Scenic Vietnam

Customer Reviews

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  Emily

  · May 9th, 2025
  As many MANY others have posted on here a tour companies true colours often only come to light when things go wrong. As an abuse survivor I noticed red flags about the tour guides behaviour towards me, I took screenshots of the guides comments and sent then to a specialist abuse therapist who agreed I needed to get away from that man. The Guide showed classic narcissistic traits and deliberately and repeatedly understated the difficulty of hikes then would laugh at me when I got scared because it was too high and I am afraid of hights. This culminated in me crying hysterically whilst being on the edge of a cliff with him. He loved the power and made fun of me in front of other guests who are all still on the tour and can all confirm. I finally called him out at a group meal and refused to get back on the boat as the climb was too high, he pointedly and deliberately stated there were 17 steps at the other end, he manipulated the other guests into telling me I was being unreasonable for just 17 steps, then guess what - when we got there it was well over 100ft and he laughed at me. After leaving the group he lied to the customer service team and said the 100ft difference was due to the "tide". It was on a reservoir! Of course the customer service team blindly accepted his ridiculous lies! He later admitted he felt it was his job to get all the other guests to have a good laugh! Clearly if I'd stayed his behaviour would have escalated throughout the entire trip. Intrepid tried to charge me $2000 to switch to another tour, so had no problem with keeping me on a tour, but when I called their bluff and threatened to re-join, they admitted there was no way i could continue with this person as a guide. and they left me alone overnight in Hanoi with no hotel etc, kept my money but did not give me the use of the transport or hotels that had supposedly booked with my money, in my name! The area manager phoned on Tues 6th May and said I was too distressed (art being left stranded in Hanoi with no hotel and no way home) for him to be bothered to speak to and would enter into no further conversations to help me. Customer services then kept continually saying he would help me, He had no intention of doing anything! I had 10 days to get to the other end of the country and they just keep saying "sorry" but no-one is actually doing anything. It is now the 8th of May, 4 days after I left the group, all they keep saying is "customer services will be in touch" Intrepid have done nothing to ensure I am safe, they have no idea where I am, so the comment below about customer safety is a blatant lie! Their actions do not match their words. Every department is refusing to tell me which jurisdiction (Australia) my tour falls under. this is because under Australian consumer law, withholding money if someone is forced to leave a tour is illegal and they know it. But think about it, $2000, is a lot of money, but it is even more profit if I'm not on the tour and they don't have to pay any train fares, food cost or hotel bills etc. It's all by design, "customer service" in any other company would have moved me to another tour or issued a partial refund and apology". No such thing has happened here because this is a deliberate, concerted attempt to fraudulently keep a large some of money from a vulnerable lone female traveller. Look at the response below - it just proves it! I finally received an email from "customer care" on Thursday 8th May, saying Intrepid sees nothing wrong with the guides behaviour ant they will "not be engaging in further discussions regarding this matter" At no point has anyone from intrepid checked that I am safe or have anywhere to stay or to get home safe.
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  Intrepid Travel commented on this review

  Hi Emily, At Intrepid the safety of our travellers, staff and communities we visit are our number one priority and as such, we have a commitment to uphold our community guidelines. Any breaches to these guidelines can mean that appropriate action is... Show more
  Trip date: May 2025
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  Sophie

  · December 5th, 2019
  Had such a great time on this scenic Vietnam tour! It was the perfect length of time to see as much as we did, any shorter might feel rushed. The tour covered so much, from the hectic city of Hanoi to the more chilled and beautiful Halong Bay. The homestays were a real treat, both families very welcoming and the food was delicious! Our guide was Huy and he really made it a special trip. He was so knowledgeable and was constantly giving us interesting facts. But he was also very attentive, always wanting to help with any issues we had. He even spent the ‘free time’ with the group, taking us to restaurants! Nothing was ever too much trouble for Huy and he must have the patience of a saint because our group liked to ask a lot of questions! Im so glad I picked this tour and wouldn’t change any part of it.
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  Trip date: November 2019
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  Arthur C

  · September 18th, 2019
  The tour was good but I did not feel there was any additional benefits provided by the guided tour so I would recommend rather plan the tour yourself
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  Trip date: December 2018
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  Helen C

  · September 18th, 2019
  The tour did not meet my expectations. I felt that there were areas where the main tour guide and other local guides did not meet my expectations in terms of knowledge and communication. I also felt that time management could be improved within the tour.
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  Trip date: December 2018
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  Kirsten W

  · September 18th, 2019
  So much planned for us to do and see...great variety of locations visitedbike rides, home stays, kyaking, great redtaurants, interesting and touching visits to Blue Dragon and The War Remnants Museum
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  Trip date: December 2018
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  Jessica C

  · September 18th, 2019
  Our tour guide Bao was so amazing! He was kind and patient and so knowledgeable and surprisingly funny guy!
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  Trip date: December 2018
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  Robyn B

  · September 18th, 2019
  Good tour with smallish group
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  Trip date: December 2018
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  Michael F

  · September 18th, 2019
  Excellent and well planned our trip, with great activities included. Length of stays could be altered
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  Trip date: December 2018
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  Andrew K

  · September 18th, 2019
  The organisation was excellent. Travel well coordinated. No waiting around. Tickets to shows and other optional activities easily arranged.
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  Trip date: December 2018
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  Juan S

  · September 18th, 2019
  Great trip overall with a great leader and planning.
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  Trip date: December 2018