Travel Review: Vietnam & Cambodia Trip, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hue, Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Vespa Tour, Cooking Class, 13-Day Tour

We loved our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. We appreciated the sites we visited, the supportive arrangements, and the facilities. But here are things we especially liked that stand out in our travel company experience.

1. The tour was tailored exactly to our wants and it was flexible to making substitutions at our request. We felt like we were in charge at all times, not simply part of a lock-step one-size-fits-all tour.
2. The guides were perfect for our needs. What made them so well selected was that not only was each deep in the historical, cultural, religious, and gastronomic issues of the places we visited, but they had personal stories, connections, and anecdotes that enabled us to know them as persons and the sites we visited in greater depth. Each guide had a unique personality and perspective, and each illuminated a different aspect of Vietnam or Cambodia's past and present. Specifically, our guide in Hanoi had an academic depth, political awareness, and objectivity that made Hanoi come alive as informed by the history of his family; our guide in Hue was equally informative and provided a sense of how the "American War" impacted the middle of the country through his experience as an interpreter and soldier for the American Army; his sense of humor and political perspective and his ability to analyze cultural differences were a great match for the dynamism of Ho Chi Minh City. Our guide in Cambodia possessed such a detailed understanding of the complex evolution of the relationship of Hinduism and Buddhism and so rich a grasp of architectural issues that he made all of Siem Reap's treasures come alive for us. We liked that every guide displayed a concern for the support of the local "super" economy (rather than purchases in souvenir or "super" stores.
3. The Vespa tours in Hue and Siem Reap were wonderful, the cherry on top of our trip's sundae. We loved the introduction to home cooking and food making in Hue and the night life in Siem Reap. They added a rich dimension of participation and sheer fun to the mix of activities. Their guides were excellent, too.

Here are some suggestions that others might find helpful to know in booking future tours through the travel company:

1. Where a hotel has extra facilities (eg swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, etc.) The travel company should mention them in the notes. If we had known about those in the Mekong Delta or Siem Reap in advance, we would have brought bathing suits or other gear to take advantage of them.
2. The pre-set meals featured pretty much the same menu wherever we went; and in several cases in both Vietnam and Cambodia the food and/or service was not the best in quality. It was as if all the lunches offered in an American tour were at McDonalds. In such a case you would learn little about American cooking or culture. We were allowed to make some obvious substitutions (eg fresh spring rolls for fried ones), but not larger substitutions or direct ordering from the non-fixed menu. We understand the benefit for the tour in the fixed price meal with a restaurant with which the travel company has an arrangement. Still, we think that free ordering ought to be considered. We certainly would have been pleased to pay more for that privilege and think others would, too.
3. We think you might consider offering Vespa or similar tours in every city. They really spiced up the trip.
4. In some cases, we think a listing of optional sites to visit that are not on the primary itinerary might be an additional benefit and might end up adding profitable benefits to the travel company. For example, we consider ourselves to be fairly sophisticated travelers and typically read a lot before taking a trip. However, like any traveler to a new place, we discover things while about a place that we had not thought about or understood but that revealed themselves while were on tour.