25 independent reviews for Vietnam vacations, tailor made
Reviews for Vietnam vacations, tailor made
Tim Williamson review 8 Jun 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
It was all amazing, hard to pick out any one thing. All the hotels and guides were excellent.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Definately build in a few days at the end to do very little on a beach. We were really glad to relax after the hectic pace!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes we felt very reassured that our money was going to local people. Our hotels were all Vietnamese owned and employed local people. Our guides were all local, and the food tours were all to small independent restaurants. We were pleased to see that all toiletries etc in the hotels were refillables. We were presented with a water bottle at the beginning of our trip to ensure we didn't need to buy plastic water bottles.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was absolutely fantastic, and went way beyond our expectations. The operator did a brilliant job of looking after us from start to finish.Sally Hughes review 27 May 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Difficult to say as there were just so many fabulous moments. Perhaps releasing the baby turtles on Con Dao Island2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Work with your agent. Trang worked really hard making tweaks to accommodate our preferences and taking time to find out what worked for us.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I hope so. Via Responsible Travel we used local operators and put money into local community and environmental projects.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Absolutely fantastic. This operator curated a programme combing art adventure and culture which perfectly met and indeed exceeded our expectations. Organisation was faultless, guides knowledgable and accomodation superb.Chris Johnson review 21 May 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Whole trip was excellent.... Highlights were exploring the waterways of Ninh Binh and climbing Yen Tu mountain2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Go with the flow..3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I connected with local people and the trip supported environmental impacts.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Very highlyEdith Hurst review 22 Apr 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Scooter ride in Ho Chi Minh and cruising the Mekong in Laos. However it was all memorable except for my husband's accident in Hanoi. All guides and drivers were ever so helpful, friendly and knowledgeable.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Tailor made is great. You can choose what you want to see and do and how much, allowing you to go at your own pace.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I am sure we helped our guides and all the support staff they brought along. We had a lot of meals out and purchased items to support local traders. We could have used cars rather than people carriers since there only the two of us. it seem excessive at times.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Just perfect - extremely varied, full of interactions with local people.Keith Owen review 10 Mar 2026
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Having interesting, knowledgeable, English-speaking local guides right from the airport pick-up was a huge benefit for us, just talking to them about things, aside from specific visits, was a huge plus for us. Things are so much more interesting when you can get local background and stories, and one-on-one answers to queries. Visits to villages and local families on bikes and going to incredible places like "The Citadel" in Hue, with the local knowledge shared by the very well-spoken guides, was an unforgettable experience for us, so much better than the guide-book style monologues often given by many companies.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Remember it is a very hot and humid area, so be prepared. REALLY acknowledge to yourself that it's going to be hot and humid, and you'll enjoy it a lot more. Don't drink the water and be careful to not eat food washed in water. Engage with the locals as well as you can with the language barrier, and you'll find that they are lovely friendly people. The money is VERY WIERD, so familiarise, and get used to spending Millions of "Dong" on a trinket. There are road rules (apparently!) but be careful crossing the roads. There is a system and once learned, it works well, it just takes nerves of steel at the start. You'll spend hours watching the traffic - it's better than the telly!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We were taken to visit local people/families, to see how they lived and worked, and the small amounts of money they get from this does surely help them. Life is tough for them and there seems little time or energy left over after scratching out a living to worry about pollution, litter, and suchlike, but by meeting up and talking (with guide's help normally) with the local people things will hopefully over time change. It is apparent that like many other countries, the young people are leaving the rural life for the big cities. Hopefully their eyes will be opened, and pollution will eventually reduce as a result.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Superb. Can't really fault it. The guides were great; all the hotels were well located, roomy, and had character. If you're after a 5 star + vacation where your every move is decided by others, this is probably not for you. From our perspective, we got to see all we wanted with local guidance, lots of walking, and plenty of free time to "do our own thing". We even had a visit from the tour company proprietor and a small gift, when we got to Hanoi. Sometimes it's the little things that stick out right?Bridget Kelly review 11 Nov 2025
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
That is very hard to say because honestly from moment one the entire 16 days in Vietnam was absolute magic for my family.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
One thing we didn't do was build in enough recharge time. I would recommend that for each week of travel that there is one full day of recharge time built in to the itinerary.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
That is a complicated question. Overall yes, but that would be a difficult thing to say definitively.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
5 star through and throughAnna Beaver review 18 Jul 2025
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Hanoi - with a guide we were able to embrace the whole craziness of it without any worries. It's am amazing riot of noise and colour.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Spend as much time as you can with the people- they are the real joy of Vietnam.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Such a big question. I can't hand on heart say 100% yes to all aspects (we flew to Vietnam!) But our guides, drivers and contacts were all local and independent. The guides were just brilliant and really helped us understand what contributed and what didn't. We felt the hotels were credible rather than corporate. Having said all that our teenage girls were very excited to buy fake designer handbags so still some way to go.....4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Just brilliant- the place, the people, the things we got to experience-so many memories. Thankyou!Alison Hardesty review 14 Jul 2025
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Doing food tour and on back of mopeds and Ha long bay2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Get boots made in Hoi ann.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I hope it benefitted local people as we used local restaurants not sure about environmental impact but we did our best to reuse towels etc4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Brilliant. Smooth, efficient wonderful guides particularly Mr lam who took us to places we probably wouldn't have known about as tourists.Claire Harding review 27 Feb 2025
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The variation, we ended up doing just what we requested ! The fantastic coordination of the whole complicated trip. We LOVED it, and it converted my husband to long haul vacations after years. Thanh from the local operator was brilliant, even took us out for a meal in HCM!2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Don’t go with big global companies, always go local. Check the likely weather conditions as sadly no snorkelling on Con Dao island, too rough and windy at this time of year.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes all local expenditure, but no due to the number of flights we had to take!4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
The biggest gift to me was my reluctant husband really enjoying it. I normally have to travel with other people!Kevin Schembri review 17 Jan 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
It is very difficult to choose just one part from a 3 week of equally memorable moments. Each part of the vacation has its highlights, from the crazy hustle and bustle of Hanoi, but yet full of character, to hiking in the mountains of Sapa and interacting with ethic minorities, the majestic scenery of Ha long, the charm of Hoian.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Vietnam is not a small country, and to see and experience most of the highlights from the north and the south, requires loads of travel, be prepared to be on the go every 2-3 days, and travel light.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes. For example we were glad to hear about the environmental initiatives being taken to support fishermen living in remote parts of the Hal long bay by the cruise company selected.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was a great vacation to a beautiful country and fantastic peopleLisa McEvoy review 8 Jan 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The whole vacation was very memorable. It is a remarkable country. The people we met were wonderful, in the hotels, restaurants, our guides and drivers and on the cooking classes that we did. The food was amazing. When breakfast or lunch or dinner was included at different places the amount of food and the choice was huge. The food tours in Saigon on the back of motorbikes and a walking one in Hanoi were excellent.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
We hade a number of locations where we stayed, Saigon, Hoi An and Hanoi were all for four or three nights. Then we did 1 night in Halong Bay, Nimh Binh and a Homestay. I would probably not do three single nights in a row again as it is too much traveling. Build in some rest days so it is not go go go. Have some days with a half day tour rather than a ful day.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We used a local travel agency to book the trip, local guides, drivers and locally owned hotels and restaurants. Our last guide says that each tourist that come to Vietnam supports 16 jobs. So I think we certainly did support local people.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
It was our best ever family vacation. Trang was wonderful in reworking and refining our itinerary over a number of weeks. She also helped with last minute visa issues and was always available during the trip. 5 Star service. We cannot wait to go back.David Elsey review 9 Oct 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Sapa - arriving at the summit of Fan Si Pan even though low cloud hid the scenery2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Watch how you cross the roads in Hanoi, the traffic can be scary with near miss on most occasions3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The use of local services meant ongoing employment4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Ms Trang without doubt is a great organiser and she made sure our travel wishes were metKate Foster review 16 Apr 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Staying in Mau Chau Eco Lodge and the Scooter Street food Tour in HCM2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Maybe don't tryt and pack too much in! Stay longer in Mau Chau and Ninh Binh area which was beautiful3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Probably4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
The tour operator was excellent. The guides were very knowledgable and interesting. The days were incredibly well organised- we never had to wait for anything. Excellent hotels.Grace Ding review 20 Mar 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Too many- scooter ride in Saigon and food market, water puppet theatre in Hanoi, swimming in the beach in Hoi an….2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Book it and pick your own accommodations.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Hopefully provided employment to your guides, drivers and hotel staff. Feels guilty about internal flights but don’t fancy the alternatives.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
4 out of 5 There was a couple of hiccups but the tour company was very responsive.Ros Pennefather review 1 Mar 2020
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Trekking and camping in Sapa, followed by the boat trip on Bai Tu Long Bay2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
The meals provided are generally set-menus which are lovely as it is a great way to discover Vietnamese food, but they can be a lot of food.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, particularly true of the trekking, boat cruises and visit to Nam Cat Tien National Park4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
We had a fantastic time in a very scenic and interesting country. The vacation was exceptionally well organised and good value for moneyStewart Fox review 30 Jul 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
That’s a difficult question to answer as there were so many exciting and memorable parts to this vacation.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Put complete trust in the local agent to give you a vacation of a lifetime.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The vacation gave us many opportunities to see how the real people of Vietnam and Cambodia lived and worked and also an opportunity to buy some of their wares. Fortunately we had plenty of spare luggage allowance for the return journey!4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
The vacation was spectacular and offered a huge variety of activities that kept even our 16-year-old son entertained for the entire duration. The itinerary was flexible enough to allow us to meet our elder son in Vietnam halfway through our trip and our activities for that particular day were extended to include him and his four friends.Neville Isaacson review 18 May 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Most of it was fascinating... Singapore, Vietnam and Laos are amazing countries.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Cambodia, unless you have a need to see Angkor Wat, I would give it a miss. Be prepared for serious heat.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Not that much, except our hotel in Luang Prabang was involved in tree planting along the river and other good stuff.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
A fantastic experience.Tomasz Majewski review 9 Dec 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Walking through the wonderful Luang Prabang and relaxing on the fantastic beach of Phu Quoc.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Don't miss out on Saigon!3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
It supported local people in the way that we were taken to small villages, where we could eat and buy local products.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Fantastic!Tracy Ring review 22 Aug 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
We had a fantastic vacation and enjoyed many memorable moments, including Bang Mealea temple in Siam Reap, Cambodia, Bug hunting in Cat Tien Vietnam, diving in Cham Islands, Water Puppet show in Hoi An, Mekong river cruise from Vietnam to Cambodia2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Wear cool clothes, bring mosquito repellant, ask your guide lots of questions about the country and the people and get their advice on best places to visit, eat etc. enjoy the culture, take a good camera and some comfortable shoes. Visit the local markets, they are fascinating3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
The tour used local people and local families and locally run businesses to look after us, so we were able to support the local community rather than a corporation. We stayed in local homestays, eco lodges, and noticed that Vietnamese people have a use for everything so nothing goes to waste. Unfortunately Asian countries don’t seem to be controlling use of plastic too well and we noticed that most street food and drink was served in 2 plastic containers or bags. We tried where possible to re-use our bottles.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
We had a wonderful and varied vacation. We travelled extensively and made the most of each day. The experience was fantastic and we would definitely recommend this trip to othersAngela Camp review 14 Aug 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Kayaking in Bai Tu Long Bay2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Travel very lightly3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Definitely helped local people as hotels, restaurants and trips were booked with smaller companies not big chain companies. The Vietnamese talk about the environment but not much visible evidence except re-filling of plastic bottles on the boat trip.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Fantastic experience, we learned such a lot about the Vietnamese history and culture from the local guides. They made the trip for us.Linda Edward review 11 Nov 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
There were so many highlights, the Vespa food tour of Saigon, the hiking in the mountains near Sapa, the boat trip on Halong Bay, the exquisite hotel, Shinta Mani, in Siem Reap.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Allow the operator to plan you an exciting, thought provoking trip involving a lot of interaction with local people and cultural exchanges.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I hope so. It seemed that we were giving our money directly to the people living and working there, as accommodation, restaurants and guides.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent. A full on cultural experience. Some people might have wanted more R&R but not us! We loved and felt as if we had taken advantage of every minute!Denise Brooks review 6 May 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
No one particular thing. It was all fantastic and so varied it is difficult to choose one thing. Loved the people, the culture and the scenery2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Be prepared for the weather. Went beginning of April and very hot and humid especially in the South. Take time to talk to local people. They are very friendly and interesting. Embrace the culture and try everything . The food is good, even the street food. A good way to pass time people watching, sitting at the side of the street with a beer and a plate of good food. Make sure you have a good guide. They are invaluable. Without one you will miss so much.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, especially the people. The company is based in Vietnam and use local people.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
This was an amazing vacation. Very varied and interesting and great fun. Loved everything and good for all ages. ( we are 6 not so young ladies and really enjoyed the motor scooters, fishing, ''clubbing' ) we felt safe in the streets and met many interesting people. Our guides were second to none and the tour company had everything well organised and went the extra mile for us. Couldn't fault them. Now is a good time to visit Vietnam as it is changing fast and I would recommend anyone who is doubtful to just go for it. You will have stories to dine out on for a very long time. Only four stars as have had other amazing vacations especially in Africa so find it very difficult to compare, but this is up there with the best.Alisa Lipson review 11 Mar 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Halong Bay. Hoi An. The latter is a World Heritage town, and is beautiful. We also spent 2 nights at a resort nearby, and would have like an additional day on the beautiful beach (but no lifeguards, so be cautious).2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Our vacation was completely planned by our travel agents. If you have knowledge about where you would like to go, you should let your agent know. We enjoyed the trip, and felt we saw a lot. But do not be fooled that this is some kind of vacation that is not geared expressly to tourists. We are tourists and were fine with that. Halong Bay was spectacular, and was a good example of a pure tourist destination, with many junks traveling together on the bay with people like us. The northern indigenous communities that we visited have many tourists tramping through. Having said this, it was very moving and enlightening to do these visits. The tourist dollar really helps these people, at least so it seems. We were interested in the 'American War' memorials, etc, but none of these were on our itinerary. Our travel agent was very accommodating in arranging a visit to the tunnels near Saigon and also the War Remnants museum which we had read about, and adjusted our trip accordingly. We had only 9 days, and travelled from north to south. This involved 2 overnight train trips to Sapa and back. Worth the trip, but the night trains were tough on me (little sleep). Our travel agents had us booked into hotels on arrival for breakfast and to freshen up, anyways, so we still had some hotel costs to deal with. We heard about a new road, and good busses, so you might consider this alternative if you have the time, and skip the overnight trains.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
There were times on our trip that we had so many local folks taking care of our little family of 3--on the Mekong Delta, we had 2 guides, a boat captain, his assistant and a cook. Everyone treated us like royalty---quite a bizarre feeling, really. It seemed that the tourist industry does provide a lot of jobs for enthusiastic locals. Sometimes these jobs are the best paying, compared with such jobs as teaching. There were orchestrated visits to farmers and fishermen, who we 'helped' and then tipped. We did not feel exploited, and did feel we made their lives possibly a bit easier. Sometimes there was a sense of scripted frivolity ('aren't we all having fun!!') that was annoying but kind of sweet at the same time. We did not feel we supported conservation or reduced environmental impacts.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Very varied and interesting. A great way to see the country if you have little time and do not want to do the planning yourself. We were well taken care of. There were many local tour guides who would need to meet us and orient us, and every single one was on time, pleasant and professional. We were very impressed with how well organized this was.Susan Glover review 17 Nov 2016
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Certainly over night train from Hanoi to Danang, when for 4 hours the train was a slight embankment and all around as far as the eye could see was flooded paddy fields and swirling rivers.2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Try to avoid traveling long distances by road, as their tarmacced roads have virtually continuous ribbon housing eitherside of the roads. Slow and dull, with little opportunity to see countryside.3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
In the hotels and homesteads local re employed.4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Excellent organisation from Vietnam agent, with mostly very good accommodation. Downside was lack of any sunshine for two weeks in mid to north Vietnam.Holiday Reviews
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