Beware vietvalue travel day tour in vietnam

[mtlcruiser10]

we use them for tour in Danang , Saigon , Nhatrang they will give you a price that you have to prepay and they will come pick you up but somewhere during the tour they will call and ask for extra 50 % all kind of excuse what can you do if you are 2 hres away from the ship it was only 40 dollars more no big deal but the way it was done isn t ok

 

should they ask us before leaving the pier maybe it would have been a bit less frustrating , been stuck in the middle of no where that is dishonest

 

so if you can choose have a another tour operator don t use vietvalue travel they are dishonest and arrogant

 

but enjoy vietnam it is so nice

 

sylvain

[Jade13]

we use them for tour in Danang , Saigon , Nhatrang they will give you a price that you have to prepay and they will come pick you up but somewhere during the tour they will call and ask for extra 50 % all kind of excuse what can you do if you are 2 hres away from the ship it was only 40 dollars more no big deal but the way it was done isn t ok

 

should they ask us before leaving the pier maybe it would have been a bit less frustrating , been stuck in the middle of no where that is dishonest

 

so if you can choose have a another tour operator don t use vietvalue travel they are dishonest and arrogant

 

but enjoy vietnam it is so nice

 

sylvain

 

The company we are using is cash that day. Whenever we deal with tour guides (and even more so when cash is to be paid at the end of the tour), we always go over the costs when we get in the van. I show the confirmation email and/or typed itinerary to whomever is driving us so there is a clear understanding of what is included and what is not included and in detail that all tolls, petrol etc. are included. I have the guides type up all included entrance fees (not "entrance fees included"). So far I've never had a problem.

 

Did they ever say what was the problem, especially since you should have had a confirmation? How many people as $40.00 is a lot in Vietnam. Did they do the same at three different ports?

[alanmal]

we use them for tour in Danang , Saigon , Nhatrang they will give you a price that you have to prepay and they will come pick you up but somewhere during the tour they will call and ask for extra 50 % all kind of excuse what can you do if you are 2 hres away from the ship it was only 40 dollars more no big deal but the way it was done isn t ok

 

should they ask us before leaving the pier maybe it would have been a bit less frustrating , been stuck in the middle of no where that is dishonest

 

so if you can choose have a another tour operator don t use vietvalue travel they are dishonest and arrogant

 

but enjoy vietnam it is so nice

 

sylvain

 

When did you have the problem with them (year)?

[Jade13]

we use them for tour in Danang , Saigon , Nhatrang they will give you a price that you have to prepay and they will come pick you up but somewhere during the tour they will call and ask for extra 50 % all kind of excuse what can you do if you are 2 hres away from the ship it was only 40 dollars more no big deal but the way it was done isn t ok

 

should they ask us before leaving the pier maybe it would have been a bit less frustrating , been stuck in the middle of no where that is dishonest

 

so if you can choose have a another tour operator don t use vietvalue travel they are dishonest and arrogant

 

but enjoy vietnam it is so nice

 

sylvain

http://www.vietvaluetravel.com/

 

This company? How are the tours different on the web vs what you paid?

[greatam]

These kind of things happen all the time in Asia and the Middle East. I have posted it before and will repeat a small portion of the longer post.

 

This SPECIFICALLY refers to Vietnam, but happens all the time all over the area.

 

History-Sinh Cafe was the start of tour operators in Vietnam. The original Sinh Cafe was started in 1991 by Le Van Sinh. He basically opened up tourism in Vietnam right after Vietnam opened to the Western World. Now, there is a Sinh Cafe on every corner in Hanoi and half of Saigon. BUT there is only ONE Sinh Cafe-the rest are knockoffs. Maybe we should call it "Communists meet Capitalists".

 

What they do soooo often-they get a website, book tours, they are trying to make some money. A lot of the "new tour operators" have NO concept of what it takes to do a tour, the logistics involved, how much things really cost. They just want to make money. And they figure this is an easy way to do it. Hence, you will see lots of Sinh Cafe Travel, Sinh Cafe Excursions, Sinh Cafe Adventures, etc. etc. Some of the better ones actually are smart enough to book you on an ORIGINAL Sinh Cafe tour, pocket some commission and be done with it. But others THINK they can duplicate tours or conduct their own. And this is where the problems start.

 

Email confirmations-I sure wouldn't take 1/2 of them to the bank. Where are you going to go to court if things go badly-Vietnam??? How about insurance for a serious car wreck (happens A LOT in Vietnam)??? What happens if you get sick or hurt on their tour?? Those are questions a lot of people booking tours neglect to ask and believe me, a lot of the "tour operators" will just cut and run if anything bad happens. They have NEVER even thought of these things because these thoughts are NOT part of the culture.

 

And being asked for more money-yes, it happens frequently. Americans have a tendency to book things via splashy websites and CHEAP prices. And most in Asia/the Middle East realize this. In this case, you often get what you pay for. "Tour operators" book a cheap car to go along with the "cheap" tour they sold you and then the driver realizes that the $10.00 he told the tour operator he would charge is NOT enough to cover his costs and put gas in the car. So you get asked for money as you are running out of gas. Or the tour operator told YOU that entrance fees were included and put it in the famous email confirmation but FORGOT to tell the driver/guide AND give him the money to PAY for entrance fees or food or whatever. Again, you are asked for money. Who are you going to call??? Where are you going to send an email from to the "tour operator"?? How are you going to handle this??? You are going to pay a few more dollars and get on with your business. HOPEFULLY, you book the next time with reputable tour operators and NOT those with splashy websites and cheap prices.

 

I can hardly wait to see what happens when the cruise ships start stopping at some off the wall ports in the Persian Gulf. All TCN's (third country nationals) in that part of the world are holding their breath waiting for the cruise ship tourist to port in Kuwait City. Everyone is trying to buy a car so they can take cruise ship tourists on "tour". They are popping up fancy websites that LOOK like they have been in business FOREVER and know what they are doing. NO, they are TCN's, in Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Muscat, Qatar, most on a work visa working for a multi national for a few dollars a day (more than they make in their own countries, but not much). MOST have never been to the places you want to go, let alone be able to give you much info. MOST have no idea how much it will cost to run these tours and what Westerners REALLY want. They all think a fancy car, cheap price and fancy websites sell the business. And a good percentage of them are right-SOMEONE will buy their tour and a good percentage of those buyers will be SORELY disappointed.

 

This is how the "tour business" got started in Vietnam/Cambodia and how it still continues today in a lot of Asia. New operators with NO idea other than they need a car are now in the "tour" business. STICK with tried and true tour operators. Don't buy on price or from flashy websites. And please don't think if you get ripped off, there is ANYTHING you can do about it. Just grin and bear it.

[Jade13]

These kind of things happen all the time in Asia and the Middle East. I have posted it before and will repeat a small portion of the longer post.

 

This SPECIFICALLY refers to Vietnam, but happens all the time all over the area.

 

History-Sinh Cafe was the start of tour operators in Vietnam. The original Sinh Cafe was started in 1991 by Le Van Sinh. He basically opened up tourism in Vietnam right after Vietnam opened to the Western World. Now, there is a Sinh Cafe on every corner in Hanoi and half of Saigon. BUT there is only ONE Sinh Cafe-the rest are knockoffs. Maybe we should call it "Communists meet Capitalists".

 

What they do soooo often-they get a website, book tours, they are trying to make some money. A lot of the "new tour operators" have NO concept of what it takes to do a tour, the logistics involved, how much things really cost. They just want to make money. And they figure this is an easy way to do it. Hence, you will see lots of Sinh Cafe Travel, Sinh Cafe Excursions, Sinh Cafe Adventures, etc. etc. Some of the better ones actually are smart enough to book you on an ORIGINAL Sinh Cafe tour, pocket some commission and be done with it. But others THINK they can duplicate tours or conduct their own. And this is where the problems start.

 

Email confirmations-I sure wouldn't take 1/2 of them to the bank. Where are you going to go to court if things go badly-Vietnam??? How about insurance for a serious car wreck (happens A LOT in Vietnam)??? What happens if you get sick or hurt on their tour?? Those are questions a lot of people booking tours neglect to ask and believe me, a lot of the "tour operators" will just cut and run if anything bad happens. They have NEVER even thought of these things because these thoughts are NOT part of the culture.

 

And being asked for more money-yes, it happens frequently. Americans have a tendency to book things via splashy websites and CHEAP prices. And most in Asia/the Middle East realize this. In this case, you often get what you pay for. "Tour operators" book a cheap car to go along with the "cheap" tour they sold you and then the driver realizes that the $10.00 he told the tour operator he would charge is NOT enough to cover his costs and put gas in the car. So you get asked for money as you are running out of gas. Or the tour operator told YOU that entrance fees were included and put it in the famous email confirmation but FORGOT to tell the driver/guide AND give him the money to PAY for entrance fees or food or whatever. Again, you are asked for money. Who are you going to call??? Where are you going to send an email from to the "tour operator"?? How are you going to handle this??? You are going to pay a few more dollars and get on with your business. HOPEFULLY, you book the next time with reputable tour operators and NOT those with splashy websites and cheap prices.

 

I can hardly wait to see what happens when the cruise ships start stopping at some off the wall ports in the Persian Gulf. All TCN's (third country nationals) in that part of the world are holding their breath waiting for the cruise ship tourist to port in Kuwait City. Everyone is trying to buy a car so they can take cruise ship tourists on "tour". They are popping up fancy websites that LOOK like they have been in business FOREVER and know what they are doing. NO, they are TCN's, in Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Muscat, Qatar, most on a work visa working for a multi national for a few dollars a day (more than they make in their own countries, but not much). MOST have never been to the places you want to go, let alone be able to give you much info. MOST have no idea how much it will cost to run these tours and what Westerners REALLY want. They all think a fancy car, cheap price and fancy websites sell the business. And a good percentage of them are right-SOMEONE will buy their tour and a good percentage of those buyers will be SORELY disappointed.

 

This is how the "tour business" got started in Vietnam/Cambodia and how it still continues today in a lot of Asia. New operators with NO idea other than they need a car are now in the "tour" business. STICK with tried and true tour operators. Don't buy on price or from flashy websites. And please don't think if you get ripped off, there is ANYTHING you can do about it. Just grin and bear it.

 

Greatam, if you are still in Saigon can you ask your friend if they have heard of Smile Tours Vietnam? They aren't asking for any money upfront, seem very organized and tell me they are licensed to pick up in the port.

 

The problem is that there aren't many "tried and true" tour operators in Vietnam popping up on Cruise Critic. And your friend got ripped off by the cruise tourists.

[mtlcruiser10]

we used them in january 2008 we were on the rapshody of the sea ( the one you put the link ) they only did that in Danang we had everything in writing , they (mme HA) call from Hanoi head office asking for money appenrently they made a mistake that they give us a price on a pick up at another pier they admit it was their error but that the car company ask for more ?

they would have tell us that at the start we would have paid for it and forget it put been ask in the middle of no where you pay or we drop you here sorry that i cant take

 

we used tour operator in China , Japan, Cambodia , Thailand , Korea , over the year never had any problem , some we pay before thru paypal or after the tour cash

 

the guide was a french speaking she was very good and professional it wasnt her fault and we could see that she was very sorry for us

 

they use the same rip off trick on 3 other peoples that were travelling on our ship that we gave them as reference and after other people reply back to us thru forum that same thing happen to them with vietvalue travel

 

we only talk about it so other can maybe make another choice that what forum are good for exchange good and bad info

 

but we havent let this incident change our plan or vacation it is only for the principal even 10 dollars obtain thru threat isn t fair and told them i would tell everyone about the scam

 

you should not loose your business name and reputation for a mistake you make that all and happy customer is the best publicity

 

hope it help you make a good choice in the search of and tour operator

 

sorry for my english writting i m french speaking

 

sylvain

[Jade13]

we used them in january 2008 we were on the rapshody of the sea ( the one you put the link ) they only did that in Danang we had everything in writing , they (mme HA) call from Hanoi head office asking for money appenrently they made a mistake that they give us a price on a pick up at another pier they admit it was their error but that the car company ask for more ?

they would have tell us that at the start we would have paid for it and forget it put been ask in the middle of no where you pay or we drop you here sorry that i cant take

 

we used tour operator in China , Japan, Cambodia , Thailand , Korea , over the year never had any problem , some we pay before thru paypal or after the tour cash

 

the guide was a french speaking she was very good and professional it wasnt her fault and we could see that she was very sorry for us

 

they use the same rip off trick on 3 other peoples that were travelling on our ship that we gave them as reference and after other people reply back to us thru forum that same thing happen to them with vietvalue travel

 

we only talk about it so other can maybe make another choice that what forum are good for exchange good and bad info

 

but we havent let this incident change our plan or vacation it is only for the principal even 10 dollars obtain thru threat isn t fair and told them i would tell everyone about the scam

 

you should not loose your business name and reputation for a mistake you make that all and happy customer is the best publicity

 

hope it help you make a good choice in the search of and tour operator

 

sorry for my english writting i m french speaking

 

sylvain

 

Sylvain,

 

Your English is good. Thanks for the follow-up as it sounds like your guide was good, just an issue with the company and driver and port pick-up. I was wondering if your cruiseline changed ports as you said this happened to multiple people in Danang. But I agree they should have said something when you got in the car/van. This is what Greatam is saying about these tour operators being new to the tour business in Vietnam.

 

In Bejing I have one price for pick-up at an airport hotel and another if we stay downtown. If I got picked up at the port it would be another cost.

 

Btw, which port were you at vs which one they initially thought you would be at when you paid?

 

I agree, a good company would eat the cost, and depend on the good reviews to follow for word of mouth business, which is cheaper and better than advertising.

[mtlcruiser10]

thanks we did not gave them a specific pier because in asia they often use shipping pier and the ship get the pier info at the last minute , so we gave them the name an date of arrival , they said no problem we will find the right pier , no problem like in most case in other asia port they know where to go and wait for you at the gate with a sign and after we came back home i look at a map and the pier we dock was the closest one to our tour in Danang and Hoian ? we didn t choose them for the price but because they offert french speaking guide and they were not the cheapest one .

 

the only problem is more with vietvalue attitude with us , to be honest i could not care less about the $40 dollar we had a nice tour with a great guide and saw everything that was on the schedule that we have done ourself

 

we think that other traveller should tell their story good or bad so other will make a clear choice , that way the bad tour operator will loose business and we will have more confidence in the tour we book before leaving

 

also we joined a group from our ship in Hanoi in a tour they organised it was very very good and professional would use them again if we go back in vietnam the name is vietnam today travel very friendly .

 

hope it will help in making your choice but enjoy vietnam is very nice

[mtlcruiser10]

what cruise are you going on ? we did azamara quest last march from Tianjing (pekin) to hkg very nice the quest leaving january 23 2010 ?/ is very nice , try to go to Hanoi during a overnight in Halong bay

 

we did all those port of call in 2008 was superb

[Jade13]

what cruise are you going on ? we did azamara quest last march from Tianjing (pekin) to hkg very nice the quest leaving january 23 2010 ?/ is very nice , try to go to Hanoi during a overnight in Halong bay

 

we did all those port of call in 2008 was superb

 

February 6 from Hong Kong to Singapore. We are not going to Halong Bay. We decided on the other itinerary that stops in Cambodia as we are going to Angkor Wat. You could still go to Siem Reap from Bangkok but than you would miss Thailand. Basically we decided on Angkor Wat over Hanoi. Personally I would have tweaked the itinerary with one day in HCMC (instead of two) and Halong Bay/Hanoi.

 

This will be our first time on Azamara and have been hesitant because we thought Celebrity was just Ok. We love HAL but they pulled Rotterdam out of Asia next year (or at least the first half of the year). Azamara should be the perfect size for us.

[mtlcruiser10]

please dont get stuck with a dishonest tour operator hat will give a price and try to get extra after

beware of tour vietvalue travel

 

but enjoy vietnam

[tommui987]

 

but enjoy vietnam it is so nice

 

sylvain

 

Sylvain:

 

Would you please contact me tommui(at)hawaii(dot)rr(dot)com. Would appreciate some information on Sihanoukville.

 

Merci!

 

Tom

[SwissMyst]

As long as we are trash-talking Vietnam tour operators I swore I would not rest until I saw Kim's tours to Halong Bay go bankrupt and shut their doors after watching them dump all their trash off the back of their ship. We yelled and waved at them to stop and they just ignored us and left the crap floating all around us.

[greatam]

As long as we are trash-talking Vietnam tour operators I swore I would not rest until I saw Kim's tours to Halong Bay go bankrupt and shut their doors after watching them dump all their trash off the back of their ship. We yelled and waved at them to stop and they just ignored us and left the crap floating all around us.

 

It just totally amazes me that Westerners think our standards are world wide. Throwing trash into the ocean, the rivers and anyplace it lands is COMMON practice in a lot of the developing world. The dirtiest river I have ever seen is the Urubamba in Peru (the river that runs along the train to MP).

 

Ever been to Kuwait??? One of the richest countries in the world-every native Kuwaiti gets $60,480 per year as their living allowance PLUS land and government help to build a house/villa. There is a lot of trash all over Kuwait City but outside Kuwait City proper, the trash is simply unbelievable. It is literally everywhere. It just gets "dumped" wherever anyone feels like it. Same thing in a lot of the Middle East except where there is DIRECT WESTERN impact (Iraq and Afghanistan are pretty clean). We have IMPOSED our standards on those places.

 

So why in the world Westerners think we can impose our standards on others in the world is beyond me? This is EXACTLY what the "climate change" conference is about in Copenhagen. But guess what-they want the WESTERN countries to pay for others in the developing world. Do you REALLY think ANY amount of money will change long ingrained cultural habits? Not on your life. Until the natives of various countries REALIZE that not only does the rest of the world look unfavorably on them, but they are effecting their own livlihood will anything change. That won't happen for a long time!!!!

[laughing husky]

Greatam.....AMEN :)

[SwissMyst]

Halong Bay, Vietnam is a protected UNESCO World Heritage site: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/672

 

NO trash dumping from the boats allowed. They were in clear and obvious violation. Go ahead, kill the whole reason you make money off tourists.

 

And find something better to replace the income it generates. Tourist are pollution too. Something better than tourism is your best choice.

But until you do, crapping up your own backyard destroys things even you should be protecting. Dont' forget this was crap from a tour boat full of westerners, not biodegradable stuff from a local fishing boat. You let in the stupid tourists in the first place; at least ask they don't crap up your own backyard like they did off of Kims tours. Have a little more pride in what Nature gave you as incredible scenery in your own country.

[greatam]

Halong Bay, Vietnam is a protected UNESCO World Heritage site: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/672

 

NO trash dumping from the boats allowed. They were in clear and obvious violation. Go ahead, kill the whole reason you make money off tourists.

 

UNESCO-an organization NOW administered by the UN BUT started by the USA. IMPOSING Western Standards and ideas on developing countries.

 

UNESCO protects things to the extent that they are NOT destroyed, although even that doesn't go very far. The Taliban blew up the World's largest Buddhist statues in 2001.

 

UNESCO cannot and does not impose rules regarding trash or dumping from boats. And regarding Halong Bay, the protection applies to the caves and karsts, NOT the ocean, which is part of the South China Sea. Just like any territorial waters, it is up to the country that controls those territorial waters to impose rules and regulations involving dumping and pollution. Not that I am condoning dumping-it is just not part of the rules and regulations of the Vietnamese government.

 

 

And find something better to replace the income it generates. Tourist are pollution too. Something better than tourism is your best choice.

But until you do, crapping up your own backyard destroys things even you should be protecting. Dont' forget this was crap from a tour boat full of westerners, not biodegradable stuff from a local fishing boat. You let in the stupid tourists in the first place; at least ask they don't crap up your own backyard like they did off of Kims tours. Have a little more pride in what Nature gave you as incredible scenery in your own country.

 

As I posted previously, this is a way of looking at the situation through Western eyes. Did you happen to make it to the floating fishing villages on the outskirts of Halong? The floating village closest to Halong City is relatively clean and trash free. The outlying villages dump EVERYTHING into the ocean. So a little bit of crap from a tourist boat is a small fraction of what is actually dumped into Halong Bay.

 

It is their way of life and ingrained from thousands of years. There are few modern landfills/incinerators as we know them in a lot of the world. Where would you suggest they put the trash-in the ocean or throw it out in a field or along the road? To pay to dispose of trash is NOT part of their culture. Again, a problem looked at through WESTERN eyes and culture.

 

You are correct-UNTIL the locals realize they are possibly destroying their fish, their water and their tourism business, they will continue dumping. THAT isn't going to happen for a lot of years.

 

PS-biodegradable is relatively unheard of in Vietnam except when it may have to do with Western tourists (the Furama resort has biodegradable soap BECAUSE the gray water sewer line dumps into the ocean). People living on fishing boats in Vietnam/Cambodia are generally some of the poorest of the poor. They are very lucky to have ANY kind of TP/soap, let alone expensive biodegradable.

[SwissMyst]

Boycott Kims tours of Halong Bay. Bad actors.