Dear Ly DOAN, Linh PHAM and Tuyen NGUYEN,
It has been three weeks since we were in your offices in Hanoi, starting point of a very pleasant tour elaborated by you. We thank you for your warm welcome and kind attention to us, as was already the case during our previous trip in November 2017, as well as for your assistance throughout our journey.
We are delighted with this new stay in Indochina which showed us another aspect of Vietnam as well as Laos and Cambodia where we also enjoyed new countries and their charming inhabitants.
It was a pleasure to meet our guide Bach, always very competent, protective and “caring” with us, to discover North Vietnam and its fabulous landscapes. After a chaotic – but most folkloric – railway night in the Orient impressed, the encounters of ethnic minorities in their picturesque villages with their colourful, smiling and very welcoming people conquered us.
From the majestic mountains of Sapa to the moving theatre of the battle of Dien Bien Phu, this first stage was rich in exchanges, encounters and emotions including when we separated!
As soon as we arrived at the border of Laos for the second part of our trip, we got to know our guide Eddy who was immediate of great help to us with the formalities of obtaining the Visa, exercise always a little “delicate”!
Under the dynamic impulse of our new companion, we contemplate wonderful landscapes with always beautiful people with generous smiles. The beauty of the Khuang Xi Falls rewarded us with the efforts of a long but very pleasant walk in the forest. After the very early ceremony of offerings and a visit to the Royal Palace, it is at Luang Prabang airport that we take leave of Eddy, after four beautiful days of discovering a country full of charm.
Finally, it is at Siem Reap Airport that our third and final stage begins. We are surprised and a little disappointed not to be physically welcomed by our guide! A driver takes us to the hotel in the city centre. Then, during dinner, we briefly meet our guide Mao who gives us a program and appointment for the next day. It is under a stifling heat that we begin the visit of the temples of the Grand Circuit, majestic buildings where over the centuries nature tries and sometimes succeeds in regaining its rights. It is with the same wonder that we admire the next day the prestigious sites of Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat. The last day of the program takes us to Tonle Sap Lake where, after a short cruise and a visit to a lake village, we leave for the city.
The free day of the next day allows us to visit more serenely Siem Reap and its old market and to acquire the last memories before boarding our return flights.
It is therefore once again, eyes and hearts filled with unforgettable memories that we return to France and its winter temperatures!
Thank you again to all your team for the preparation, the smooth running of the tour as well as for your attentive listening and your spontaneous responsiveness in case of necessity.
Odette and Paul CIGNA – Eliane and Robert BERAUD
