Independent Touring or Group Touring in Korea and Vietnam?
I am planning to visit Korea and Vietnam (among other places)...and I was wondering whether or not group touring (set up by agencies) are the way to go...or independent touring...setting up a hotel, choosing my own sites to see, etc...
I realize in Vietnam, as an American I can be taken advantage of (I heard this happens even to Vietnamese-Americans)...although, I guess it can happen in any country where there is a different language being spoken...
Hi!
I've done both group touring and indepdently in Vietnam (and other Asian countries).
The benefits of a group:
- Less hassle since you don't have to decide where to go, what to see, what to do, where to stay, how to get there...
- The tour guides are indeed very friendly (that I've had and some have gone above the call of duty in explaining things to me about the history, etc)
The downsides of a group:
- You don't have alot of time at each place you go (and you spend alot of time waiting for the group to gather after seeing something)
- You don't get to try alot of different foods (usually the tours will take you to places that have the same style food, though you could opt out and eat on your own, but you've already paid for the meal)
- The biggest downside is that they also take you to stores or places where they just try to sell you stuff! All tour groups do this, and most people just accept it as part of the tour - some will buy stuff, but other people just have to stand around and wait. I've heard horror stories that they won't let you leave until they make enough sales (because the tour guide gets commission), but I've never had a bad experience, it's just boring (I don't want to buy healing snake gut medicine!)
About touring independently:
- Definitely much more fun and allows you to be creative.
- It's definitely a good life lesson as you learn how to make your way in an unfamiliar area and you get to see more local life, experience finding transportation, getting lost, it's all fun!
As far as the Vietnam thing, I would not consider yourself a huge target for being taken advantage of. By far, most Vietnamese people are good people and have their own life (they're not going to go out of their way to take advantage of you).
With taxi drivers you may have be a little smart and decide a price beforehand unless the taxi has a meter. But, I'll give you my example: at a fruit market, I wanted some grapes and so I bought them (60,000d for 1kg). But after my Vietnamese friend said I should have let her buy them to get a better price because she charged me too much. How much was the right price? 45,000... or only $1 less for a huge bunch! To me, $1 is not a big deal, I can afford to pay slightly more. And the merchant can use that money more than me.
But that does bring a good point - make local friends, so you can get better prices where it does matter. In addition, they will show you the best places and can help you with transportation and everything else.
Hanoi, Vietnam Travel Video Guide
places to visit in vietnam
places to visit in vietnam
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