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.

This was our first trip with explore for my husband and me . The programme was varied and interesting and the travel and accommodation comfortable with airconditioning . The walking was easy for active people . Good group size and very friendly , organised and knowledgeable guide /tour leader that looked after us throughout the whole trip . It is a busy schedule involving many hour travelling but this allowed us to have a good overview of the country in just 2 weeks one thing I got wrong in my preparation was the clothes I brought . I had taken too many long trousers and tops for the hot and humid weather as I had ready that shorts above the knee and sleeveless tops were best not from à col rural point of view when actually shorts , dresses and sandals would have been appropriate for our evenings and cities and sleeveless tops for our hikes

Vietnam, what a beautiful country and culture to immerse yourself in, and the people are amazing. In a relatively short time we got to experience the culture and breathtaking scenery of the north, central and southern regions; spending a couple of days in each place we really got a feel for their uniqueness. One of the key pleasures of the trip was our guide Tien, she is amazing; experienced considered, knowledgable and very funny. She is super organised - this is a busy trip but she was always on the ball so we moved from place to place with ease. Without her we would have experienced a very different Vietnam. We ate in local, non tourist restaurants- like roadside stops that you wouldn’t go to- and the food was amazing. In addition to the focus being on walking it was also a cultural foodie tour. Wherever we went and whoever we encountered she was highly respected. In each area local guides joined us and she skilfully incorporated them into our group. This is definitely where we saw how the collective tips worked; drivers, guides and families whose land we ventured on to view their irrigation system or saw them making rice paper were subtly remunerated, it was reassuring to actively see money going into local communities. Walking in Vietnam is a truly remarkable experience; walking through the terraced rice fields with the limestone mountains jutting up is simply magical- no camera can really capture that- you have to live and absorb it. To be honest I thought that there would be more walking- I would have preferred some longer hikes- only one in the mountains was cancelled due to storms. This maybe because I underestimated the number of city walks- which in themselves were brilliant in exposing us to Vietnam’s rich and complicated history. Wherever we went - on coaches or boats we remained with our group and there were only 6 of us - so that was special- we weren’t joined by other groups. The additional trips were key highlights- the cookery course in Hoi A where we cooked and then ate with the group. The Rickshaw ride in Hue and Vespa tour of Saigon in a tropical storm will be never be forgotten; being launched directly into the chaotic world of Vietnamese motor scooters! So any downsides? Whilst every effort is made by the unification train company to make the journey from Hanoi a memorable experience- it isn’t one I’d repeat. We paid for a cabin for two but that didn’t save you from the rock hard bed and toilets that you couldn’t go near. The only overnight stay that wasn’t great was the Puluong Retreat- it looked great but there wasn’t anywhere to sit and relax other than the bedroom and the food whilst nicely presented lacked flavour- non of us ate much there. Recommendations- Train street in Hanoi was simply amazing- so near to our hotel - it was a regular haunt. Bring Your currency in Vietnamese Dong- you are often paying in small amounts and you can rarely pay by card. Our dollars were used to pay our guide for our additional trips- but dong is what you really need. You don’t need to bring snacks- we packed & carried snacks - you will not go hungry on this tour! Bring hand sanitiser, mosquito spray and anti diarrhoea melts- especially if you are tempted by shellfish!

Enjoyed my walking tour of Vietnam. So much variety and fun and no worries at all. So many extra excursions and insights. I would say the walking is not difficult at all. It would suit any level of fitness. The leader really looked after the group. Great if you’re a single man or women who loves to travel. I can’t wait for another tour.

I enjoyed my walking tour of Vietnam, it covered a lot of ground & what I wanted to see. The walking was relaxed and certainly not a challenge in any way, however personally I would have preferred longer walks. Tien, our guide was professional, friendly, calm and very informative. Not all the places suggested for eating at where of the standard or quality I would expect and felt it was the preference of our guide and not in the interest of our group. The cultural experience & homestay was wonderful. Our hotel accommodation was convenietly located, clean & comfortable. Our bus was clean & comfortable also. I would have preferred the Halong Bay visit to be an over night stay rather than a rushed half day experience. Over all I would recommend explore to my friends.

I will continue to use Explore as it meets all my requirements now I'm taking a different style of holiday, having been widowed 6 years ago.I feel safe and looked after - the security blanket I once had with my husband. I feel I can continue to explore the world, as before and continue my life.