we have been on a lot of tours over the years ,including some remote places where it was hard to get a decent bed and shower and the food was hit and miss, but we have never been so disappointed with a tour as this one.Things were so different to what we expected from the description that we even tried to cut the tour short and get back to Hanoi early - we have never done that before on a tour.We were just not enjoying it.It was not because of the overcast weather or the tour guide(who was good and very well informed). It was because we felt that Mr Linh was saving money with the most basic and often dirty restaurant stops and some under-funded homestays that would have worked for us as 19 year old backpackers but not now.The first homestay was good,sleeping behind a curtain and eating on the floor with a lovely family, but after that we had a range of places which included having to listen to every other guest and staff member using the rudimentary toilet through the night(don't try and think just what we were hearing , it was revolting and made sleep impossible).As I told the guide,a tiny investment in putting up some wood to close things in a tad might have given us a good night's sleep.
Two other nights we had stone cold food because the kitchens had no equipment or covered dishes to keep anything warm.They were catering for so many people they had to cook stuff in sequence for an hour or so before we ate.No big deal perhaps, but flavour starts to disappear ten minutes after cooking and it is easy to provide a few bits of extra kit or serving dishes with lids without spoiling the 'off the beaten track' vibe.
We saw other homestays in similar locations which were probably a few dollars to pay for the guys running these tours .We pointed out to the guide the still charming but better equipped places we could see close by with proper beds etc where It would be nice for us to do a similar tour but with a company that has reacted to these very small and basic issues.. As we told them in my feedback verbally and at the end - I think they have spent many years saving money on the food and tea stops, on saving pennies and keeping the homestays basic while still getting rave reviews about this part of Vietnam, that they have not realised how uncomfortable it can be for guests who are not backpackers . Nobody surely likes food to be very cold and unappetising , no proper wall between toilets and bedrooms in the home stay near the waterfall , very little privacy and sleep etc . With just a few thousand bucks spent on a few obvious things and maybe changing some of the homestays they use it could all be remedied. This tour is expensive so just reinvest four people's tour costs in a year and the experience would match the hype.
We did also struggle with being stuck in the car for four to six hours or more every day, partly because we also had the worst driver we have every had on a tour like this.He was always in the wrong gear and could not overtake safely or make any sensible speed in his first hours of driving(he got faster and safer after lunch each day, no idea why ).Not a big deal again, but it contributed to many long and fairly boring days,despite the amazing scenery.We like walking in the jungle and the villages, not just looking out of the window of a badly driven car .
After a few days of not enjoying the budget holiday we asked our guide if we could just go back early to hanoi and get a partial refund .We got nowhere with this and at the end,with more little things going wrong each day, I filled in the feedback form very fully,saying things like I am saying here now.The guy handling it then offered us some other free tours we were never likely to want (who really wants another tour with a company who they felt has just let them down,and they knew we had already scheduled one tori they offered with another company).
The sinister thing ,which I should finish with,was when they ended up offering us a small cash refund it went rapidly from me telling they had to do better to them threatening to accuse me of blackmailing them if I posted a
bad review after arguing with them about the refund level!! I am only posting this review now after we are safely out of the country,because I frankly have no idea what sort of reach or resources these guys have within this very controlled country and their tone was a bit frightening. I am well past considering any refunds or wanting to ever have contact with them now . I don,t need the conflict .i just want to post an honest review and move on without any more threats and menaces .
If you like very basic,,as many other reivewers of this tour clearly do, in the context of living like the locals ,then consider this tour,but do watch out for the myriad of issues i raise here. in all my years of travel and tripadvisor usage I have never seen anyone like these people.
