What they wrote to us

Will Watson, a very funny guy from Alaska, USA, took our "Light Vietnam" tour from Jan 2 to Jan 9 2004, but mainly focus on Demilitarized Zone in North central Vietnam, where his parent and 5 uncles worked for US Army during Vietnam War.

His long email hereunder is not only the recommendation of Threeland, but also the story about his trip as well as the travel tips, advice and sharing experience with travellers to Vietnam.

DEAR THREELAND

I just want to thank you again for the assistance you and your staff gave me during my time in Vietnam.  As a former travel and tourism worker I know good service and the performance of your associates was superb.  In particular I would like to commend the services rendered by my tour guides in Da Nang. Mr. Tho and Mr. Hieu are quality members of the Threeland team and each deserve a raise or bonus for the way in which they handled my trip. At all times they displayed professionalism and Mr. Tho's knowledge of the region and in particular ability to shed light on the events during and after the Vietnam War were particularly helpful to me.  As I stated prior to my travel, both my parents and 5 Uncles served in the US Military during the war. Making the trip to Chu Lai was a dream come true and the pictures I took there and simply standing on the same ground that my mother did in 1970-1971 will go a long way in assisting her healing process.  While I realize I could have travelled to Chu Lai on my own or with another agency or perhaps tour guide, I doubt the experience would have been as great without the company of Mr. Tho and Mr. Hieu.  In my years of travel and tourism experience I have rarely seen two men work so hard to insure that every aspect of a tour was planned so precisely as to guarantee maximum comfort and pleasure.

I plan to return to Vietnam someday soon and would like nothing more than to have Mr. Tho and Mr. Hieu be my guides. I have already recommended Threeland and Mr. Tho and Hieu to all of my friends and family. I do not know what kind of bonus or raise system you incorporate at Threeland but these two men definitely deserve one if not both such rewards.  I plan to write a formal letter of merit for Mr. Tho and Mr. Hieu as well and would like to know who to address such a letter to.  Please email a name and proper address and I will send the letter, as well as a few photos of my trip.
Thank you again for making my dream come true.  I do not believe words  can express the joy that visiting Vietnam has brought me. Again, this joy came via the hard work of each of you especially Mr. Tho and Mr. Hieu.
 

I do however have a few comments that may insure the happiness of future customers.
1. Arriving in Saigon at 4am with no guide to meet you is a bit of an unnecessary hassle.  I arrived after 15 hours on the train to find a few taxis and other gentlemen offering "rides".  The taxi drivers were most unhelpful and did their best to raise the fare price as I spoke to five of them.  I eventually accepted a ride from a gentleman who was not a taxi driver. I reluctantly did so because he at least did not continue to raise the price to get to district one every time I asked.  I do not know if this is common practice among taxi drivers in Saigon but as the only foreigner to exit the train I believe they felt they could take advantage of me. Luckily the driver was an honest man and took me to hotel.  Actually we had to drive around for a while to find a hotel with vacancy.
2. The hassle of finding a room for the day in Saigon at 4am.  Continuing from my previous comment, the fact that I was left in Saigon at 4am, with no guide and no idea of accommodations was a bit unsettling.  I managed and pride myself as being a person who can conquer adversity.  However, future customers may not be and will definitely be upset by such things.
3. Breakfast.  I lived in Japan and understand that Asian breakfasts tend to be smaller then those typical of the West.  As breakfast is included in the package I would suggest either booking accommodations at hotels that offer a buffet style breakfast.  This way the customer can eat as much as they want without breaking any budgetary restraints.  I found that I had to order two breakfasts.  In the west a small lunch and big breakfast is typical, however I do understand the idea of living as your hosts do when travelling in foreign countries.
4. Perhaps the creation of an emergency network.  I had no reason for calling anyone or contacting my guides outside of the normal tour hours. However had a situation arose where perhaps my wallet came up missing or there was some other sort of trouble I had no 24 contact information. With the exception of Mr. Tho, who gave me his cellular number to call in case of emergency, I was left to deal with anything that might happen on my own.  Again, I am secure in my ability to handle just about anything I encounter but others may feel this is a lack of service.  Take for instance an incident involving the police.  Having a number to call other then ones embassy for immediate assistance would be extremely helpful
 

I hope my comments do not in any way make you feel that I am unimpressed  with Threeland's level of service.  As I said I enjoyed almost every aspect  of my trip.  The morning in Saigon being the only negative experience.
Also, please pay Mr. Tho and Mr. Hieu the compliment they deserve for their handling of my tour.  They deserve to be rewarded for their excellence and fine representation of not only Threeland but the Vietnamese people as well.
Thank you,

Will Watson

NOTE: THREELAND would like to note that the Saigon sector ( tours and services around Saigon ) was operated under another travel agency, whom Watson directly contacted with.

THREELAND WROTE:

Dear Will Watson
We are no doubt proud of Tho and Hieu, the tour guide and driver who are raising under our serious and effective training. Your comment would be certain encouragement of our more investment into them. They will surely work with us for long time, and they will also surely serve the future clients of THREELAND, as exactly as the way they did for you.

Once again, thanks for your precious comment and recommendation. We are very happy to be your local friend here and looking forward to meeting you again in Vietnam.