If you are planning a holiday in Vietnam do yourself a favour and use Indochina Voyages. Everything about them exudes class and professionalism.

We’ve just come home after 15 days in Vietnam. Every day was exhilarating. Our itinerary was Saigon (3 nights) – Hanoi (2 nights) – Mai Chau/Pu Luong (2 nights) – Hanoi (2 nights) Hue – Hoian (5 nights) – Danang – Saigon – Home. From our first contact via email to our final departure nothing was a problem. Everything was hassle free. Excursions, private drivers, English speaking guides, recommendations for activities, sightseeing and hiking were all seamlessly organized by Nam Ngo at Indochina Voyages.

Highlights for us organised by Nam, were the Cu Chi tunnels by speedboat, 3 days hiking in Mai Chau & Pu Luong (not for the faint hearted in the heat) the drive from Hue to Hoi An with a stop for lunch and a swim at Lang Co beach (beautiful and deserted). Everything was seamless and hassle free. Rural Vietnam is intoxicating. and the people enchanting.

The pace is important when we travel. We don’t like to feel rushed. That’s why we chose Mai Chau & Pu Luong. Very few western tourists visit these areas. Tranquillity over the maddening crowds in Sapa and Hau Long Bay was important to us.

The only thing I’d probably change is to spend an extra day in Saigon and a day less in Hanoi at the other end. We spent our last 5 nights relaxing at An Bang beach. We chose to use bicycles or taxi’s to get into Hoi An. That allowed us more than enough time to have suits, jeans, shirts, and shoes fitted and ready to bring home. We saved a lot of stress by asking our guide to recommend tailors and shoe makers . There are just too many to chose from to be able to make up your mind. The service, quality, and value for money in Hoi An is exceptional.

An unexpected treat for us was that our guide on the drive from Hue to Hoian had spent a year at a language school in Dunedin New Zealand learning English. You couldn’t get bigger contrast in terms of climate, landscape, and culture.

Trust me on this one, if Vietnam is on your radar do yourself a favour and use Indochina Voyages.