Vietnam with Bestway Tours & Safaris

My wife and I took the 14-day “Highlights of VIET-NAM” offered by Bestway Tours & Safaris (8678 Greenall Ave., Ste. 206, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5J3M6, Canada; phone 800/663-0844). The tour, in April ’05, cost approximately $1,500 per person, ground only. My wife and I were the only ones in our “group.”

Our 2-week trip began in Ho Chi Minh City (still referred to as Saigon by locals) and ended in Hanoi. Along the way we visited Da Lat, Nha Trang, Hoi An and Hue.

During the course of the tour we had three guides and three drivers. Our guide for the Saigon/Da Lat/Nha Trang segment of the trip was knowledgeable and personable. His English was excellent and he was flexible. His modifications of the brochure itinerary were to our liking.

Our second guide, for the Hoi An/Hue portion of the trip, was knowledgeable but always seemed to be in a hurry to be done with us. His modifications to the itinerary left out a couple of things we would have liked to see. His English, in spite of having been trained in the United States, was difficult to understand.

Our hotel in Saigon was the Majestic. We were in an older section, but the service was impeccable and the breakfasts were excellent.

The Novotel in Da Lat is a renovated, French-era hotel. Our room was very small and not air-conditioned. We were on the street side, which prevented our opening the window; it would have been better to be in the back.

The Nha Trang Lodge Hotel was a bit dog-eared, but our 10th-floor room provided an excellent view of the South China Sea. The breakfast catered to the almost exclusively Oriental guests.

Our accommodations at Hoi An, the Riverside Resort, were simply wonderful in all aspects. The Saigon Morin in Hue was, likewise, excellent.

In Hanoi we stayed at the Hanoi Hotel, which, due to construction noise, was a last-minute substitution for the Guoman Hotel. Located quite some distance from the major attractions and city center, the Hanoi Hotel is a victim of deferred maintenance.

It also catered to a predominately Oriental clientele. There was no Western food on the menu for lunch or dinner (and there was only one restaurant in the area that served any Western items). Room service did provide excellent pizza and French fries.

Our guide in Hanoi was excellent. He was knowledgeable and also concerned for our well being.

We would recommend this tour to anyone. The idea to visit Vietnam was mine, and my wife was not especially enthusiastic about it, but since our return she has been talking about the next time we go. The country is wonderful, un-Americanized and unspoiled. We found the people delightful. I would encourage anyone considering a trip there to go sooner rather than later.

JOE E. SMITH
Des Moines, IA