I would add the waterfalls in Luang Prabang which our guide said was possible if the order of visits was changed in Luang Prabang.  I would also add another day in Hoi An but we couldn’t take more time off work.  The guides and tours in all places were great but we especially loved the food tour in Hanoi and Jack Tran Eco Tour in Hoi An.
Overall, it was a fabulous trip and I would highly recommend your services to anyone.

kind regards,

Carol

CAROL x4Pax – Essence of Indochina 14 Days

Dear Lee,

In the meantime we are back home in Belgium for a week and I would like to thank you for the beautiful trip we made in Vietnam!

Everything was very well arranged. The hotels, drivers and guides were well organized and always present on time. It was a very good mix of activities (city, nature, culture). Thanks to guides Tom and Ben, we were able to get close to the population, to enjoy their daily activities. That is something we would never experience without them. The indoor flight was also well organized and the night train was an experience in itself!

It is definitely a nice feeling when you can enjoy your holiday carefree!

We will definitely recommend you here in Belgium to our family, friends and colleagues!

A word of appreciation for our drivers and guides. Certainly Tom (Saigon), and Zjung (Hanoi), and Ben (Ninh Binh) we would like to recommend.

Tom has our preference:

• very open-minded,
• spoke good English with a good accent
• has told us a lot about the country, its customs, its culture. Really enriching!
• added extras to the program (especially on An Binh Island and the local market)
• was present but not dominant. Really pleasant to deal with.
• took our wishes into account

Zjung:

• pleasant person, easy to get along with
• good English
• stuck to the program, few extras
• Attentive to look for some diversity in the culinary field

Ben:

• very driven and very helpful
• he clearly loves his job
• very extensive general knowledge and also interested in our country and culture
• behaves submissively which is not necessary at all
• despite being very well-intentioned on his part, his presence was sometimes a bit tiring. We preferred some free time, while he preferred to do things together
• he really wants to support the local population and always eat there. Sometimes we preferred the restaurant of the hotel which he did not understand very well
• good English vocabulary, but bad accent so he is not always easy to understand. Then he made himself clear via the smartphone, so he solved it.

So Lee, best regards

And who knows, maybe until our next trip!

Annick en Eric

Hi Vy

Thank you so much for all the work you did to help make our Vietnam travels an unforgettable experience. Much appreciated. It was comforting to know we could call on you if we needed you, and when we did, your replies were very prompt. Great service. Thankyou.

In Hanoi we had Jacky as our guide for several excursions, from the airport pick up to a walking food tour and a day to Ninh Binh. He was fantastic. He was such a great communicator and a wealth of information about all the different things we saw. He really made the experience so much better. Also, the restaurant you sent us to served delicious food. We all loved it and rated it as our favourite dinner. The La Siesta hotel we stayed in was excellent. It’s in a great location as a base to walk around and explore the old quarter. The staff were very friendly and helpful, especially Dac Nguyen. We walked past one of the other La Siesta hotels and thought ours was in a better location.

The Ha Long Bay cruise was really enjoyable. The staff on the Nostalgic could not have been any better. They all work so hard to ensure all on board had a great time. We really enjoyed the activities and Mr Jimmy was an awesome host, a great mix of professionalism and fun – something that only experienced guides can master.

In Hoi An we stayed at La Siesta again. It was beautiful. The gardens are lush and designed to provide secluded pockets; the rooms were large and comfortable. The hotel was a bit further from the main town centre than others but we would stay there again, and highly recommend it to others, without question. We like walking and exploring, and if ever we didn’t have the time, there are a host of limo style electric golf carts as transport options. We did a bicycle tour with Tai. He was very good and the tour was immersive with inclusions such as planting seedlings at the market gardens, learning about the organic methods the farmers employ to supply the local restaurants, then undertaking a cooking class at the coconut village. They were the nicest spring rolls we had on our trip! It was a great way to learn our way around the area and exploring little laneways and areas through rice fields. We had a great day.

In Saigon we stayed at Hotel Majestic. As you are aware this was our least favourite accommodation. Thankyou for arranging the late notice excursions. The Mekong Delta was a really enjoyable day out and the Cu Chi tunnels was excellent. Our guide, Nam, was impressive. Again, the guides you provided had a wealth of knowledge and being a little bit older, they have life experience and are able to adapt quickly to their group. Their experience shines through and helps to make sure our trips are as best as possible. We’ve already told friends about Nam, and Jacky in Hanoi, and told them to ask for them if they get the chance. I can confidently say these guides made our experience so much better.

Each of your drivers did a great job too. Not all of them spoke English, which is okay, but it meant we didn’t get to know them as well as the guides. If needed, we just used google translate. Every driver was early, polite, helpful and made sure we arrived safely and efficiently.

You are welcome to use my feedback as a review and I have attached a few photos of our trip that you are also welcome to use. I have already passed on your details to friends who are coming to Vietnam in June. Hopefully we will come to Vietnam again one day.

Thank you again

Leanne

LEANNE x4Pax – Vietnam Impression 15 Days

Dear Ms. Vy,

These comments are feedback for you, but feel free to use any portions as you deem fit. I will send a follow up email with a more general statement and some photos.

General:

We were very impressed with you and Tonkin Travel. In particular the way you worked with us to plan our trip, managed the details, greeted us, changed our itinerary on short notice, and especially the arrangements you made for my wife’s birthday on the Doris cruise. I have only praise, no complaints. Thank you.

Hotels:

nights 1,2,3,12,13,16  Hanoi        The Chi Boutique Hotel

Spacious, clean and comfortable room, wonderful staff, decent location

for access to the old town quarter.

Very good breakfast.

No complaints.

night 4                Ba Be        Homestay

The room was very small and rustic. We had to ask for sheets and towels.

The beds were comfortable. I realize this is a remote location and there

are limited options but it may be worth exploring other homestay options

in the area as they seem to be abundant.

The host was very pleasant and presented us with a very good dinner and

breakfast including items grown in their own garden.

No major complaints.

nights 5,6             Cao Bang     Muong Thanh Hotel

Spacious, clean and comfortable room, good staff.

Good breakfast.

No complaints.

night 7                Dong Van     Cliffside House

Spacious, clean and comfortable room, wonderful staff.

It’s more like a homestay. We enjoyed our stay here.

Very good dinner. Limited choices at breakfast but very good food.

No complaints.

night 8                Ha Giang     Phoenix Hotel

Spacious, clean and comfortable room, good staff.

It’s on the outskirts of town which makes for a long walk to the center

of activity. On the other hand, it’s probably more quiet than something

in the center.

Very nice breakfast.

No complaints.

night 9                Bac Ha       Huy Trung Homestay

Spacious, clean and comfortable room, wonderful owner.

The owner personally took us through the property and insisted that

we post our home country flag on the roof. Very kind and hospitable.

Meals were fixed (as expected) and very good, both for dinner and breakfast.

We loved this place.

No complaints.

nights 10,11           Sapa         Pistachio Hotel

Spacious, clean and comfortable room, wonderful staff.

We changed our stay here from 3 night to 2 nights only because of the

heavy fog which prevented us from enjoying the scenery and village.

Very good breakfast.

No complaints.

night 14               Nihn Bihn    Lalita Hotel

Our room here was spacious, clean and comfortable, but the layout was

inconvenient. The bathroom was on a lower floor and access required

going down/up a narrow spiral staircase. We probably could have requested

a different room but by the time this occurred to us, we had settled in.

Good breakfast.

No major complaints.

night 15               Ha Long Bay  Doris Cruise

Spacious, clean and comfortable room, wonderful staff.

Excellent food and a very special treat for my wife’s birthday.

We very much enjoyed this stay.

No complaints.

Guide:

Mr. Khue was a wonderful guide. He had extensive knowledge of the areas we visited including their

historical, cultural, and geographical aspects. But more than that, he took pride and joy in his work and it showed.

He truly appeared to care about our experience and became familiar with our tastes and idiosyncrasies.

When we interacted with locals along the way, he helped to interpret when necessary. He was always punctual.

He was also able to keep things light and joke some, making for a comfortable experience. My guess is that some of the

younger guides are more fluent in English, but he got his meaning across and we wouldn’t have traded. We really

developed a connection with Mr. Khue and liked him a lot.

Driver:

Our driver was clearly a professional. He effortlessly navigated both the busy traffic of Hanoi and the winding

mountain roads of the Ha Giang Loop. The vehicle was cleaned every night and even sometimes during our stops.

He opened doors and was always courteous.

Restaurants:

We enjoyed all of our meals. Of course some were more memorable than others. We feel that left to our own we could not have found some of the outstanding restaurants you selected. Our guide also had a good sense for when me might be ready for some western options, like the pizza place in Lao Cai. I know it’s tricky since you’re paying and we’re ordering/eating so flexibility has to be limited by this constraint. But, the hotel restaurants in the smaller cities were generally empty and it might have been better to eat out. We enjoyed the informal, local restaurants we often stopped at for lunch in our tour through the north, and places like where we had “Bun Cha” and “Pho Bo” for lunch. Mr. Khue always took care to help select food to our taste.

The things that stand out in chronological order:

– Walking the old quarter

– The boat ride on Ba Be Lake including the hike to the waterfall and the ride through the grotto. We were the only ones there.

– The visit to Phia Thap Village (incense) and Phuc Sen Village (knives)

– Ban Gioc Waterfalls were very picturesque but also very touristy. Still worth seeing.

– The mountain ride from Cao Bang to Dong Van was impressive and very scenic, especially the viewpoint at Tu San Canyon

– The Sunday Bac Ha Market was very interesting and a good opportunity to see the different ethnic peoples and shop

– Seeing the Chinese border crossing at Lao Cai was interesting

– Touring the Red Dao village of Ta Phin was very interesting and speaking with the local woman was very educational.

– The visit to the ceramic village of Bat Trang was interesting and a good alternative to the Sapa fog.

– We found the lacquer demonstration very interesting.

– The student ceremonies both at Hoa Lu (Nihn Bihn) and later at the Temple of Literature (Hanoi) were especially interesting to my wife, a retired teacher.

– The scenic beauty of the Nihn Bihn area including the boat ride, though touristy, still worth it.

– The cultured pearl center and demonstrations were very interesting.

– The Doris Cruise with its peaceful surroundings and highlighted by the birthday celebration.

– The Hoa Lo Prison was very interesting, especially since we’re familiar with John McCain combined with the personal experience of Mr. Khue.

– There’s much more, of course.

Best Regards,

Richard and Beverley Besler

RICHARD x2Pax – Highlights of the Middle North West 17 Days