Review of Vietnam Alive Travel

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.