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
Amazing experience with an awesome guide
When they say “a guide makes all the difference” this is the truth!! Xuan Tu was a breath of fresh air. Her command of the English language was fabulous, her knowledge and passion for Hoi An and DaNang were over the top. Plus, the bonus was her personality! Totally bubbly and funny. The 4 of us loved our day with “Song 2”, ending with a fun rendition of carpool Kareoke with a Sean Mendez song! Thanks for a great memorable day! — Traveller: midwestjulie from Tripadvisor
Wonderful time
We have booked day tour to see Hoi An. Our guide was Hai. We enjoyed our tour so much, we changed our plans for following evening and came to Hoi An city following evening again. From the very first communication to Xuan Tu via email everything was organised very well, i got answers to my queries very promptly ( without even adjustments to time difference). Our wishes were always taken into account and few changes were made to standard itinerary. During the tour we were looked after exceptionally well, places to eat suggested were decent, little bicycle ride was enjoyable. It was only one day tour but we were shown so much and learned about the country a lot! We loved old town of Hoi An! Amazing to see so well preserved old city! Thank you very much for showing us the best! — Traveller: ribeshechka from Tripadvisor
Xuan Tu really knows her stuff!
From reading reviews & seeing clients photos, we knew that we wanted Xuan Tu (pronounced Song Tu) as our guide. She is as beautiful inside as she is outside. And really knows her information on the area. We opted for a private tour. Xuan Tu met outside the cruise port gate as promised. At this time Xuan Tu was training a young man she called Xuan One, (haha) so we were a nice foursome inside the spacious van. On to Hoi An. Xuan Tu was loaded with so much history to tell us on the way. But first, Xuan Tu wanted to take us for a Banh Mi sandwich that celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain raved that was the best he has ever eaten! It was Banh Mi Phuong in Hoi An. A very tiny restaurant with long lines. The bakery for the baguettes is next door, after eating we went there to check it out & were offered another fresh hot baguette. The fragrance of the fresh bread baking was wonderful! They stopped baking about 11:30 am. After our Bahn Mi culinary adventure, we crossed the Thu Bon River to Cam Kim Island where you will experience the Authentic Viet Nam. Visiting a carpentry village with its apprentices, watched wooden boat builders and learned about the history of the shape of the boats. Then visited a local home where families make rice paper, noodles. They start with the rice, shell the husk, grind the rice, mix it with water for the batter. Then they use the husks to fuel the fire where they cook the rice paper & noodles. (If I got the order right). A lot of work goes into this. I even got to make rice paper – it’s a fun experience. We met and took photos with the family and the grandma who is in her eighties. Then enjoyed some treats they prepared for us. Enjoyed the culture with locals who speak little or no English and lead a basic life style little changed over the years. Everyone was very nice to us. Then onto learning about the woven mats by traditional methods, this is what they still sleep on. I was given a chance to try my hand! They are a lot of work and takes hours to make just one mat! Returning to Hoi An we embark on our short walking tour of this charming Old Town, including visits to a temple, old houses with a mix of Vietnamese, Chinese, Hindu, Japanese & Portuguese influences, some dating back to 1780 and not forgetting the famous Japanese Bridge built in 1719 built without any nails. Most of the time we left the beaten track and visited an old merchant house which is now in use by a local artist. Loved the silk lanterns all over the town. It must be so Beautiful all lit up at night. I wished we had more time to shop – but I did manage to buy one silk Pashmina, about $5.00 US. Lots of Knock Off Northface products were a big item there. On our way back to the ship, Xuan Tu pointed out a few of the US hangers left over from the war, they were the only evidence of the Viet Nam war we saw. Saw Marble Mountain, from the road, but didn’t have the time to visit. You won’t go wrong with Xuan Tu as your guide. — Traveller: Linda K from Tripadvisor