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Posted by MaseratiCruiser
Dung Pham is a very
professional tour guide in
his country that has been
sought after by many foreign
dignitaries worldwide.
Members on this board should
be honored to be given his
assistance and expertise. I
have researched and was
provided references before I
made arrangements for a tour
with his company. He comes
highly recommended by all in
the know.
Your trust on us is the real
strength of Global Travel
Your trust on us is the real
strength of Global Travel
Group of Polish
on the Diamond Princess on
21st November 2011
Dear Mr Dung,
Briefly-Everything was well
organized we were impressed>
Your country marvelous and
the trip exciting. We
enjoyed it so much.
Especially thanks to our
guide, she was professional
and very open to us. Pass
very warm regards from us to
her and tell -she was like a
Good Ghost for us, she will
stay in our best memories
from all those ours cruise
trips- again we appreciated
very much. Some of us will
come back to Vietnam, myself
with our kids to Vinpearl.
It will be great pleasure to
meet you again. For your
information I will strongly
recommend you to the Warsaw
travel office Marco Polo(
Polish main agent for
Princess cruises) as a
serious partner for further
polish visitors coming with
this travel agency to Nha
Trang .
Artur with Polish Group
Group of
30
tourists
on the Diamond Princess on
1st November 2011 guided by
Mr Dung Pham
Hi thank you so much for
sharing your insight and
lovely country with our
group. It was the
highlight of the cruise.
We learned so, more than
other tours and people that
we later talked too.
THANKS AGAIN FOR THE
VEGETARIAN FOOD. Since
more Westerns are eating
less meat, you might use a
check box, so that you could
preorder with the cafe.
We are still in China so
will put you on the cc
boards again. I am
planning on doing this
cruise again, in March and
again in April. going
China to Singapore-Singapore
to China. I will write you
up on the boards. Will
also take your tour again,
and maybe you can arrange
another tour of us for the
second time. Again, I
will be in touch.
Janet Harvey
“Great Variety of
Sights”
We were on a ship that
stopped at Nha Trang and
rather than take the
ship tour a group of us
arranged a tour through
dung pham. What a great
day we had!
They picked us up on the
dock after we tendered
in and our first stop
was the embroidery
factory. I at first got
concerned that we were
going to be trapped in
hard sells throughout
the day, NOT SO. The
factory was very
interesting and I still
am amazed at the tiny
stitching we saw
upstairs. Next stop was
a temple overlooking the
river and it was quite
interesting, gave a
really good view of the
river as it flowed into
the ocean. After a short
stroll through some eye
opening back alleys,
where we passed people
eating lunch and a
wooden boat building
shop, we hoped on boats
and did a river tour
upstream for about 30
minutes. We finally
stopped and offloaded at
a rickety wooden boat
dock, pretty cool, just
what you would imagine
for this area of
Vietnam. We got to go to
an orphanage to see some
small children in school
where we dropped off
some donation supplies
we had brought. We even
got to meet the 80 year
old creator of the
orphanage. Then it was
lunch on the river on an
open air patio. The rain
came while we were
eating but we stayed dry
and the meal was very
good though they did
include some french
fires with the rice,
fish and soup? We then
went by a large Budha,
visited a conical hat
making factory then a
rice paper and noodle
making factory. This was
done while driving back
roads through the rice
fields. Our day ended
with a stop at the
indoor market PHEW! A
busy day and very
interesting.
Group of
29
tourists
on the Diamond Princess on
1st November 2011
Hi,
Just to let you know we
really enjoyed your trip
and were pleased that we
also managed to bring
another couple for you
off the ship. It was
very informative and
good value for money.
Your representative was
also helpful and we also
enjoyed the meal
provided at the
riverside cafe. I will
try and find time to put
a post on the site for
you. Many thanks again.
Neil & Lesley
Bartholomew
Nha Trang River tour
was the best of
whole cruise!
OCT 2011 had over 40
people from Diamond
Princess take the
full day tour. Yes,
we had to provide
passport info. It's
required another
country's
procedures. Many of
us said that it was
the best tour of all
taken during the
cruise. We saw the
countryside on our
travels to the
stops: local small
enterprises: hat
weaving, rice
noodles, embroidery.
We had a fun boat
ride and lunch
outdoors on a patio
over the river. Food
was great! We
visited an
orphanage. The
children were
lovely. (Take any
school supplies you
can fit in your
luggage with you,
your bag will have
room for the
souvenirs you buy on
the cruise, right?)
Mr.
Pham was most
attentive to our
group. Five stars!
Janet
On 27th October
2011, everybody in
my 5 groups led by
Pauline Hall,
Karen Perales,
Leslie Wilson,
Larry Faragher,
Barbara on the
Amsterdam was so
pleased.
The tour was well
planned and proved
to be a highlight
for our entire
cruise. The
embroidery factory
was beautiful. We
saw the children in
the orphanage,
visited a number of
families in their
home and watched
them doing their
craft, including hat
making, mat weaving,
rice paper making
and others. Lunch
was spectacular in a
lovely restaurant on
the river. The van
was comfortable and
had good air
conditioning. The
driver and the guide
were excellent.
Below is the
description of the
full tour and
contact information
for dung Pham.
www.nhatrangrivertour.com
Leslie Wilson
We were in Nha Trang
on the HAL Amsterdam
(Oct. '11). There
were 3 Cruise Critic
groups (10 - 12
people in each), who
participated in the
Nha Trang Special
Countryside tours,
booked through Dung
Pham. Each group had
a different
English-speaking
guide - all of which
were excellent. We
were all able to
travel in
comfortable,
air-conditioned
vans. The feedback
from participants
was excellent. Our
groups of highly
experienced
travelers, really
appreciated the
opportunity to see
the real Viet
Nam!
As for the weather,
it was HOT! Humid,
too. Can you imagine
how delightful it
was, when our guide
walked us into the
courtyard of the
Buddhist orphanage,
and Mr. Dung Pham
was there, handing
out bottles of icy
water & frozen face
cloths?
That was just one
example of the
excellent service we
received.
I would definitely
recommend this tour
operator!
Karen Perales
Group of 12 tourists on
the Diamond Princess on
20th October 2011
Mr. Dung,
even though it was
raining, our group of 12
had a wonderful time. We
were able to see
how the average
Vietnamese families
live. The embroidery
factory was amazing and
the skill of the women
creating the beautiful
art in silk was just
fascinating. Our river
boat ride was truly an
adventure in the rain
but stopping along the
way to drink fresh
coconut milk that had
just been hacked down
from the tree made the
trip worthwhile and the
lunch was delicious.
Seeing how well the
orphans were cared for
made our hearts glad.
The stop at the ancient
house with its native
outdoor furniture and
the tea ceremony with
cakes was an unexpected
treat. The guide helped
me to purchase some
pearls in the Dam Market
which was greatly
appreciated.
I would
highly recommend your
tour to anyone who is
interested in seeing the
“real” Vietnam.
Sincerely,
Sandra
Schuettinger
USA
Group of 18 tourists on
the Diamond Princess on
20th October 2011
Dear Dung Pham; My
wife and I agree
that we did more in
one day on your
tour, than we did on
any other tour.
The orphanage was
wonderful.
Merry Christmas from
Carolyn and Gordon
Madam Narelle with 44
tourists on the Sun Princess
who joined a river cruise
with us on 6th October 2011
. ( The second time with us
)
A good trip had by all 44
pax in Nha Trang and very
inexpensive tour. Dung and
his wife were very helpful
to the aged or disabled
people which really showed
how kind these people were.
I highly recommend this tour
company as twice round we
were given a day to remember
Dear DUNG
THANKS AGAIN FOR A WONDERFUL
TRIP. EVERYONE THOROUGHLY
enjoyed you tour. Everyone
couldn't stop talking
about it and what a good day
they had. I was very glad
everyone had a good time. I
was very tired the next day
as it was a big day for me
now that I find it difficult
to walk because of the
stroke but I wouldn't have
missed doing it for the
world. Thank you once again
for the gift. Say hello to
your wife for me. She is
very kind. Hopefully next
time I come you will have a
new addition to the family.
Regards,
Narelle
Madam Narelle
with a group of 43 tourists
on The Sun Princess on 28
August 2010 -
Nha Trang Tour ( The first
time with us )
Dear Dung,
Everyone
enjoyed your tour very much
and all had a good time.
Thank you for a good day and
I will surely recommend your
company as it was from other
fellow travellers who had
used you before that I got
our email address from
Once again
thank you
Narelle.
Posted by
James
Cruising Retired Army
( the second time with the
same tour )
I have used Dung Pham
services twice when I was
private shore excursions in
Nha Trang. Both times we had
to provide all the above
information prior to our
cruise. Mr Pham has a very
good tour set up and it is a
lot better than what the
Diamond Princess has for
half the price. I was the
travel group leader from my
last cruise and I took 26
people on this private shore
excursion. I had to go to
each person and get all the
information and sent it the
Vietnam.
Today turned out to be a
real good day even if we did
have rain. Larry said he
enjoyed today’s private
shore excursion very much.
Every one of my travel group
came to me and said it was a
real nice tour of the city
and country. We did have
some problems this morning
as we met up at 7:45 AM and
while I was trying to get
everybody together they also
started giving out tender
tickets at 8 AM. Sherri took
her entire family to the
Explorers Lounge and got
each of them a ticket. When
it came time to get on the
tender I was able to talk
Sherri to use her Elite card
to take her husband and two
kids off and she gave me her
tender tickets which worked
good as I gave one to Larry
and the other two to another
couple that did not have
tickets. We were all able to
get on the same tender which
worked out good. It takes
about 15 minutes for the
tender ride into the port.
When we got off the tender
my travel guide was waiting
for me with my name on his
sign. We had 24 in our
travel group and we had a 33
passenger bus so we had
plenty of room. You are not
going to believe this but I
had the same guide as we had
in 2008. I also found out he
was the boss and the person
that I had been
corresponding with the last
4 months. Our first stop was
the Embroidery Factory as
last time and I think
everybody enjoyed seeing
just how it was done. From
there on everything was
changed around. This time we
first drove thru the city
and then out into the
country. We went to an old
house in the country and we
had a chance to walk thru
the house and then we all
set at three tables and had
a plate of fruit and green
tea. The only thing
different is then offered
cold beer and soft drinks
for a $1. After this we
drove thru the country more
and stopped at a place where
they made the comb type
straw hats. Several people
in our group bought the hats
to bring home. From there we
made another stop at a place
that made rice paper and
also rice noodles. Both of
these places were new to me
and I did not stop at them
before. Then we went to a
place that made straw mats
and this place I have
visited before. During this
time it started raining
lightly. From there we went
to lunch at a Restaurant
which was located alongside
the river. This is where Jim
and I ate on our last visit.
The food was real good and
they kept bringing it and we
had more than enough to eat.
Everybody said then enjoyed
their meal. Jim, the cold
beer and soft drinks were
still a $1 as last time. I
had to take a break to
recharge my laptop battery
so I will try to get this
finished now. After we ate
out tour guide called on his
cell phone and order three
boats for our travel group.
We loaded up and let me tell
you this was not as easy as
you think. We made it on
okay but then we made our
next stop at the coconut
island it was raining and
their dock was not the best
in the world. I made it off
and back on but it was
hairy. I was hoping Larry
and I could pull some
coconuts down from the trees
but they do not do it that
way anymore and one of the
young boys climbed the tree
like a monkey and brought
down a coconut. From here we
continued our river cruise
and at the end we got off at
a dock near the Cham Temple
which is a lot of old ruins
on top of a hill overlooking
the bay and Nha Trang. From
there we got into the bus
again and drove to the Dam
Market. I have been there
before and they have all
kinds of things for sell.
This is where Jim bought a
Rolex for $10. I passed by
some and their starting
price was $25 so you see you
can get them down. We spent
an hour at the Market and
everybody was buying all
kind of things and came to
the bus loaded down. After
this we returned to the port
and we said good bye to our
travel guide and driver. As
I said everybody had a good
time and when traveling
there is nothing a person
can do about the weather. It
is 7:50 PM now and my back
is starting to hurt so I am
going to close this out and
get it on the wire so that
you will have it this
morning. Tomorrow is another
big day and we do have an
early start.
James
When I booked a tour with
Nha Trang River tours I had
second thoughts. I thought
what if they don't show up?
What if I am late and they
leave? The tour went off
without a hitch and it was
fantastic. Mr Huy gave us a
real insight into Vietnam
and it was one of the best
tours we have ever been on.
Our guide really cared about
us having a great
experience. He constantly
took our picture and during
lunch he had the driver
order while he showed us
other things during the 15
minute wait for the food. I
felt that was above and
beyond the call of duty.
Highly recommended.
Gary Hirata ( posted by
tourists on 6th June 2011 on
Legend of the Sea )
Dear Dung Pham....
I will write you more later
but wanted to tell you that
EVERYONE on our tour
yesterday enjoyed it
THOROUGHLY.....Huy was an
excellent guide, each place
we visited held interest,
and we were all delighted to
experience the beautiful
countryside of Vietnam and
be with the gentle people.
I highly
recommend Nha Trang
River Tour
www.nhatrangrivertour.com
nhatrangrivertour@yahoo.com
We anchored at
Nha Trang April, 2011, were
met by a friendly,
knowledgeable guide, and
spent a wonderful, busy day.
The tour began with a visit
to an embroidery “factory”
in the heart of neat, clean,
orderly Nha Trang: the
exquisite work produced by
the young women and
opportunity to see their
methods and working
conditions was very
interesting. Then we began
exploring the countryside,
visiting several cottage
industries (including rush
mat making, conical hats,
rice noodles, soft and
dried), driving through rice
paddy areas in various
stages of cultivation
including harvest, a
Buddhist orphanage at a
pagoda. Members in our tour
had brought a large suitcase
filled with toys for the
orphans: it was a delight to
see their excitement with
these treats; we also
peaked in on the classrooms
of the older children and
met the nun who supervises
the orphanage. Fresh fruit
was served in the tropical
patio of a 200-year old home
(typical of that era), now
converted to a restaurant;
later, we enjoyed an
excellent lunch at a
riverside restaurant
followed by a river cruise
passing colorful fishing
villages and ending at Po
Nagar Cham Towers (6-7th
century) which we explored.
On our way back to the ship,
we stopped at the long,
tropical beach that Nha
Trang is situated on. It
truly was one of the
highlight days of our 32-day
cruise, and I recommend Dung
Pham and his team.
Linda Manoll ( Our tourists
on 26th April 2011 on the
Diamond Princess )
We
had a wonderful excursion
and everyone said it
was the best so far on this
trip.
Loved it!
Janice & Joe Ventura (
Our tourists on 26th April
2011 on the Diamond Princess
)
Dear Mr. Pham,
You created a marvelous tour
for us. We really saw how
the people live and loved
the lunch. We'll always
recommend your tour. It is
unique!! I'm thankful we
took it.
With kind regards,
Judy Benson ( Our tourists
on 14th April 2011 on the
Diamond Princess )
My
wife and I thoroughly
enjoyed our tour with you
and you were very
professional and courteous
to everyone in our group.
My wife kept bragging on
the care and respect you and
your lovely wife took
assisting the elderly
(especially the lady with
the walker, we all
affectionately called 'Mum')
the entire day. We all hated
to hear that you lost $500
on the previous tour because
of inclement weather and the
ship's tenders not being
allowed to dock. We would
like to add this was our
favorite tour of our
trip...much better than the
many ships tours which we
paid much more money for!
Sincerely,
Ron & DeAnna Webber
Sent from my
iPad ( Our
tourists on 14th April 2011
on the Diamond Princess )
Hello Mr Pham
The tour itself was
fantastic and we enjoyed all
the stops along the way.
We thought it was excellent
value and greatly enjoyed
lunch and the boat ride too.
We would have no hesitation
in recommending your tour.
Kind regards to you and your
lovely wife,
Annette and Ray Latter
( Our tourists on 14th April
2011 on the Diamond Princess
)
Hello Mr Dung Pham
We thoroughly enjoyed our
day with you and the rest of
the group. Especial
highlights was the
river-side lunch and the
river cruise and the morning
tea in the 'local's house.
The mat weaving and the
conical hat making were
excellent too, as was the
embroidery factory and the
rice noodle factory.
It was all excellent, as was
your and your wife's care
for us all and my elderly
mother (the lady with the
walker called 'Mum"). I have
posted a good recommendation
for your tour and hope this
helps with ongoing business
- which you most honorably
deserve. I will also do what
I can to help you recover
the lost port fees for the
previous trip. Please accept
our very best wishes for a
happy and prosperous future,
Helen & John Brookfield -
Australia ( Our
tourists on 14th April 2011
on the Diamond Princess )
would like to say we
thoroughly enjoyed your tour
of Nha Trang. Probably the
best tour of the whole
cruise.
And what an excellent,
friendly and informative
guide. Especially loved the
Cai river trip and the 6
course meal at the riverside
restaurant.. Happy to
recommend your company to
any interested travelers
(just ask them to email me).
Regards
Stephen ( Our tourists on
12th March 2011 on the Marry
Queen 2 )
I have given your card out
and recommended you to at
least 6 people. I hope
they all take your tour
because it was the best tour
of my entire 16 day cruise.
Please keep in touch.
Linda Piraino ( Our
tourists on 12th March 2011
on the Marry Queen 2 )
Nha Trand excellent and
reasonable tour
Our ship
stopped for the day in Nha
Trang. We had arranged a
private tour in advance with
Mr. Dung Pham of
www.nhatrangrivertour.com.
He provided a driver with an
air-conditioned SUV and a
guide for the day. We were
joined by three Canadians,
Paul and Barb Thorburn and
her sister Pat. The per
person cost was well worth
the price.
Looking at everything
around, you wouldn't think
that this is a communist
country but it is. There are
"patriotic posters" and
billboards all over the
place, most with the hammer
and sickle and a few with Ho
Chi Minh. I asked the guide
whether the government owned
the land that has homes and
farms and he said the plots
are privately owned. Our
guide said he was born in
1979 and didn't know
anything about the war
fought here.
First stop was at an
embroidery factory right in
town. There were numerous
ladies working solo or in
groups of two to four to
eight embroidering a single
item. It is something to see
a group of 6 or 8 working on
one piece with 2 or 4 on
each side. How they keep
track of the detail they are
working on in conjunction
with the others is beyond my
comprehension. They
demonstrated the whole
process from the pencil
drawing, poking it with
holes on top of the cloth to
be embroidered, then doing
the actual work. Their work
is truly amazing, the
finished products look like
paintings, the work is so
fine. All the sales ladies
are dressed in beautiful
local dress. The prices were
reasonable with framed 1' by
1' items going for about $50
and large 2' by 2.5' ones
going for $100 to $200
depending on the amount of
stitchwork on the piece.
Next we headed across the
Cai River into the
countryside. We drove
through a lot of small
streets with small homes. We
finally arrived at an open
house where a single family
makes "sticky noodles."
There were the mother, a
son, and two daughters
working (the men here seem
to sit around in small shops
drinking tea in glasses and
shooting the bull). They
take the rice, shuck it,
then let it soak for two
days before making it into
rice flour and ultimately
the noodles. Each person has
their single job. The rice
flour is then made into a
paste, then heated on the
hearth, then poured into the
noodle maker. The noodles
are then cooked in hot
water, and finally laid out
to package. The noodles are
made daily as the day's
production has to be used
that day. They produce
hundreds of kilos of the
noodles to sell to
restaurants and consumers.
The fire is made from
burning the rice husks.
These people were very
industrious working at a
fast pace. In the same
neighborhood we next visited
a place where they make rice
paper. They make a paste of
rice flour then feed it
through a large machine
where the rice paper is
formed in sheets about 4
feet wide. As it comes out
of the machine it is laid
unto wooden frames and cut
the length. The room was
very hot as the machine
burns logs to heat the flour
mixture and lay it out.
Women then carry the wooden
frames outside to set in the
sun until dry. We rode a
short distance and stopped
at a rather primitive
looking residence. We went
in and the 61 year old widow
makes coolie hats from reeds
to support her 9 children.
She sells them for $3 each
and produces as many a day
as she can. We left there
then headed over to a
farming area where they
raise rice. They can grow
rice 10 months a year there
(only missing October and
November because that is the
very wet season). The rice
is ready for harvest in 3
months time. Then we stopped
at a 200 year old Vietnamese
house that we were able to
walk through. Afterwards,
the hostess provided us with
various local fruits to
enjoy while most of us drank
green tea (a couple of us
had a "333 Beer" which is
made in Saigon). The house
has a living area, a small
Buddhist shrine room, the
men's room where the males
sit and sleep and the
women's room where the
females stay and sleep, and
a kitchen. The house had
beautiful gardens and a
sitting area outside where
we ate the fruit. Next stop
was another open building
next to a stand where the
men gather while their women
work. Inside the building
there were two women weaving
reed mats on a rudimentary
loom. One feeds the various
colored reeds into the loom
on a stick then the other
moves the loom tool. They
sat my wife down torun the
loom so now she has another
trade that could support her
if she chose to stay in
Vietnam. They sold the mats
there with the small ones 1'
by 1' going the $3 up to the
large about 3' by 6' for
$10. We then went to a
Buddhist orphanage where
they care for 100 young
people from a few months old
up to 16 years old. It was a
very beautiful pagoda and
shrine. The orphanage was
built in 1988 and is
privately operated. After
this busy day, we stopped at
a floating restaurant for
lunch. I was able to try
most of the plates as they
included tasty but chewy
beef, breaded shrimp, as
well as fish that I passed
on (I am a very finicky
eater). The others thought
everything tasted great.
After lunch we boarded a
small boat that carried us
down the Cai River to the
Cham Temple. The Cham people
were the original
inhabitants of this area of
Vietnam. They now mostly
live in the mountains and
are just one of the many
minorities in the country.
The temple is quite old,
about 1000 years old. After
this we headed to the
marketplace for a bit of
shopping. The overwhelming
percentage of the people
travel by motorbike, the
streets are very crowded
with them. We noticed many
young girls on them with
masks over their face, long
sleeves, and gloves which
seemed unusual in this hot
climate. Our guide told us
that they do that to keep
themselves as light as
possible. He said dark skin
is considered "dirty" and
the sign of a field hand or
farmer whereas light skin
connotes success, an office
worker. Overall, Nha Trang
was a great port and Mr.
Pham's service provided a
very interesting day tour.
38
Tanya Stars
from the Diamond Princess on
8th December 2010
We used this tour
company last Dec, on our
Diamond Princess cruise
from Singapore to
Sydney.
The 38 of us on the tour
all agreed it was one of
the best private tours
we have ever taken.
On the top of his
website
www.nhatrangrivertour.com
is a photo of our group
Cheers
Tanya
“Nha Trang at its best!”
Nha Trang is a coastal city
on the south central coast
of Vietnam well known for
its pristine beaches and
friendly people. In recent
years it has become an
important tourist hub for
cruise ships, one of which
we were traveling on. Not
wanting to be part of a ship
guided tour with 50 to 60
other travelers, we took a
chance and contacted the Nha
Trang River Tour to arrange
for a more private and
personal offering of Nha
Trang. It turned out to be
one of our better decisions
in our recent Southeast Asia
vacation. Nha Trang River
Tour (NTRT) is a mom and pop
tour company owned by a Mr.
Dung Pham, but donʻt be
deceived by its small size.
It offers first class
services. Being locally
owned, Mr. Pham has
established working
relationships with many of
Nha Trangʻs attractions.
These arrangements provide
unique opportunities for his
guests to explore intimately
the people and the processes
involved in producing such
iconic Vietnamese goods as
silk embroideries, conical
hats, rice noodles, earthen
stoves, and rush mats. A
short ride into the
countryside will provide
never to be forgotten sights
such as a two centuries old
traditional home, rice
paddies, fishing villages,
and temples. Back in town
other choices included the
quintessential market place,
numerous restaurants
featuring local cuisines,
and five star hotels lining
the 3-mile long seaside Tran
Phu Street. In short,
whatever anyone might like
to see and experience in Nha
Trang can be accommodated by
Mr. Dung Pham and his
company. After
deciding what we wanted to
see in Nha Trang, making our
arrangements with NTRT
proved to be simple. Mr.
Pham was always prompt to
reply and communications was
never a problem. Returning
to the dock in time for our
departure was never in
doubt. Anyone wanting an
option to the typical cattle
mass of s ship tour would be
wise to check out Nha Trang
River Tour on their website.
Although small in size, they
are sure to provide a
quality service at a fair
and reasonable price.
We recently toured Nha Trang
when the QM2 called in there
on her world voyage. We were
a little unsure of this
port, so I did a search and
found that Dung from
www.nhatrangrivertour.com
seemed to be very highly
recommended. We ended
booking with him via his
website, and everything went
very smoothly via email from
the start. Due to a change
in numbers, our tour was
slightly changed from the
one we booked as was the
meeting arrangements, but
again all this was agreed to
before arriving and all
arrangements went very
smoothly. Our itinerary
included a visit to an
embroidery factory, a rice
noodle making family/home
business, another rice
paper/family home business,
a conical hat making family,
a visit to a typical
Vietnamese house, lunch,
river cruise, a visit to
local orphanage, a visit to
a local temple, and visit to
a local market, before
finally returning to our
tender port well in time for
our return to QM2. While
Dung himself didn't take the
tour (he was busy with
another tour but we did end
up meeting him at lunch),
both the driver and tour
guide were excellent, and
made the tour great fun. The
tour guide's English was
excellent. The tour itself
was amazing. I initially
thought why would I want to
see a rice noodle making
family, or a conical hat
making lady, but everything
was so interesting. The
thing that made it so
amazing was meeting real
local Vietnamese people in
their traditional
environment, and seeing the
contrast between our own
lives and theirs. The
Vietnamese people were so
friendly and welcoming, and
the country side we drove
through was just so
beautiful. Vietnam is an
amazing country, and her
people so friendly. So much
so, that we want to go back
to Vietnam and spend more
time there. This is in part
due to the wonderful tour
that Dung arranged for us,
and Nha Trang became one of
the highlights our our
cruise. Along with many
others on cruisecritic, we
highly recommend Dung for
any of your tour
requirements in Nha Trang.
18 American
tourists on the Diamond
Princess on 14th
October 2010
Nha Trang was
a real pleasant surprise and
one of the best trips while
on our Princess Asia cruise.
We did so much compared to
the cruise trip's tour. Our
tour with Nha Trang River
Tour included a combination
of the countryside and the
city tour with a visit to
the silk embroidery store,
the pagoda, a NICE cruise up
the Cai River, fresh coconut
milk at a local farmer 's
house, a visit to the
Ancient House, a rush mat
weaving place, the orphanage
plus lunch on the river! At
the orphanage, I donated a
play parachute and the kids
went wild over it! It was a
GREAT combination of every
thing we wanted to see and
the swim in the ocean wasn't
bad either! We LOVED Nha,
our local tour guide and he
spoke PERFECT English!
I recommend Nha Trang River
Tour as your personal guide
while you're visiting here.
Julie Wong
36 tourists
on the Diamond Princess on
28th April 2010
We stopped in
Nha Trang this past April,
on the Diamond Princess. Nha
Trang was one of the
highlights of the cruise. We
booked a private tour with
www.nhatrangrivertour.com
- our contact was Dung -
e-mail:
phamtandung2002@yahoo.com We
were extremely pleased with
the tour, the private guide
and driver. We chose the
"Special Countryside + City
Tour", rather than the tour
that included a boat ride.
We had a group of over
200 passengers and most of
them also booked with
nhatrangrivertour... and
were also very pleased.
Dear Mr.
Dung,
Thank you so
much for arranging such a
great tour of Nha
Trang for
us! You spoke
excellent English and were
so knowledgeable of every
site. We thoroughly
enjoyed the embroidery
factory, children at the
orphange, family home, Cai
River cruise, Ponagar
Temple, handicrafts (I wore
my cone hat gardening),
and delicious lunch.
This tour was the best we
had in the 8 ports the
Diamond Princess visited.
Thank you
again! Barb Batson,
Middleville, Michigan USA
Great River
Cruise in Nha Trang with Mr
Dung
In April 2010
we called into Nha Trang on
the Diamond Princess having
prebooked a River Cruise
with Mr Dung Pham of the
Global Travel Company. We
were a group of about 16 in
total and had a wonderful
day trip with Mr Dung who
speaks good English. The
highlight of the trip which
included lunch was a visit
to an orphanage. It was
proably the best and most
memorable tour of the whole
cruise. They need passport
details in advance and
through cruise critic try to
contact any fellow
passengers who would like to
take the trip with you in
order to create a viable
group. Overall excellent
trip and thoroughly
recommended. Contact
details:
www.nhatrangrivertour.com
phamtandung2002@yahoo.com
John (UK)
We arranged
two tour groups with Mr Dung
Pham of the Global Travel
Company during our recent
BATS
Cruise
on the Diamond Princess, one
group did the
Nha
Trang River Cruise Tour
with Countryside option, the
other did the Hot Springs
option. Both tours were
OUTSTANDING! All
Vietnam Visas were handled
by the Diamond Princess
automatically for ALL
passengers. All passports
were stamped and entry cards
provided for all without any
action on our part. We did
have to send detailed
passport information for all
tour participants to Dung
Pham ahead of time
Here is
another recommendation for
Dung
www.nhatrangrivertour.com
We were in
Nha Trang this month and had
a fantastic tour including
lunch and fruit for morning
tea. The highlight of the
tour was a trip to an
orphanage. Dung had
suggested we bring
sweets/candies for the
children which we did but
one clever lady had her
grandchildren give her toys
for the children; I wished I
had done the same thing
instead of bringing candy.
We were with Dung from 9.00
am to 3.30 pm and the trip
included a river trip as
well. I also started with a
group of 8 and we finished
with 32! As soon as it
became "my" group Dung
forwarded enquiry emails to
me; so I could "approve"
them. It is a requirement
that the travel agent get a
permit and do require the
information as stated in
other posts. We had no
problem with that at all.
Some South American
countries are the same; that
is just their requirement.
Beryl
Hello Dung
Pham!
Wanted to
drop a note and Thank You
for a wonderful day in Nha
Trang! Your tour
really really one of the
highlights of our entire
trip to Asia! "Huy"
was the best tour guide we
had on our entire trip!
He was nice, funny, and very
knowledgeable. We
really enjoyed our day with
him. Please tell him
"hello" from us. It
was also a pleasure to meet
you in person at the
riverside restaurant! I got
a great photo of you, which
I am attaching to this
email. I'm also
attaching a few photos of
Huy & a photo of the two
ladies who wove the grass
mats. They were SO
nice. Please give them
our regards and our sincere.
Thanks as well! Thank you
again, Dung. We hope
to see you in Nha Trang
again in the future.
We loved Nha Trang !
Best to you
my friend,
Ken Trout
Dallas, Texas
U.S.A.
We recently arranged with
Mr. Dung Pham for two
groups, one with 24 and the
other 30, from the Diamond
Princess to participate in
his Nha Trang River Cruise
tours that include either a
Hot Springs visit, or
Countryside tour. Both tours
included visits to a
children's orphanage,
embroidery paintings work
place, rice paper factory,
rush mats family business,
visit to family home, Cai
River cruise, lunch at a
local seafood restaurant, a
stop in a ancient home for
fruit snack and drinks, and
stop at the Dam Market.
Excellent buses and english
speaking guides provided a
lovely experience to see the
Nha Trang seaside area.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed
Nha Trang and the tours
provided by Dung Pham. Dung
may be contacted at
www.nhatrangrivertour.com
April 20,
2009: Nha Trang was a tender
port, which means the ship
anchors off the coast and
all passengers must take a
tender boat to get to shore
(about a 10 minute ride). We
had booked a tour with Mr.
Dung Pham of Global Travel:
www.nhatrangrivertour.com
We were on the first tender
and got into Nha Trang about
9:00. We met our guide
(holding the Carole Jeffery
sign) and first had a short
tour of the oceanography
museum. They do a lot of
research and there was one
huge room with nothing but
jars of specimens of every
fish variety you could
imagine. Then the 8 of us
boarded the A/C van for a
ride through downtown Nha
Trang. The beaches were
beautiful! Next we took a
boat ride on a very old boat
that held just the 8 of us
plus our guide. Our guide
was very nice. The 45 minute
ride was fun and cooling. We
stopped at a family's house
for coconut milk. They had
many coconut trees and
chopped the tops off the
coconuts while we were there
and we drank from the
coconuts. The family's water
buffalo was wandering around
the yard - no fences - but
he didn't come over too
close to us. This family had
no electricity or running
water. They got water from a
well. Very primitive, but
the family was very nice and
very clean. Then back on the
boat--next stop another
house where they served us
fruit and green tea. Toured
the house--bedrooms had just
enough room for a bed.
Because the husband and wife
were "old", they had
separate bedrooms Kitchen
was very primitive. They had
a small spigot for water
that was very low to the
ground and I found them
sitting on the ground
washing the tea cups that we
had just used. Not too
sanitary, but too late--we
had already had the tea.
Next we visited an
orphanage. The nuns care for
about 100 street children
that were abandoned or given
up by parents because they
couldn't care for them. Ages
from about 4 to 12. The kids
sang for us and then we
handed out candy. I had
packed 300 lollipops in my
suitcase for this and they
were a hit. The kids knew
how to say "What your name"
and "how old you". They all
wanted to have their
pictures taken and then look
at the pictures on your
camera screen. We then went
to a riverside restaurant
for lunch--spring rolls
(very good), cucumbers in a
light broth (pretty good),
mackeral with tomato sauce,
squid with vegetables, rice,
and freshly picked bananas.
We also had the local beer
(Saigon beer). I have tried
some really different foods
on this trip and so far, so
good. Another stop--rush mat
weaving. The ladies were
weaving placements or
sleeping mats on a large
loom. We got to try our hand
at this putting the rushes
into the loom. Let's just
say I won't be quitting my
day job. Then on to the most
amazing embroidery workshop.
The pictures that these
ladies turn out are simply
unbelievable--they look like
painted pictures but are all
done in embroidery thread.
Then to the PoNagar Temple
(100 steps up) with
wonderful views of Nha
Trang. The complex
originally included 8
towers, 4 of which still
stand. The temples were
built at different times,
between the 7th and 12th
century. Final stop was Dam
Market for souvenirs, but we
didn't buy anything. On the
way back to the port we
stopped at the beach to walk
in the sand and take photos.
We are back
home after a great cruise of
Asia. One of the
highlights of our trip was
the visit to Nha Trang and
our tour with your company.
I wanted to thank you for
arranging our tour.
The van, driver and guide
were excellent and we saw
many areas of everyday life
in Vietnam. The visit
to the orphanage was the
high point of the day.
We also enjoyed the fine
lunch on the river side. I
will be recommending your
company to other American
travelers to your country.
Thank you once again for a
very pleasant experience.
Sincerely,
Charles
Sanders
We had booked
a tour for 8 of us that was
really fun and interesting.
This is a tender port but we
had no problems getting
tender tickets for the first
tender. The beaches and
manicured trees are really
nice. We boarded a riverboat
for our trip down the Cai
River, with views of houses
on stilts, fishing boats,
rice paddies, rickety
bridges, before stopping at
a coconut island. The family
here chopped off the tops of
fresh coconuts and we had
coconut milk. Then back on
the little boat to visit a
family house and have tea
and fruit. We also visited a
house where they were doing
rush mat weaving. You could
try your hand at the weaving
(but don't quit your day
job). We then visited an
orphanage where the children
sang a song for us and we
handed out candy. I had
packed 300 lollipops in my
suitcase for this. Priceless
pictures of the children!
After all that it was time
for lunch at a seaside
restaurant included spring
rolls, cucumber soup, squid
with vegetables, mackeral in
tomato sauce, rice, and
fresh bananas. Not quite
finished with the tour yet!
On to the most amazing
embroidery workshop/store
here is definitely the place
to buy first-class souvenir
picture if you need
something for your house.
Some smaller pictures were
$120 to $180 and larger and
more complicated pictures
were much more. These
embroidered pictures of
flowers, Vietnam life, or
people looked like paintings
and were very intricate. We
also visited the PoNagar
Temple (about 100 steps up
to the temple), with
wonderful views of the
harbor and fishing boats
below. Final stops at the
Dam Market for souvenirs and
the beach to walk in the
sand and take pictures. The
boat portion of the tour was
only about 45 minutes. We
actually enjoyed it because
it was so hot. The boat
takes you to coconut island,
around the harbor/fishing
boat area, and then to the
place where you have a
snack. Also you see some of
the houses on stilts by the
water, a rickety bridge,
rice paddy, interesting
scenery from the boat. You
get on and off the boat at
coconut island and the house
where you have a snack. I
think some of the tours did
the reverse of what we did
and they did the boat
portion at the end. I don't
know of anyone who just did
the land only portion. The
company told us to try to be
the first off the ship,
which we were. We were on
the first tender and met our
guide a little after 9am. We
were back in plenty of time
to walk around. Since you
are doing a private
excursion, you can tell the
company when you want to
return to the port. We
actually had time to stop at
the beach and take pictures.
We didn't spend much time at
the Dam Market as we were
really not looking for
souvenirs. I believe the
last tender was to leave at
5:30pm (it is only a 10
minute or so tender ride).
Dear Mr Pham,
We are home from our Asia
tour and just wanted to tell
you how much we enjoyed our
tour of Nha Trang - what a
beautiful city! We enjoyed
our guide, Nha, and the
driver. We also appreciated
the riverboat driver and
enjoyed the coconut milk at
the island. The lunch on the
river was delicious and I
was happy to be able to
thank you in person. It was
a pleasure to do business
with your company.
Thank you,
Karen Meier
Now back in
the Enland after a wonderful
cruise on Diamond Princess
between Bangkok & Beijing .
The highlight during our
time away was in Nha Trang ,
Vietnam where our group of 6
enjoyed the River Tour with
your expert English speaking
guide Toyah. The entire tour
was excellent & our visit to
the orphanage in Pagoda was
most memorable & will never
be forgotten. Thank you Dung
& Toyah for your services.
Richard &
Rosemary
Hampshire,
England.
I just wanted
to let you know how much we
enjoyed our day in Nha
Trang. The tour was
excellent and we saw a lot
in the short amount of time
we were there. Your company
does an excellent job of
providing an itinerary that
is extremely interesting and
provides great value
for the price of the tour. I
did post some photos of our
tour on my web site and
referenced your web site. Again,
thank you for a wonderful
day in Nha Trang.
Steve and
Fran Susman
Our next port
of call was Nha Trang.
Originally it was for a
group of 6-8 of us but word
got out and the group kept
growing. We called a halt to
it at 18 as it was becoming
too large and unwieldy. I
had arranged a private tour
with Dung prior to our trip
via the internet. He owns
and runs his own company
called Global Travel Co.,
Ltd , also known as Dung
Tour. We highly recommend
his services, having
utilized them on a one day
tour for a group of 18 in
Dec, 2006. He was
professional, thoughtful,
informative. His rates were
very reasonable. He speaks
fluent French and English
and is a native of Nha
Trang. I would recommend me
this to anyone going to Nha
Trang. Dung picked us up at
the port as arranged and we
proceeded to an embroidery
factory where we could watch
them work with no pressure
to buy, we visited a temple,
took a river cruise, went to
a coconut plantation, rode a
horse drawn carriage,
visited a private home with
beautiful wood carved
furniture, ate lunch at a
restaurant by the river, and
took us to a Spa for the
afternoon and waited for us
at the Spa then back to the
ship. We used American
dollars the entire time we
were here and it was no
problem. We had taken a lot
of ones with us and it
worked out great. The Spa
included a mud soak, thermal
springs soak and a 1 hour
massage. The price was
unbeatable and Dung was
outstanding. I wish we could
have had him on our entire
trip. He can be emailed at
nhatrangrivertour@yahoo.com
I have included this as I
found him was from another
cruise critic referral and
he was even better than we
had hoped for. If you want a
private tour tailored to
exactly what you want, with
an English or French
speaking guide, this is the
man for you. He knows all
the back ways into
everything. We never waited
in line for anything and
felt like we were citizens
who knew all the ins and
outs of being in Nha Trang,
Vietnam. It was a fantastic
time and everyone in our
group (18 of us) thought it
the best excursion of the
entire cruise. We will
definitely contact Dung if
we return to Nha Trang.
Took a great
1 day tour in Nha Trang.
It's a bit different to what
most of the tour operators
in town offer. Dung from the
tour company allowed us to
combine the Nha Trang River
Cruise and the Nha Trang
Countryside Biking Tour into
1 day. On the day, he was
happy to suggest attractions
and let us decide on those
we did and didn't want to
see. He also made provision
for 1 of our party to be
collected from our hotel
mid-way through the tour.
This tour gave us a good
dose of culture and allowed
us to see behind the beach
and the tourist strip of Nha
Trang. We thoroughly enjoyed
the tour and would recommend
this company to other
tourists.
We took a 1/2 day tour while
in Nha Trang with
nhatrangrivertour.com We
arranged this ahead of time
via the internet. Mr Dung
met us at the dock as
arranged and we proceeded to
an embroidery factory where
we could watch them work
with no pressure to buy, a
very old home where they
made some of the most
beautiful woodwork where we
had a very light snack, a
Hindu temple, a walk through
small back streets of Nha
Trang, a river tour/trip up
river in small boats, a
motorcycle and/or cart ride
Someone (my wife, Patty)
refused the pre-arranged
cart and requested a
motorbike, babbling
something about inhumane
donkey or horse treatment.
Dung got out his cell phone
in the middle of nowhere,
and within minutes a few
motorbikes appeared and off
we went through the
countryside (never mind the
inhumane treatment of
overloading those poor
motorbikes with three people
on each! What can I say, I
love motorcycles.) to a
sedge mat operation run out
of a family's home. We then
returned to the river for
lunch at a restaurant
alongside the river (no one
wanted the snakes in a jar)
and then a tour of an island
with fresh picked coconut
drinks. It was a fantastic
time and everyone in our
group (18 of us) thought it
the best excursion of the
entire cruise. In fact many
in the group said they would
never again take a cruise
line excursion. I highly
recommend this tour for
anyone visiting Nha Trang.
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