We recently came back from a cruise around Asia including 3 stops in Vietnam. We engaged with Fiona to help organise tours for us at Hoi An and Halong Bay. Fiona was extremely responsive and very helpful in recommending and accommodating to our unique requirements as we were coming off a cruise. The tours were organised very effeciently by Fiona and we had a great time at Hoi An, Yen Duc Village and Halong Bay.

It was my first time in Vietnam. When traveling alone I normally like to explore a country on my own. I'm not a fan of tours. But on a recommendation, I reached out to Fiona at Custom Vietnam Day Tours. She was incredibly responsive, as we traded emails for a few days, and I decided to use them. Wow, great decision! Fiona asked what I liked and wanted to accomplish -- meeting people, culture, photography, food, getting off-the-beaten path. She tailored an itinerary to just that. A driver picked me up at the airport and drove me to the Sheraton Hanoi, where Fiona met me to review the plan. There was still time for a 3+ hour culinary tour of the Old Quarter in Hanoi, as Lam, my excellent guide for the trip, walked us around his city. We stopped at his favoirte little places for everything from eel soup to spring rolls to pho, and finished the night by relaxing at "beer corner." There were many photo ops in lantern street, bamboo street, etc. Great start. Day Two was spent around the villages at Ninh Binh. After a 2.5-hour drive we were in a different world. Our sampan boat lady took Lam and me for a river and cave cruise. In 2 hours we met one other boat. Then a delicious 9-course lunch overlooking the village. The afternoon featured a bicycle ride through the rice paddies out to a temple carved into the mountain. Unbelievable. Day Three was more of the same, starting with Tho Ha village, where we were welcomed into a local home. I got to try my hand at making the rice paper from spring rolls on a traditional device. The wife can make 1,000 a day. I struggled to make about four. The husband shared rice wine and we sang and played traditional string instruments. Lam, driver and I had a simple, delicious pho lunch. There was still time to visit Dau and But Thap pagoda in Bac Ninh province before returning to Hanoi. Days Four and Five were spent traveling to Halong Bay and sailing the Red Dragon junk overnight in the less crowded Bai Tu Long Bay. Great conversations with van-mates getting there and with my eight shipmates on the boat. The last day was a drive back to the airport. All and all, an extraordinary trip, thanks to Custom Vietnam. Lam was a wealth of information, as he answered hours of questions from me, and I became quite the expert in everything from rice growing to Vietnamese culture. I will definitely use these guys again when I explore other parts of Vietnam.

Anyone can show you the sights, but it takes someone like Phuong Nguyen (unfortunately called 'Smiley' by other reviewers, though it does get him business) to make the day come to life. The details are very well done - comfortable car with very good driver, great authentic lunch spot, and plenty of flexibility in itinerary to meet our interests. Phuong's incredible knowledge of his city and people, their strengths and struggles, made the day fascinating. We so enjoyed his company that we invited he and his family to dinner.

We just spent a glorious 14 day cruise on Feb. 1, 2015 to Asia, visiting Vietnam for four days. Out of the four days, three were spent touring with Custom Vietnam Travel Day Tours. We were greeted at the pier, and promptly transported to the various sites without delay. Our guides were very friendly and answered most of our questions regarding their local customs, history etc. We stuck to the schedule, for obvious reasons, but were never really rushed. We were given ample free time for browsing. Majority of the time were spent on historical sites, which was really really nice. Timing of our tours was also excellent, in that we arrived at Hue first thing in the morning with minimal number of tourists, making the visit very pleasant and comfortable. The boat ride from the pagoda on the Perfume River was okay, nothing exciting, but a nice break from the heat. The village walk at Yen Duc was also nice, up close and personal. We were right in the heart of a regular village, complete with dogs, cows, rice paddies, ducks and vendors selling veggies, seafood, brooms etc. It was a nice introduction to the way of life at Yen Duc. The full day Halong Bay boat trip was the highlight of my Vietnam trip. We enjoyed a leisurely cruise along the bay, admiring the limestone cliffs and mists floating around the rock formations. The visit to the cave was most impressive, albeit a challenge for older and mobility challenged visitors. Again, the caves were not crowded, making it a very relaxing and enjoyable visit. Lunch on board was very nice, consisting mostly of seafood, and of course, the traditional Vietnamese spring rolls. Prior to our arrival, our guide, Loi, contacted the boat's chef, and informed them of different lunch preferences, i.e. vegetarians, people allergic to seafood and those who can eat anything. In total, they had three different versions for our group. We were on the "everything" table, and the seafood was fresh and nicely prepared. My only gripe was that they did not include drinks with the meal, not even water. Although the cost of coffee is only US$1, it would have been nice if they included that. I can understand if they charged for beer or any type of alcohol, but tea and coffee? Not a big deal, just a nice touch, that's all. We had water on the bus, but the tour guide forgot to hand these out, and so when we were on board the boat, there was no other way but to either buy their bottled water, coffee or tea. After lunch, we were offered the option of kayaking which was quite enjoyable. Again, we were not rushed, but were provided with a guideline of where we should paddle to, and the guide paddled with us all the way. The vans were clean, but a bit cramped. For long journeys of 1.5 to 2 hours one way, it was a bit tight and not the most comfortable ride, but that too was not very important, since the drivers delivered us back to the cruise ship on time, and in one piece.

We were part of a sizeable group, on the Celebrity Millennium cruiseship, who used CVT for our tours in Vietnam. The tours we went on were Ho Chi Minh City, Hue and Halong Bay. We found the tours, and the guides, to be excellent and they did everything possible to provide history and background to all the tours. At one stage in the planning process, for our 2 day stop at Halong Bay, we had considered doing an afternoon tour on the bay with an evening transfer to Hanoi for an overnight there and full day tour the next day. Fiona very quickly provided this option to us, although we decided instead not to go to Hanoi and spend a full day junk tour on Halong Bay. This was the highlight of the Vietnam tours, and Fiona demonstrated her clear willingness to meet our preferences during the planning phase. Thank you to Fiona, and also to Ilana and Phil for organising the tours on our behalf.

Smiley brought 4 of us for a trip to Halong bay and then to ninh binh, from the beginning till the end, he was nothing but pleasant and informative. His prices were reasonable compared to what some other private guides were quoting us. Smiley always smiles! He was smiling throughout the trip and was extremely nice to have around. We went to halong bay with Carina cruise and smiley came along with us. It was nice to have him there as he provided us information and brought us out on our own during the excursions from there(cave/kayaking). From there, we went on to Ninh binh where he brought us to the dragon stairs/ riding on the boat as well as cycling. The four of us had such a good time with him that when we were saying goodbye it felt as though we were saying goodbye to a friend! He is extremely approachable and honest. He will do his best to make sure that you don't get scammed during your trip and knows what to do when you faint(true story)! I would highly recommend smiley and would definitely contact him again when I visit.

We did several trips with Custom Vietnam and each guide was excellent. They were very knowledgeable of Vietnam. They answered all our questions and spoke extremely well. I would recommend this tour group to anyone who wants a delightful experience in Vietnam.

We did 4 tours in Vietnam with this company and were extremely pleased. All the guides were very knowledgeable and the scenery magnificent. Highly recommend this company and Vietnam!

We recently arranged tours with Custom Vietnam Travel during our port stops on Milennium cruise. Even during the complicated planning stages, we were very pleased with the help and professionalism given by Fiona. Due to the numbers that had joined our group, we were 3 vehicles in Saigon, 2 in Hue, 1 in Hoi An & 5 different tours over two days in Halong Bay. All the vehicles used in the different locations were roomy with good air conditioning. The guides were informative, professional & with good command of the English language. All restaurants that we visited served excellent meals with a good choice for everyone & also with vegetarian choices. Halong Bay tours were especially good. We had our own junk for the Full Day itinerary. The boat was well kept, spacious & very comfortable. We were even shown how to make spring rolls. I would highly recommend this company & would certainly book with them in the future. From the feedback we received from our fellow travel companions, they all enjoyed the tours & were of the same opinion regarding the high standard of the tours that we enjoyed together.

I was involved in organising day trips from the Celebrity Millennium with this company to the places named above plus Hoi An and Yen Duc. From the moment we contacted Fiona to the time we left this company was brilliant. Approximately fifty people took one or more of the trips in mid February 2015. Over the preceding six months Fiona was patient and helpful at answering innumerable questions from the organisers and those interested in the trips. The company offered competitive prices. We went in small groups on coaches of no more than sixteen. Speaking for the trips I went on. The drivers were excellent. Frankly the driving in Vietnam of moped riders etc was a bit scary. The horn is the most important bit of machinery on any vehicle. The guides were very good although their views on the Vietnam (American) war varied a lot. They were all knowledgeable and helpful. We had some very good meals included in our prices with the one at Hue particularly good. We went to places that the big tour groups visited plus places they did not. In small groups we could all hear and easily ask questions. These tours were great value for money and the company gets top marks from me.