Vietnam tours 2023

Vietnam tours had been suspended since the beginning of covid. It has been a heck of a time. 

After the passing of my Father, I returned to Canada in support of my mother. I returned to Vietnam in Feb 2020 to guide a tour of Vietnam including the Central highlands. We were having quite the adventure when Covid hit. Slowly over 2 weeks the Vietnamese people became more paranoid with foreigners and even though I told them I lived in Vietnam in their own language, it became more difficult to get services. The busses and all other means of transport shut down and it was only blind luck that I made it back to my wife and mother 2 days before the country locked down.

Since then I have had periods of melancholy and have yearned to return to what was now my second home. I have been contacted a number of times by enquiries as to whether or not I can do private adventure tours…… The answer is yes with a caveat!

I have an upcoming tour starting February 15th. So far the we plan to do a short SamPan tour of the Mekong Delta and an overland tour as far as Hoi An. Luckily I have very understanding clients and they are willing to simply put their trust in me and accept any “surprises” that may arise…. You see…. I know longer know if my hotel and vehicle contracts are still valid or even if still in existence. It took me years of negotiating and arguing with the Vietnamese to finally accept me as “a local” rather than just another tourist. I made many friends over the years and I am extremely hopeful that they are still where they were when I left. In many cases I received up to a 70% discount off of

regular prices for my clients. Because of this situation, I can no longer quote solid pricing unless I over estimate and I am very reluctant to do that. Currently, my guests have been given a “ballpark” amount with the understanding that there may be supplement charges for unexpected costs such as vehicle rentals or changes in hotel pricing, taxes, fuel, and other unknown factors. Basically They will be covering my expenses and a modest fee and the rest is on them.  Have no doubt!!!! It will still be a very good value and a fantastic time. I stake my reputation on it.

So for now…. I will be booking February or March with a return date anywhere from April to May. Currently I am organizing a tour for a couple…. perhaps quad for 2 weeks or so. Will be available for the months of March and April if anyone is interested in making an enquiry.

For all our sakes, I hope the shutdowns are over and we can start enjoying life again… Personally…. I am getting older and am not sure how many more years I can keep doing this. Perhaps I will become an accompanier rather than an actual guide. There are few foreigners that can communicate with and understand Vietnamese.

Let the Vietnam Tours begin again!!

Be sure to Visit RipTide tours Vietnam | Facebook  for current information

Happy Holidaying!!

Owen

AKA Owee58