Exceptional travel company
My husband and I used Indochina Pioneer to assist with our travel planning in Vietnam. We worked with Kata on our travel planning arrangements and Mr. Quyen was our guide. From the very beginning, this company put us at ease as Kata was extremely attentive to the details of our trip and responsive over email. When requesting multiple revisions to the itinerary, she was always careful to attend to all of the changes making the communications with her very efficient. She was flexible and allowed us to customize the itinerary in any way we desired.
However, this company really set itself apart from others I have used once we arrived on the ground to Vietnam. Our driver was ready and waiting at the airport. Upon arrival (very late at night – after midnight i believe), our driver hands me his cell phone and I was welcomed to Vietnam by our guide. He immediately put any fears to rest about our tour for the next day. Also, his perfect English was evident through this communication. We really appreciated not only the very comfortable vehicle (which stayed with us for the remainder of our trip) but also the careful driving of our driver. He was always cautious on the road and we felt very safe throughout our journey with the company. The next morning we were picked up by the same driver and our guide for the trip (Mr. Quyen) and taken on a tour of Hanoi. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the city and culture. He went out of his way to share information with us and was extremely attentive for the entire day. The itinerary followed precisely what we had requested. We really enjoyed spending time with the guide and the experience he offered us in getting to know the city of Hanoi. During lunch, our travel planner, Kata, made a surprise visit to greet us and ensure that we were enjoying our tour. We really appreciated that she made the special effort to come and meet us.
The next day the same guide and driver greeted us in the morning and we were off to visit Bai Tu Long bay (near Halong Bay). We really appreciated Kata’s advice on the selection of the boat as we ended up with a private boat on Indochina Junk (Indochina Princess) which was both clean and beautiful. It was a long drive out to the harbor, but the very comfortable car, safe driver and excellent guide made it a pleasure. The boat ride was extremely relaxing and the scenery pristine. We also really enjoyed the food. The guide offered the perfect balance of spending time with us to provide context and information, while also giving us some private time to relax and enjoy our time on the boat.
The next day we were met promptly again by the driver and returned to the airport. From start to finish..everything was so carefully executed.
After dealing with many, many travel companies around the world, I can say without hesitation that this company is truly in a class of its own. Careful planning, outstanding tours, warm and wonderful staff. My only regret was not booking my our onward travels with this company. I fully intend to use them for our future travels in Southeast Asia. It was a pleasure having this company plan our travels! Highly, highly recommend. Thanks to your staff for a very special experience in Vietnam. We will forever remember your kind hospitality.
