Where to begin ..
Allow me to start off by saying that we were given the recommendation to book a food tour with Tiger tours while up in Halong Bay by a lovely Singaporean couple. They let us know that the crew of Tiger Tours wasn't only knowledgeable but fun to engage in conversation with and as a group of college students, they were really eager to do their jobs well as a part of their studies becoming travel/tourism guides.
They couldn't have been more spot on! I emailed Tiger tours a day before our ideal food tour date, realizing that I procrastinated, I knew there was a chance that we would be unable to fit our tour in with the timeline that we needed. I was emailed back within 5 MINUTES, confirming details of our tour the following evening. I was shocked by how fast Loan's ( owner of Tiger Tours) customer service was. ALSO, her English acumen was very good, so her email was easy to understand and left little room for anything to be lost in translation. She informed us of pick up time, that helmets would be provided and that our tour would last approximately 4-5 hours depending on the amount of time that WE wanted to spend at each place. That was a lovely sentiment, allow the guest to get the value out of the experience by not putting them on such a strict timeline. This company, again, has customer service and guest experience at the top of their priority list. Also, one more side note about the generosity and community engagement of Tiger Tours.. In the original email confirming the tour reservations we were notified that 10 dollars of our total booking price would be donated to victims of the disastrous flooding in Central Vietnam. Reading this confirmed, again, why a tour with Tiger Tours was right for us.
Our tour crew arrived 15 minutes early and waited for us in the lobby. When we met Hanh, Thanh and Duc in the lobby, I couldn't be more excited to be going on a tour with such a smiley, enthusiastic group. The women that took us to 5 different stops were 1. Excellent drivers, I never felt unsafe on the motorbikes with them. 2. SMART, knowledgeable in regards to the food that we ate but also about their country in general. When I had questions about different things that I noticed that perhaps didn't make sense or I wanted more clarification on, these women acknowledged my questions with sincere answers that helped me to understand a lot more about Vietnam and the lives of the Vietnamese people. 3. SO FUN! If you read one part of this review, I hope it's this part.. THIS DID NOT FEEL LIKE A "TOURISTY" TOUR (redundant, yes, but seriously!). It felt like getting together with old friends, going to favorite locals' restaurants, chatting, laughing and having a fantastic time while nothing felt forced, conversation or otherwise. My stomach hurt the next day from laughing so much with these ladies.
As far as the food is concerned, there will be no spoiler alerts or mentions of the kinds of food we ate as that's half the fun of this tour, discovering all of the culinary gems of Saigon. But what I will say is that the assortment of different dishes that we were served encapsulated a wide range of Vietnamese fare and everything that we ate was phenomenal. It's clear that Loan has put a lot of time and effort into building relationships with the right restaurants in the city, so as to give her guests the best experience possible. EVERY restaurant that we went to, we were treated like VIP and served quickly. We are not finicky eaters, in fact, we eat pretty much everything but the ladies did let us know that we were not required to order based off of their recommendations, always gave us a menu to look at before ordering and after eating, always asked if we were ready to head to the next destination. Again, a food experience that was like a dream.
We didn't want the tour to end and we definitely could have hung out and laughed with these ladies into the wee hours of the morning but it sadly had to come to an end and when we were finished at the last stop, we were asked for the last time, ARE YOU FULL?! Tiger Tours will NEVER leave you hungry after their tour. They will take you everywhere to satiate your appetite until you feel like you'll burst out your seams if you eat one more bite.
We hugged and thanked Hanh and Thanh ( Duc too!) for everything that night, making sure we connected with them on social media to stay in touch forever, as now they feel like old friends.
Here's the really special part of Tiger Tours, the part that you don't see coming, the part that literally brought me to my knees crying on our last night in Vietnam. Loan, the owner, reached out to us via FB and asked us if she could meet us for dinner that night. Not pushy, definitely up front about the fact that she was not trying to pester or inconvenience us by asking, but that she loves to meet her guests and if possible, she loves to get together with them to discuss their experience and their take on her tour company. We, of course, obliged. She met us at our requested time with her mom, Tiger mom, in tow and WOW what a beautiful, sophisticated and warm woman. I felt honored to meet her. The women that took us on the tour the night prior ( Thanh and Hanh) joined as well, as well as Duc, and we all sat around a table for hours laughing, drinking delicious beer, eating incredible food and discussing life, the pursuit of happiness, food and travel. It was the most magical night of our entire trip. At the end of the dinner, when the restaurant was closing, we were put in a cab and headed home.
I can honestly say to you, if you're still reading this review, that this tour company, comprised of all women and one man ( Duc- the fixer) is an INCREDIBLE company. One that works hard for their guests and does the hard work before hand so that you're getting the best possible experience. The tour is very reasonably priced as well, so no need to fret on that and the FOOD , THE FOOODDDD. So incredible.
Hanh and Thanh deserve the employee of the month rewards. Those women along with Loan and Tiger mom ( Loan's mom) just made me smile so much and are such strong minded, gifted, kind and hardworking people. I want them to have all the success in the world. I hope they come visit Oregon soon so that I can take them on a food tour of my own.
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS YOU GUYS! I long to come back to Vietnam and hopefully when I do, we can hang out again as old friends.