We Fell in Love with Viet Nam and with our guide “Soong To” / Xuan Tu
Just returned last week from a Crystal Cruise where likely our best highlight was the day we spent In Da Nang and Hoi An. Through much pre-cruise research for each of our stops we booked several independent tours so that our group of four could have our experiences tailored to just what we wanted to see in each city. Looking at all of Soong To’s Trip Advisor reviews and having had several emails back and forth we knew we had to book with Soong To! The promptness of her communications in addition to her skilled English and thorough details throughout our planning process gave us the confidence that we were in store for a great day. Soong Tu picked us up with her driver promptly at our port holding a sign with our name at the planned meeting spot. She arrived well before our boat had even docked as she mentioned traffic is always unpredictable. We could see that as the owner of her own company she takes great care and responsibility for any one of her bookings whether she leads the tour or whether one of her associates do. We followed the script of our pre-determined tour by heading to Da Nang. Her passion for guiding us in her native country was palpable. When Soong To saw a gathering of fisherman and their wives at a beach along the way she had the driver stop and we got out to see their wives collecting and selling their catch. What an great unplanned experience to see locals pulling over on the highway getting off their motor bikes to shop fresh fish. Our second stop was the town of Hoi An. She showed such enthusiasm teaching us the history of “her city” and showing us the streets and sites where she grew up and continues to live. This stop allowed us some desired shopping (with Soong To’s bargaining skills) but also was full of historical information she shared as we walked. As an important aside, not only does Soong To have an excellent command of English but she has such a wonderful sense of humor and intelligence. Soong To is very culture savy (we are from the US ) and it was immensely enjoyable discussing cultural issues through the day. She knows all of the popular American songs and television shows so we had lots of fun singing in the car as well! Lunch was as locals do and Soong To brought us to a wonderful street side restaurant for an unbelievably delicious lunch. She even arranged for delivery of a Vietnamese type sandwich we had talked about wanting to try earlier. She had those brought from another specialty location just to make sure we tried the best! Our last stop was at Marble Mountain and the Lady Buddha which I will spare details about but will say that Soong To took us through every nook and cranny of the caves while detailing the war history behind the site. On the way back to the ship we pulled over to receive iced Vietnamese coffee she had her cousin purchase and deliver to us roadside. By the end of the day we felt we were leaving a very dear friend and we sincerely offered up mutual future visits to each others homes. Do not skip the opportunity to get to know Xuan Tu’s home with her as your guide. We can’t wait to go back and visit our new friend. — Traveller: lucky1sue from Tripadvisor
Personalized and Flexible Tour Guides
Our family has only been on one tour previous to this one with Xuan Tu tours in Vietnam. Our initial experience left me wanting to craft our own tour using TripAdvisor and taxis. Our private tour in Bali ended up on what felt more like a “tour of a series of gift shops”. Needless to say, my family had low expectations for this tour. Thankfully, we decided to try another tour and Xuan Tu more than exceeded expectations, as did our guide Hai. I wanted an authentic tour given by people who loved their country and wanted to share their knowledge and personal take on their city. This is truly the service Xuan Tu Tours provided! Hai took us to all the places tailored with hands-on activities for kids. Plus, when we first met, I asked if we could find a place to buy Vietnamese coffee and skip some of the temples. He took us off the normal tour to the market in the center of Hoi An. Hai knew many of the local places, off the beaten track, as he was born in Hoi An. The best part of the tour for me was Cam Kim Island where we rode bikes through a small village to see nearly lost arts like fresh noodle making over a fire, hand basket weaving by two sisters on their front porch and wooden boat hand craftsmanship. The best part for my three sons was lunch. Hai took us to a local place, Old Garden, down a narrow alley where the Pho broth was aromatic and savory. My sons really enjoyed Hai and his co-worker, Edward. So much so, they talked them into eating lunch with us and playing a card game of Uno. It was a fun lunch, full of laughter and joking. The hardest part of the tour was the heat. There is much to do and see in Hoi An. I would have preferred if after lunch, the tour took an hour break to just sit in a coffeehouse or somewhere with a breeze, out of the sun. We did ask for a shortened tour and I know Hai was trying to make the most of our early departure by showing us his favorite places in a city he truly loves. We brought along water, which was a good idea. Though you can buy bottled water anywhere in Hoi An. This tour is 80% walking. You can rent bikes on Cam Kim Island and also ride a ferry to the island. Otherwise, it is a purely walking tour. Hoi An is such a lovely city with hidden vistas and shops, on foot is best, if you can take the heat. We are very glad we chose Xuan Tu Tours and would highly recommend you budget part of your vacation funds for this excursion. It was well worth it. — Traveller: Amy C from Tripadvisor
Very professional private tour tag team
We contacted Xuân Tú via email and WhatsApp prior to our trip to Da Nang. She was very responsive and clear with the tour information and fee quote. There was no hidden charge. We booked a day tour to My Son and Hoi An. Tommy was our guide for the day. He was early and the car was clean and safe (with no broken seat belt – something that was not uncommon in our experience with local taxis). The driver drove safely. Tommy was very knowledgeable about local history and his English was good. He graduated in tourism from university. Tommy was very personable yet professional. We were traveling with three generations, and he was very sensitive to the little one’s audacity to explore versus grandma’s energy level as we visited the UNESCO sites in My Son. Tommy’s historical and cultural insights and knowledge helped us to appreciate the sites and their significance so much more. Tommy made it interesting for the young and old alike. Following an enjoyable lunch in Hoi An, we walked around the beautiful old town. Unfortunately, one of us got sick, but Tommy was quick to help. Had he not been there, we certainly would have found ourselves in a bind. We had a terrific day out. We were well taken care of, and enjoyed the sites and the beauty of the Da Nang area and the hospitality of the local people. Xuân Tú also arranged for airport transfer for us. From the airport, the driver unexpectedly got sick and was late picking us up. Xuân Tú immediately arranged for another driver for us and waived the service fee. Her professionalism and ability to recover made all the difference. We have already recommended this team to some friends who will visit Da Nang later this year. — Traveller: ToroFarm from Tripadvisor
A Tour Guide that makes you want to come back!
I was on a SE Asian cruise with friends, and our boat docked at the Chan May port for only about 8 hours. Fortunately, the tour guide we hired — Anthony, a guide from the company PrivateHoiAnGuide.com — was exceptional in every way. He was not only extremely personable, knowledgable and interesting, but his English was excellent… and, as a bonus, he had a great sense of humor. In the short time we were in this area, Anthony provided a thorough and rich history of the sites we visited and he clearly loved sharing his passion for his beautiful country. We spent the morning in Danang exploring one of the caves in Marble Mountain, and the exquisite Linh Ung Pagoda and Lady Buddha. And of course, whenever we asked, Anthony had the driver stop along the way for photos. We then headed to the charming UNESCO World Heritage City of Hoi An, where we had lunch, visited a silk factory and walked around together and managed to shop a bit. On the way back to the ship, I mentioned that I wanted to buy some freshwater pearl jewelry for my daughters, and Anthony had the driver detour to a lovely little shop. He couldn’t have been more helpful throughout the day! One final comment: the following day I got a lovely thank you email from Anthony, with beautiful photos attached of a few sites that we talked about, but did not have time to visit. Anthony was, without a doubt, a tour guide that made us all want to come back to Vietnam for more! — Traveller: Born2Travel66 from Tripadvisor
Wonderful Da Nang & Hoi An Tour
We enjoyed our trip to Da Nang & Hoi An. From the very first email Xuan Tu sent me, she has proved to be a very efficient and courteous individual. She organized a private tour for the 4 of us who arrived Chan May port on a cruise ship. Xuan Tu, however, was not available on that particular day, of which we had been told in advance. Our tour guide Lam was a very cheerful and happy person. Before we left our ship for the day trip, Lam was already there waiting for us. He greeted us with a big smile. Lam was an excellent guide. Not only did he show us the places, he explained in great details on everything we saw. His detailed explanation of the several places enriched our understanding of the Vietnamese culture. My husband had not been feeling well due to fatigue and the hot weather, Lam did everything possible to make my husband feel better. We were lucky to have Lam helping us. We had a wonderful time with him in Da Nang and Hoi An. — Traveller: Hing2013 from Tripadvisor