Travelling to Vietnam alone - organised tour or DIY ?

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stevewestern

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I'm thinking of going to Vietnam for a few weeks, I think mainly the south.
I've not travelled alone for many years and am not sure I'll like my own company so am wondering about going on an organised tour.
A quick visit to TrailFinders and they say they do groups of up to 16, largely solo travellers so I'm sure there will be a few I'll connect with and who have similar interests (I'm 67 so don't want to party hard every night nor am I up to many miles of walking each day)
I don't need expensive hotels, fancy food or lots of luxury.
Has anyone done this sort of trip, do you have any suggestions or things I ought to bear in mind?
Thanks!
 
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I have given up overseas holidays myself but I am much older than you. However, we had a club talk last year from a professional photographer (Julian Elliott) who has specialised in Vietnam. He has clearly developed much expertise and useful contacts which opens opportunities for great photography. I suggest you look at his website https://www.julianelliottphotography.com/photography-tours/vietnam-photo-tour/

Dave
 
If you are good at research and planning then I suppose you could DIY but there's so much to see and do that I think I'd need help so I can see how a tour or at least guide of some sort could be a good idea.

Good luck with it Steve, I hope you have a holiday to remember.
 
Dave Canon said:
I have given up overseas holidays myself but I am much older than you. However, we had a club talk last year from a professional photographer (Julian Elliott) who has specialised in Vietnam. He has clearly developed much expertise and useful contacts which opens opportunities for great photography. I suggest you look at his website https://www.julianelliottphotography.com/photography-tours/vietnam-photo-tour/

Dave
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woof woof said:
If you are good at research and planning then I suppose you could DIY but there's so much to see and do that I think I'd need help so I can see how a tour or at least guide of some sort could be a good idea.

Good luck with it Steve, I hope you have a holiday to remember.
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Thank you both for your replies. I'll take a good look at Julian Elliotts website and heed your advice Mr WW!
I'd far rather go with my wife but she's going to be with mountain gorilla's on a trip too physical for me so I need to rediscover my independence and go alone.
I think I'll plan to go on a tour with others and then stay on for another week or so as I'd like to think I'll have regained some confidence by then. My girls went a couple of years ago so have plenty of advice about places to see, but this is more about me finding my feet again.
No idea what to take re camera gear but may buy a little sony rx whatever instead of taking a bag of gear.
Again, many thanks for the help and encouragement, it's really appreciated.
 
I did a Vietnam trip with a mate some years ago we used a company called Explore, they offer good value, no-frills trips.

Book Adventure Travel & Small Group Tours | Explore Worldwide - Explore

Explore our range of over 350 amazing adventure holidays and small group tours, and enjoy unforgettable experiences with our expert local guides.
www.explore.co.uk www.explore.co.uk
It was mostly singletons… you can pay extra to have a room to yourself or if you’re prepared to share then it’s cheaper. Personally I wouldn’t want to share with a stranger but plenty of people are happy enough to do it. I thought Vietnam was a fascinating country and well worth the visit. I would also include the north if you’ve got the time, there’s some great things to see. We tacked on an extension to Cambodia as well.
 
boogie man said:
I did a Vietnam trip with a mate some years ago we used a company called Explore, they offer good value, no-frills trips.

Book Adventure Travel & Small Group Tours | Explore Worldwide - Explore

Explore our range of over 350 amazing adventure holidays and small group tours, and enjoy unforgettable experiences with our expert local guides.
www.explore.co.uk www.explore.co.uk
It was mostly singletons… you can pay extra to have a room to yourself or if you’re prepared to share then it’s cheaper. Personally I wouldn’t want to share with a stranger but plenty of people are happy enough to do it. I thought Vietnam was a fascinating country and well worth the visit. I would also include the north if you’ve got the time, there’s some great things to see. We tacked on an extension to Cambodia as well.
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Thank you Larry, very helpful and it sounds like the kind of thing I'd like, no frills, I'll have a look at your link!
 
boogie man said:
I did a Vietnam trip with a mate some years ago we used a company called Explore, they offer good value, no-frills trips.

Book Adventure Travel & Small Group Tours | Explore Worldwide - Explore

Explore our range of over 350 amazing adventure holidays and small group tours, and enjoy unforgettable experiences with our expert local guides.
www.explore.co.uk www.explore.co.uk
It was mostly singletons… you can pay extra to have a room to yourself or if you’re prepared to share then it’s cheaper. Personally I wouldn’t want to share with a stranger but plenty of people are happy enough to do it. I thought Vietnam was a fascinating country and well worth the visit. I would also include the north if you’ve got the time, there’s some great things to see. We tacked on an extension to Cambodia as well.
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Just been having a look at the Explore website - looks very interesting!
 
stevewestern said:
Just been having a look at the Explore website - looks very interesting!
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I can really recommend them Steve. I’ve done several trips with them : Thailand, Vietnam/Cambodia, Spain/Morocco, India/Nepal. All the trips have been well organised with a good balance of things to see and do plus some downtime. The guides have always been excellent and I’ve made some genuine lifelong friends from both the India and Thailand tours. You won’t get luxury accommodation but it’ll always be clean and comfortable.
 
Was going to suggest Exodus or Intrepid. Cater for people with deeper pockets than those who use Explore. I have used Exodus a few times and rate them.
 
Dave Canon said:
I have given up overseas holidays myself but I am much older than you. However, we had a club talk last year from a professional photographer (Julian Elliott) who has specialised in Vietnam. He has clearly developed much expertise and useful contacts which opens opportunities for great photography. I suggest you look at his website https://www.julianelliottphotography.com/photography-tours/vietnam-photo-tour/

Dave
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Just came across this. Thanks so much @Dave Canon for the recommendation.

Essentially, I am pretty much based in Vietnam so I have a very different knowledge to other people that do tours here. I also speak a little Vietnamese which helps massively as well as many contacts from north to south who help facilitate getting me into different situations.
 
Julian Elliott said:
Just came across this. Thanks so much @Dave Canon for the recommendation.

Essentially, I am pretty much based in Vietnam so I have a very different knowledge to other people that do tours here. I also speak a little Vietnamese which helps massively as well as many contacts from north to south who help facilitate getting me into different situations.
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That's great to hear. If/when I can afford another trip to Vietnam I'll be in touch. It's a stunning place full of beautiful people.
The only drawback with my last trip was the rush - new day new place, no real time to settle in to a place and get familiar with a few faces.
I'd like to say that I'm saving for it already but as my daughter has a uni year in Mexico we have an obligation to visit so are off there next week..
 
stevewestern said:
That's great to hear. If/when I can afford another trip to Vietnam I'll be in touch. It's a stunning place full of beautiful people.
The only drawback with my last trip was the rush - new day new place, no real time to settle in to a place and get familiar with a few faces.
I'd like to say that I'm saving for it already but as my daughter has a uni year in Mexico we have an obligation to visit so are off there next week..
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If you look at my website you’ll see the itinerary. Only in the south do things move quickly. That’s for the September tour. My others are different.

Happy to discuss with you when you’re ready
 
Julian Elliott said:
If you look at my website you’ll see the itinerary. Only in the south do things move quickly. That’s for the September tour. My others are different.

Happy to discuss with you when you’re ready
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Might be a while, but thank you!
Just had a quick look at your website - very impressive images!
 
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Julian Elliott said:
If you look at my website you’ll see the itinerary. Only in the south do things move quickly. That’s for the September tour. My others are different.

Happy to discuss with you when you’re ready
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I've just booked for Vietnam and Cambodia for next March. My son lives in Australia so we thought we would meet somewhere in-between this time. We are doing a few days here and there all arranged by travel councillors around my plan, hope I've got it right as my son could only get 3 weeks off work. Do you have a link to your website?
 
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beyond the blue said:
I've just booked for Vietnam and Cambodia for next March. My son lives in Australia so we thought we would meet somewhere in-between this time. We are doing a few days here and there all arranged by travel councillors around my plan, hope I've got it right as my son could only get 3 weeks off work. Do you have a link to your website?
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Sure. It’s www.julianelliottphotography.com
 
beyond the blue said:
I've just booked for Vietnam and Cambodia for next March. My son lives in Australia so we thought we would meet somewhere in-between this time. We are doing a few days here and there all arranged by travel councillors around my plan, hope I've got it right as my son could only get 3 weeks off work. Do you have a link to your website?
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Good luck, I'm very envious.
I only got back from Mexico yesterday (another fantastic place although I was in Guadalajara most of the time and I'm not a big city lover) so am jet lagged the washing machine is working overtime...
Please update when you get back in March especially if you do get to meet @Julian Elliott ..
 
I think I'd seriously think about avoiding Cambodia as there are way too many horror stories coming out of there. Given the alternatives why take the risk, but if you feel you must go I'd stick strictly to main tourist areas and the most reputable big name hotels and attractions. On the whole though I'd see going there as madness.
 
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woof woof said:
I think I'd seriously think about avoiding Cambodia as there are way too many horror stories coming out of there. Given the alternatives why take the risk, but if you feel you must go I'd stick strictly to main tourist areas and the most reputable big name hotels and attractions. On the whole though I'd see going there as madness.
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Only four nights in Siem Reap on the way down from Hanoi to Ho chi Minh city. Staying in the Aviary hotel in the city centre, we'll be fine l'm sure.
 
beyond the blue said:
Only four nights in Siem Reap on the way down from Hanoi to Ho chi Minh city. Staying in the Aviary hotel in the city centre, we'll be fine l'm sure.
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If staying in a well known hotel and sticking to well known and reputable tourist spots during the day you may well be but is it worth the gamble?

The armed conflicts with Laos and Thailand could erupt again any day and the seemingly endemic organised and casual crime including high numbers of kidnappings lead me to think your borderline reckless for even considering this especially if taking family and potentially exposing them to risk but to each their own.

I hope you've at least done some research on what's been happening in the country recently.

This reminds me of when my Kazakh ex invited me to go to northern Afghanistan with her on a business trip. I think sometimes when faced with an "exotic" trip you have to at least try and see the potential dangers.
 
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I've been on organised tour holidays to different places with some different providers:

Umbria in Italy with Solos
Turkey with Jules Verne
Egpyt with Exodus

Normally I travel alone and will stay in a city, visiting museums and galleries etc, booking flights and hotel myself, but those trips were things that would have been too much logistically for me to organise - the Turkey one was around 2000 miles touring round visiting ancient sites and Egypt went the length of the Nile, all the way down to Abu Simbel. I wouldn't attempt either without being proficient in the local language.

My experience is that after dinner people would tend to head off whenever they felt like it and you would be at the young end with JV (at 54 I was the youngest by a decade and only one other person wasn't retired, and there were a significant quantity of NHS final salary pensioners in evidence), around the middle with Exodus and toward the older end of the group with Solos. Unless they explicitly say so the activity level in terms of walking / climbing on these is definitely on the low side - the solos holiday was marketed as a walking holiday and there were four planned walks from 7-10km each in the week long schedule.
 
woof woof said:
If staying in a well known hotel and sticking to well known and reputable tourist spots during the day you may well be but is it worth the gamble?

The armed conflicts with Laos and Thailand could erupt again any day and the seemingly endemic organised and casual crime including high numbers of kidnappings lead me to think your borderline reckless for even considering this especially if taking family and potentially exposing them to risk but to each their own.

I hope you've at least done some research on what's been happening in the country recently.

This reminds me of when my Kazakh ex invited me to go to northern Afghanistan with her on a business trip. I think sometimes when faced with an "exotic" trip you have to at least try and see the potential dangers.
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Just picking up on this again.

I was in Cambodia back in March, staying in Siem Reap. It was absolutely fine and nothing untoward at all. It felt very safe around there.

The biggest issue was doing sunrise at Angkor Wat as you have to run to get the best position in near darkness. The cobblestones are the biggest challenge when going there.
 
Julian Elliott said:
Just picking up on this again.

I was in Cambodia back in March, staying in Siem Reap. It was absolutely fine and nothing untoward at all. It felt very safe around there.

The biggest issue was doing sunrise at Angkor Wat as you have to run to get the best position in near darkness. The cobblestones are the biggest challenge when going there.
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Well, everything is fine until it isn't.

I'm married to a Thai so I get a constant running commentary on the issues with Cambodia which are many and ongoing. Other than that if all you watch is the BBC and other MSN then you may not be aware of the horror stories constantly coming out of Cambodia.

Personally I wouldn't entertain the idea of going to Scambodia when there are so many other locations without anywhere near the potential for anything from minor issues to disaster but each to their own.

And a PS.
Many of the horror stories happen to non Westerners so I suppose one could argue that we westerners are relatively safe compared to Koreans or other people especially if we stick to the regular tourist spots but from a moral POV why would anyone want to go to a country in which awful crimes are so common even if less likely to affect "us"? I just do not see the attraction of going to horror spots which is why I turned down the offer of a trip to Afghanistan years ago and I'd do so again, Scambodia too. I'm just not going.
 
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I've been in Vietnam since the beginning of 2024. There are many things that happen there that Westerners don't see, yet tourism is increasing at an accelerated rate.

A while ago, I remember reading from a fellow travel photographer that "if you only relied on the foreign office advice for travel, then you wouldn't go anywhere".
 
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Julian Elliott said:
I've been in Vietnam since the beginning of 2024. There are many things that happen there that Westerners don't see, yet tourism is increasing at an accelerated rate.

A while ago, I remember reading from a fellow travel photographer that "if you only relied on the foreign office advice for travel, then you wouldn't go anywhere".
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I think Vietnam is becoming more popular for tourists as it's developing and developing to cater for them plus I think Thailand is becoming less attractive so people are I've heard switching to Vietnam. This seems to ring true as last year some Thai hotels and restaurants which had been busy in previous years seemed almost deserted. Good. They can reap what they've sown. I'm going later this year and it may be the last time as rip off Thailand is just getting worse and annoyed the hell out of me last year.

Foreign Office, you have to listen as there are real implications if you don't and something happens. You'd be stupid not to listen to FO advice, get yourself in a situation and then scream for FO help but that's exactly what some stupids do. I think it's also important to have impartial non Govt and non MSM sources but no matter if there's lesser danger to western privileged me I don't want to support corrupt regimes and countries which seem to have endemic organised and disorganised crime even if it doesn't affect me in my privileged and protected tourist enclave. I usually prefer to keep away from the more dedicated tourist areas because if I want to see Chinese tat on sale and drunk/drugged and entitled westerners behaving badly I can see that without the long haul flights.
 
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woof woof said:
I think Vietnam is becoming more popular for tourists as it's developing and developing to cater for them plus I think Thailand is becoming less attractive so people are I've heard switching to Vietnam. This seems to ring true as last year some Thai hotels and restaurants which had been busy in previous years seemed almost deserted. Good. They can reap what they've sown. I'm going later this year and it may be the last time as rip off Thailand is just getting worse and annoyed the hell out of me last year.

Foreign Office, you have to listen as there are real implications if you don't and something happens. You'd be stupid not to listen to FO advice, get yourself in a situation and then scream for FO help but that's exactly what some stupids do. I think it's also important to have impartial non Govt and non MSM sources but no matter if there's lesser danger to western privileged me I don't want to support corrupt regimes and countries which seem to have endemic organised and disorganised crime even if it doesn't affect me in my privileged and protected tourist enclave. I usually prefer to keep away from the more dedicated tourist areas because if I want to see Chinese tat on sale and drunk/drugged and entitled westerners behaving badly I can see that without the long haul flights.
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I love Thailand.... My first visit was back in 2005 and stayed in Bangkok and Hua Hin.... I first met MrsFiend in 2006, we got married in 2009 and she moved to the UK after we applied for a spouse visa. I love going back to Thailand. 12 years ago we had a house built in Uttaradit, a town 480km north of Bangkok, which we stay at when we go over and will be our retirement home. Due having to look after my elderly mother our plans to move to Thailand are currently on hold.... Despite the language barrier I get on very well with her family... Being away from the tourist areas I feel quite at home in Thailand...

Angkor Wat is the only place I would like to visit in Scambodia but I doubt I'll ever go there.
 
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