VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam has exerted itself to be a favorite destination by offering different tours to tourists. With a number of tour services in the city, tourists can choose tours traveling around the Mekong Delta, Cu Chi Tunnel, Hanoi or Dalat among others.
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A tourist asks for details about tours at Sinh Cate's office on De Tham Street in HCM City. |
For many travelers, the Back-packer Quarter in Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien streets is seen as an ideal place for them to pick their tour services because there are a bunch of tour service centers providing cheap and thorough services.
However, glancing over the leaflets introducing the tour services there, you will discover the price varies from one to one even though the destination and duration of the tour are the same.
You can see that Innoviet offers a price of US$80 for a 2-day tour to the Mekong Delta, one of the most famous place tourists love to go, while others offer around the tour at US$20 only.
One of the staffs in Innoviet explains the reason of having such a high price is because the services provided by the company are totally different from others.
Let's take the trip to the Mekong Delta for two days as an example. Innoviet arranges a unique route for the tourists. The tourists not only have the chance of ridding boats to Ben Tre, but also paddle in a sampan and watch the fire-flies at night. They can learn how to cook Vietnamese food and have a great experience of being a farmer in Vinh Long Province's Tra On too.
However, if you cannot afford the price of the above tour, you still can find a cheaper one. By spending around US$20, tourists can have the boat trip to Ben Tre and visit the traditional floating market, bee farm, fruit garden, the coconut candy shop or the rice noodles shop nearby.
Some tour service centers such as Youth Tourist Joint-stock Co. and Golden Sail Travel provide a nice chance for bicycle riding, letting the tourists roam around and enjoy the view.
Though Youth Tourist Joint-stock Co. offers a slightly higher price at about US$22, it provides more choices for the tourists like visiting Vinh Long and Can Tho markets.
As the price of most of the tours is more or less the same, so some tourists like Julian, an English traveler, may consider the quality of service rather than the price.
He explains he does not mind paying more than usual if the service center can offer him a tour with good quality. But "the price should not be too unreasonable, " Julian added.
Apart from the prices, tourists can think about the meal included in the tour and the accommodation before choosing the tour to the Mekong Delta.
Mostly lunch is included in the tour, except the tour organized by Golden Sail Travel. Innoviet arranges the tourists to have dinner with the local host family so that tourists can see how locals live and what they usually eat.
Tourists should take the accommodations into consideration simultaneously. Some tour service centers, like Vietsea Tourist Co Ltd., only arrange fan rooms. Extra charge (US$3) is needed if you want to have a room with air-conditioner.
Though there is no lack of choices in Bui Vien and Pham Ngu Lao area, still tourists think picking the best tour is a headache to them.
An English identified only as Sarah says it is not easy for her to choose the tour service because there are too many choices and the leaflets do not provide enough information.
For Sarah, travel is a lesson of learning. Therefore, the quality of the tour guide is another important aspect she will think about when choosing the tour. If she cannot understand what the tour guide is talking about, she will be afraid that she learns nothing from the place she travels.
Too many tour services in the city makes tourists much more difficult to find the best tour. Inge, a girl from the Netherlands, recommends tourists can check the guide book before making any choice because the guide books always provide the tour service centers offering low price and with good reputations.
(Source: SGT) |
