9 Sep 2015

I just returned from a 2-week tour of Vietnam with Brian and Sheryl of Essential History Expeditions. When I initially read the itinerary on this trip, it immediately piqued my interest and I signed up. But there was no way that I could ever imagine what an educational, cultural and pleasing experience of the senses this would be. We did not just go to typical tourist sites in Vietnam, instead we traversed the country starting in the south in Ho Chi Minh City and making our way up through the Central Highlands, stopping along the coast, winding up mountainous regions eventually ending up in Hanoi and then almost to the Chinese boarder in the Tonkinese Mountains of Sapa. We visited sites in the cities, in villages and along rivers- the Mekong, the Perfume and the Red Rivers. We learned so much about the history of this country through Brian’s expertise and his military knowledge – he immersed us in the history at the very sites where it took place – at battle grounds, prisons, forts and fortresses, Presidential palaces, Vietcong hand dug tunnels and trenches…
Between Sheryl and Nhu, a Vietnamese tour guide who traveled with us,  every detail of the trip was planned and executed – from the travel from place to place to the hotels and restaurants and sites to see. Whether traveling by van, SUV, boat, or cyclo – our vehicle awaited us at the very hour it was scheduled. The accommodations at each hotel we stayed at were superb and each restaurant a unique atmospheric and new and tasty experience for the palate. I can’t say or write enough about this tour company and about Sheryl and Brian – not only their attention to detail and their knowledge, but also their warmth, enthusiasm and their genuine concern for each participant who travels with them.