We loved our amazing guide, Tony. Our first night, he brought us to a water puppet show where we saw dragons breathe fire and a lot of other cool things. The next day, Tony led us on a tour through the train tracks of old town to see how people worked and lived.
We then drove to Mai Chau and swam in the pool with a bunch of camp kids. During dinner, we watched a show and I even danced the bamboo dance.
The following day we took a walk through a cute Mong village and we went into a local’s house for tea. The kids were all piled in a bed, playing on their cell phones the entire time we were there. We then went to a cave that had served as a hiding place and hospital for soldiers.
The next morning, we took a bike ride through the rice paddies and we even learned how to farm rice. That night, Tony took us out to an amazing dinner we got to eat in a local’s house.
In Ninh Binh, we got on a boat and that ladies paddled with their feet. We went through caves and at the end we got to feed fish with the bags of Funions Tony bought for us.
We spent the next few days on a junk boat in Halong Bay where we got to swim off the back of the boat. We also took a long bike rode and kayaked. I really liked our room and getting the rose petals thrown on us when we got on the ship.
On our first morning in Hoi An, Thien, took us on a walking tour through old town and we saw two museums and walked over the famous Japanese bridge . We found a nice restaurant to eat dinner in for Mommy’s birthday.
The next day at Ba Hills, we watched a show that had cool dances and tricks. We also saw temples and pagodas with robots that rang bells and gongs. We walked across the golden bridge that looked like giant hands were holding it up in the air. After dinner that night, we went on a boat ride and put lanterns in the water for good luck for family and friends, and then we bought more lanterns from a cute little old lady we had seen the night before.
On our last day in Hoi An, we met our new guide Marie who took us to ride water buffalo. When I first got on, I was scared, but it got fun, I even stood up! At our next stop we helped a lady garden who had lost her husband and son in the war. We watered plants, planted plants and fed her fish. Next we went on a big boat and went to a spot where we could ride in bamboo basket boats to a bunch of palm trees. The boat crew made all sorts of things for us out of the palm fronds. We then fished with local fishers and swam with our clothing on.
You'll get to ride a water buffalo, throw a cast net and meet a local farmer and learn how they work in their fields. It is a great day.
Instead of rushing, walk slow and steady. The cars and motor bikes see you and drive around you. If you rush, it is much more dangerous.
We’ve arranged for most of our family touring in Vietnam with Exo Travel. We like exploring new destinations by all methods of travel – cruising, touring, or on our own. The thing we like best about private custom tours is that we can collaborate with and design our experience exactly the way we want, under the expert guidance of a trusted local operator.
Southern World has contacts all over both islands of New Zealand. Under their knowlegable guidance we’ve coordinated several day tours as well as chosen cities to serve as our home base while we explore the amazing country.
River Cruises are a very popular way to experience Vietnam as they offer an opportunity to visit many sites without having to unpack every other day. On a river cruise, you can enjoy the luxury of exploring the interior waterways of the country with a small group of like minded travelers and experience guided excursions at each stop along the way. At the end of each day, return to the luxurious accommodations on your ship to rest in comfort and observe the scenery floating by.
There are several options for cruising around the perimeter of Vietnam- Large ship, small ship, expedition. The cruises are a great way to see the sections of the country you may like to return to at a later date. Some itineraries include a port or two in Vietnam while visiting several countries in Asia, others are based solely in Vietnam. We recommend anyone visiting the country spend a few days pre- or post-cruise to explore a bit of the interior of the country in addition to the coast.
Taking a tour with a small group provides the opportunity to experience the sites of New Zealand with other like-minded travelers on popular pre-designed itineraries.
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