L3009YTandreas
25 Mar 2025
On March 22, 2025, we made the "Sightseeing to the North" excursion, which we booked in our hotel with "Johns Tours."
At 9:00 am, we were picked up by our extremely friendly guide, "Neko."
On the way to the Cua Can River, he explained to us, in excellent English, a bit about Vietnamese culture and the surrounding area. (The differences between North and South Vietnam, school life, the casino, the old airport, etc.)
At the Cua Can River, we could choose whether we wanted to kayak ourselves or take the motorboat. I opted for the kayak, but didn't have a hat with me. Neko immediately provided me with a sun hat. During the trip, our attentive guide took some beautiful photos of us and sent them to our phones towards the end of the trip. We also met a very tame turtle here.
Afterwards, we went to the bee farm. Here, visitors gained insight into the life of a bee colony and could sample and purchase various types of honey. There was also a large herb garden.
Afterwards, we went for a walk in the forest. Here, our guide explained a lot about different plants, such as how Vietnamese people catch fish using a plant, showed us a 450-year-old tree, talked about toxic plants and animals, etc.
Then we went to the fishing village "Rach Vem" for lunch. Here, we could either eat a set menu or order something ourselves. I recommend ordering something yourself, because not everyone likes seafood, and in a fishing village, many kinds of sea fruits are naturally included in the menu.
Our guide showed us various fishes and sea urchins in the fishing nets.
Finally, we took a motorboat to Starfish Beach. Neko explained that we were there next to the border to Cambodia. We could even see it in the distance.
Starfish Beach was simply incredible. Crystal-clear, turquoise water. Very shallow water, fine white sand, and orange starfishes everywhere. Neko told us a lot about starfishes and that we have to handle them very carefully. It's best not to take them out of the water at all or only for a very short time.
We took beautiful photos there and were able to swim for an hour. After that we returned by motorboat and then by bus to the hotel. Even during the bus ride, our guide entertained us with card tricks and magic tricks.
It was an all-around wunderful trip, and I'm very glad I did it. And I think everyone felt the same way, except the two grumpy participants. Many thanks to our wonderful guide, Neko, for this unforgettable day!
Navigator43262195901
12 Feb 2025
The trip was just ok. The best part was the bee farm and lunch. The boat ride was just ok. The starfish beach was ok but small. The forest walk was a waste of time. Nothing to see really but trees. Had to walk single line so our guide didn’t wait for the whole group to arrive before speaking so only a few in the front heard what he was saying. All these guides need a headset and smart speaker for everyone to hear properly