Exceeded expectations!!
We used Indochina Pioneers to plan our trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Lam did a spectacular job! We used his itinerary as a framework and then upgraded all of the hotels, which, while very very nice, were still inexpensive. Everything Lam arranged went flawlessly. The drivers were always on time and so courteous. They were flexible if and when we wanted to adjust the schedule, such as stopping at a local food market or going back to the hotel for a rest. We really enjoyed our guides as well. We had the pleasure of meeting Viet in Hanoi. He was a blast and treated us to amazing local foods and history. He wasn’t afraid to discuss local politics or opinions which was fascinating. In Ho Chi Min and the Mekong Delta we thoroughly enjoyed Lucy. She gave us insight into women and family issues as well as history and cultural awareness. In Hoi An we enjoyed Lam. He was very flexible and knowledgeable about history. The food tours were amazing and we tasted some culinary delights we never would have tried without the guidance of our guides. The beach resort was gorgeous and the water warm and clean. We loved the bike ride to the agricultural district where we were able to work the fields. The restaurant we stopped at was probably our favorite. The chef was willing to talk with us at length and share recipes.
Cambodia was an unexpected pleasure as well. I fell in love with Cambodia. The kindness of the people and the temple treasures were beyond words. We fell in love with these counties because we had the privilege to offer an ear to listen to their life stories. How grateful we were that they were willing to share. Such resilience and strength. Our guide told us to call him “Lucky”. He was fabulous too! Easy going and flexible!!
Our last stop was in Thailand. Here we met our guide Micky. He was really fun. We followed the itinerary which we thought would be too much but Micky kept a nice pace and continually fed us local delights such as mango sticky rice! Everything was great.
The only thing we may have done differently was to take a boat from the Mekong delta to Cambodia to avoid a long drive back to Danang. Plus it would have been interesting to tour via boat. Overall the trip was perfect. Highly recommend Lam. We will use him again for other trips!!
