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