Small group tour should be NO MORE than 12. After 12, it's not a "medium-size" group.
TOUR GUIDE: Kien was very knowledgeable, professional and enthusiastic. My only advice is too tamp down on the "my brother and sister" references bc it does sound communist. Our Aussie travel mates became quite annoyed by it. As Americans, we just rolled our eyes.
TRANSPORTATION: Please include info about tipping airport transfers
Buses very comfortable
Junk Boat AMAZING!
Cyclo Rickshaw meh and too touristy
Overnight Train fantastic, though it may not be for all... we would do it again
Bike Riding/ Kayaking good, but too short
Plane from Da Nang to Saigon fine - we liked the early departure, some were not so keen
Mekong River boats (all 3 options) also AMAZING
Scooter/ Vespa add-ons THE BEST! From the moment we got on the scooter during the Back Streets of Hanoi, we were hooked - so much fun to experience Vietnam on the back of a scooter that we added 2 more tours, riding scooters a total of 4 times.
MEALS: Include information about average cost of meals and expectation for payment in CASH. Included lunches were almost identical and tiresome. The local food is much better vs 5-6 course / sit down. A small group of 8-12 lends itself to street food, which is culturally Vietnam and better quality.
ADD-ON TOURS
Back Street Hanoi was THE BEST!! and our guide Huang also THE BEST
My Son excellent.
Hoi An Vespa food tour crazy fun!!!
Cu Chi tour very interesting - thankfully no one in our group wanted to shoot rifles. Again Huang was THE BEST
Consider adding breakfast in the Floating Market (Can Tho) w/ the drive up boats serving noodles, coffee and pineapple. We'd have preferred to get up early vs eat another hotel buffet
HOTELS:
1. Hue Mondial was atrocious, bad service, worse food, breakfast picked over by another tour group - so almost no food or seating by 6:40am (breakfast opens at 6:30am) and rude employees.
2. Hoi An Vinh Hung Riverside Resort was AMAZING and perfect for the 3 day stopover.
3. Can Tho - meh
We added an extra day up front and at the end, so we could do our own tours, which include Ninh Binh, Saigon Walking Street Food Tour, Saigon by Night Vespa tour and the Vietnamese Bamboo Circus at the Saigon Opera House.
All in all the trip was amazing and VERY VIETNAM!”