Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
We, 2 couples, returned from our 18-day private tour just before the Christmas holiday. To say that everything went perfectly would be an understatement. While we had a bit of difficulty getting Kata from Indochina Pioneers to respond to our planning requests, we ended up with what was truly a trip of a lifetime!! All of our tour guides and drivers were truly exceptional. I wanted to give some extra kudos Juan in Luang Prabang and Chesda in Phnom Penh – both were outstanding thoughtful guides. I should mention the others, as each guide was great – Larry in HCMC, Tuan in Hoi An and Hue, Tony in Hanoi and Chai in Siem Reap. All of the hotels we stayed at were top notch. All flights organized by Indochina Pioneer went smoothly. As for the sights and sounds of Southeast Asia – this was truly a life-changing visit. While our itinerary was quite clear as to the activities we would see, we had no idea how extraordinary everything would be. We especially enjoyed our exploration of the various street foods in Hanoi that Tony took us to. While “his” places deviated from the itinerary, they were absolutely fantastic!! Our one night on Halong Bay went by too quickly. We spent 4 nights in Luang Prabang, Laos and found this to be just magical. Siem Reap was just amazing. While Angkor Wat is on everyone’s bucket list, we found that each of the ancient temples was equally magnificent. Although the trip ended on a bit solemn note in Phnom Phen with a visit to the Killing Fields and the accompanying prison, Chesda added a little trip to the market and lunch which, for me, softened things some. Overall, this trip was awesome. The only problem now is finding our next trip – this one’s going to be very difficult to top!! I highly recommend Indochina Pioneer to help you plan your own trip to Southeast Asia.
