Dear Customers,

Here you are some of our latest comments and pictures from our recent clients when they come back home:

From: Bob Whittome [mailto:whittome14@hotmail.co.uk]
Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2014 4:26 PM
To: Thuc SaiGon
Subject: RE: DISCOVER REAL MEKONG DELTA

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From: Nick Maes
To: info@adventuretours.vn
Sent: Sunday, December 19, 2010 12:09 PM
Subject: Good morning Vietnam

An ethereal, ghostly mist shrouds Hanoi before sun-up and the city's early morning traffic is nothing but a quiet hum. Yet there's more life on the street than you might expect at this hour. Dozens of locals gather beside the shores of West Lake in the Tay Ho area to gently practise tai chi. Fishermen wobble precariously on stepping stones as they cast their lines into the grey waters.
But it's not all tradition in this part. Tay Ho - in the north of the city - is a fashionable hot-spot. Can an old-style communist suburb be described as such? Apparently so.
A local man tells me there is at least one Ferrari in town now, that Western opera is popular, and that a decent house near West Lake would set me back $1million dollars. He is, however, an estate agent. Yet everything he says shows how times have changed in this once red city.
Tay Ho is also home to the Fraser Suites, another un-Socialist addition. I am staying in a luxurious serviced apartment with giddying views of the city; it's an economic, stylish alternative to one of the larger international hotels. I also find new restaurants and bars mushrooming.
Bobby Chinn has relocated his eponymous eatery around the corner. The red lantern-clad restaurant is so atmospheric (read dark) that magnifying glasses and torches come with the menus.
Luckily, excellent eating is still a bargain in Hanoi  -  £15 a head, plus booze, should cover it in a trendy restaurant; double that for a sumptuous feast.
 And if you brave one of the street vendors, then budget for a few thousand dong.
The local currency takes some getting used to - the numbers involved are so huge. There's about 31,000 dong to the pound, so changing a hundred quid (sterling is easily exchanged) makes you an instant multi-millionaire.
The half a million dong I pay for a silk shirt is well shy of £20.
Of course, shopping is a prime reason to visit this fascinating place. In Tay Ho you'll find Dome, a top-drawer interiors boutique (great for lacquer-ware, soft furnishings and furniture). But I love the old quarter, Hoan Kiem district.
It's a 20-minute cab ride from Tay Ho to the city centre and oriental retail nirvana. Rich embroideries, spices, clothing and shoes, ceramics, teas, fake sunglasses, exotic lampshades, bundles of silk, ornamental birdcages and musical instruments vie for attention alongside T-shirts, antique shops, incense stalls and contemporary art galleries.
 Street florists are everywhere. I take my time, soak up the atmosphere, browse and hone my bargaining skills.
This industrious show of capitalism intrigue me, and I ask my guide if the government's grip on the country has relaxed. Judging from his nervous reaction, I assume some aspects of living under one party remain firmly unchanged.
Nothing had prepared me for the anarchy on Hanoi's streets. The roads throng with bicycles and mopeds - and crossing them is hair-raising. I need refreshment to calm my nerves.
My yin and yang are restored in Wild Lotus, one of Hanoi's most glamorous restaurants in the adjacent French quarter. This is a buzzy place in a colonial art deco mansion with gilded walls and discreetly lit art works. Carrie Bradshaw and the girls would feel at home here.
Cua bay sot me (deep-fried soft shell crab in tamarind sauce) is delicious, and as none of the main dishes costs much more than a fiver, you can experiment.
But only a philistine would come to Hanoi without seeing some of the many ancient pagodas, temples and cultural sites. And no visitor should miss out on paying their respects to Ho Chi Minh.
The granite mausoleum - it looks like a huge Thirties drinks cabinet - housing his mortal remains has imbued a cult of personality around him.
Uncle Ho, as he's affectionately known, lies permanently in state like a communist Snow White in a crystal casket, preserved by the dab hands of Russian embalmers. Don't be put off by the long queues. They move quickly, and this is a chance to witness a blink of history.
Four days in the city should be enough for the casual visitor, then you'll need to explore farther afield. I head to Ha Long Bay, a three-and-a-half-hour drive to the north-east coast.
Finding a boat on which to stay for a few nights is easy - there are plenty of travel agents in Hanoi with deals. I opt for a larger luxury boat with about 30 cabins, but on reflection wish I had chosen a smaller junk.
The jostling crowds of tourists around the wharf are overwhelming. Only when my boat (the Ha Long Emotion) set sail into the bay did the beauty of the place begin to emerge. Strange-shaped islands - there are 2,000 exquisite limestone 'karsts' - rise from the flat calm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.
 Happily there are no crowds on the islands of Cat Ba national park, and the beauty of the place is dizzying. I paddle a kayak around isolated lagoons accessed through watery grottoes. You don't have to be super-fit - I take to it like a duck to hoisin sauce.
Nearby is Fairy Story Lake Cave. Squeezing through narrow tunnels in the pitch dark, we pop out into a stupendous cavern riddled with stalactites and stalagmites - and a resident spider the size of my hand.
But it's the small water villages that really entrance me. Like brightly coloured garden sheds floating on blue oil drums they house whole communities of fishermen and pearl fishers, and even have schools and floating shops. The entire village is towed into a sheltered lagoon during the typhoon season.
Back on my own floating home I settle down, beer in hand, and watch the sunset. Deep red dramatically fading to pink... just like the politics of Vietnam.

From: "Terri Hendrick" <terrihendric@yahoo.com>
To: <Vietnam Adventure Tour >
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2007 8:28 PM
Subject: Tran Thanh Hieu - Vietnam Adventure trip

Hello Hieu,

Greetings from the U.S. So sorry it has taken so long to send you an E-Mail, but we have all been
getting back to normal here...working and enjoying our beautiful spring weather.

Ron and I went to visit Lynn and Pat and Weibe and Teri last week. We looked the pictures of our
trip to Viet Nam and remembered all of the wonderful times we had there. Thank you so much for everything
you did to make our trip so fantastic. We will never forget you or your kindness.
Wiebe is trying to get all of our pictures on a CD disc. If he is successful, we will try to send
some of them to you. We have many good ones of you! I am not very good at working on the computer, so I will have to wait for someone else to do it.
Teri(dark hair) lost her camera in Cambodia and we are all sad. With her artists eye I am sure she had some wonderful shots. Luckily, the rest of us has some good ones,too. I hope you are busy giving many tours. We miss you and Nhi. We are hoping to arrange for Nhi to come here and visit us some day soon. It is hard to make the arrangements, but we would love for her to see where we live and to have the chance to visit Jessnga for a while. Yesterday I went to visit Jessnga at her new nail shop. It is very beautiful and she seems to have a lot of business. I think she will be very successful Again, thank you, Hieu, for making our trip to
Viet Nam such a great one. We will always think of
you fondly.

Your Mom, Terri

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From: "Patricia Cranston" <pattycranstone@hotmail.com>
To: <huong@adventuretours.vn>
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 12:23 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Fw: Vietnam Highlights 9 days/8 nights

Dear Thanh!
I just wanted to say thank you so much for a wonderful Vietnam holiday!!
Rick and I enjoyed it immensely!! It was an incredible trip with many
memories. I will totally recommend this to my friends. I will let you know if anyone is planning to go so you can set an itinerary for them.

Just a few things....
Hien was great!! He is such an amazing guy! He really looked after us and catered the trip to our needs. Rick really enjoyed his company!
Thong was ok too. We found him a bit too serious than what we were used to with Hien. We recommend that he becomes more relaxed with clients to make the trip more enjoyable. All-in-all, he was good. Minh was awesome too!! He has that young spirit that really shines thru to the guests!! He too was very good at accommodating us with all our needs. He was wonderful!!
The drivers were excellent too!! (especially our last driver in Ho Chi > Minh). Very safe and reliable!!

Thanh I just want to say the trip was an absolute success! The hotels were great too (especially Palm Garden Resort!!). I would recommend the itinerary in the future to have more time in the Hoi An Region as it is sooo beautiful! Tourists love the beach...another day beach front would
have been ideal!

Thank you,
Take care and I will totally recommend you to future clients!!
Sincerely,
Patricia

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From: "Ken Grant" <klplgrand@hotmail.com>
To: <info@adventuretours.vn>
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 7:41 AM
Subject: Thanks

ATTENTION : Giang Nam Nguyen

Ken and I would like to thant you for a wonderful trip to Vietnam. WE flew
out of Hanoi on April 23 after 14 wonderful days.

At each stop along the way we were met by excellent guides who were
efficient and helpful. Your drivers were truly excellent and need to be
congratulated. The hotels were also of the highest quality. And lastly the
tour encorporated all the many and varied wonders that make Vietnam such an
interesting place to visit.

There is only one suggestion. Perhaps the train trip from Hue to Hanoi
could be optional . Travellers could chose to either take the train or to
fly. The hygiene on the train was a worry.

Another small suggestion. Perhaps each tour guide could carry some water in
the car for the travellers to purchase as sometimes we were too busy to buy
extra water.

Once again many thanks for an outstanding tour. Our elderly friends were
delighted with their experience and I know thay are going to tell everyone
about you and your tour.

Sincerely

Patricia Grant

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From: Lars Larsson
To: info@adventuretours.vn
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 4:18 PM
Subject: "private e-mail address"

Hallo.

Some weeks ago I and my wife visited Vietnam and it was your company that arrange the trip for us.

Everything was grate, and I should appreciate if you can send me the owners of the company (or some of the owners deputies) “private e-mail address”.

The reason for this special requirement is that we want to send some short lines and comments from our trip.

Regards from Lars and Mariella

Lars & Mariella Larsson

Tiggeby Södergård

635 13 Eskilstuna

Sweden

From: Kerri
To: 'Adventure Tours Vietnam '
Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2006 2:37 PM
Subject: RE: Vietnam Tour

Hello Tung,

I just wanted to let you know how wonderful our visit was to Vietnam. Hung our guide really made our trip perfect! He was so knowledgeable about your country, perfect gentleman, fantastic personality & looked after us so well! You are a very fortunate to have him! I would also like to say that the driver who took us around Hanoi was terrific too! Our driver also who took us to Laichau - Laocai - Bacha –Sapa etc was excellent, and made a very exciting trip! Here are a few photos of our trip! I would also like to say that the guide & driver for Hue & Hoian were very good too.

When you see Hung please give him our best regards, we do miss him very much, & hope one day we will see his smiling face again!

Regards

Kerri & Hayley WoodroffWoodroff

----- Original Message -----
From: William Wessel
Sent: Monday, June 04, 2007 4:54 PM
Subject: Vietnam Itinerary & Contact Details

Hello Friends

As promised the name of the Vietnamese travel company who supplied our tour, our guides and our drivers.

We had a brilliant 20 days and we are very happy to recommend them to you.

The costs below were for an all expense 20 day tour. We used frequent flyer points to pay for our airfare.

The only extras were personal expenses & tips which were much appreciated.

Their contact details are at the end of the email.

Regards

Chris & Bill

From: <rwittick@strathcona.vic.au>
To: <nam@adventuretours.vn>
Sent: Monday, April 30, 2007 9:04 AM
Subject: Vietnam Tour

Dear Mr Giang Nam,

Many thanks for your organisation during our recent tour. The itinerary,
guides and drivers were very good. Overall, the accommodation was good
with the exception of the Empress Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City where the
rooms were sub-standard. We would have been better off paying more for a
better, more central hotel.

Regards

Russ Wittick

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----- Original Message -----
From: LChoong@al.com
To: info@adventuretours.vn
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2007 1:15 PM
Subject: thanks

Hi ms Hoang ngan and Giang nam
just to thank you for arranging a wonderful trip for us from hanoi to HCMC, my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Vietnam, the food was good and accommodation convenient and comfortable and itinerary not to exhausting and have already recommended your company to a colleague

we have high hope that vietnam will do even better in a couple of years time
regards
lk choong

dr lk choong
21 burghley ave
new malden
surrey kt3 4sw

Dear Mr Le Thuc
Life at work is back to normal and we (all 3 of us) has a wonderful trip. We are going to put a letter together to say just that… but so far no one has taken the lead in doing it.

However I thought you may like to see and/or use our happy snaps………… it was all wonderful and our guide and driver were fantastic. The accomodation was great and the food tremendous…..

Thank you for helping put Vietnam onto my travel agenda…. I intend to return… and maybe do the east coast and/or north.
Kind regards
Ian Carter

PHOTOS AT:
http://picasaweb.google.com/iancart
And
http://picasaweb.google.com/ian.hallowes

OUR TRIP WAS WITH MR THAI AND MR TREE (sorry I don’t know how to spell those.):

5 day Mekong cycling tours for 3 people.

Day 1, 3/March, Hochiminh city - VinhLong - Tra On 40 km [L,D]
Transfer to VinhLong, Crossing the ferry. Ride from Tra On An Binh islands. along tree lined roads. Overnight at home stay in Vinhlong

Day 2, 4/March, VinhLong - Tra Vinh – Can Tho 90 km [B,L,D]
Ride back to Tieu Can to visit old Khmer temple and lotus pond. Then continue to Cantho. Ride across Hau Giang River to Can Tho. Overnight at hotel in Cantho.

Day 3, 5/March, Can Tho – Long Xuyen 50 km [B, L, D]
Ride to Phong Dien floating market and visit it . Pick up from PhongDien. Continue to cycle to Vam Cong ferry station in afternoon on tranquil back roads . Cross river by small local ferry to Long Xuyen.

Day 4, 6/March, Long Xuyen – Hatien 80 km [B,L,D]
Afterbreakfast. Cycle to discover Long Xuyen town then transfer to Hatien town ( belongs to Kien Giang province), free time to ride around Hatien town. Overnight at Hotel

Day 5, 7/March, Hatien - Xa Xia Border Gate in Kien Giang Province ( B)( Loacted 70km from Ha Tien Town, Xa Xia Border Gate connects Kampot, Cambodia)
Am : Cycle to the ThachDong and the beach Muinai, closed to the border with Cambodia. Then cycle to KienLuong , stop at fishing village, then transfer to Xa Xia Border Gate. End service

Ian Carter
Senior Hospital Scientist
Microbiology Department
St George Hospital Kogarah 2217

 
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From: Stephen Skalla
To: Asia Pacific Travel
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 6:04 PM
Subject: Thank you

Hi Huyen,
I just wanted to wish you a big thank you for arranging all of us such a fantastic holiday.

We all had a great time, it was the first time we had been o/s with the children and they really enjoyed the time away especially Hoi An.

I was very impressed with the efficiency of your whole team, we could always get an answer when it was needed and the arranged transportation was alway on time and

very courteous.

Many thanks
Steve Skalla
02 9969 5051
0403 050 569
21 Wunda Rd
Mosman 2088

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From: PElaire@aol.com
To: sinhcafetour@hn.vnn.vn
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 12:31 PM
Subject: Re: Holiday
Dear Giang Nam

Just a letter to say thank you very much for the fantastic holiday you organised for us- it was a truly amazing experience. Please pass our thanks on to our brilliant guides, Nhien in HoChiMInh City, Than in Hoi An and Quan in Hanoi and their wonderful drivers, who between them entertained us aswell as taught us so much about life and culture in Vietnam.
We shall certainly recommend your services to anyone thinking about making a trip to Vietnam.

Thank you once again.
Regards

Peter and Claire Costello

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From: Anh Nguyen
To: Vietnam Adventure Tour
Cc: sheila nguyen
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 1:48 AM
Subject: Thank you! We really enjoyed our VN tour!

Hi Giang Nam:

We just came back to CA from our VN tour.. It's a great experience for all of us. We're happy with the service your company provided to us (transportation, van, tour guide, driver, and the program). We will definitely recommend VietnamOpentour to our friends and relatives as we have a chance to do so.

Hi Sheila:

Thanks again for all your help and coordination for our trip! Christine and Diana really enjoyed the trip and have a very good impression about our country and her people, especially they were not born in VN. From now on, VN is no longer a vague image, but a beautiful place with lasting memories.

Best regards,
- Anh

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From: Philip Barnaart
To: Vietnam Adventure Tour
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2006 10:44 AM
Subject: Attention Mr Thanh Do - Report on Service

Dear Mr Thanh Do

Our tour in Vietnam is over. My group went back to Australia yesterday and I stay in Vietnam for two more weeks.

I would like to tell you that your company provided the best guide, the best driver and the best service to our group. I used a different company in Hoi An and a different company in Ho Chi Minh City. We travelled all over Vietnam and Cambodia and of all the companies used, yours was the best.

Mr Tu is a very professional guide and all my clients enjoyed being taken around by him. Mr Van was a very good driver and all my group felt safe with him.

I would be happy to do business with you again in the future.

Happy new year to you.

best wishes
Philip Barnaart

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From: <ignacio@telefonica.es>
To: <Adventure Tour>
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 10:58 PM
Subject: Vietnam tour

Dear Mr. Thanh Tung

Just a few words to tell you that we were really satisfied with our trip
in Vietnam. The organisation, the tour guides and all was perfect. We have
enyoyed very much our trip in Vietnam. It is a country we really like, the
landscapes, the people, the temples.... . You should have some partners in
Spain as I am sure Vietnan is an unknown country for a lot of spanish
people that can discover in the future

Thank you very much and best regards

Ignacio Barbudo

PS: It is a pity I was not able to meet you in Hanoi

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From: nathan govermsnany@mscc.ac.il
To: VietnamAdventureTour Asia Pacific Travel
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 5:27 PM
Subject: thanks

Dear Mr. Tung
On behalf of my group and me I would like to thank you and your company for the wondreful tour that you arranged for us in Vietnam and Cambodia.
The service, the transpotations, the guides and the acommodations were excellent and we enjoyed the trip very much.
We will recommend you to our friends who wish to travel to the far east by no hesitations.

Best wishes-
Dr. Nathan Gover\
Jerusalem, Israel.