Vietnam Alive Travel - Ho Chi Minh City

My wife and I just returned in April from a Southeast Asia trip that included a stop in Ho Chi Minh City. I am not a fan of tour guides or tour companies in general and neither is my wife, however, my brother and his wife could not stop talking about Vietnam Alive Travel when they returned a few years ago from a trip to Vietnam as well. So, on his sound advice, I reached out to Vietnam Alive in advance of our trip. It was fantastic from the start....lightening fast responses and Van, the owner himself, worked with me via email to tailor my trip exactly the way we wanted it since we had limited time there. Once we arrived, late at night, a gentleman was waiting patiently for us at the aiport to take us to the hotel, which is usually included in most packages/tours, even for day tours. The next morning we were greeted in the AM after a great sleep by Vu, our guide around HCMC and Mr. Hip, our driver, both super nice guys and very accomodating. We were scooped up in a large, air conditioned private van and off we went. Vu gave us the choice of the order of what we wanted to see knowing the traffic, congestion of the city and the right times. We went out to the Cu Chi Tunnels first and the stories Vu provided us as he explained in detail how they operated was fascinating! Afterwards, around lunch time we headed back in towards the city. From there, we hit many sights....Reunification Palace, Central Post Office, Cathedral of Notre Dame.....we even stopped at a great little place for lunch where the food was simple but delicious. Afterwards, we were dropped off at the hotel around 4:30, but before we returned, Van, the owner, called us and asked us if we would like to get together for a quick dinner in the evening. Naturally, we gladly accepted. He came by the hotel in the early evening and we walked down the street to a local place and had a blast. Great food, cold beer and solid conversation. It was a great cultural experience to sit in a local joint and pick his brain. Moreover, it was a genuine attempt to get to know his customers and talk to us about many things as well from what life in the States is like to thoughts on the War. The dinner at the end of the night took this to a whole, unexpected level to put it quite franlkly. Since we've been back, my wife and I have kept in contact with Van and look forward to catching up in the future as we contemplate a return trip to that part of the world. For a couple who are not neccessarily big fans of travel tours, this has certainly changed my opinion knowing there are companies like Vietnam Alive Travel out there. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND if you plan on visiting HCMC, or even any other parts of Vietnam and the surrounding countries, they have tour options at solid prices, all over for whatever suits your particular needs.

Justin and Dara (United States): "Hi Van, after a long time travelling, we finally made it home to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I just wanted to write again to say thank you. We only had one whole day in Ho Chi Minh City and I am convinced we found the best person in all of Vietnam to spend it with. Dara and I can't stop talking about how awesome our day with you was. You actually made us both upset we couldn't spend many more days there with you. We also have been talking about you to all of our friends and family. We will, without a doubt, forward all of your infirmation to anyone we know travelling to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. You were very knowledgable, professional and well organized with emails and the itinerary. We learned more about your city and the war from you than we did in our days at school. We loved how you had an open-ended view of the war and told the truth from both sides. You gave us the best day on out trip to S.E. Asia and memories of things we will remember forever. If you ever come to our area for any reason in the future, you have friends here. I plan to keep in touch with you and hopefully get more amazing tours with you in the future. Keep up the excellent work in the tourism industry and good things will follow! Thanks again, Van".

Mr. Gary Feldman (Canada): "Hello Van - What you set out in your agenda was what we received without any problems at all - it enhanced the enjoyment of our trip considerably knowing that we did not have to worry or concern ourselves - if it was on the agenda, we would receive the service. In Phnom Penh, the hotel was beautiful and we were royally treated. I think my favorite hotel was Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap - just beautiful and located in a much more interesting area. I had my first Thai massage there - it was perfect. Although we very much enjoyed our time in Cambodia, I must say I preferred Vietnam - it is a much more lush and beautiful country in my view. Halong Bay is magnificent and we all very much enjoyed our too short cruise on the junk - Debby and I were even upgraded to the main suite because of a leak in our cabin. Again, our guide Suan (I apologize for misspellings) was an absolute pleasure to be with. She was young, had much to say about many topics, was very forthcoming, answered our many questions and did all she could to enhance our pleasure. The Hanoi Hilton (as opposed to Hao Lo Hilton) was a wonderful choice and well located. You know we were looking forward to spending time with you in the south but fate intervened and we are very happy for your new addition. If we couldn't be with you, Triet was a perfect substitute. He is smart and very well informed and like the others was happy to put up with our endless stream of questions and definitely helped us to better understand the people and culture of Vietnam. The Majestic was a wonderful choice. I am not sure exactly what I anticipated seeing in the Mekong Delta but it was more lush and advanced and built up than I had anticipated and the drive and boating tours were illuminating. As you can tell Van, I have no negative comments (except the overwhelming heat and humidity) which you cannot control and which did not stop us from doing all we wanted to do. The best compliment I can pay is to say if I had the chance to make changes to the agenda, I would change nothing. I only wish we could have had more time to explore other areas but that will have to wait for the next opportunity. Of all the wondrous sites (Angkor Wat, Halong Bay, Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and grounds, the city of Saigon, Cu Chi tunnels, etc), the most wondrous was watching the flow of traffic - it had been described to me but it is unbelievable in Hanoi and Saigon to actually watch but somehow it works! By the time we were finished, I was crossing the streets like a native. I don't know what else I can add except again to thank you for all your efforts. Be well - hope to see you again Van."

Ms. Carole Scherer (American Express Travel Agent): "I am very impressed with the way Vietnam Alive Travel handled somewhat difficult clients of mine. My clients kept changing their minds about the hotels on the itinerary. This lasted literally up until the week they left. Mr. Van from Vietnam Alive Travel was the paragon of patience. Each day he proposed a new itinerary with their chosen hotel and room category. Eventually the clients were pleased. When they arrived home they were thrilled with their trip and offered to be a referral for the supplier. These are well traveled, luxury clients who demand the best. They are now my clients for life. I also used Vietnam Alive Travel for an overnight shore excursion overland to Angkor Wat from a cruise ship and saved my clients 40% off the cost of the exact same shore excursion overland with the cruise line. They stayed in the same hotel and saw the same sights, but with a private guide instead of the cruise ship group, all the while saving money. Thank you Van! You made me look like an expert, even though I have never been to Indochina. I highly recommend Vietnam Alive Travel."

Ms. Shelley Flam (Canada): “I have travelled around the world twice in my life and can say - 100% - that Van is the best guide I’ve ever had (he’s guided me 3 times so far). Van is a people person so is able to really listen to his clients and then do all he can to meet their particular needs and interests ... it seems that there is nothing Van cannot do. In everything he does, he is absolutely genuine and trustworthy, so positive and open, very quick and witty, and has tremendous heart. As a guide, he is full of interesting information that he conveys in fun, funny and creative ways. It is clear that he wants his clients to really gain an understanding of his country and culture. Van is one of a very very few service providers I can recommend without any reservation.”

Thank you! Great web!