Thank you, Ngoc & IndoChina Voyages for an outstanding Vietnam trip!
As frequent travellers we have experienced numerous guided tours. But this trip to Vietnam, planned and arranged by our tour organiser Ngoc Huang, exceeded all expectations.
From the moment we were met at Hanoi airport, through to the Ha Long Bay cruise, and on to Saigon, the trip went like clockwork. The hotels situated in the best parts of town (the Old Quarter in Hanoi and District 1 in Saigon), were excellent. All for a very reasonable price.
The 2 tour guides (Dan in Hanoi, as well as Emma in Saigon) were enthusiastic, knowledgeable and humorous. Both were flexible, and were able to vary the original itinerary based on our request for a more local experience. Even the private cars, as well as the drivers were impeccable.
Ngoc’s attention to detail was excellent, and she was in touch with us right through the trip to ensure all was well. She even met us in person in Saigon to see if there was anything else we needed!
Thank you, and we’re sure our many traveler friends will be in touch.
Superb trip to Vietnam-Cambodja
From the first contact with Van she knew exactly what kind of trip we wanted. Her suggestions were always right. The private junk at Bai Tu Long Bay and the private sampan on the Mekong River made these experiences extra special. The hotels were always top and in the best locations. Organisation with drivers and guides was flawless. All of the guides managed to add some off-the-beaten track experiences in the line of our interests.
Even during the trip Van stayed in touch for any last minute changes, she even checked us in on the domestic flights and provided the boarding passes by mail . I can’t think of anything that could have been done differently. Since everything was so well organised we never had to stress about anything and could enjoy our trip to the fullest.
I would certainly recommend Indochina Voyages for any trip in the region.
Fantastic trip, flawlessly organized
We spent 15 days traveling in north and central Vietnam and Cambodia. We were two couples, we selected four star accommodations, and private guides and transportation. Vietnam was beautiful and fascinating, Cambodia was amazing. Our custom itinerary met and exceeded our expectations. The guides and drivers were excellent. The hotels were lovely. It’s hard for me to pick my favorite parts of the trip, but I would say the rice terraces in Pu Luong, the hotel in Ninh Binh, and the temples in Siem Reap are among many special memories…. And also the bahn mi in Hoi An!
Indochina Voyages and Van Do did an exceptional job for us at a reasonable price. Van was always available to answer questions, both before and during our journey. I totally recommend Indochina Voyages, for the trip of a lifetime.
Exceptional planning, services and attention to detail
I came across Indochina Voyages during my research for our trip to Vietnam. As the reviews were excellent, I contacted them for help with an itinerary.
Minh returned my email query promptly. The itinerary he sent covered the specific sights we wanted to see, the level of accommodations we preferred, and the pace we wanted. It provided details on daily activities and travel times and links to hotels. I only had to make a couple of adjustments to a perfect itinerary. Minh’s communications covered absolutely everything from guidelines on how and when to fill out the visa form, what to pack, and the immunizations we’d need to other essential information like currency exchange, how much to tip, and the best places to order my custom leather jacket while in Hoi An!
The true value of partnering with Indochina Voyages comes through once you arrive. We don’t usually use a tour company, but a private tour appealed to us as this was our first trip to SE Asia.
Aside from having everything handled, our guides and drivers were wonderful. We learned a lot, ate exceptional food, and saw not just the key sights, but much of the countryside. Our guides were very organized – on our first packed day in Hanoi I mentioned that I wanted to experience the train that runs through the city street – so closely that you can touch it as it goes by. Our guide Dan said no problem and got us to a great viewing area about 5 minutes before the train came without disrupting our itinerary. It was great fun and after hearing how long other tourists had to sit around to wait for the train, I appreciated his savvy timing. In Hoi An, the purchase of our leather goods meant we had to use another duffle bag. When our guide Kent saw the additional bag on our way to the airport, he alerted us that Vietnam Airlines only allows 1 bag per passenger for domestic flights and we had three bags for two people. We were a bit panicked but he assured us he’d figure out a way to get the bags on the flight. It took a few minutes of discussion at check in, but the airline accepted the bag and all was well.
Minh checked on us throughout the trip but I also realized that he was regularly checking in with the guides and hotel staff as well, just to ensure all was going smoothly – which is was.
Lastly, I really appreciated the attention that was paid to hotel room selection. At each city, my husband and I looked at each other and said, our room is in the PERFECT location!
I can’t recommend Minh and Indochina Voyages highly enough!
My Return (Home) to Vietnam After 30 Years, An Unforgettable Journey
I never thought a journey could have such a profound impact on my life until I decided to reach out to Indochina Voyages to arrange my return to Vietnam after 30 long years of (forced) absence. I was just a child when I left my homeland, and since then, my Hmong family in Cao Bang has remained only a distant memory, almost a faded dream over time.
Indochina Voyages made possible what seemed impossible. Thanks to their tireless commitment and dedication, they managed to track down my family of origin, an encounter I thought unattainable and turned out to be one of the most emotional moments of my life.
I would like to express deep gratitude to the entire team at Indochina Voyages, especially to Minh, my exceptional travel planner, and Tuan, my guide and nowadays friend. His attention to my needs and understanding of Western customs made the whole process so smooth and seamless. Tuan was not only an interpreter but also a friend who guided me through such a delicate experience with kindness and patience.
The meeting with my family exceeded all expectations. The tears of joy and the love we shared are moments that will be etched in my memory forever. I owe all of this profound experience not only to my family in Italy but especially to my father, who accompanied me every step of the way. Indochina Voyages played an essential role in making this transformative journey possible.
If you’re considering embarking on an unforgettable journey in the heart of Vietnam, don’t hesitate to turn to Indochina Voyages. They are more than a travel agency; they are bearers of hope, connectors of hearts, and creators of indelible memories. Thank you again for making my dream possible.
Indochina Voyages Exceeded My Expectations
As a solo senior traveler, I was at first hesitant to travel for 30 plus hours by flight to Vietnam and toured with an unknown travel operator. I communicated with several Vietnamese tour consultants via Trip Advisor, but I finally settled on Indochina Voyages. It was the responsiveness, diligence, and the recommendations of Ms. Hue Nguyen that impressed me the most. My customized 14-day and 13-night private tour was everything I’d envisioned–from the airport pickup, the knowledgeable guides, the hotel selections, to the cultural and historical sites I visited. Trump Duc from Hanoi was a passionate and knowledgeable guide who went out of his way to find me the asthma inhalers I needed during my trip. Emma from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was equally ardent about her country. She even volunteered to give me a wake-up call at 3 a.m. to ensure that I got to the airport in time to catch my flight. They truly want me to see their beloved country and enjoy their cuisine too. I was so enamored by these three ambassadors of Vietnam!
Fantastic Trip, Surpassed our Expectations
My husband and I (early 60’s) spent 3 weeks in Vietnam in November. We found Indochina Voyages by reading forums on tripadvisor, and saw they were highly rated. Nevertheless, it was a complete leap of faith for us to book our trip through them, and they far surpassed our expectations.
We contacted Minh and told him about ourselves, what we like, and a few places we thought we should see, and asked him to create an itinerary for us, with lots of activities (walking tours, food tours, some biking, some boating, museums, etc.) He sent a very detailed proposal and we proceeded to go back and forth with emails for about a month, until we felt we had a really good trip lined up, with lots of activities, but also some good relaxation built in (a necessity, especially after the very hot and humid days touring around.) At that point, we still had no idea how much the trip would cost, and were pleasantly surprised that even with staying at 4 and 5 star hotels, with a private guide and a private driver (do NOT plan to drive yourselves, there are thousands of locals on motorbikes and it’s extremely chaotic in the cities) the trip was quite reasonable.
Since my husband was scuba diving in Indonesia first, I planned to arrive in Hanoi a few days before him, so I could get over jetlag by the time he arrived. I’d never been to Asia and spoke not a word of Vietnamese, so was a bit nervous about arriving on my own. But, as promised, I was met at the airport by Snow, our private English speaking guide, (a lovely, knowledgeable, young woman and a delight to spend time with) and a driver, in a nice air conditioned SUV, replete with water bottles. I stayed at the Sinfonia del Rey solo, which was a lovely small hotel right in the heart of Hanoi’s old quarter, by the turtle lake. there After a few days of sightseeing with Snow, my husband arrived and we moved to the even nicer hotel, Peridot Grand, so we could experience a different part of the Old Quarter.
Every single one of the hotels that Minh chose for us was terrific — very comfortable, each more beautiful than the next, lovely staff, and really terrific food (breakfast was always included). We had been tempted to skip Halong Bay (it was a 3 -4 hour drive from Hanoi) but Minh insisted we should not miss it, and it ended up being one of the real highlights of the trip. We spent one night on a private junk (wooden boat) with a private chef, a captain, and an English speaking guide. Including the gourmet meals, the one night was about $700 and we are so glad Minh convinced us the splurge was worth it.
Minh also advised us to skip Sapa and to instead visit the less touristy Ninh Binh and Pu Luong, again excellent suggestions. And when we decided we did not want to visit Hoi An, since it was the height of rainy season there, Minh suggested we visit the island of Phu Quoc (we’d never heard of it) for some good weather and relaxation. The Salinda resort there was fantastic — gorgeous spacious room, lovely warm pool looking out over the ocean and the best breakfast spread we’ve ever seen. Plus good poolside restaurant for dinner and an excellent spa for massages.
In terms of practical advice: bring linen clothes, as cotton gets soaked and sweaty due to the humidity. Since my husband had a dive trip planned, we had to visit at that time of year, but if I return, we’ll try to go when it’s a bit cooler. Tell Minh what you like — we told him we’re not super early risers, and we don’t like to move hotels every night, we prefer to spend 2 -3 nights at each. We also don’t like to have every single minute of every day planned, so Minh built in plenty of time for us to explore on our own or chill at the hotel.
In conclusion: Minh was fantastic. When we decided during the trip that we didn’t want to do something, Minh came up with great alternatives. He also booked our internal flights and when the airline for one flight went bankrupt right before our trip, Minh quickly scrambled and booked another flight so our itinerary did not get messed up.He was communicative and available during the trip to make last minute changes, and could not have been more helpful or accomodating.
Best Travel Agency EVER!
I have traveled to over 50 countries and the Indochina Travel Agency is the best, hands down that I have ever used. They worked with me to keep within our modest budget and it still felt like a luxury vacation.
The hotels they booked were top notch with wonderful breakfast buffets at every one. Their service is bespoke, with your private tour guide and driver for everywhere you go (if you want that). I would highly recommend it as the tours are unique, the guides are local and really know their stuff plus go out of their way to ensure you are comfortable, happy, and feel safe. It is more like visiting Vietnam with a friend who lives there.
They also booked all the internal flights (for much less than I could have) and our travel agent Van amazed us at every turn by being so responsive and proactive. Once when our flight was delayed (a very early morning trip that turned into a relaxing afternoon one) Van contacted us to let us know and rearranged the the pickups and check-outs so we could enjoy ourselves rather than be stressed out waiting at the airport. All before we woke up in the morning and without us even asking!
I usually don’t write reviews but these guys are so good they deserve it. Thank you Van, Jackie, and all the others for making our 3 week tour of Vietnam the most memorable, relaxing, and trouble-free vacation we have ever had. We will be contacting you again soon to arrange another tour to Myanmar or perhaps Thailand!
Unforgettable trip with Indochina Voyages
We have visited Vietnam and Cambodja for 12 days. I would estimate our leasure for 10 out of 10. Most important due to time difference and other factors we were totally out of the connection with our regular life and have got a lot of leasure and most important was being so much time together with our family. Both countries are totally safe to go , hotels that were provided to us by Inodchina Voyages were just wonderfull and we were sorry to leave part of them being their just 1 night. Our top locations for sightseeing were Halong bay – cruize with top food, Hue and Hoi An and separately everything we have seen in Cambodja. We are not funs of the big cities and Hanoi and Saigon have not impressed us that much. I would also reccomend before the trip to measure the level of disgust – visits to the local markets are not for the disgusting people . I would also would recommend to measure the level of readiness to intensive trip – the route we have chosen was quite intensive and my wife was sorry few time we have not taken few 1 days stop at wonderfull locations to get some more rest. Food was a big surprise for us – it is totally European oriented, there is a culture of cooking – a lot of local people are cooking themselves and level of the food we have recieved was really impressive including of course fresh fruits. Weather this period was so nice in most locations . People are very nice in both countries. We were able to afford ourselves to take personal trip – it is affordable in Vietnam . Indochina Voyages was on line with us in English from the first request really adopting all the trip to our needs . We were treated like kings bu the agency all our trip including meeting at the airport , always good minibus with the skilled drivers and very professional team of English speaking guides at every location we have went. Same during the trip , we are quite organized as a family , however all our request were met including time at Hoyan at the factory to sew wonderful dresses for my wife and daughters. We are very happy , definately will return second time to both Vietnam and Cambodja with the new route based on our first trip experience. Now we are planning other Asian countries to visit. Thanks a lot Indochina Voyages for the unforgettable trip !!!
Hanoi Halong Sapa
It was an amazing trip. The booking experience with Indochina Voyages was a breeze. The agent, An Hoang, was very helpful and made really good suggestions for the trip. All the hotels are pretty nice and well located too. Halong bay is definitely worth the visit. Very relaxing with good food and views on the cruise. Trekking in Sapa can be tiring, but we’ll do it again anytime. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves very much and booking through Indochina Voyages is highly recommended.
Dream Vietnam getaway! Trip of a lifetime.
VIETNAM! 🇻🇳💕✌🏽✨ Had the most amazing adventure touring this country with my family in October 2023. Started in the south and worked our way north. Party of 6 including kids and grandparents late 60s.
Indochina Voyages with the help of Minh Vu. He was excellent! Minh was easy to work with and adjusted our trip to accommodate delayed flights and rainy weather (multiple delays in fact). Without asking he provided refunds for what we missed. My husband didn’t have a single issue with his shellfish allergy the entire trip. Each local guide took such care of us and really got to know our family. We have kept in touch with some since returning home.
Our trip was classified as a classic tour combining history, culture and food! 16 day, 15 nights. 5* hotels, two in country flights (Vietnam airlines), sprinter-van style transportation, English speaking guides, tour tickets etc coverage and several days breakfast/lunch. More importantly peace of mind that each day was carefully crafted for our family. Flights to- from- country were not included in price above. 30% deposit (can pay w a card for a fee) and then remaining balance was due within maybe 2 weeks of trip.
HCM (1) – fly to Danang – drive and stay in Hoi An (3)- drive to Hue – stay in Hue (2) – fly to Hanoi (1) – drive to Ninh Binh (2) – Halong Bay overnight cruise (1) – Hanoi (2) – Home …we lost the first few days of the trip due mechanical plane cancellations at home.
– Travel backpacks w capsule wardrobe for the win! Around 20lbs and laundry at the hotels was super easy. Not for everyone, but kept us from packing too much.
– October : it was hot and humid in HCM city and super rainy in central Vietnam. North Vietnam was comfortable during our time upper 80s-ish. All the hotels we stayed at had nice big umbrellas for us to take w us and use during our stay. Private transportation and all hotels had air conditioning.
– Cash exchange at hotels/jewlery stores was easy and new $100 preferred. All hotels, big city restaurants took CC (especially visa and Mastercard…occasionally Amex)
– Tourist Visas requires. I applied and they were approved quick (?72 hrs). Minh will provide a credible link. You have to upload a passport style headshot. Probably best to apply once and get it approved to get comfortable w process and then apply for rest of party. Proofread everything to make sure it is correct. If you have to submit again, you have to pay again.
– I brought a folder w printed copies of all documents to have. Be prepared to show passports at all hotels and they check visas at airport.
– Travel clinic appointment: Fam needed typhoid and up to date tetanus. We also chose to get rabies vaccine (3 parts).
I will never forget this trip. I appreciated learning about the history and culture, I enjoyed interacting with the people and of course the food was delicious. Highly recommend.
Amazing 9-days tour to Vietnam and Cambodia – Thank you Indochina Voyages for Planning & Organizing this trip
Just back from my 9-days trip to Vietnam & Cambodia (23rd Dec – 31st Dec 2023 ).
The tour consultant from Indochina Voyages, Hue Nguyen helped plan and Organize a wonderful 9-days trip for me to Vietnam and Cambodia.
The tour that was put together for me was flawless and I was very well looked after right from the time I arrived in Hanoi (Day-1) till my last day in Phnom Penh,(Cambodia).
I had specific requests and made a lot of changes to my plan during the initial stages and Mrs Hue was able to accommodate all of them seamlessly without any issues.
This was also my first time booking with Indochina Voyages, so I was very skeptical at first.
But, I am glad I selected them to plan and book my trip and I absolutely loved the professional service from Indochina Voyages.
HOTELS :
– The choice of hotels was excellent.
The hotel in Hanoi (near the Old Quarters), Hoi An & Siem Reap was the highlight.
HIGHLIGHTS / SIGHT SEEINGS WITH A PRIVATE GUIDE :
– Ha Long Bay overnight cruise was absolutely stunning with breathtaking views.
The food and the activities onboard the ship was outstanding including the visit to the cave
– Highlight was my trip to Angkor Wat temple where the guide explained to me in detail about the temple, it’s importance in the past and the sculptures which depicts scenes from Indian epic – Ramayana & Mahabharata
– Visit the Angkor Wat temple early morning in Tuk-Tuk to see the sunrise.
– Visit to the Bana Hills in Hoi Ann
– Cycling trip to the Old Town in Hoi Ann in a rainy day
– Visit to the Royal Palace in Cambodia
– The Pub Street in Sieam Reap
GUIDES / DRIVERS :
– Both, the drivers and the guides throughout the trip were professional, polite and very helpful.
– They were always punctual and very knowledgeable on the subject matter.
– I did learn a lot from all of them on this trip.
– They used to keep me well informed, prepare me for daily activities and also also provide insights into the life & culture of the locals
It was a wonderful 9-days trip for me with the best possible guides & the driver.
I will definitely recommend Indochina Voyages to all my friends & relatives planning a trip to South East Asia.
Thank you once again Indochina Voyages for making my holiday a success!!