Happy trip and worth it
First trip to central Vietnam, Da Nang and I chanced upon this forum. i contacted Xuân Tú (pronounced Soong Tú) she was very patience and provide good suggestion, We decided to opt for this tour packages (Da Nang and Cam Kim island Tour). Xuan Tu did not attend to us but assigned her colleague, Tommy to take care of us, me and my friend. On the date of the tour, i was not feeling too well in the morning, our tour started at 9am. We did the first stop at the local coffeehouse and Tommy noticed that i was not feeling well and suggested that i should go back to the hotel and rest for an hour before heading off to Hoi an. i was grateful to him and seek his advise. He came by again at 11am to pick us up at the hotel, although i am not well but an hour of rest did calm me a bit, we proceed to Hoi AN. Tommy was a patience guy and he gave many suggestion throughout the journey. We went on to tour Hoi an and the island tour and visited two local house by bike. it was indeed fun and eye catcher for us from the City. Haha. first time i saw water buffalo in my eyes, crossing our paths. we have fun evening in Hoi An although it was raining. We end the tour with a visit to the Lady buddha and dragon bridge. i must said it was a fun, and enjoyable trip with Tommy. we chat a lot and is good to have him to bring us around. for those traveller who want to experience the local lifestyle of da nang and hoi an or other places, you can count on them to provide you the best of both world. i will come back and look for them in the future. thank you for the time and god bless! cheers Baldwin 29th Sept to 2 Oct 2016 — Traveller: BaldwinL9 from Tripadvisor
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