vietman and bangkok tour compainies

Does anyone know of Vietnam Tour Guides – Travel East JSC.

Also, is it customary to pay for private tours in Vietnam and Bangkok in advance and provide a copy of your passport and credit card.

If you are going to Saigon I had a great tour from a local gentleman named Zoom. He is very knowlegable and easy to deal with. Email him and he will let you know prices and how to pay for his services. He can be reached at dungzoom@gmail.com

If you are going to Saigon I had a great tour from a local gentleman named Zoom. He is very knowlegable and easy to deal with. Email him and he will let you know prices and how to pay for his services. He can be reached at dungzoom@gmail.com

We are sailing on the Diamond Princess in April 2011..we have contacted Zoom and he is setting up a tour for us in saigon and another one in Nha Trang...he will ask for a deposit about 3 weeks prior to your tour and he will also need photo copies of your passports.....it is my understanding this is quite customary for Asian tours anywhere.....there are 11 of us and we are looking forward to touring with Zoom very much.....he comes highly recommended by others who have used his services.

Helen

I don't know what is customary, but I do know what we negotiated with our tour operator in Vietnam last winter. We paid in cash for the tours at our three Vietnamese ports at the start of the first tour, which was in Saigon. We made no advance deposit. We provided passport information in advance, but we were not asked for copies of the passports.

Does anyone know of Vietnam Tour Guides – Travel East JSC.

Also, is it customary to pay for private tours in Vietnam and Bangkok in advance and provide a copy of your passport and credit card.

BANGKOK The TIGER TEMPLE TOUR was fantastic http://www.tigertemplethailand.com Tony or Ken They offer a few different one day trips Make sure you get to see the Floating Market, Cemetery, and monkies on the way to the Tigers

VIETNAM if you are interested in the Mekong Delta try BLUE CRUISER

Does anyone know of Vietnam Tour Guides – Travel East JSC.

Also, is it customary to pay for private tours in Vietnam and Bangkok in advance and provide a copy of your passport and credit card.

Hi,

That travel agent does not sound familiar at all

Just provide information of your passport (for landing permit) and wire some deposit if you have to secure the booking. Sending copy of your passport and credit card does not sound right and may be risky

Cheers,

Local

I wrote in quoting to another thread my advice that clients should ask to see the guide's social recognitions. And, the guide with more/higher social recognitions will be the worthier.

I completely agree with this statement...in as much as we all want to see as much of a country as we can, it is extremely important to be shown the country by a reliable and reputable tour guide. We will be arriving in Vietnam in April of 2011 on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, and contracted the services of Zoom (email dungzoom@gmail.com) He comes highly recommended and has answered all of my questions and responded quickly....in addition he has sent us pictures and information about the areas we will be touring.we are a large group of 15, but I know he would be just as energetic with a small group (my group grew as the word got out).we also have requested his services for a tour in Nha Trang.......All we need is a ship and the water..........

Helen

It has also been my experience the earlier you book your tours, the better chance you have of getting the ones you want, with the guide you want. I started booking our group tours in April of this year for next years cruise....

if you are planning on using private guides, regardless of the country you are cruising to, the earlier the better....BELIEVE ME, I KNOW.

HELEN

Hi,

 

That travel agent does not sound familiar at all

 

Just provide information of your passport (for landing permit) and wire some deposit if you have to secure the booking. Sending copy of your passport and credit card does not sound right and may be risky

 

Cheers,

Local

I wouldn't recommend wiring money via Western Union etc as once the money is collected it's gone.

We booked a guide and tour last year for a trip to Hoi An and he failed to show, despite conversation over the phone while we stood on the dock waiting and waiting. We'd paid full cost via WU. Luckily we claimed the lost money back on our insurance.

In comparison our pre-booked tour to Phnom Penh required no up front money or even cc details but the car was waiting for us when we arrived in Sihanoukville. Oh, and we had a fantastic day

Be very wary of sending money

pete

Hi Pete,

Just saw your post above and was wondering if you could share the details for the pre-booked tour from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh as we will be there in early Jan.2011 from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm and the price for the ship's shore tour is obscene. Have been researching but have come up with nothing. Would greatly appreciate your help.

Cheers,

Mimi

Hi Pete,

Just saw your post above and was wondering if you could share the details for the pre-booked tour from Sihanoukville to Phnom Penh as we will be there in early Jan.2011 from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm and the price for the ship's shore tour is obscene. Have been researching but have come up with nothing. Would greatly appreciate your help.

Cheers,

Mimi

Hi Mimi

we used ANA travel - email address is/was anainternetandtravel@yahoo.com

if you want to read about our day, click on the travelpod link below and choose the legendary trip blog

Cambodia was both confronting and amazing!!

safe travels

pete

Would it be okay to share who you were dealing with in Hoi An as well? I am organizing a private tour to Hoi An as we will be on the Azamara Quest in February and would like to avoid that tour company?

Thanks Pete for the info, I'll get on to them straight away and your blog was terrific to read and the photos are great.

Cheers,

Mimi

Would it be okay to share who you were dealing with in Hoi An as well? I am organizing a private tour to Hoi An as we will be on the Azamara Quest in February and would like to avoid that tour company?

hi Ruby101

The company was called Hoian Online Travel <info@hoianvietnamtours.com>

http://hoianvietnamtours.com

The name of the person who had been most peasent up until the failed pick up at Chan May and who collected the cash from Western Union was THANH HUU\DUONG (David Duong)

Avoid at all cost!!!

Pete

Thank you for the info. Will avoid for sure.

We just returned from a cruise on the Diamond Princess and highly recommend Zoom for Ho Chi Min City. It is obvious that he loves to show off his country. Do not be afraid that if you get back late, the ship will leave without you. He has done this for many years and can get you back with time to spare. He is a kind man who gives a lot of information. I don't know if he ever sleeps. You will be required to give a deposit and passport info, but it's the custom. The drive from the large terminal to Ho Chi Min City (Saigon) is less than great, but he'll tell you about some of the nicer things you're seeing and explain if you like, why the roads are so bad. Really, the drive back is better. :D

The road from Phu My port is much better than 3 months ago. A stop at Big C on the way back to the ship is fun.

The road from Phu My port is much better than 3 months ago. A stop at Big C on the way back to the ship is fun.

The Rach Chiec bridge just outside Saigon has just been renovated giving better access to traffic.

View changes before and after Saigon bridge. With cameras ready you won't miss it.

.

The Rach Chiec bridge just outside Saigon has just been renovated giving better access to traffic.

View changes before and after Saigon bridge. With cameras ready you won't miss it.

An update.

Traffic in these days is most crazy, most chaotic in the year as Lunar New Year is coming on Feb. 3. Much higher alert should be taken by foreign visitors in crossing the roads.

If you can allow yourself a seat in a cafe looking out, you might be amazed by the ballet dance people drive and draw. Honking is everywhere but more terrible in Hanoi than HCMC and it usually leads to no anger the way we see in the West. People here are used to it as well as to many other sources of loudness !

Is it safe to send passport information to the tour operator via regular email? We are going to use Zoom as he has been so highly recommended. We need to send him our passport information.

An update.

Traffic in these days is most crazy, most chaotic in the year as Lunar New Year is coming on Feb. 3. Much higher alert should be taken by foreign visitors in crossing the roads.

If you can allow yourself a seat in a cafe looking out, you might be amazed by the ballet dance people drive and draw. Honking is everywhere but more terrible in Hanoi than HCMC and it usually leads to no anger the way we see in the West. People here are used to it as well as to many other sources of loudness !

Tet challenges foreign tourists in a practical sense. Shops, restaurants, offices are mostly closed. Quality of meals is loose at high price. Independent and/or overland tourists find it hard in Tet days. Fortunately, shore cruisers have almost everything provided by the ship. Anyway, be sure you have everything neccessary in your bag before you leave the ship for touring around.

Tet challenges foreign tourists in a practical sense. Shops, restaurants, offices are mostly closed. Quality of meals is loose at high price. Independent and/or overland tourists find it hard in Tet days. Fortunately, shore cruisers have almost everything provided by the ship. Anyway, be sure you have everything neccessary in your bag before you leave the ship for touring around.

I agree.

But I'd rather suggest the bright side of the matter. This TET, the best location to have a 360 degree view of Saigon is the 49th floor of the tallest tower 68 FL building, Bitexco Financial Tower. Best time is New Year's Eve, Feb. 2. In that morning one should drive to see how "crazily" the Vietnamese rush to and fro for this biggest holiday of the year.

Is it safe to send passport information to the tour operator via regular email? We are going to use Zoom as he has been so highly recommended. We need to send him our passport information.

We just left Zoom a week ago. He was the best and very friendly. Don't worry about sending your PP numbers. He needs them to get on the dock or some other bureaucratic reason.

An update.

Traffic in these days is most crazy, most chaotic in the year as Lunar New Year is coming on Feb. 3. Much higher alert should be taken by foreign visitors in crossing the roads.

If you can allow yourself a seat in a cafe looking out, you might be amazed by the ballet dance people drive and draw. Honking is everywhere but more terrible in Hanoi than HCMC and it usually leads to no anger the way we see in the West. People here are used to it as well as to many other sources of loudness !

In Tet Lunar New Year holiday especially on the first Tet day ( Feb. 3 this year ) visitors to VN enjoy the highest hospitality. A visit to a local's house ( preset with your guide, perhaps ) will give extra values to your trip as you will be embedded in the Vietnamese culture. Surely, that 's the value made up for possible inconveniences from the closing of restaurants, offices,...

In Tet Lunar New Year holiday especially on the first Tet day ( Feb. 3 this year ) visitors to VN enjoy the highest hospitality. A visit to a local's house ( preset with your guide, perhaps ) will give extra values to your trip as you will be embedded in the Vietnamese culture. Surely, that 's the value made up for possible inconveniences from the closing of restaurants, offices,...

Majestic and Rex hotel should not be missed. From the Rooftop garden on the 5th floor of the Rex a good view of the Flower Road could be achieved. And, from the same floor of the Majestic the view of Saigon river with your ship (under 30,000 tons) docking would be so charming.