David Paul | Mai Chau & Ninh binh | Vietnam

Itinerary: Biking Hidden Paths of Mai Chau & Ninh Binh
Date: November 7, 2009 - November 10, 2009
Nationality: American

Dear Ms Julia,

Thanks for your email. Actually we are back in the United States because our biking tour was at the end of our visit.

We had a wonderful time visiting Mai Chau, Buoc Village, Ninh Binh, and Tam Coc and enjoyed the biking very much!

The driver was very safe and very good and very patient and relaxed.

Mr Quyen was an excellent guide and companion on our entire trip. He answered so many questions we had about the trip and about Vietnam, the people, the land, the customs! He always made sure we were comfortable and happy and ok! He always let us know when to expect meals, where to meet, distances we would travel, and kept us informed very nicely!
He was very patient in biking with us because we wanted to stop so many times to take photos and he encouraged this! Both my brother and I would ask for his services again if we were to return to SE Asia. He was a wonderful help, a great person, and friendly, and a nice sense of humor! Many thanks to him!!!

The homestays were very nice and the people so friendly. We enjoyed the performances at Pom Coong in the evening (that some groups had arranged), enjoyed the delicious foods, and the quietness and relaxation in the villages! We did have some difficulty sleeping, but what can you do about the barking dogs and crowing roosters! That's all just part of the experience! Delightful!

The biking length and challenge were good because Mr Quyen took us on some very nice routes...perfect distance and terrain!

Biking along the Tam Coc was very relaxing and pretty, and the rafting was very enjoyable also...just the right time and distance on the boat!

The hotel in Ninh Binh was good. We liked the set dinner and lunch in Ninh Binh and they were delicious!

And your communications throughout the entire process (and Ms Jessica also), were excellent and appreciated, thank you!

So we would give the entire experience the highest ratings! Thank you for your services.

Would you please share with me Mr Quyen's email address. I'd like to thank him again and send a few pictures to him also.

Please enjoy these pictures. Thank you again!

Best regards,
David

Paolo Bencivenga | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Biking Sapa
Date: October 01 – October 05, 2009
Nationality: Italian

Hello Sunny,

I am back in Macau and back to work. I had a very good time in Vietnam and enjoyed my time with Hung the guide and Nam the driver. Please send me updates of the trips that you organise, if I can, I would like to come back and do something similar. Hung also told me about the chance to go trekking on the mountain (I think it's called Fansipan). Please let me also have Hung's email because I want to send him some of the pictures that I made.

Thank you again and good bye,

Paolo

Megan Finkelde | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Trek Sapa 2 days
Date: September 21 - September 25, 2009
Nationality: Australian

We thoroughly enjoyed the trek, it was even more amazing than we had hoped for! Our guide Thanh was exceptional, he had great knowledge of the region and took us on routes which many others do not see. The trek stretched us but it was wonderful experience. We really love Sapa and the surrounding area!

Harry Cooper | Ho Chi Minh Trail | Vietnam

Itinerary: Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trail
Date: September 17 - September 19, 2009
Nationality: United Kingdom

Excellent trip and good experience. Staying in the local villages gave a good sight into Vietnamese life in the country. Tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable and made the trip good fun! Try the dog meat!!!

Tania Lawrence | Northwestern mountains | Vietnam

Itinerary: Motorbike Northwestern mountains
Date: September 4 - September 10, 2009
Nationality: Australian

The most fantastic adventure. Ken was very terrific, always polite, punctual and helpful. He made our trip perfect. Mr Tien – the driver is very kind and I like that he made us feel safe and looked after our bags. We will recommend to our friends.

Thank you!

Cheryl Buhay | Angkor Wat | Cambodia

Itinerary: Angkor Wat Discovery
Date: September 4 - September 7, 2009
Nationality: American

Had a great time!

Thanks you for arranging all this for us. We will take away plenty of good memories. Our guide & driver are the best – punctual, polite, hospitable and flexible. They look after us well. They gave us suggestion for other activities eg traditional dance, others.
Thank you once again!

Cherry & Virtane

Anthony & Shona Holdsworth and family | Halong Bay | Vietnam

Itinerary: Halong bay charter boat 2 days 1 night & Transferring Hanoi - Halong - Hanoi
Date: May 17 - May 20, 2009
Nationality: Australian

Dear Ms Sunny,

I am just writing to thank you for all your assistance in regards to our recent holiday. All your planning was fantastic and we could not have managed without you.

I do hope we can work together again in the future when we again visit Vietnam and in the meantime, I will recommend you to all our friends who plan on holidaying in Vietnam.

Very kind regards and best wishes,

Anthony & Shona Holdsworth and family

Esther van de Plasse | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Sapa trekking and homestay
Date: May 16 - May 19, 2009
Nationality: Dutch

Dear Julia,

Yes indeed, we are back home since last Sunday. We had a great time in Vietnam!
We loved the Sapa tour we did with Active Travel. I don't have any comment on it. We liked the homestays, we had a very good guide who spoke English very well (unlike some other guides we had with other tours), he explained about the country and the area we were in and you could see that he did his work with pleasure. The pick up in Hanoi and the train were good as well and the program was like you put it on the internet.

I wouldn't change a thing with this tour if I were you!

Thank you and best regards,
Esther

Jacq and Pete Conway | Sapa, Cat Ba island, Halong Bay | Vietnam

Itinerary: Sapa trekking & home stay and Trekking Cat Ba National Park & Kayaking Halong Bay - Vietnam
Date: April 05 - April 13, 2009
Nationality: Belgium

Hi Julia,

We had the most enjoyable 2 weeks in Vietnam. Everyone we met was so friendly, and the service was excellent too! The trek in Sapa was what we really came for, but Halong Bay almost beat it for its beauty. The kayaking was superb! It was so good to have some of the busy locations to ourselves first thing in the morning. The food was just amazing - almost too much really!! Think I will have to go on a diet!!

The 3 guides you provided, Mr. Than (Hanoi), Mr. Lan (Sapa) & Mr. Qyuen (Halong bay), were all great guys, who were most knowledgeable and were happy to introduce us to the local customs and a few words of Vietnamese. Nothing was too much trouble for them. We would recommend any of them. The driver you gave us to Halong Bay, was fantastic...he did not use his horn once!! Very smooth, relaxing ride!

Gao Bai Hotel, Hanoi was very good. Service excellent, friendly & helpful. Front rooms a little noisy, but fun to look down onto the street below! Chau Long Hotel, Sapa, was in a great location, but I felt the service could have been in bit better/friendlier for the level of hotel. Sunrise resort at CatBa was in a beautiful location, and the restaurant was quite reasonably priced for a hotel. Good service.

The welcome dinner at The Wild Lotus, Hanoi, was magnificent! We were expecting something a lot less grand, so thank you for organizing this for us! And the Indochina Sails junk in Halong Bay (upgraded) was just so unbelievable Pete & I thought it must have been a mistake!! The train to Sapa was an experience I won't forget! Not the best sleep but lots of fun!!

Last but not least, thank you to you Ms. Julia! You organization skills from our first inquiry to this follow-up were so professional and helpful. It made us feel very comfortable to know the answers to our many questions before we arrived, and all the transfer connections were perfect. It made the trip run so smoothly, we had more time to enjoy the sights and less time to worry about the details you took care of.

Pete and I would be more than happy to recommend yourself and Active Travel to anyone looking to travel in Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos. I have already given your name to my sister in HCM, as she may look to go to Laos later this year. I also mentioned you to a few travellers I met in CatBa, who had a bad experience with another agency. As mentioned, I walk with a group of women in Sydney, who travel alot to go trekking, so I will let them know your details if they are looking to go to Vietnam. Please also feel free to use any of this email as a recommendation for your services.

We wish you, your family and your new baby all the health and happiness. Best wishes and good luck for the future.

Warmest Regards,

Jacq and Pete

Jacq & Pete Conway
9 Rofe Street
Leichhardt NSW 2040
02 9560 3775

Silke Lasslop | Halong & Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Halong bay kayaking 3 days & Different Sapa Different trek
Date: March 29 - 9 April, 2009
Nationality: South Africa

Hello Sunny,

Now that we are back in SA and slowly picking up with day to day life I am giving you some feedback as promised :-)

The service of Active travel was fantastic! Starting with having you, Sunny, to answer all questions and requests in detail and always very promptly. That in my opinion is very important. You made me feel safe and trusting. I really appreciated that I could call you even on a Sunday! at 6! in the morning to sort out our transfer to Hanlong Bay.
All the transfers and services where great! You made us feel very special.
Our accommodations on Halong Bay, Train and in Sapa where lovely and much better then we expected.
The food on Board the Boat and on our Hiking trip was very good and surly the reason why we put on a couple of kilos ;-)

Mr Hung our guide was absolutely great. He did everything possible to make our trip a great success. His knowledge about the country and the people is added greatly to our understanding about Vietnam. Mr Hung is extremely helpful and kind.

We were very happy with Active Travel. And I will and have already recommend your company to fellow travellers.

All the best and thank you again for all your help and great work!

Warmest wishes,
Silke

Rebecca Chen | The Ho Chi Minh Trail | Vietnam

Itinerary: Motorcycling the Ho Chi Minh Trail - Half Challenge
Date: March 26 - April 09, 2009
Nationality: American

Hi Sunny,

The trip was one of the best travel adventure trips I've done in my life -- and I've traveled quite a bit. The itinerary was planned perfectly to allow a balance of cultural learning, historical learning, enjoyment in riding the great roads, and allowed us to see the country in a way most would not in a bus tour. Ken was a major part of how smoothly the trip went -- I truly admire his patience, his leadership skills, and his knowledge of the country and roads. More importantly, his mechanical skills were very necessary and he was able to, on many occasions, fix the Minsks for us. I really think that Ken is a major asset to the company and hope that he is seen as such. He was able to prepare so much for us -- with the driver in Hanoi, with translating in local areas, with setting up meals, and most importantly, gauging how our feel was for the day in terms of the type of riding we wanted, the pace, and when to take a break.

The drivers of the van were really great to be around and were so delightful with their company. They added to the overall spirit of the trip. You yourself, Sunny, helped give me assurance by emailing answers promptly when I was half a world away -- something very
important when someone is in the US looking at a website and not really knowing the service that will be provided.

I really hope to go to North Vietnam with ATV again in future. Both Ruch and I truly enjoyed our trip. Please also ensure that Ken is given the due praise for his services. He was a true asset to the trip.

Thanks so much for all your help. Let me know if you have any more questions. If I plan another Vietnam trip in future, I'll be sure to contact you.

Many thanks,
Rebecca

Lee Gim Seng, Gilbert & Xing Jieyin | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Sapa trekking and homestay
Date: March 27 - March 31, 2009
Nationality: Singapore

Hi Julia

We are still in Vietnam, Hanoi. The trip was great; we enjoyed the treks and the scenery.
Everything we had imagined.

We would also like to give good comments about our guide in Sapa, Mr Huong van Lan.

He was friendly, helpful and could tell that he takes pride in his work as a guide.

Thank you for the arrangement!

Gilbert

Sarah Withcomb | Mekong Delta & Cu Chi tunnel | Vietnam

Itinerary: Biking Mekong 3 days and half day Cu Chi Tunnel
Date: March 23 2009
Nationality: American

Hi Sunny,

"We had a wonderful family vacation thanks to Active Travel Vietnam! Despite our different ages and interests, it was an unforgettable trip for all of us... my brother, my mom and me. Thank you for working out all the details and allowing us to make such special travel memories together. We will never forget our home stay on the Mekong Delta or the beautiful bike trails or the kindness and generosity of our guide Loc. We loved every minute of our adventure!"

Sarah

Richard Craik | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Bird watching & trekking Fansipan Mount
Date: March 16 - March 20, 2009
Nationality: United Kingdom

Hi Sunny,

Yes, we are all well thanks and only a little aching! We just arrived back from Hanoi a couple of hours ago.

The tour was a great success thanks Sunny. Everything went very smoothly and all the services you provided were excellent. Khanh, Chi and all the porters were extremely helpful and did a great job. The food was also excellent and lots of it too.

Thanks especially to you Sunny for organising everything so professionally.

I will put the Fansipan birding tour on my website though it would be too difficult for many of my clients who are usually quite elderly. I plan another small group to do it again either at the end of this year or next spring so I will be in touch then.

Thanks again for everything Sunny and look forward to working with you again soon.

All the best,

Richard

Dirk Doclo | Sapa, Cat Ba Island, Halong Bay | Vietnam

Itinerary: Sapa trekking & home stay and Trekking Cat Ba National Park & Kayaking Halong Bay - Vietnam
Date: March, 6, 2009
Nationality: Belgium

Dear Julia,

We enjoyed our trip to Halong Bay and Cat Ba. This Mister Hay was a very good guide. Also the men on the supporting boat were very friendly and very good cooks.

Warmest greetings,
Dirk en Greet