Travelling to Vietnam alone - organised tour or DIY ?

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stevewestern

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I'm thinking of going to Vietnam for a few weeks, I think mainly the south.
I've not travelled alone for many years and am not sure I'll like my own company so am wondering about going on an organised tour.
A quick visit to TrailFinders and they say they do groups of up to 16, largely solo travellers so I'm sure there will be a few I'll connect with and who have similar interests (I'm 67 so don't want to party hard every night nor am I up to many miles of walking each day)
I don't need expensive hotels, fancy food or lots of luxury.
Has anyone done this sort of trip, do you have any suggestions or things I ought to bear in mind?
Thanks!
 
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I have given up overseas holidays myself but I am much older than you. However, we had a club talk last year from a professional photographer (Julian Elliott) who has specialised in Vietnam. He has clearly developed much expertise and useful contacts which opens opportunities for great photography. I suggest you look at his website https://www.julianelliottphotography.com/photography-tours/vietnam-photo-tour/

Dave
 
If you are good at research and planning then I suppose you could DIY but there's so much to see and do that I think I'd need help so I can see how a tour or at least guide of some sort could be a good idea.

Good luck with it Steve, I hope you have a holiday to remember.
 
Dave Canon said:
I have given up overseas holidays myself but I am much older than you. However, we had a club talk last year from a professional photographer (Julian Elliott) who has specialised in Vietnam. He has clearly developed much expertise and useful contacts which opens opportunities for great photography. I suggest you look at his website https://www.julianelliottphotography.com/photography-tours/vietnam-photo-tour/

Dave
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woof woof said:
If you are good at research and planning then I suppose you could DIY but there's so much to see and do that I think I'd need help so I can see how a tour or at least guide of some sort could be a good idea.

Good luck with it Steve, I hope you have a holiday to remember.
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Thank you both for your replies. I'll take a good look at Julian Elliotts website and heed your advice Mr WW!
I'd far rather go with my wife but she's going to be with mountain gorilla's on a trip too physical for me so I need to rediscover my independence and go alone.
I think I'll plan to go on a tour with others and then stay on for another week or so as I'd like to think I'll have regained some confidence by then. My girls went a couple of years ago so have plenty of advice about places to see, but this is more about me finding my feet again.
No idea what to take re camera gear but may buy a little sony rx whatever instead of taking a bag of gear.
Again, many thanks for the help and encouragement, it's really appreciated.
 
I did a Vietnam trip with a mate some years ago we used a company called Explore, they offer good value, no-frills trips.

Book Adventure Travel & Small Group Tours | Explore Worldwide - Explore

Explore our range of over 350 amazing adventure holidays and small group tours, and enjoy unforgettable experiences with our expert local guides.
www.explore.co.uk www.explore.co.uk
It was mostly singletons… you can pay extra to have a room to yourself or if you’re prepared to share then it’s cheaper. Personally I wouldn’t want to share with a stranger but plenty of people are happy enough to do it. I thought Vietnam was a fascinating country and well worth the visit. I would also include the north if you’ve got the time, there’s some great things to see. We tacked on an extension to Cambodia as well.
 
boogie man said:
I did a Vietnam trip with a mate some years ago we used a company called Explore, they offer good value, no-frills trips.

Book Adventure Travel & Small Group Tours | Explore Worldwide - Explore

Explore our range of over 350 amazing adventure holidays and small group tours, and enjoy unforgettable experiences with our expert local guides.
www.explore.co.uk www.explore.co.uk
It was mostly singletons… you can pay extra to have a room to yourself or if you’re prepared to share then it’s cheaper. Personally I wouldn’t want to share with a stranger but plenty of people are happy enough to do it. I thought Vietnam was a fascinating country and well worth the visit. I would also include the north if you’ve got the time, there’s some great things to see. We tacked on an extension to Cambodia as well.
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Thank you Larry, very helpful and it sounds like the kind of thing I'd like, no frills, I'll have a look at your link!
 
boogie man said:
I did a Vietnam trip with a mate some years ago we used a company called Explore, they offer good value, no-frills trips.

Book Adventure Travel & Small Group Tours | Explore Worldwide - Explore

Explore our range of over 350 amazing adventure holidays and small group tours, and enjoy unforgettable experiences with our expert local guides.
www.explore.co.uk www.explore.co.uk
It was mostly singletons… you can pay extra to have a room to yourself or if you’re prepared to share then it’s cheaper. Personally I wouldn’t want to share with a stranger but plenty of people are happy enough to do it. I thought Vietnam was a fascinating country and well worth the visit. I would also include the north if you’ve got the time, there’s some great things to see. We tacked on an extension to Cambodia as well.
Click to expand...
Just been having a look at the Explore website - looks very interesting!
 
stevewestern said:
Just been having a look at the Explore website - looks very interesting!
Click to expand...
I can really recommend them Steve. I’ve done several trips with them : Thailand, Vietnam/Cambodia, Spain/Morocco, India/Nepal. All the trips have been well organised with a good balance of things to see and do plus some downtime. The guides have always been excellent and I’ve made some genuine lifelong friends from both the India and Thailand tours. You won’t get luxury accommodation but it’ll always be clean and comfortable.
 
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