The full Vietnam Experience This was a great trip, taking in a multitude of sights across the length of Vietnam, right from Hanoi in the north down to the Mekong Delta in the south. The guide was excellent, very knowledgeable and friendly, helpful and funny. The food was amazing, the hotels all comfortable. The sleeper train is quite an experience. Don't expect luxury - just a hard mattress and a bumpy ride. My group were well looked after the entire time.
To repeat other reviews - action packed trip - more emphasis on cycling and not on sight-seeing like some other Exodus tours on offer. The distances, pace and elevations are rated moderate, but to some they would be challenging. The pace was faster than we normally go when touring - although there were frequent stops. Excellent organization and leadership from Lam and his team who refreshed us at regular intervals and kept our bikes in good shape. Their support couldn't have been better or more cheerful. Loved some of the quieter roads and villages but could have missed cycling through the city areas like Hue - unnecessarilly risky, in my view. High quality hotels all the way and some great meals. Not enough time to really see some overnight places like Da Lat. Overnight train trip an adventure but not for the faint of heart (toilets) or light sleepers. Great overnight boat experience in Halong Bay. We certainly saw the country from one end to the other.
Everything went well. Tour guides all good/excellent. Hotels all well-chosen and as described. On tour, Ms. Sarah-our local contact called us a number of times to check that all was well. Our tour guides also reminded us of the arrangements for the next stage of the holiday so we never felt nervous.