VIETNAM CRUISE SHORE EXCURSIONS – HANOI, HALONG BAY

Most visitors to Vietnam by waterway will be offered quite pricy shore excursions package on board.  The competition offered by a  Private Vietnam Tour Guides proves to be an excellent value.  Firstly, tour rate offered by a private guide will be much less than a shore excursion trip on board.  On the other hand, you can easily customize your tours based on your interest and lengh of stay.

Most waterway travelers read guide books on board for a list of things to do or must-do when they do a cruiseship tour.  A Private Vietnam Tour Guides can offer the best places that you want to see in a certain period of time,  not what the tour agency has planned with the bottom line in mind. Take advantage of  a real Vietnam Travel Specialists' services. 

Shore excursions offered on board often involve stops at shops and other “tourist traps” where the on-shore tour agency gets a commission on all the purchases the travelers make at the stop.  Regular shore excursions also require that you travel with a group made up of people of different temperaments – a chronic complainer can ruin a tour quickly.

A small private tour of 2 to 6 people will have the full attention of the Private Vietnam Tour Guide.  Small groups are usually made up of friends or family that have a lot in common.  They have a tendency to “stay together” and not have one or two people that constantly lag behind or need the special attention of the tour guide.

We has provided the following fees for comparison to on-board prices for Vietnam Cruise Shore Excursions from Halong ports:

PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON VOLATILE LOCAL PRICES.

We requires the following items:

1. The full name and photo of guests.

2. Contact phone number - if available on-board (cell phone is best).

3. Address of Port and Arrival and Departure Times. There are several ports that serve Saigon.

4. IMPORTANT: GUESTS MUST EXIT DOCK AREA OF PORT!! Private Tours are not allowed to enter dock area. A shuttle is usually available or a short walk to the gate. Tour Guide will be holding sign with guest's Family Name.

CRUISE LINES AND VIETNAMESE PORTS VISITED

Princess, Holland, Silversea, Costa, Royal Caribbean and other well known cruise lines are adding ports in Vietnam to their itineraries.  Halong Bay, DaNang, Nha Trang, Vung Tau and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) are the ports of call being offered.

Travelers on cruises visiting Vietnam will find that Vietnam Shore Excursions have a lot to offer.  Museums, architecture, restaurants, crafts and the history of Vietnam.

PORTS VISITED BY VIETNAM CRUISES

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HALONG BAY

Halong Bay is very popular because of the fantastic scenery seen from the deck of the cruise ship.  Hanoi draws travelers from all over the world.  Unfortunately, Hanoi is about 3 to 3 1/2 hours from the Halong Bay – one way.  This travel time limits visits to Hanoi to sea travelers that are going to be in Halong Bay for at least 12 hours.  A lot can be seen in Hanoi in 5 hours – the Old Quarter, the One Pillar Pagoda, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Temple of Literature and other attractions draw travelers from all over the world.

There are other attractions for sea travelers to take in that are less distant than Hanoi. Bai Tu Long Bay is off the beaten path place for a wonderful visit apart from Halong Bay .  But tourists want to spend more time to enjoy Halong Bay.

Your private Vietnam Tour Guide, David Nguyen welcome you to Vietnam Shore Excursion day tour and show you the very best of Hanoi city, Halong, Bai Tu Long bay based on your schedule and you won't be rushed as other travellers who are in a big group tour. 

For further information, please contact David Nguyen at privatevietnamtourguides@gmail.com

Customized private Vietnam tours with David Nguyen

Custom Private Tours in Vietnam with David Nguyen

Are you looking for something a little bit different on your Vietnam holiday? A memorable trip, filled with culture, fun and breathtaking natural beauty? If you answered YES, then my guided private  tours of Vietnam will be the perfect answer!

The custom private tours I provide are independent, private and personal tours in Vietnam and beyond. They’re flexible, and can be fully adapted to the needs and interests of any group.

Choose a Private Tour

Any dates, any place and in any style that you want to travel

All custom tours are unique

The process is flexible and personalized

Tours designed around your interests, budget and energy level

My custom, guided private tours and private excursions are always built from the bottom up, and tailored around you. You’ll get the flexibility to decide on every aspect of your trip. Just tell me what you’re interested in, how you’d like to spend your time, and I’ll come back with a range of different options for you to choose from.

Pick-up: wherever you wish

Duration: from 1 day up to as many as you want

Departures: all year

Included: personalized to your own wishes.

I provide the expertise and organization. You just choose the type of accommodations if applicable, activities, eating requests and so forth.

Vietnam Private Tourguides

But more importantly still, my guided personal tours in Vietnam are delivered with passion. I know this part of the world like the back of my hand, and I simply love to share it with my guests! I know all the secret spots, the hidden treasures, the myths, the legends, the customs and traditions. My private tours in Vietnam are more than just an excursion – they are a full, immersive experience into long lasting cultural history

With years of experience behind me as well as professional accreditation as an official Bulgaria tour guide, I’ll be able to design you the perfect Vietnam private tours or elsewhere in the Balkans. All of my tours are fully customizable, and built around you. They run all year round, and can range from a single day trip up to a full fortnight away!

Booking guide

When you book a custom private tour with me, I’m going to need to know everything I can about your plans. Share your objectives, your dates, the duration and the number of people in your group… tell me what kind of hotels you prefer, the kinds of cities and sorts of attractions you want to visit.

Here’s the typical process for putting together a private tour:

Step #1: Planning the Itinerary

Here are the questions that you should be thinking about – and I’ll be asking – at this stage:

Who is traveling (age, background, etc)?

When do you want to travel?

What is the purpose of the trip?

What are your personal interests?

How do you like to travel – full touring days or a more relaxed pace?

Would you prefer lots of hotels and lots of moving around? Or a relaxing stay in fewer places?

What kind of accommodation do you prefer (location, style, facilities)?

How many guided days? And how many days for exploring on your own?

Are there any special requests or considerations that should be incorporated?

Once the basics are agreed, it’s time to start talking about a draft itinerary!

Step #2: Calculating Trip Costs

With all these details penciled in, I’ll be able to prepare a formal proposal – with detailed trip costs and all the services included in our package. Usually, hotels are the largest part of the price… so I can work with you to pick the right accommodation options to stay within your budget. In any planning session, I’ll always give you a few options to work with!

Step #3: Booking the Trip

So the itinerary is done. The pricing is done. Now it’s time to begin the process of booking the actual private tour. This will typically take one to three weeks. In some cases, a particular hotel might not be available – I’ll always notify you though, and discuss alternatives while keeping within the approved budget.

When it’s all done, I’ll contact you again to confirm the final itinerary for the custom Bulgaria tour!

Step #4: Getting Ready for the Trip

Approximately one month before the private Vietnam tour, I’ll talk to you again to run through a final review of the itinerary. To find out anything else about how the process works, or to get started planning your own tour, you simply need to get in touch.

We welcome you to enjoy Private Vietnam tours with David Nguyen. See you in your next adventure in Vietnam

Why David Nguyen - Private Vietnam Tourguides

These are the reasons why you choose David Nguyen as your private Vietnam tourguides

Do you want to get authentic local experience? I am the local here in Hanoi so I ensure to design an unique itinerary which is just for you to enjoy the city in different aspects. We’ll travel off the beaten path to the places where only locals go, eat at the hawker stalls only local eat, drink coffees at hidden cafes, shop at the stores with high quality products & just for locals.

When you visit extremely popular tourist spots

I know the best hours to visit attractions, which places you can skip, how to avoid rush hour, when is closed or under construction, and any number of tricks and tactics that will help you get the most out of travel to a heavily visited location. . I might even be able to get you special access or good deal. Warning: You might have to get up early in the morning to get there before the crowds arrive or stay late to a special after-hours tour.

Is your time budgeted as well as your money? Taking your interests into account and my knowledge of Vietnam, you will be able to concentrate your valuable travel time on those things that are of interest to you. Your itinerary and interests may require a short stay in one place or a bit more time in another. As your Private Vietnam Tour Guide, I want to be sure that you get the best value for your time and money.

When you visit the port on the cruise. I offer Vietnam Shore excursions.  Some cruise stops are very limited time wise! Avoid the rush to take part in the cruise-line shore tours: 1) Contact me in advance. 2) I’ll get you away from the crowded dock quickly (after you complete government formalities). 3) Travel in the comfort of car or van, not a crowded tour bus. 4) See those sites that you’re interested in and more sites than a crowded bus will allow. 5) And (if you desire) get back to the ship before the rest of the crowd.

You aren’t the first time visitor, want to do something new and cool.  With a heap of local knowledge, I make sure that I’ll have something to be offered and give you an offbeat look at a familiar place.

Are you concerned about your Health and Safety in strange places? Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city are large cities, and have the problems of any large city. I will keep you safe and advise you regarding situations that may have potential Health or Safety concerns – no matter where you want to travel.  

Are you going to stay long in Vietnam? If you’re going to be hanging around for a while. I’ll help you get settled in and get your bearings. Or if you’ve been here for a while and feel you’ve missed something – I’ll help take up the slack.

When visiting historic destinations.

In places that are exceptionally rich in historical or cultural significance, I can offer a depth of experience and knowledge to which no guidebook, audio guide or plaque-reading will come even close. It’s all about behind the scene story. +

On an adventure/nature appreciation trip. Motorbiking, bicycling, mountain climbing, scuba diving, bird watching, white-water rafting … unless you are an absolute expert at your chosen adventure, hiring an expert may be a matter of life and death. Even if you are an old hand at the particular skill in question, it’s still a good idea to hire an expert who knows the local area and can help you navigate an unfamiliar place. To the uninformed eye, the forest around you can seem like a pleasant bunch of trees, but an experienced nature guide can point you to the creature on a branch, identify that raucous bird cry overhead or even keep you out of the way of poisonous animals and plants. I’ll help you find a qualified expert in such activities, who will assure your enjoyment and insure your safety.

Just having a good translator/interpreter can raise your level of enjoyment when traveling in Vietnam. When visiting a place where you do not speak the language and you travel to those places that are off the beaten track of regular travelers – most locals are unlikely to speak English. I can also put you in contact with a speaker if just about any language. A local tour guide who does speak your language can be invaluable in countless ways. I can even put you in contact with a guide and you can chat with the guide on the phone to determine how strong his or her command of your language really is.

 I can take care of the logistics of travel. The hassles of obtaining tickets, making reservations, checking operating hours, figuring out options when you have problems — all of this is easy stuff for me. If you are on holiday and don’t want to have these mundane tasks on your plate while traveling, I can take care of these tasks for you.

Driving in Vietnam. Transportation arrangements.  Driving a car in Vietnam is not an option for a tourist. The are legal and practical reasons for this. International driver’s licenses are not recognized in Vietnam. In addition, there are any number of reasons you do not want to drive while traveling in Vietnam — you don’t want to spend your vacation getting lost, you can’t read the road signs, you’ may be driving on the “wrong” side of the road, your fellow traveler is a terrible copilot and you just want to have fun instead of being a chauffeur — hiring a driver/guide (and car or van) to do the driving for you can save you a lot of headaches and unwanted distractions. I can take care of the problem for you. Send me an email addressing these or any other questions you may have. I’ll acknowledge your correspondence as soon as possible (I may be “On the Road”). It may take a bit of time to get a answer/solution to your question depending on its complexity. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Friendly David Smile works with a great passion.  People call me Nam smile because I am happy all the time but I do work with a great passion which makes me a great tourguide than a good one so you will go on an extra mile whist touring with me, your friend in Vietnam.

Let's David guide you for Vietnam trip as your private Vietnam tour guide 

David Nguyen - Private Vietnam Tourguides

David Nguyen is working as a tourguide for Paloma Cruise Halong Bay in 2012

About David Nguyen – Private Vietnam Tourguides

Hi. My name is David. People call me “David smile” as my nick name. Because I want to live the life simple and be happy. I am a Hanoian. I have been working as a tour guide for 7 years since. Becoming a tour guide is a great fortune. When I was at the high school, I dreamt of being a IT programmer.. My English was so bad. I couldn’t even speak a full English sentences with a foreigner with confident. Speaking English was a night mare to me. I told myself that I had to speak English well and talk to foreigner with full of confidence.  The moment changed my life. At the summer break when I was at 11^th grade, I worked as a waiter in the restaurant for earning some money for personal expenses as well as improved my spoken English skill. I loved practiced English to customer who ate at the restaurant. I never felt like such an amazing experience like that. After work, I often brought a water bottle and walked around Hoan Kiem lake which was located in Hanoi Old Quarter, to talk to visitors to Hanoi and improved my spoken English. After this summer, back to school, I decided to apply for an university in Hanoi as the major “tourguide”. When I was at the first year student, I worked as international coordinator for an Non profit organization based in Hanoi. I remember that I had to ride a bike for 10 kilometers to get to work but I was happy with that.  My English had been improved so quick after 3 months here because I had the chance to talk to volunteers everyday. On my free time, I went to Temple of Literature to act as a free tourguide. I loved using all skills learnt from the university to show tourists around the temple. When I was at the 2^nd year student, I applied for a travel company to become a tourguide for Halong Bay tour. That’s how I became a tourguide.

About me, I am an honest, easy going, warm heart and hard working tourguide with good knowledge and understanding of Vietnam as a local. Consider me as your friend who want to show you around the city. I hope to bring you a big smile and enjoy your stay Vietnam. Looking forward to seeing back to Vietnam.

About my travel experiences, I have been travelling to 53 of 63 provinces in Vietnam so I can help you with advice on your travel plan and design unique itinerary which is off the beaten path to less touristy destinations and experience the land like a local. On the other hand, I also travelled to Laos, Thailand, Cambodia. I hope we can share travel experiences with each others.

I offer a wide range of services to clients : guiding services from historic Hanoi to dynamic Ho Chi Minh city, tailor-made and customized trip for small groups, family, corporation, honeymoons based on your interest, budget and length of your stay; customer care services,  Hanoi walking food tours, Hanoi sightseeing tour, Vietnam countryside tour, Like a local tour, Halong Bay tour, Visa upon arrival service, Airport pickup , transportation services : airport & car transfer and Vietnam shore excursions.

More over, I do offer international business such as Business Meeting / Negotiations Interpreter - Exhibitions / Trade Shows Interpreter, market research - Sourcing & Visiting Factories, Translator/Interpreter for charity programs & school trip.

Contact information

Nam Smile

Mobile  number : +84(0) 93 279 6612

Email : privatevietnamtourguides@gmail.com

Whatsapp/Viber : +84(0) 93 279 6612

Skype : david.nvan