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mekong delta vietnam tours which operator to go for?

mekong delta vietnam tours which operator to go for?

Old Jul 17th, 2016, 10:17 AM
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mekong delta vietnam tours which operator to go for?

Hi
I am organising trip to Vietnam with my husband and 2 teenagers daughters and we have 4 days at the end in Ho Chi Minh. wanted to do tunnels and the Mekong delta. Not sure if it is worth doing 3days 2 night in the delta or 2 days one night enough and leave more time to HCM?
Any tip on operator to use? I have tried to email water buffalo tour with no luck

Any advice much appreciated

thanks
moma is offline  
Old Jul 17th, 2016, 11:22 PM
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Don't book in advance.

Good hotels, in fact practically all types of accommodation will have a tour desk who'll organise whatever you want. It's not in the hotels interest to get bad publicity by using a poor provider, so most are reliable.

Another option is, in District 1 which the main tourist area in Saigon there are many many travel agents. Most are along Pham Ngu Lao.
LancasterLad is offline  
Old Jul 18th, 2016, 04:28 AM
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The tunnels are just a tourist trap and really not worth the effort. Personally, I would give them a miss.

As LL says, delta tours are ten a penny in HCMC and he provides great advice in getting your hotel to arrange. They have a vested interest in getting it right and there are many, many low quality tour operator in the city. I would recommend Sinh Cafe but there are so many fake SC you wouldn't know if you had found the genuine one!

With just for days I would not spend two nights in the delta, but it depends what you want to see. Cai Rang is one of the biggest and most well known markets and is accessed from Can Tho which is a 3.5 hour bus ride from Saigon. Easy to DIY and your hotel will arrange a taxi to the appropriate bus station.

Just book a hotel in Can Tho and either ask them to arrange a boat to the market or just walk along the riverbank and one of the old lady sampan drivers will offer there services in no time. I think it costs around $25.

Best to visit the market before dawn. C 5.00 am and you will be done by 8.30- 9.00 for your return to Saigon.

Alternative, an organised tour will take you to the tunnels and a closer town, maybe Ben Tre (also nice but not as dramatic as Cai Rang/ Can Tho.

Some photos of both places on our blog from last year. https://accidentalnomads.com/category/vietnam/

The most reliable source is https://www.travelfish.org/sight_pro...o/can_tho/2496 if you search around their site you may find recommendations.

Don't shortchange HCMC! It is a fascinating city with lots to see and some amazing food experiences.
crellston is offline  
Old Jul 18th, 2016, 07:43 AM
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I knew this would be a magnet for VN agencies to advertise! At least the two advertisers' posts are now gone, but I expect there will be more.

The advice above from both LL and crellston is good. If you do want to go with an agency, your hotel can arrange it.
Kathie is offline  
Old Aug 6th, 2016, 09:19 AM
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The service for your tours can be classified into two tiers: one for private tour which is for your family only to discover the place, the other for shared bus tour with packpackers like Sinh cafe that Crellston has mentioned. The price is very different and the so is the service from the service providers. Don't book the expensive one and get the other way of service.

In the backpacker tour, some people are great for learning their personality, but some are very abnormal and might affect other on the tour. Consider this as an adventure when you travel with your kids.
longvietnam is offline  
Old Aug 29th, 2016, 01:51 AM
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You can google first then email to check. All hotel tour desks' service is okie, but I still recommend you walking around for an exercise then stop by a few more travel offices to check the prices as well as the itinerary. By talking to TA staff, you will recognize the professionalism, then you can make your call.

My suggestion:
If PRICE is not a problem, you should go private so that family members will have a GREAT time together.

Seat-in-Coach sometimes and something will make you feel uncomfortable but in return PRICE will be very lovely for 4 compared to private one.

Just a few words from the voice of the local, hope it helps.
Johnfromsaigon is offline  
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