Walking in Vietnam

Good trip for getting to know entire length of Vietnam. Good exposure to daily life, customs, food, culture, day to day living in Vietnam. Unfortunately alot of time is spent traveling from one location to another. Usually 4-5 hours which kills most of the day. The hikes in the country side were the best part except for the hike to Mi Son which was hard but not interesting. As a vegetarian there are not many choices for food.

I would definitely recommend this tour, greatly enhanced by our excellent tour guide, Hung, who was incredibly helpful, patient and enthusiastic as well as very informative. Our various local guides were also all very good. There was a good mixture of rural and city walks (without too much time spent in a bus) which included seeing local crafts and industry plus sights of historical interest. The highlights for me were the two day long hikes, one in Py Long Nature Reserve and the other in the hills leading to the Cham temples. Also, staying at the retreat in Py Long, plus the homestay in the Mekong delta were a real chance to see local life. Other walks involving walking from village to village, were also very interesting. My only criticisms would be that, as this was advertised as a walking holiday, it would have been good to have has more countryside hikes, and had less time in cities, particularly Hanoi and Hoi An, both of which were very busy and touristy.

The trip gave a comprehensive tour of some of the main sights in Vietnam. The walking elements in Pu Luong, the hike to My Son temple, and the Mekong Delta were highlights, as was Hanoi. Most of the other walks were sightseeing tours in the cities. Our guide Juan was very organised and professional, and his insights into the history and people were very interesting. The standard of the accommodation was very good. The walking was very sedate and would be doable for almost all travellers. As an introduction to the country, it ticked all the boxes.

A thoroughly comprehensive tour taking in Vietnam from north to south. The standard of the hotels was very good, the Pu Luong retreat lovely and the homestay in the Mekong delta well worth experiencing. There was just about enough walking to call it a "walking holiday" although I would have happily done a little bit more. The group (9 clients) was a lovely size enabling a good camaraderie. Leader (Wonn - phonetic spelling) was well organised and informative about fauna and flora. Would have liked to learn more about the culture. Would happily do another trip with Explore.