Magical Memories Made with a Lasting Friendship Ending!
We never experienced a private tour so we were a little hesitaint and not really sure what to expect. We did some research on the internet and contacted Xuan Tu by email approximately three weeks before our visit to Vietnam. She immediately responded explaining the different packages her company offers. The tour descriptions were clear, well written and very easy to follow. Nevertheless we still asked many questions and Xuan Tu promptly answered all our concerns and put our minds at easy as she assured us we would have a most wonderful tour, and boy did we ever! There were three of us on the tour, my husband, adult son and myself. We selected the Hoi An tour package and put ourselves in the skillful hands of Xuan Tu. She arrived to our resort (Angsana), which was a distance, on time, with a smile, air-conditioned comfortable car and water for everybody. Xuan Tu’s warm greeting made her feel more like a family member opposed to a tour guide. She introduced our driver who never spoke but did a fantastic job throughout the day. He would stop when Xuan Tu told him and always be where we needed him with the car cool and water available. From the moment we got in the car Xuan Tu took control of our day. She informed us it was better to go over the mountain to see the beautiful views of Lang Co Bay and Da Nang. She said it took a bit longer but was worth the trip, and she was so right! It was difficult to take pictures but Xuan Tu knew exactly when to ask the driver to pull over. She asked if we liked coffee because she wanted to take us to her favorite coffee shop in her city. We all agreed and shared a delicious cup of Vietnamese coffee at the oldest coffee shop in Da Nang, Long Cafe. She was most helpful with the ordering and made suggestions for the chocolate flavored iced coffee. The conversation over coffee was most interesting as throughout the tour Xuan Tu would share facts and stories about the country. We got to talking about Da Nang her hometown and I mentioned there was so much to do in Da Nang , she agreed and suggested we make a side trip to Marble Mountain. This was not planned and off the agenda but we were so glad we got to see this amazing marvel. Marble Mountain is a cluster of five mountains which are named after the five elements, natural beauty. There are steps carved into the mountain that lead to a Buddhist Pagoda. It was a beautiful place to stop and Xuan Tu guided us effortlessly through the mountain. We stopped often throughout the tour and she shared interesting stories about the religious statues or carvings on the walls. She told us how the Viet Con used the Marble Mountain as a hospital during the War. The hike was a little difficult at times due to the slippery marble and uneven steps but she made sure we were extra careful and took breaks as needed in the hot heat. It is important to wear closed shoes, comfortable clothing and Xuan Tu gave us water and a wash cloth so we could wipe off our sweaty faces. At the top of the Mountain we stopped for drinks and Xuan Tu suggested fresh coconut water from the vendors, real refreshing! We were at Marble Mountain for approximately two hours but it was well worth the detour in our days activities. Now off to the city of Hoi An. We started by eating lunch, a Vietnamese Baguette from Bahn a restaurant made famous by Anthony Bourdine. Xuan Tu helped us order and sort out the money for payment. The food was delicious especially the soft baguette. Now on to the old city of Hoi An. We walked through the marketplace and saw many vendors with fresh fruits and vegetables, clothing and beautifully colored lanterns. Our next stop was to catch a private boat to ferry us over to Cam Kim Island. Xuan Tu had the boat waiting for us on the dock. Every step of the tour was seamless with our transportation always waiting for us and ready to go! When arriving to the island once again you are greeted by vendors. Xuan Tu walks you through saying at the end of the tour you can shop. We started at a an old dockyard where they made and fixed wooden boats with high level of skill and craft. We walked through a wood working facility and watch apprentice as well as master craftsman working. We purchased a carved wood fisherman that represented the fishing village in our eyes and the craftsman carved our name and date on the bottom to make it that extra special souvenir. From here Xuan Tu had our bikes waiting for our ride into the town. She was very considerate of our comfort and adjusted each bike to meet our needs. The bikes all had baskets on the front so they could hold our water bottles or purchases. This was probably my favorite part of the tour. it was neat to ride the bikes in the rice fields and to see the water buffalo up close. it was a little tricky to manuever the bikes with the scooters that the townspeople mostly drove. But all in all it made it a true experience. The first family we met were making rice paper/noodle that we got to experience hands on. After we shared a rice noodle snack that they made and some tea. The four generations that lived in the house including the 91 year old grandmother shared pictures with us. The next stop was by the river, it was at the house of a family that makes sleeping/placemats.The mother was weaving on the front porch when we showed up and Xuan Tu explained to us her job. The mom makes
Amazing, inspirational and fun. Heaps of fun!
Xuan Tu is an amazing young women. This was our first trip to Vietnam and we wanted to experience everything it had to offer. Xuan Tu (Sooon) had us riding push bikes around Hoi an experiencing life with locals. From making rice noodles and having morning tea to seeing a boat being restored by hand and re-launched. We dined at the best baguette shop in Hoi an had coffee at the oldest coffee shop in Da Nang. My husband did a motor bike tour and paddled on a round boat while I shopped my heart out in Hoi an. She is passionate for her country and it is clear when she talks about the culture and the pagodas. More importantly Xuan Tu gives back to the community she loves and ensures that they have a better life. Your bellies will be jammed packed full of beautiful food and your mind blown away from the experiences of the past. Totally would recommend. — Traveller: kelandmal from Tripadvisor
Great tour arrangement and an awesome tour guide!
We only had in Danang for 5 days to relax and enjoy the beaches and resort, but we also wanted to do a bit of sightseeing. This tour was absolutely perfect. The tour was well arranged, with a great driver, a spacious comfortable vehicle, and a knowledgeable tour guide, Anthony. We first visited Hoi An in the early morning, then went to My Son in the early afternoon and returned to our resort 4pm, exactly how we wanted it. Anthony were very informative about the history and he told us many interesting stories about many of the historical sites. He was also very accommodating. We made some minor requests for wanting to try local Hoi An cuisines, and he arranged to take us to a really authentic Banh Mi restaurant. Going to My Son in the afternoon was also his suggestion, which turned out to be perfect as it was not crowded at the ruins as we expected. All in all, the tour was perfect. I’d highly recommend it for anyone who is visiting the area and next time when I visit Da Nang again, I will definitely book a longer tour. — Traveller: kyc18729 from Tripadvisor
Sightseeing in and around Hoi An with Exceptional People
I did a bit of research with the help of Xuan Tu as to what to do and see in Hoi An. She was extremely helpful and we mapped out 2 days of tours, unfortunately she was unable to do the Tour with us due to a family crisis. The first day we were picked up by Ty Len and Lam for a full day tour of Hoi An which incorporated a local ferry ride to Cam Kim Island, cycling around Kim Bong Village, meeting a local family who taught us how to make Rice paper, visiting the old dockyard to see boat builders in action, also a family who weaves sleeping mats where the mother had prepared the most delicious sweet corn dessert!! Also visited a family of wood carvers producing the most beautiful artwork. On our return to Hoi An we had lunch at the most famous Banh Mi place in Hoi An, Banh Mi Phuong – amazing!! Visited lots of culturally significant sites around the town, enjoyed the best coffee in a very delightful coffee shop in a garden setting and ended up at Mr. Son’s restaurant, which was an experience in itself!! Our guides Ty Len and Lam were the two most delightful people you would want to spend the day with, chatty, happy, funny, absolutely lovely and we highly recommend them to anyone interested in a fun day out. We were all very sad at the end of the day to have to say farewell. Our second day was spent with Anthony who took us to visit the Lady Buddha, toured Marble Mountain and visited My Son Sanctuary as well as a local market in Danang. He was very knowledgeable and a very pleasant person as well and a good day was had by all. I can highly recommend Xuan Tu and her company, she is extremely professional in her approach and it is such a pity I did not get to meet her personally. Maybe next time…… Thank you guys for making our 2 days so memorable! — Traveller: Jenny S from Tripadvisor
Wonderful trips – excellent guides
Xuan Tu organised three personal tours for our family holiday. Our party was made up of nine people; me, my wife, two daughters, a son-in-law and four grandchildren – the age range being from 11 to 72. We went in July which is certainly a hot month for travelling – however, none of us found the heat troublesome during our visit. The tours were truly magnificent – we all felt we had really seen the real Vietnam both historic and modern. Our first trip was around Da Nang to see the Big Buddha and Marble Mountain and then on to the world heritage site of the temples of My Son. We really appreciated being taken to My Son in the relative cool of the afternoon and with very few tourists. Our second trip was to the riverside town of Hoi An – we went on a boat trip to an island and saw several families in their traditional environment. I was very impressed that we seemed to be so welcomed into their homes, again we saw very few other tourists which made us feel special. Our final trip was to the old Vietnamese capital of Hue, I don’t think any of us had realised prior to the visit the magnificence of the royal palaces and the dynastic tombs. For all of the trips we were picked up at our hotel in a minibus which was just for our family. We had a driver and one or two English speaking guides. There was an abundance of cold drinking water supplied and we were always taken to a restaurant for lunch – sometimes we also had a traditional Vietnamese mid-morning snack. The restaurants were always superb and very good value for money. In one they found out it was my grandson’s birthday and a cake was duly provided with the singing of ‘Happy Birthday’. The cost of the tours were each around $400 USD for all nine of us. This included all transportation, the guides, the water and all entries to museums, historic sites, etc. – a very reasonable price considering what was included. However, the real stars of the trips were the guides, Xuan Tu herself and Anthony. Their English was excellent – as was their knowledge of Vietnam both locally and generally. We all were continually asking trivial and in-depth questions which were all well answered. They stayed with us at all times and helped negotiate any purchases we wanted to make. They were also very flexible in changing the itinerary if we wanted to do something slight different, eg. in Hoi An we wanted to wander around a traditional covered market and this was duly organised for us at a moments notice. I think the main compliment I could give was that we felt that they became our family friends during our time together. — Traveller: ChrisCBlake from Tripadvisor