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Great Vietnam Tours


Mr BowWow
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I seldom if ever give recommendations of anyone or anything. However, the best part of my spectacular Southeast Asia holiday were the tours arranged by Mr. Zoom. I cannot say enough for Zoom's planning and then the follow through by his guides. The drivers were very good, the tour guides were tremendous. My entire group really enjoyed our visits to HCMC, Hue, Hoi Ann, Danang and Hanoi. The tours were warm and personable and all three young men were quite flexible to make changes and satisfy the group. Mr. Zoom was available to us at all times for any questions, suggestions or clarifications. Vietnam is a beautiful third world country...the guides led us in the past through the present. At this time in history, it is a fantastic time to visit and view the country. Thank you to Zoom for making this a memorable trip.

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I would like to get in touch with Mr. Zoom......can you please provide contact info

 

thank you

Zoom gets my vote as well He has a great A/C bus and took our group of 17 on a full day tour in HCMC (Saigon) . His rates are very reasonable too.

His email is dungzoom@gmail.com

Email me if you would like more information.

Edited by Kinkacruiser
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I arranged 2 6person tours through Zoom. Saigon and Hanoi. The vans were large but REALLY uncomfortable. The guides (who are freelance guides) were very nice and knowledgable but since they are young they had no info on how Viet Nam has changed since the American war...could not answer our questions. Be sure to go over the itinerary carefully. In Saigon the guide omited several sites on the tour for no apparent reason. In Hanoi we thought the Hanoi Hilton was on the tour but apparently it wasn't so we had to pay an extra $5per person on the spot. Mr. Zoom was nice but seemed only concerned about collecting our money. If I go back I will not book again with Zoom...probably try Smile

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I arranged 2 6person tours through Zoom. Saigon and Hanoi. The vans were large but REALLY uncomfortable. The guides (who are freelance guides) were very nice and knowledgable but since they are young they had no info on how Viet Nam has changed since the American war...could not answer our questions. Be sure to go over the itinerary carefully. In Saigon the guide omited several sites on the tour for no apparent reason. In Hanoi we thought the Hanoi Hilton was on the tour but apparently it wasn't so we had to pay an extra $5per person on the spot. Mr. Zoom was nice but seemed only concerned about collecting our money. If I go back I will not book again with Zoom...probably try Smile

 

Sorry to read you had an unsatisfactory experience with Zoom. He took our tour personally and his 23 seater bus was just fine. Zoom runs a tourism business and would contracts work out.

At the end of the tour he presented me (the main contact) with a disk of photos he had taken...nice touch. We paid USD 60 pp (he likes a deposit ) and enjoyed iced coffee at the Rex rooftop plus lunch at Pho 2000 in that price.

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We were on the same cruise as LadyDDS. Zoom was not able to direct our tours...but met us at Rex Hotel for drinks. Whenever we had a question during the day about the tour, he was available on his cell phone. The guides followed his program to the letter. Yes, all three are independent contractors as guides...however, all three referred to Zoom as Master of Travel Guides in Vietnam. All three men were 35 to 36 years old...so they were born at the end of the war. What they knew about the country before the war is based on the stories of the parents stories as they admitted they were brainwashed by the government in the schools as they grew up in Vietnam. Now they take the information from the parents and mix it with the information they obtain through the internet by going around the government's attempt to block the internet. They must be extremely careful in explaining what they know or feel as this is still a highly controlled country. It is not an amusement park.

You will not find many who know the truth of how it was before the end of the war as they went off to the re-education camps. Remember 60% of the population is under 30. We did not see anyone who appeared to be over 40 in Vietnam. No joking. In fact, the common joke was that the bottle with the rice wine and a live snake was "******" for the old men over 40!

We had 6 or 8 on each of our tours and used a spacious Toyota or Ford van. No problems with the vans. The real problems are the poor roads, the volume of motor cycles and the crazy drivers. It was a real experience in a naturally beautiful third world country. When I am able to return to the area...it will be planned by Zoom again!

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  • 1 month later...
We were on the same cruise as LadyDDS. Zoom was not able to direct our tours...but met us at Rex Hotel for drinks. Whenever we had a question during the day about the tour, he was available on his cell phone. The guides followed his program to the letter. Yes, all three are independent contractors as guides...however, all three referred to Zoom as Master of Travel Guides in Vietnam. All three men were 35 to 36 years old...so they were born at the end of the war. What they knew about the country before the war is based on the stories of the parents stories as they admitted they were brainwashed by the government in the schools as they grew up in Vietnam. Now they take the information from the parents and mix it with the information they obtain through the internet by going around the government's attempt to block the internet. They must be extremely careful in explaining what they know or feel as this is still a highly controlled country. It is not an amusement park.

You will not find many who know the truth of how it was before the end of the war as they went off to the re-education camps. Remember 60% of the population is under 30. We did not see anyone who appeared to be over 40 in Vietnam. No joking. In fact, the common joke was that the bottle with the rice wine and a live snake was "******" for the old men over 40!

We had 6 or 8 on each of our tours and used a spacious Toyota or Ford van. No problems with the vans. The real problems are the poor roads, the volume of motor cycles and the crazy drivers. It was a real experience in a naturally beautiful third world country. When I am able to return to the area...it will be planned by Zoom again!

I've read this and the other comment. Be sure you have Zoom. He's no doubt master in providing information esp. that related to the French and American wars and the social changes. Remember to contract him early or make the tour conditions clearly understood should he be occupied and replaced by another guide.

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I arranged 2 6person tours through Zoom. Saigon and Hanoi. The vans were large but REALLY uncomfortable. The guides (who are freelance guides) were very nice and knowledgable but since they are young they had no info on how Viet Nam has changed since the American war...could not answer our questions. Be sure to go over the itinerary carefully. In Saigon the guide omited several sites on the tour for no apparent reason. In Hanoi we thought the Hanoi Hilton was on the tour but apparently it wasn't so we had to pay an extra $5per person on the spot. Mr. Zoom was nice but seemed only concerned about collecting our money. If I go back I will not book again with Zoom...probably try Smile

We have just returned from 3rd Feb cruise and had Mrs Thi of Smile arrange all our tours and overnight stays and it was first class. There was a party of 12 and she contacted us ever day to see if we were happy or needed to make any changes. We all had a great time with fantastic hotels.

Lynda:o

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We have just returned from 3rd Feb cruise and had Mrs Thi of Smile arrange all our tours and overnight stays and it was first class. There was a party of 12 and she contacted us ever day to see if we were happy or needed to make any changes. We all had a great time with fantastic hotels.

Lynda:o

 

We also used Mrs Thi of Smile tours for our private (4 person) tours for each of the three stops in Vietnam (same cruise as Seahappy08) and we were very pleased with the guides, the restaurants, etc. They also arranged for a private Junk on Halong Bay which worked out very well.

 

I'd recommend them..in fact I have already recommended them to others visiting Vietnam.

 

GH

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Just wanted to let folks know that Mr. Zoom provided an exceptional tour experience during our recent cruise on the Celebrity Millennium. He waited patiently during a delay in processing passports, made up for the time missed by re-planning some of the sights and gave us exceptional advice as to how to enjoy the Flower Road and the first night of Tet (Lunar New Year. Unfortunately, these are not year-around attrractions.)

 

Mr. Zoom (and his representatives) were knowledgable, personable, gracious and most importantly, flexible; knowing how and when to get to places so as to maximize the both the quality/depth of the experience and the number of experiences. He is extremely responsive via email making coordinating tours a breeze.

 

My only regret is that we did not work with him and his network to plan excusions in other ports.

 

Scott and Mark Wilson

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Just wanted to let folks know that Mr. Zoom provided an exceptional tour experience during our recent cruise on the Celebrity Millennium. He waited patiently during a delay in processing passports, made up for the time missed by re-planning some of the sights and gave us exceptional advice as to how to enjoy the Flower Road and the first night of Tet (Lunar New Year. Unfortunately, these are not year-around attrractions.)

 

Mr. Zoom (and his representatives) were knowledgable, personable, gracious and most importantly, flexible; knowing how and when to get to places so as to maximize the both the quality/depth of the experience and the number of experiences. He is extremely responsive via email making coordinating tours a breeze.

 

My only regret is that we did not work with him and his network to plan excusions in other ports.

 

Scott and Mark Wilson

 

Thank you for your positive feedback on Mr Zoom. We have booked a Mekong Delta tour & HCM City tour with him for Feb 2014 ....

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  • 3 weeks later...

We also used Thi and were very satisfied. Thi arranged for us to take the Saigon River Express to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The boat ride was wonderful. They served a small breakfast on the way and lunch on the way back. The tunnels were especially memorable. It was one of the high lights of our Vietnam trip.

If you go way back on our boards it is apparent you will be assured of a memorable tour with either tour company.

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Has anyone used Best Cruises in Vietnam - Stephen. We contacted him for a Halong Bay junk cruise and he has proposed doing all our Vietnam tours. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you Caryn

 

Hello Caryn

 

I think that we may have had correspondence on other threads referring to Best Cruises. If not I can certainly recommend them--Stefan organised for myself & a group of other passengers on Millennium 3 tours in Vietnam. One was the Halong Bay tour you refer to & the others were an overnight to HCMC & a day tour to Hanoi. All tours worked well with good guides who spoke excellent English. Stefan gave good info on each tour's content & everything on the list was covered. My only regret was that we didnt take up his offer to overnight in Hanoi. This would have saved the hassle we experienced on day 2 at Halong Bay in the delay getting a tender from the ship & also reduced the driving time involved in 2 journeys to /from Hanoi in the same day. I recommend that you consider this option if your funds permit.

Best wishes

Sue

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We also used Thi and were very satisfied. Thi arranged for us to take the Saigon River Express to the Cu Chi Tunnels. The boat ride was wonderful. They served a small breakfast on the way and lunch on the way back. The tunnels were especially memorable. It was one of the high lights of our Vietnam trip.

If you go way back on our boards it is apparent you will be assured of a memorable tour with either tour company.

 

Hi Lesley

I wasn't aware that the Saigon Express could be arranged as part of a two-day tour. Did you see HCMC highlights on day 1 and do the boat tour on day 2? Was the boat chartered to your group or did you join a scheduled tour?

- Phil

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  • 2 weeks later...
We also used Mrs Thi of Smile tours for our private (4 person) tours for each of the three stops in Vietnam (same cruise as Seahappy08) and we were very pleased with the guides, the restaurants, etc. They also arranged for a private Junk on Halong Bay which worked out very well.

 

I'd recommend them..in fact I have already recommended them to others visiting Vietnam.

 

GH

 

We are getting ready to book Smile Tours for several excursions in Vietnam next February, 2014. Did you have to pay a deposit using Western Union? I went to pay our deposit and the Western Union outlet at our local grocery store was very reluctant to do the transaction due to lots of fraud in VietNam. Would love to hear from anyone who has completed the process successfully!

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Has anyone used Best Cruises in Vietnam - Stephen. We contacted him for a Halong Bay junk cruise and he has proposed doing all our Vietnam tours. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you Caryn

 

Hello Caryn

 

I think that we may have had correspondence on other threads referring to Best Cruises. If not I can certainly recommend them--Stefan organised for myself & a group of other passengers on Millennium 3 tours in Vietnam. One was the Halong Bay tour you refer to & the others were an overnight to HCMC & a day tour to Hanoi. All tours worked well with good guides who spoke excellent English. Stefan gave good info on each tour's content & everything on the list was covered. My only regret was that we didnt take up his offer to overnight in Hanoi. This would have saved the hassle we experienced on day 2 at Halong Bay in the delay getting a tender from the ship & also reduced the driving time involved in 2 journeys to /from Hanoi in the same day. I recommend that you consider this option if your funds permit.

Best wishes

Sue

 

This is the second time I have used Stephen from Best Cruises. Both times we docked at Phu My for the day. The first time I arranged a tour for 6 of us to go to HCMC. The second time (because the first tour was so good) I arranged a tour for 35 people. This time we visited Vang Tau. Everybody raved about the tour.

 

I find this company to be very professional, reliable and willing to go the extra mile. Stephen is very efficient in organising a tour to suit your individual needs.

 

The bus was ready waiting for us when we docked, and it was the best bus on the wharf. It had disco lights and a good sound system which rocked us along on our way back to the ship! Our tour guide was very knowledgable and I would not hesitate recommending Best Cruises to anyone for anything you need in Vietnam.

 

What a fabulous company to deal with.

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This is the second time I have used Stephen from Best Cruises. Both times we docked at Phu My for the day. The first time I arranged a tour for 6 of us to go to HCMC. The second time (because the first tour was so good) I arranged a tour for 35 people. This time we visited Vang Tau. Everybody raved about the tour.

 

I find this company to be very professional, reliable and willing to go the extra mile. Stephen is very efficient in organising a tour to suit your individual needs.

 

The bus was ready waiting for us when we docked, and it was the best bus on the wharf. It had disco lights and a good sound system which rocked us along on our way back to the ship! Our tour guide was very knowledgable and I would not hesitate recommending Best Cruises to anyone for anything you need in Vietnam.

 

What a fabulous company to deal with.

Thank you for the heads up. Stephen seems very accommodating but to get specific details in writing is worse then pulling teeth. He keeps saying dont worry. Our tours are flexible for our clients feel happy!! I can always count on a laugh from his emails. Carryn

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Thank you for the heads up. Stephen seems very accommodating but to get specific details in writing is worse then pulling teeth. He keeps saying dont worry. Our tours are flexible for our clients feel happy!! I can always count on a laugh from his emails. Carryn

 

And you really dont need to worry. You can take him for his word. The tour is very flexible. He basically hires the vehicle and the staff and then it is up to you what you want to do. They just like some sort of guideline on what it is you want to do.

 

I had 35 people on the last tour and we changed things (although not a lot they had it well planned) as we went along.

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This is the second time I have used Stephen from Best Cruises. Both times we docked at Phu My for the day. The first time I arranged a tour for 6 of us to go to HCMC. The second time (because the first tour was so good) I arranged a tour for 35 people. This time we visited Vang Tau. Everybody raved about the tour.

 

I find this company to be very professional, reliable and willing to go the extra mile. Stephen is very efficient in organising a tour to suit your individual needs.

 

The bus was ready waiting for us when we docked, and it was the best bus on the wharf. It had disco lights and a good sound system which rocked us along on our way back to the ship! Our tour guide was very knowledgable and I would not hesitate recommending Best Cruises to anyone for anything you need in Vietnam.

 

What a fabulous company to deal with.

 

You have just caused me to eliminate Stephen from my list of tour operators. I can't imagine anything worse than a bus with disco lights and a good sound system :-)

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You have just caused me to eliminate Stephen from my list of tour operators. I can't imagine anything worse than a bus with disco lights and a good sound system :-)

 

That is optional. We asked them to put the lights on and play the music. They would not if you didnt want it. As I said before, they aim to please.

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