17 Day Vietnam Explorer

I had the most amazing time doing this tour. The itinerary is bursting and you’re always doing something different each day. Accommodation was a higher standard than I expected, particularly May bungalows. Ninvhana and Castaways are lots of fun and a great way to meet other travelers. Our group was great and Edna was an excellent guide, always happy to help and tried her best to cater for everyone’s needs. I really enjoyed the cooking class and Hoi An was amazing, it’s a shame there was no paddle boarding and yoga at Ninvhana as expected however I really enjoyed my time there. Transport between locations was fine, I was dreading the night busses and they were actually quite comfy! Couldn’t recommend this tour enough! Definitely a good way to see lots of Vietnam in a shorter amount of time.

Our trip started with a welcome dinner and drinks to meet everyone and our tour guide Pinky. Everyone was really nice and Pinky made us feel comfortable in what we had planned for the next day and recommended places for us to go. I'd do abit of research before so you have a idea of what Pinky will talk about through out the trip but feel free to ask questions. We Headed north and got to experience all parts like night buses, beach hostels and definitely a massage or two along the way. The hotels are nice wouldn't say more then 3 stars but the bungalows at the second place were so nice. Nothing was to much trouble and Pinky organised drivers if we wanted to do somthing alittle different in our free time which was great. I'd bring more then one pair of swimmers for both Beach hostel stays. I went to many markets and Pinky would help with how much to barter or negotiate at each place which was helpful. My group made my trip and getting Pinky was a plus.

I went on the 17 Day Vietnam Explorer with the delightful Edna as our guide! She was knowledgable, professional, and practical at all times. I felt really safe and like I was going to all the best places in each location, both in terms of value for money and in local delicacies and having that unique cool factor. It was a wonderful mix of activities, city and beaches, nature and culture. Definitely would recommend and loved everything that was included. Really good value for money and plenty of inclusions - loved that I didn’t have to stress about transport once or wasting time, there was always something to do, and it was all well organised. The only thing I would suggest or raise is that as much as it’s good not to have a rigid structure for city exploring, there should have either been more time in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh, or at least more guided and supported suggestions and recommendations. There should always be a list of recommended things to do and see or where to eat or drink so that the guide doesn’t have to repeat themselves or forget to tell us, and for us always to refer to just in case. This would also be helpful for historical background info.

Overall, really well done snd thought through, just should be more detail on itinerary and history/local delicacies/info provided for each place as this wasn’t always given. Solid 4/5 stars from me! :)

My experience in Vietnam was really enjoyable. It was a one in a lifetime experience in which I was able to take part in many fun and exciting day to day activities and explore different cities that I had never seen before.

This trip gave me an insight into how different the lifestyle and culture can be when visiting a completely different part of the world.

During this trip, not only has it given me the opportunity to meet people from different areas of the world it has also allowed me to encounter a great group of friends who I will definitely keep in contact with in the future.

Furthermore the trip would not have been the same without our tour guide Edna. Edna was the kindest and most friendly tour guide that I have come across during my entire travelling experience. She was an extremely organised tour guide and her priority was to ensure the happiness of our tour.

Edna worked hard each day in order to make sure that we receive all the information that we need as well as uploading all the photos from each day. This helped with the overall efficiency of our group as it allowed us to understand exactly what time and day each activity was on so that people were ready on time.

Edna would spend hours of her day to make sure that our group were happy. For example when I had an issue with my credit card and was unable to get cash out, Edna walked half an hour with me to the closest ATM and lent me enough money for the rest of the week until my card was working again.

In addition to this she also spent up to two hours of the final day of her tour helping me withdraw sea urchins from my feet even though she had a lot of work to sort out.

To conclude I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who is thinking of doing it and would also recommend Edna as an amazing tour guide!!

Thanks Tru travels 😊

I arrived two days early, Edna met me and took me somewhere for a local breakfast. Later on she took myself and two other lads out for lunch and dinner. She showed us around despite it being her day off. I really appreciated this as I was feeling upset about saying goodbye to my last tour. The tour itself was amazing. We did so many activities. My favorites were sand dunes, Hai Van Pass, duck stop and Castaways. The first day of Castaways I didn't enjoye as the staff were rude but the second day our group really came together and made it enjoyable. Edna was such an amazing tour guide and I've never met anyone like her. She was amzing with our group as we were all very different people. They were few activities I couldn't take part in due to my sprained wrist but I had the best time. I'm honestly so grateful for TruTravels as it is my third tour and I've never been dissappointed. The tour guides do wonders for the company and really make it the best. Until next time, thank you very much!

This has already been my 3rd TruTravels tour - and like the ones before - I just loved it sooo much! The mix between relaxing , partying and exploring is perfect! The quad - biking on the sand dunes and the Hai Van Pass jeep ride where definitely one of my favorite experiences of this tour! Stunning views and lots of adventure time! Also the cooking class was organized perfectly - I loved the meals we cooked! It gives you a great insight in the Vietnamese cuisine!
Our Vietnam Tour wouldn't been the same without Edna! Edna is the definition of sunshine all day long :) even at 6am in the morning on the way to our hotel she puts a smile on her face and jokes around. With her good energy, great knowledge and sense of humor Edna made the tour even more enjoyable and funny! Also she teached me to be grateful for what i have! Such a strong and inspiring woman. Edna was not only a good tour guide for me, she is also a friend for life!!!

Can’t give Darrin credit enough for dealing with an extremely challenging group throughout this tour. He handled all situations calmly and kindly even though being faced with very stubborn and tough characters.
Large groups of all female would have been tough for anybody to handle!
A large chunk of the trip is taken up by travelling which is to be expected so condensing the programme down to less locations with more time in each would be beneficial I feel.
Ninhvana was our favourite location by far and would have loved more time here.
Booking 3 trips in a row it could have been received well if discount was given due to the price we paid for each through trutravels.
Would definitely book again through this company and reckoned Darrin as a leader without hesitation.

Darrin is a great guy and the tour was jam packed with action. We’ve done several tours with trutravels and the leader had a bloody tough group of people to handle, to say the least! He did well considering the circumstances, kept a cool head at all times and got everyone around safely, so massive kudos for that as most people would’ve thrown in the towel. We loved Haivanh (however it is spelt), Hoi An was amazing and the Jeep tour was pretty awesome too. The accommodation was mixed, some was class and others were ok, but that’s expected when we only spend a grand for such a long tour, therefore there are no complaints here. Trutravels overall are a great company who I will certainly book with in the future. Where to next? Maybe their Sri Lanka tour or perhaps the Philippines.