Vietnam with Peregrine Adventures

I spent Christmas-New Year’s 2004-2005 on the 15-day “VIETNAM Overland” tour, with a 2-day pre-tour to the Mekong Delta, offered by Peregrine Adventures, an Australian company. I booked through Adventure Center (1311 63rd St., Ste. 200, Emeryville, CA 94608; phone 800/227-8747 or visit www.peregrine adventures.com).

There were seven of us, and it turned out we were quite compatible, despite an age range from 27 to 75. I was the only American; the rest were from Australia.

The pre-tour into Mekong was great. The countryside was beautiful and we had the opportunity to see how people manage living on the delta, where boats of various sizes and shapes are the main means of transportation and commerce. There was a one-night homestay where I slept on a pallet on a stand with mosquito netting hanging down for protection. Facilities were nearby with toilet and shower combined and the sink outside.

The stay at Ho Chi Minh City included a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels and the Bao Dai temple with free time for individual exploration. I wandered around shops and markets, went to the City Museum, the Ho Chi Minh Museum and the zoo and maneuvered myself into a Vietnamese-Korean Friendship gala at the City Opera House.

On Christmas Eve, the center of Ho Chi Minh City was jam-packed with people, with a sound-and-light show going full blast. There were ethnic performances, kids’ dances and rock bands, all trying to do justice to the elaborate decorations. It was impossible to move about, so three of us went to the top of a nearby hotel to watch the action while sipping our tea.

Christmas Day seemed to be business as usual.

We were bused to Da Lat, Nha Trang and Hoi An, all resort places along the coast. En route, we stopped at waterfalls, old Hindu ruins, pagodas, the Marble Mountain caves and the My Lai Memorial.

Da Lat has a Gaudi-esque building called the Crazy House plus a lovely lake. Nearby is the Lat minority village. In Nha Trang we had a day-long boat trip to nearby islands for swimming and snorkeling, with stops at resorts and fishing villages. At Hoi An we biked into the countryside and down to the beach and still had time to look into the numerous little shops and restaurants along the riverfront.

At Hue we took a boat trip down the Perfume River and a bike ride to Vietnam’s Valley of the Kings, a lovely, serene place reminiscent of Nara, Japan.

At Hue we left the bus for the Reunification Express to Hanoi, which was okay so far as Asian trains go and better than some. Hanoi, too, has a lovely lake in the center of town and a plethora of shops in the Old Town.

Traffic was fierce in both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, with buses, trucks and cars but mostly motorbikes and bicycles; in the countryside there were more bicycles than motorbikes. Everyone used their horn, constantly, it seemed. As in many Asian cities, the sidewalks are used for business and parking.

Overall, I thought the tour was excellent — well paced and well managed. There was scheduled activity but much free time. Our tour guide, a local, had excellent language skills and was very knowledgeable and fun to be around.

We stayed two nights in all but two places: in the Mekong and at Quang Ngai (which was basically a stop en route to Hoi An). Accommodations, except in the Mekong, were basic 3-star hotels, well located and with generous breakfast buffets. Two were exceptional: The Continental in Ho Chi Minh City and the Hoi An Hotel in Hoi An.

It was an ideal tour for me as a single traveler who wanted some structure but wasn’t into a lot of organized activities. And I should mention that I signed up to share accommodations, but when there was no one to share with I was not charged extra for single accommodation.

The tour cost me $1,480, which included breakfasts and a couple of lunches. Airfare on Cathay Pacific was $1,341 (a bit high, as I had to switch flights at the last minute).

I took $600 in travelers’ checks with me and came back with $200. I didn’t charge anything except a book at the airport, and I didn’t use any of the available ATMs, so that $400 covered meals, shopping, tipping, cab fare and any other extras.

— JO RAWLINS GILBERT, Sunnyvale, CA