Time flies! Its already one week since we returned from the 5-day trip organised by Viet Vision. I write now for two reasons: First, to apologise for the mixed up of arrival time at the Hanoi International Airport. I gave the departure time from Singapore as the arrival time in Hanoi, thus inconveniencing your guide, Anh and driver, Thuyen. I thank you for their patience with us. (I discovered my mistake after I came home).

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Thank you for all your help in organising our trip. We found you very helpful and efficient ad what we saw was what we got which was very refreshing.
We really enjoyed it, and overall have nothing but praise for the whole experience.
The highlights for me were the Mekong, Angkor Wat, HOi An, Phu Quoc island and learning so much about both countries, the wars and the culture. I did love the Sa pa experience and Halong Bay but unfortunately were plagued with bad weather, but nothing that we did not expect with it being your winter, as you can imagine it would have been ten times worse in the UK where I am from. I would like to return there sometime in the summer.
Phu Quoc was a great final destination, we loved it!!
All the other hotels were very good, my favourites being the Lavender and Steing Siem Reap. I loved our hotel in Phu Quoc also. I would like to return to the island possibly next year, and would like to stay in the Chen Sea resort, so hope to be able to find a fair rate with you.
We will be recommending your company to our friends and I intend to recommend you to the Lonely PLanet Guide.

Thank you again
Noelle

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Hello Mr. Sunny Pham,
We just got back home today! We spent 3 nights in Siem Reap which was very, very good.
The Mekong River cruise on the AMA Lotus was also very good. The staff was extremely professional and very friendly. The cabins were very spacious and nicely appointed. Bathroom was also nicely furnished. I found the food to be quite good. There was always a variety in both Asian and Western choices. The house wines were just OK.
Honestly speaking the cruise should probably be only 5 days. There is backtracking on the river. The shore excursions seemed rushed, with very little time to explore the towns on your own. This could be fixed by having one or two of the local boats act as tenders to bring people back to the ship. Also the bus trip up to Siem Reap should be changed - the trip should stop at Phenon Penn and fly to Siem Reap.
As far as our land portion, I would tell future clients to spend more days in Hoi An. The town is very interesting, very good restaurants, excellent shopping and beautiful resorts on spectacular beaches. I enjoyed this much more than PhuQuoc.
I will send you photos once I have them sorted since I shot hundreds of them.
Thank you for your help.
John and Victory

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Dear Mr Sunny Pham
Thank you for this email
We arrived home a week ago
It has been raining heavily with much flooding across Queensland and down into NSW and Victoria
All quite extraordibary
The Pandaw Mekong is a delightful vessel --
especially if managed by their own company
We were aboard the Mekong Pandaw
We met the Saigon Pandaw which I was told was on charter
Our French CEO speaks much more highly of the Mekong Pandaw
I was aboard the Pandaw Orient in 2009--along the Rejang River in Borneo--also very good and that is why I wanted to go again
River cruising is a great experience Plenty to see and do Excursions ashore into the countrysude with a varied programmme--Temples Oc cart riding and many markets
The food is excellent
Well prepared and a varied choice
The service is excellent
The staff are couteous and most attentive
The vessel was full --about 50 passengers --which is most pleasant
The upper deck cabin is worth the extra cost
Highly recommended
Thank you for all your assistance
Next stop --Pandaw on the River Ganges
Sincerely Tom Pitt

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Dear Mr Sunny Pham,

I wanted to write to you and let you know that our trip was excellent. Once we would like to thank you so much for everything which surperd services you made for us. We had some great guides and drivers, and #1 would be Hoa and Tsao in Saigon and the Delta.

We had excellent hotel rooms, and several times it seemed that we had the best location on the property.

We felt that you prepared well for us, and we always had prompt attention to our requests.  The schedule went exactly as planned, and there were only a few items we would change in our itinerary.  
 
Thank you again for your prompt and detailed work on our trip.
 
Best Regards,
 
Pam and Dave Henkel
Vietnam Tour - April 2010

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Dear Mr. Sunny Pham,
 
My husband and I have completed our travels and I wanted to let you know how pleased we were with the arrangements.  The sites we visited were very interesting and our accommodations for the most part were lovely.  The trekking tour was difficult for me, but I am very proud that I finished it.  The home stay was great and our guide, Mr. An, was informative.  

It was also a pleasure to meet and spend time with Mr. hung.  In every case, the people who were supposed to meet us were there and waiting.  That made travel so comfortable.  We would definitely recommend Cruises Mekong River to other travelers.
 
Thank you again for all the arrangements and the excellent service we experienced.  You really helped to make our first trip to Vietnam memorable.
 
Kind regards,
 
Kathryn Walsh

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We returned from a 13-day holiday to Vietnam and Cambodia last Thursday .

In an age where it is easier to criticise than compliment, I would like you to know how very impressed we were with both the trip and more especially your tour guide Mr Pham Tien Duong.

My husband has some physical health problems and 'Duong', as he became known to us all, could not have been more wonderful and attentive. He was intuitive, generous of spirit and kind. Without making any fuss he appeared to realise when my husband was battling with walking and would quietly come up to Michael and just walk slowly with him while the rest of the group got on with their excursion.

He never made Michael feel that he was a nuisance and showed great respect towards him.  Not only was he good with Michael he was also an excellent tour guide - amusing, knowledgeable about both Vietnam and Cambodia and nothing appeared to be too much trouble for him.  He went that one step further in ensuring that everyone on the tour was happy and comfortable.

You have an excellent employee in Mr Duong and we will highly recommend Cruises Mekong River to friends and acquaintances as a result of our own holiday experience.

Thank you to both Cruises Mekong River and Mr Duong!   

- J Underwood, Australia

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Thanks Sunny for booking a superb cruise on the Jahan for us. Everything went smoothly and we had a fabulous time. The ship is beautiful and all the excursions were very interesting. They were also well timed so that you still had enough time on the ship while cruising to enjoy the fact that every room had a lovely balcony and there was a great sundeck upstairs with a small swimming pool...adequate size to refresh one. They had a great spa on board, and the food was excellent every day. The ship has a superb freshwater system so there was no problem at all with anyone getting sick that I heard of. All in all...We would highly recommend this cruise...the only slight drawback might be that a few of the excursions, there was a climb off the ship, so someone who struggles with walking might have a bit of difficulty...but there is always crew members all the way up to help out if you need it....

Karen and Tim

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Dear Sunny Pham,

Thank you for just a fabulous job of arranging our itinerary for my family to Viet Nam and Cambodia. I have already recommended you to our Seattle friends, Dick Footh and Millie (see email below).

You did just an outstanding job of arranging the perfect itinerary. It was well balanced, as we enjoyed enough free time and activities for our sons which included swimming, snorkeling and kayaking in Halong Harbor outside of Hanoi, a trip highlight. The junk boat was a real treat; we enjoyed being aboard the Calypso. The caves of Halong Harbor were exceptional. Next time, we would like a 2-day cruise.

The trip to Angkor Wat, Cambodia was another highlight as the 900-year old temple complex was absolutely fascinating. The tuk-tuk’s to the market downtown was a real adventure and the fact that all transactions in Cambodia are traded in U.S. dollars was very helpful.

All the tour guides were great, especially Wuti in Angkor Wat who was just exceptional in his knowledge and his command of the English language. We especially appreciated you arranging our airport pickup at the Hanoi airport on our return from Cambodia and also our airport transfer from the hotel in Hanoi. In summary, you could not have done a better job! We loved every minute. Just one comment: I would recommend a different hotel in Nha Trang as it wasn’t quite up to standards.

With admiration and continual appreciation,

Susan Lynam

P.S. I love the beautiful hand-sewn picture you gave me of Halong Harbor!

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Dear Sunny Pham,

I just want to tell you how much we enjoyed our holiday. We all had the most wonderful time. I think I am in love with Hanoi. Cyclo rides in peak hour traffic are quite an adrenaline rush.

Our guides were all knowledgeable and helpful, they were also great company and contributed to our enjoyment immensely. Loan has such a great sense of humour and we shared a lot of laughs. It was hard to say good-bye to him.

Susan in Sapa was a great source of local knowledge and very helpful when I realised I would not be able to hike to the homestay. I am so grateful that she organised for the bus to take me as we all enjoyed the experience so much (as well as the rice wine). We were very lucky as the weather in Sapa was great and clear skys meant we have some excellent photos. I was surprised at how comfortable the train was.

Halong Bay is so beautiful and with only six other people on board we were very spoilt indeed.
Hue was very interesting and I would like to see it again when the weather is better as there were so many things to see and I would have liked to linger, but in the end we just wanted to get somewhere dry. Duong, our guide was very knowledgeable and looked after us very well as he sorted out the small mix-up at the hotel. He did look shocked when we said we had a great meal down in the markets. I’m not sure why.

Hoi An was lovely and we all enjoyed it greatly. We didn’t get clothes made as we were too busy sightseeing although Liz did get some shoes made. The cooking school was excellent , very entertaining and professional. I haven’t tried any of the recipes at home yet although I do make a good pho bo as we have all become quite addicted.

The Cu Chi Tunnels were a tribute to man’s ingenuity in dire straits but it was also a terrible reminder of the horrors and tragedy of war. I was constantly amazed at the determination of the Vietnamese people to rise above the past and look to the future. Impressive.

We all loved the Cao Dai temple. Very beautiful indeed.
The lunch we had there was disappointing and we would rather have had lunch at one of the roadside stalls. I heard other diners say the same thing. Up until this all the meals were fantastic so we can’t complain.

Saigon is big and impressive but for me it doesn’t have the charm of Hanoi but we did find some interesting places to eat and tried some unusual dishes like sparrow and dog, which I have to say we all enjoyed immensely. We can’t thank Moi enough for taking us. We decided against the dinner cruise as the food was rather western influence and we wanted to try a restaurant we had found instead.

The Mekong Delta was wonderful and I would have liked to stay another day.

I have travelled in Europe, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Thailand and India and loved them all, but Vietnam has been outstanding in its cleanliness, safety, and the kindness, helpfulness, warmth and humour of the people.

I want to thank you again on behalf of Liz and Robert Boekholt and Lee Gerchow and myself for organising such a wonderful trip. We are hoping to return next Christmas with Lee’s parents and will contact you as soon as we know for sure.

Please feel free to use any or all of this to promote this great holiday package and to pass on our e-mail address to any prospective clients.

Next time I hope we get to thank you in person.
Best wishes
Ros Gerchow

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Dear Mr Sunny,

I just wanted to let you know that my clients Mr & Mrs Whyte and Mr & Mrs O’Loghlen have returned to Ireland after their holiday in Cambodia & Vietnam and had a wonderful time.  They were delighted with all the arrangements you made for them, they were thrilled with the service on Amlotus Cruise and said the waiters and staff were fantastic, they said they could not do enough for them.  The meals on board were wonderful as were the meals along the trip in the hotels and restaurants.  Their guides in Cambodia and in Vietnam were terrific, they loved the river trips and the bicycle trips and they loved the Prince D’Angkor and Victoria Chau Doc hotels.    
 
So many many thanks to you and all concerned for your help.
I will certainly recommend Amalotus to any future clients and would hope to send more clients to Cambodia and Vietnam.

I hope to be in touch with you in the future.
Kind Regards
Peter Walsh
England

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Dear Mrs. Dinh Thao,
 
Gay and I had a fabulous time on the Mekong River Cruise.
 
We were surprised that the cruise was run for the two of us alone.  The crew and guides couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful.
 
The food was lovely, varied, but just too much for us.  We didn’t expect to be fed so well.
 
We will definitely recommend your tours to all our friends.
 
Thanks so much for handling this tour for us.
 
Bill & Jenrry Antonopoulos

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Dear Sunny,

Once more time, we would like to thank you so much what you did for us, we miss you now!

I am just writing to tell you how much my husband and I enjoyed the above tour to Vietnam. We cannot sing your praises highly enough as everything worked like clockwork and we felt the tour was pitched just right for us. It gave us a great introduction and insight into the people and their way of life, their culture, religion and history with not too much of any one thing (except for the food, of course, which we had way too much of as it was so wonderful!) It also gave us free time to enable us to explore the street life for ourselves.
The pre-tour and on-tour organization, from start to finish, was superb. As there were only four of us on the tour, but we found all of the local guides to be excellent in both their local knowledge and command of English.
We have travelled extensively around the world and, although we have been to Thailand, this was our first visit to Indochina and, indeed, our very first organized tour ever! Since we returned home we have recommended you to all our friends and family and we hope that you continue to be successful - you deserve it! We have had the most fantastic vacation and most of it was down to you - thank you Best Regards,

 

Mr. & Mrs. Hassall, UK - Vietnam Family Holiday

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Dear Sunny,

I had a marvellous vacation, one that will be remembered for a long time. It was extremely well organized every day by our tour Guide Pham Tien Duong. Nothing was ever too much trouble for him and he ensured that everyone had an enjoyable time. All three countries are delightful and Laos in particular I thought was beautiful. Highlights of the trip would include the Angkor temples, the Cu-Chi tunnels, cruising down the Mekong and the waterfalls in Luang Prabang. Each day brought something special. Even crossing the road in Saigon and Hanoi were experiences, though not perhaps enjoyable ones!
Duong organized a restaurant for dinner every evening and this helped everyone in the group to get to know each other so that by the end of the trip we were all good friends.
Thank you for all your help in arranging the vacation. I have long wanted to visit this part of the world and my expectations fell far short of the reality. Of course this is largely due to the efficient organization and Ian's hard work.

Ms Benson, UK - The Best of Indochina Vacation - November 2011

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Dear Dinh Thao,

Sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you but I finally have some time to write this reply. I really enjoyed the trip, found every aspect to be excellent, right from the pickup from Phnom Penh. Both guides, Nara and Da Ling, were quite knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, including their knowledge of the temples and their booking of restaurants for us for dinner, saving us the embarrassment of turning up to find a full house.
With regards to the hotels, they were great. The guesthouse in Kampong Thom gave an authentic ambience. I must mention that the Sunway Hotel in Phnom Penh was excellent. When I forgot to lock the room safe prior to leaving, they locked the safe and left me a note and waited for me to check that nothing was missing. It appears Sunway Hotel went out of their way to be honest and kind. For this, I am truly appreciative.
The free wireless internet in the Kampong Thom guesthouse and the Angkor Inn at Siem Reap was also EXCELLENT!!! I wish more Australian hotels followed this example.
Cheers and thank you, will surely book another tour with you in the near future.

Paulo, Australia - Highlights of Cambodia - January 2011

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Dear Dinh Thao
Beyond our expectations
we knew we’d be well cared for, but the Mekong cruise was far beyond our expectations. The (chartered) RV Tonle Pamdaw was a really cool ship with a capable and helpful crew. After our tour leader showed us the history and bustle of Saigon, the cruise up the river was truly a trip into a different world. Our days in Cambodia were some of the most exotic travel experiences we’ve ever had. We plan to go back to Cambodia next year to spend more time in the Angkor Wat temples. Our cruise was the best introduction to this fascinating and wonderful part of the world. My wife and I have recently been studying at your website: Cruisesmekongriver.net  to spot our next trip to a wonderful new location. All of the staff have made us want to be regulars.

David & Lesa Cummings
2011

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Dear Dinh Thao.

We had a memorable holiday and one that I am still buzzing about today. Our guide, Phong, was just amazing. He looked after us and all our needs. He is a credit to your organization and I would like you to pass on these comments to him if possible. He made our trip very easy. Right from when he picked us up at the airport, travelling throughout Vietnam and our final day in Saigon. He looked after everything for us and we didn’t have to do a thing. His knowledge of Vietnam was outstanding.

This was the best holiday that I’ve been on in many many years. Vietnam was just wonderful and you made it all the more memorable. The quality of the accommodation was excellent and the choice of restaurants was fantastic.

Thanks again for everything. It was wonderful."

Mr and Mrs Leggett, Queensland - June 2012.

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Dear  Dinh Thao,

We would like to say how nice it was to meet you and thank you for your very kind gifts on our last day in Hanoi, it was such a nice suprise.

Our trip in August 2011 was excellent in both Vietnam and Cambodia and we really enjoyed our time there.  We thank you for your professional organisation of the tour and how smoothly it went.

The guides in Hanoi and Hue/Hoi An were both excellent as was the guide in Cambodia, they were very informative and very professional and very accommodating with the timing of the itinerary if we wanted to perhaps start a little later and they always gave 110%.

Once again thank you for all your help and we will recommend you to our friends, hopefully we can get a trip to Myanmar organised in the near future.

Bobby & Lee Marshel

London, England

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