Michelle, Tony and Karen | Vietnam

Itinerary : Tailor made tour in Vietnam
Date: November 13 - November 27, 2010
Nationality: Australian

We just spent 2 weeks on a tour organised for 3 people by Active Asia Travel and would not choose anyone else to travel with throughout Vietnam. We had drivers and guides at every point to meet us (and all early), our every need was catered for.

We started in Hanoi where we were picked up at airport and met our wonderful guide who would take us onto Halong Bay where we kayaked and cruised for 2-3 days - absolutely breathtaking. Caught a night train to Lao Cai where we trekked from beautiful Sapa and had two wonderful home stays, our guide was so much fun and we had a fantastic experience. Onto Hue, Hoi An where we had shorter day tours of these lovely places then finished bike riding through the Mekong Delta for 4 days with yet another fantastic guide.

All our transfers were taken care of, all accommodation organised and almost all our meals were catered for. The guides were all so much fun and extremely knowledgable of the areas they took us. The kayaking, treks and bike riding where all well planned and able to be adjusted if it got too difficult - the guides were great at determining just the right amount of activity to be challenging yet moreso enjoyable. Our travel agent Jessie should be commended, she done a fabulous job and we will definately be back to Vietnam, and would not travel with anyone else.

Thank you Active Travel for an absolutely wonderful trip !

Source : http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293924-d1469397-r89463066-ActiveTravel_Asia-Hanoi.html

Jodie Cummings | Vietnam

Itinerary : Tailor made tour in Vietnam
Date: October 20 - November 3, 2010
Nationality: British

I really enjoyed my trip. Thank you for all my planning. The homestays were the best.

I think if i was to do the trip again, I would have continued riding up from Than Uyen to Sapa, instead of going back to Hanoi and doing the night trains.... then spend a few nights in Sapa and Bac Ha, doing mountain biking and hiking. Then head back down to hanoi on the motorbike stopping again at Thac Ba reservoir (that was the best homestay). And from there end my trip after the Halong bay tour....

In all honesty - it was still a lovely trip. Long was by far the best of the 3 tour guides.
He was the most sociable and outgoing, and therefore I felt comfortable and safe the whole time.

My hightlights to the trip were:

- Motorbiking!
- Halong bay - was just stunning - and i'm so glad i did 2 nights!! 1 is definately not enough - the first day is very rushed!
- Sapa - the beautiful colours....

Hope that gives you enough feedback.

Thank you again for your help !

Jenny Ho * 3 | PhnomPenh | Cambodia

Itinerary : 4Days tour in PhnomPenh
Date : November 10 - November 13, 2010
Nationality: Singapore

My friends and I enjoyed the trip, our guide Mr Rith is good.
He know PhnomPenh's history well.

We took many pictures. You can go to my facebook under Jenny Ho Singapore. You can see them there.

PhnomPenh, Cambodia

Franciska & Frank | Mai Chau , Ninh Binh | Viet Nam

Itinerary : Biking Mai Chau & Ninh Binh
Date : Sep 28 - Oct 1, 2010
Nationality : German

Mai Chau was The Best active Holiday for The last 3 Years for me and certainly for Franciska.

Beside being Lucky with wheather conditions and Tour Guide we got Most Beautiful Nature discovered on The Bike on and offroad, Best Local made Food and Great Inside views of Vietnam documented by many Pictures.

Thanks for your Great contribution to these remarkable days. :)

Harriet & Anneka | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary : Sapa Trekking & Homestay
Date: October 19 - October 23, 2010
Nationality: British

We had a fantastic time in Sapa, and thank you ever so much for organising everything so smoothly. We will definitely look to Active Vietnam again in the future.

We were extremely lucky with the weather and have some beautiful photographs of the region.

Kerstin * 4 | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary : Conquer Fansipan - Heaven Gate Route
Date: October 1 - October 5, 2010
Nationality : German

I would like to say Thank you for everything. We had a brilliant trip to Sapa and Fansipan!!! We so enjoyed it :)

Our tour guide The was fantastic :)

And you organised everything so good for us in Hanoi :) I can only recommend your company. So fantastic :)

Mr & Mrs M from London | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Conquer Mt.Fansipan- Cat Cat Route
Date: October 1- October 7, 2010
Nationality: Norwegian

It's probably one of the hardest things i've done, but also the most rewarding. It's a very steep climb, up and down several mountains before you reach the top - most of the time you're in the jungle, and you're walking in dry and wet streams rather than on tracks (so bring lots of warm socks!)

The team was absolutely amazing! Every night they put together a fantastic dinner, at least 5 or 6 delicious dishes, plus vegetables and rice. The spring rolls were the best ones i've ever tasted. Pancakes for breakfast and a hot lunch every day. Absolutely brilliant, they did such a good job with everything. And we had a lot of fun with them too - hao hao :-)

So it was a hard trek, but we very much enjoyed it, and the view from the top of mount fansipan was stunning! We were really lucky with the weather (there was a rain storm the night before, and it got very cold in out tent at 2,600!), so we could see very far.

It truly was an amazing experience - we'll never forget it!

Source: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293924-d1469397-r84013290-ActiveTravel_Asia-Hanoi.html

Jeffrey Murphy | Trekking in Luang Prabang & Biking out of Siem Reap | Laos

Itinerary: Trekking in Luang Prabang & Biking out of Siem Reap
Date: 12 August-17 August, 2010
Nationality: United State of America

We were very pleased with both our trek in Luang Prabang and the bike trip out of Siem Reap. Both of our guides were exceptional; smart, good spoken English, very nice and knowledgeable. We got the kind of cultural insight we were looking for.

In both cases, we would have liked to do something that could help the community we stayed in in a meaningful way (like contribute books for the local school library for example). This might be something you consider when planning future excursions for tourists.

Philip Chong | Biking Mekong Delta 3Ddays 2Nights | Vietnam

Itinerary: Biking Mekong Delta 3D2N
Date: 7 August-9 August, 2010
Nationality: Singaporean

The trip was an enjoyable one, both my wife and myself enjoyed ourselves very much.

The eco lodge accommodation was nice.

Our guide and attached driver were good and professional. Very commendable. Especially the driver who keeps the vehicle clean and tidy. Also his driving is safe and not reckless.

Tora Must Hatlebakk family | Vietnam

Itinerary: Tailor made tour in Vietnam
Date: 26June - 17July, 2010
Nationality: Norwegian

Sunny,

We are in all aspects very happy with all your arrangements; guides, places to stay, what to see etc
We have lot of fantastic memories and pictures from Vietnam.

Best regards

Helge Ulvang | Vietnam

Itinerary: Family Adventure tour
Date: 30 June - 11 July
Nationality: Norwegian

We are very satisfied with the Vietnam-trip and we will thank you for all your help and good work. Everything was excellent. We liked the guides and the hotels very much.

Brent Sandweiss & Stefan | Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trails | Vietnam

Itinerary : Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trails
Date: July 29 - July 31, 2010
Nationality: USA

Our experience with Active Travel Asia was absolutely outstanding. Trang corresponded with us, via email, very professionally and timely. She went out of her way to assist us with each and every question. At great inconvenience to herself, she drove across town on very short notice to personally meet with me and setup our trip. Her English is very good. Her personality is even better. And, I feel quite fortunate to have met her online. She is a class act. As Trang was leaving, I asked her if our guide would have English as good as hers. She responed by saying yes and you will really like our guides.

Within minutes of meeting our guide, Luan, I could tell that we were going to have a terrific time. Once again, Trang was spot on!

Luan picked us up the next morning and we stopped off to pick up our motorbikes and allow Luan time to assess our skill sets. After he was confident of our motorcycle skills, we got a general briefing at an out of the way historical museum*. After a few false starts (we were riding authentic Russian made Minsk motorcycles!) we got the bikes up and running!

Luan was absolutely fantastic! Not only was his English amazing. But, his personality was even more amazing! To say that we had a trip of a lifetime is an understatement! We rode through beautiful rice paddies, limestone monoliths popping up everywhere, gorgeous mountain passes and caramel colored rivers and green and blue lakes. But, most important, it was the great good fortune of meeting warm, sincere and generous Vietnamese people everywhere we went that will remain etched on my mind for the rest of my life. The home stays were incredible. The food was amazing. A true life experience that will never be forgotten. Oh…and did I mention that Luan was amazing? !!

Prior to this trip, we spend time in Thailand & Cambodia. In each place, we worked with several guides. Many were quite nice. None came close to the professional and first class treatment offered by Luan. He was terrific in every sense. Sharp enough to keep a professional, timely tour. But, more important, very funny, down to earth, easy to understand and eager to assist us with any needs. It takes a very special person to operate as a guide 24/7 with new clients from a different culture. Luan’s ability to execute this enormous responsibility flawlessly earned our respect and gratitude. He is a true gem and it is my great pleasure and honor to write this review.

Thank you so much for orchestrating the trip of a lifetime. Before I met you, I loved Vietnam. After meeting and touring with you I love Vietnam even more. Toi Thich Vietnam!!

Sincerely,

Brent Sandweiss


*The war is a painful episode in our shared history as I think we all realize that both countries suffered greatly. For my part, I hope the Vietnamese never fight another war. They are a beautiful people with a beautiful country and they need and deserve a long lasting peace to fully develop their potential. Their willingness to embrace us (Americans) as friends says so much about their deeply ingrained sense of honor and their ability to accept and move forward.

Kristy Pitman | Cat Ba National Park & Halong Bay | Vietnam

Itinerary: Trekking Cat Ba National Park and Kayaking in Halong Bay
Date: April 21, 2010
Nationality: American

We very much enjoyed our tour with Active Travel. The only suggestions I would make for improvement to the package would be to state it was a hut for the accommodation on the beach and not include the tent option on a secluded beach in the itinerary as it isn't really what you get.

Also maybe you could consider rock climbing incorporated in the package? We saw people doing this while we kayaked and would have enjoyed the experience of this during our trip.

Regards

Vanessa Xavier * 2 | Halong Bay | Vietnam

Itinerary: Kayaking in Halong Bay - 4days
Date: April 07 - April 10, 2010

Hi Ms Sunny,

Thanks for your mail. I'm so sorry that I haven't replied you earlier. I have been so busy after my holiday in Vietnam! Sorry for neglecting your email.

Actually we were very happy with Active Travel. We had an excellent tour guide, who could speak good English, and was very informative and engaged. He was a great assistance, and he took us to many wonderful places in Halong Bay which we wouldn't have discovered without him.

We greatly enjoyed the kayaking and exploring of caves and lagoons. We also like that we had the boat all to ourselves during the day, and we could be flexible on how we want our itinerary to be. The seafood was also great, and I loved that special lunch we had on our last day when the boat crew created dishes with amazingly crafted dragon and phoenix from carrots and vegetables.

We would like to say thank you to Active Travel for its good service, and well-planned itineraries. Please continue the good work, and best of luck to you too!

Best regards,

Rod Richardson & Victoria Crook | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Sapa Trekking & Homestay
Date: May 12 - May 15, 2010
Nationality: American

Hi Sunny,

We're dodging riots and curfews in Thailand at the moment!

We had an absolutely excellent experience on our Sapa trek and homestay; definitely the highlight of our 2-week holiday in Vietnam. The organisation was excellent, from the moment we were met in Hanoi to the moment the train departed Sapa.

The trek itself was superb and the guide was really good; very knowledgeable and friendly. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone and we hope to use your agency again when we return to Vietnam in the future.

Many thanks,

Cheryl Johnson | Ho Chi Minh Trail | Vietnam

Itinerary: Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trail
Date: May 16 - May 18, 2010
Nationality: American

Excellent!

Great Tour!

Both guide and driver very helpful, fun and knowledgeable.

James Maher & Mike Maher | Northwest, Sapa, Cat Ba island, Halong Bay | Vietnam

Itinerary: Motorcycling Northwestern Trails , Conquer Mount Fansipan - Heaven Gate Route, Kayaking Halong Bay & Trekking Cat Ba National Park
Date: April 30 - May 14, 2010
Nationality: England

Dear active travel Vietnam

We both arrived home safely. England is dull and cold compared to Vietnam and we would like to thank all of you for making this trip so special. All our guides including Ken, Son and Quyen along with the porters and drivers were excellent.

We will be recommending you to our friends in England and hope to return to Vietnam in the future as it was a brilliant country.

Very best regards,
James Maher
Mike Maher

Hamid Giuseppe & Maria Arjomand | Halong Bay, Mai Chau & Ninh Binh | Vietnam

Itinerary: Biking hidden paths Mai Chau & Ninh Binh and Kayaking Halong Bay 3 days
Date: April 22, 2010
Nationality: American


Dear Sunny,

Thanks for your follow-up email.

The trip was fantastic and exceeded all my expectations. I was amazed every single day by the charm and beauty of Vietnam and the warm hospitality of everyone we met.

Quinn (Quyen) was a great host and guide, and spared no effort to accommodate us in the best possible way, as well as daily providing us with interesting background information about places and history. He really knows his stuff.

Finally, thank you and the rest of your staff at Active Travel for your assistance in organizing this trip.

Best regards,
- Hamid

Leah Honicky & Andrew Troicki | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Sapa Long Trail
Date: April 26, 2010
Nationality: Australian & American

Excellent, very good food!
Homestay was very good!

Daniella Gill | Sapa & Halong Bay | Vietnam

Itinerary: Sapa Long Trail & Halong Bay 2 day
Date: April 12, 2010
Nationality: Australian

Excellent service. The tour was everything we expected and more. We saw other tours here but ours was a lot better (we are happier)

Lap and Chu are top class. They treated us like VIPs the whole trip. We felt safe and looked after. They are both great! Cooks the food was wonderful. Thank you!

Great trekking tour!!

Zach Johnson & Shari Therneau | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Conquer Mount Fansipan - Heaven Gate Route
Date: April 9 - April 13, 2010
Nationality: American

We had a excellent and timely service the entire tour. We definitely got a nice experience of Sapa.

The tour guide-Son and the porters did an exceptional job when my sister was sick and helping her down the mountain. It was great how the reacted in a difficult situation. Very awesome! Job well done!

Alicia / Sam Lai | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Conquer Mount Fansipan - Heaven Gate Route
Date: March 29 - April 4, 2010
Nationality: Singapore

Very well coordinated between guide & porters. Hard working porters and well prepared!

David Royle | Mekong Delta | Vietnam & Siem Reap | Cambodia

Itinerary: One day Mekong & One day Siemreap
Date: March 21, 2010 - March 22, 2010 & April 1, 2010 - April 2, 2010
Nationality: Australian

Hi Sunny,

Just returned home on the weekend. Both trips went off without a hitch and were most enjoyable.

Many thanks.
Regards

Karin Lendvai & Klaus Schaefer | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Conquer Mount Fansipan - Cat Cat Route
Date: March 14, 2010 - March 20, 2010
Nationality: German

Hello Ms Jessie,

Our tour ( Cat Cat Route ) was the best we could decide. The guide and the three boys, who carried all our necessary things ( and more ) were " great ". They also carried nearly 40 eggs !!!! fresh fruit, vegetables.... the food, they made on campfire was 5 *, better than a hotel. I never thought before, that our trekking will be so well organized and so friendly accompanied.

We are very satisfied with your organisation and with the group and the strong guide Dan :-), the nature, the top of Mt. Fansipan, the flowers, the bamboo forest., especially the Cat Cat Route!.... the train, the hotel , the meals, the small town Sapa with all the friendly people there........

Thank you for all
Best regards from spring in Old Germany
Karin and Klaus

Source (in German): http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293924-d1469397-r60113550-ActiveTravel_Asia-Hanoi.html

Kathrin Wieczorek | Vietnam

Itinerary: Tailor made tour in Vietnam
Date: February 21, 2010 - March 13, 2010
Nationality: German & England

Dear Jessie,

yes, we are all back home safely, thank you.

We had a great time in the beautiful country Vietnam.

Let me point out what we liked best in this trip

1. The hiking to Mt. Fansipan was absolutely great. We especially liked that we went a 4 day trip instead of just 2 day, as most tourists do. That way, taking the longer route, we saw beautiful nature and not many other tourists. The food was sensational and the organization was perfect. We had a very nice young guide named San (or Sang? Sam? Spelling of Vietnamese names is difficult for us…) who we would highly recommend. It would be nice if you could pass on our happiness about San to his boss.

2. Also, Quyen was a great guide for Hanoi and Halong bay. We highly recommend him. It was nice to spend several days with him, and he made us feel like friends, not just like tourists. He even spent some of his evening time with us, which we greatly appreciated. He also introduced us to the real Vietnamese foods which is eaten on the street, rather than in fancy restaurants.

3. The food in Vietnam was the best we have ever had

4. The tour itinerary was very complete…we feel we have visited the highlights of the country.

5. The organization of all the different tours was perfect. Everybody was on time and everything worked out nicely. Everyone involved was absolutely reliable.

6. The hotels that were picked out were very good, especially the one in Hoi An. That was the most beautiful place we had ever slept!..

Altogether we all had a great time and enjoyed Vietnam very much and would return to the country anytime.

Thank you very much for all your help,

Best wishes and greetings from Germany,
Kathrin

P.S. Could you please give me Quyen’s e-mail? He gave it to me, but I unfortunately washed my trousers with the piece of paper in it. I would like to send him some pictures. Thank you

Barbara Seaton | Hanoi | Vietnam

Itinerary: Half day Hanoi city tour
Date: March 7, 2010
Nationality: Australian

Dear Sunny,

At last I am able to reply to your letters of enquiry regarding our tour taken with your company in Hanoi on 7th March, 2010,

I am pleased to say that we had an excellent day with Hai, who was a most attentive and informative guide. I feel we formed a friendship with Hai during our time together. This was particularly pleasing as we had been given a personal recommendation to your company by our friends in Brisbane, Mr and Mrs. Bruce Woodruffe who had traveled in Hanoi two months earlier.

We visited Brisbane on our way home to Sydney, and were able to tell Mrs. Woodruffe how pleased we were with our day with Hai.

Please give him our best wishes. Our daughter, son-in-law and children are planning a trip to Hanoi in December and will be in touch with you when their holiday time comes closer.

Thank you for your interest in our holiday, and for the service which your company provided.

With kind regards,

Barbara Seaton

Arjan De boer | Northern Vietnam | Vietnam

Itinerary: Motorcycling West to East Northern Vietnam
Date: February 27 - March 3, 2010
Nationality: Dutch

Dear Sunny,

We had a great time and loved the trip. We were so fortunate with the weather and Ken did an outstanding job!
I have recommended your services to several friends who saw the photos, and they will be contacting you directly when they have time for a holiday.

Thank you for the well organized trip, it was very well done.

Cheers,

Cassandra & Liam | Sapa | Vietnam

Itinerary: Sapa trekking and homestay 4D/4N
Date: February 9, 2010
Nationality: Australian

Our tour guide (Luan) was an extremely knowledgeable and charismatic guide. He was very informative and we thoroughly enjoyed the service we was provided!!! Very good communication skills, we were very impressed with his English skills.

Red Spider Group | Ho Chi Minh Trail | Vietnam

Itinerary: Motorbike Ho Chi Minh Trail, Vietnam
Date: January 16 - January 30, 2010
Nationality: American & United Kingdom

The 4 USA and one British biker want to say what a great trip we had with Active Asia on our 1,857KM motorbike ride from Hanoi to Nha Trang. The trip was excellent, we saw unique things, met friendly people and it was the best experience anyone had ever had. What a great way to see the country of Vietnam and learn its history.

We want to especially thank the travel coordinator Sunny who helped us make the whole arrangements, and especially thank Kenny, Luc and Quyen our guide, drive and mechanic for the trip. We became great friends during our travels for 10 days and really enjoyed their company.

As far as the trip itself we had great bikes and problem free. They were the Honda 250's and ran great. The overnight stays were all fine, we lived rural and it was great fun roughing it. Only one hotel probably needs to be dropped from the list and that was the one in Tan Ky. But other than that all was fine on the accommodation and food side.

Feel free to check out our web site which we created for the trip which has many pix and videos. It is peterb.yolasite.com

Thanks to Active Asia for a great trip!

Source: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293924-d1469397-r54930432-ActiveTravel_Asia-Hanoi.html