Travel agency hunting
Jamie got in on Saturday and we grab a late dinner together, along with Tomas, a British actor I first met at the Farm Stay who happens to be staying in the same dorm as me in Hanoi, and Sonica, another Londoner. She’s taking a career break, travelling for a while. Jamie, a friend from university, is joining me for a week in Vietnam. First night in Hanoi and it’s raining and pretty disgusting, but early impressions are that the city is more charming and definitely more green than Saigon.
Sunday morning, we do some “homework”, shopping around the Old Quarter for a couple of reputable travel agencies to book a Sapa Tour and a Halong Bay tour with. Along the way up the country, I’ve traded travel tips with many backpackers and all have said it’s difficult to know exactly what you are buying when it comes to the tours. There are dozens, if not hundreds of agencies in Hanoi and prices can vary dramatically. Lonely Planet has a list of reputable agencies they recommend so we start checking out a few of these. The sad thing is, once a company is established, other copycat companies with the same name start popping up so it makes it even more difficult. During a quick walk around the Old Quarter, you can easily see many Sinh Cafes and Ocean Tours — popular names to copy.
Despite originally intending to diversify and put our “eggs in more than one basket” by booking both the Sapa and Halong Bay tours with different companies, we eventually decide to go with Vega Travel for both. We liked their non-pushy sales pitch and their photos and reviews on Trip Advisor are good. What did we ever do before the internet?
