Fun day at the perfume pagoda - We had an amazing time at the perfume pagoda. Minh was a really nice tour guide. He always made sure everyone understands his point and on the boat we listened to some nice music and sang some karaoke songs, which was quite fun.

Amazing - He was an amazing tour guide. He made happiness atmosphere for the tour with amazing comprehensive details in interesting way with a very nice vibes in the boat karaoke🎤

Worth the Visit! - "Minh, our tour guide, was an absolute gem throughout our one-day trip. His depth of knowledge about the destinations we visited was truly impressive. Not only was he informative, but Minh also went above and beyond to ensure everyone in the group had a memorable experience.

Haider Al Zahid in Vietnam - In fact.. It was a wonderful trip.. It has history and culture... I was alone...in a group of different nationalities... Our guide, Mr. Minh... thanks to our good luck, he was from the same area (pogada perfume)... We took care of every member of the group. He was well-educated, simple, and had many talents. I loved his singing in his beloved Vietnamese language. The trip is very enjoyable... and I recommend doing it I do not recommend doing it in December/February/March because it is a special Hajj season... with very large crowds He helped me get to the airport and organize my time in an amazing way Also, the driver was nice...and his driver was honest Thank you very much Haider Al Zahid. Basra / Iraq

Don't miss this if wanting to experience the sacred side of Vietnam - I found this lengthy day trip with tour-guide Minh to be excellent value for the money —full of wonderfully atmospheric, lush scenery and sacred Buddhist / Daoist sites treasured by the country’s people. The sojourn begins with a comfortable 90-minute van-ride south (from Hanoi’s old quarter area next to Hoan Kiem Lake) into rural farmland, arriving at the boat-ferry area, providing a chance to get to know tour-guide Minh and fellow travelers (there were eight of us). This was followed by a brief visit to the Mai Lam Hotel for any snacks and restroom stop, and then two gentle boat-rides powered by an oarsman (or woman)—first a short ride to the gateway shrine of Den Trinh (“tr” in Vietnamese is pronounced like “ch”), then the longer boat-trip up the Do Di Chua Huong river to the Ben Trong terminal port and nearby Thien Tru temple. I can’t remember if lunch preceded or followed a visit to the Perfume Pagoda (Chua Huong) complex of temples & shrines. Being a vegan (like so many devout East Asian Buddhists), I appreciated that the large restaurant served generous helpings of rice, tofu in tomato sauce, veggies, and french-fried potatoes. The omnivores had additional dishes of dead animal parts to ingest. At one point we then took the cable-car ride up very steep, lush terrain to eventually reach the fabulous Dong (Cave) Huong Tich, which may indeed be “the most beautiful cave in Vietnam,” full of wonders, though I also greatly enjoyed the Huyen Khong cave (and many other attractions) in the Marble Mountains 20 minutes south of Da Nang. What makes the Huong Tich cave especially interesting and photogenic are the colossal stalagmites and stalactites. Along the way at different sections of this sojourn are quite colorful, interesting shops of souvenirs, artworks, and snacks (many of which can be freely sampled). The one serious critique I would offer: Minh allowed a friendly young European on our trip to take control of the karaoke sound-system brought by Minh onto the boats and play several heavy rock-n-roll songs (including “Highway to Hell”—really??) that were totally inappropriate for the “prayerful” ambience that Minh himself had insisted was so important to the region’s people. Yes, the rock-n-roll created a rollicking fun atmosphere, and even some of the Vietnamese people in other boats along the river seemed to enjoy the gregariousness of our party, but I suspect numerous Vietnamese were justifiably offended by the rowdy display in their sacred pilgrimage area. So my suggestion: please have more time for 1) silent enjoyment of the exquisitely beautiful boat-ride, and 2) traditional Vietnamese lovely songs that perfectly suit the environment and spiritual ambience. I could have done the trip myself—paying for a taxi each way, perhaps joining a boat-load of people for the up- and down-river trips—and having more time to explore everything in this area on my own, including the Dong (Cave) Tien Son and more temple buildings along the way, and even temples like the Tam Chuc Pagoda complex four miles to the southeast. But the taxi rides (unless I shared them with other people) would have been expensive and, for myself as a solo traveler on this trip to East Asia, lacking the social solidarity of the group experience with friendly tour guide Minh and fellow group members. In sum, I would say this is a rich cultural and spiritual experience to be enjoyed and cherished when visiting northern Vietnam. Highly recommended!

Great day at perfume pagoda - Very nice day trip to perfume pagoda. Minh was a very competent and organized guide. The whole trip was great with all events ( boat trip , temples and pagoda) it is a must if you stay in Hanoi

Passionate tour Guide Minh - Highly recommend this day trip from Hanoi. Beautiful area and really interesting spiritually and historically. Minh was so helpful and passionate about this area. Festival feel all the way

Minh is brilliant but take enough cash - Would highly recommend this trip when visiting Hanoi. The trip is about a 2 hour drive from Hanoi and we we were staying in the old quarter and had a fifteen minute walk to the pick up spot where we got on the bus with other guests who had already been picked up, after picking everyone up we were driven to the town at the bottom of the river, on the way Minh introduced himself and explained about the tour and the day, his English was brilliant. From the first town where the bus stops there is a short ride in ana electric mini bus to the river this is a 10000 dong each way charge, which is literally only around 30p. Then when at the river we boarded a traditional boat across to the first temple. All the while king is explaining about the local traditions and temples which we are experiencing, his enthusiasm is brilliant as he was born and from the place you are visiting. After the first temple you then are towed up the river to the pagoda which is about 1 hour. It is long but also very beautiful, just be warned if you are not very mobile or struggle to sit for a long time and then struggle getting up it may be difficult and uncomfortable. At the pagoda a walk is then taken up the mountain to the lunch stop. Lunch was great very tradition and included except drinks which you buy yourself. Again warned not many vegetarian options available in Vietnam if you are veggie I think the only option was tofu and fries and rice although plenty of meat and fish option. After lunch you walk to the pagoda which is stunning and Minh does a great job explaining What you are seeing. It was so quiet and didn’t feel touristy we must have been the only group there other than a few locals and some monks. Again be warned there are a lot of steep steps and can be sleepy after rainfall. After this it was then the trip to the cave we were told it was optional to get the cable car but we wanted to walk however because everyone else had already booked the cable car we didn’t have a choice which was slighly disappointing as you also need to pay. Finally the cave was again beautiful and then it was time to head back. At the river this time there was an option to get a motorboat which was another charge of around $4 each which isn’t a lot at all and everyone was happy to pay as it greatly shortened the trip back along the river. But the only issue was the ladies who had rowed up the river waited and then encounter to tip for waiting. Once back it was then a trip back to Hanoi. All in all a fantastic trip, the only downside side was the hidden costs, which we just wished would have been displayed in the description as we still would have been happy to pay it was just we ran out of cash so once back in Hanoi needed to go get more to pay minh. So take plenty of cash.

Long day, important history - Really important history to learn about, we went during a festival and it was BUSY. The weather also was chilly, but it was a REALLY long day. The guide was ok, could have explained in more detail why incense is burned etc, and the travel is SO long to the destination and it was a very long day. A more comfortable boat seat would have made a world of difference!

Beware of everyone wanting to be tipped. - It was raining and the 30 kms boat ride with someone rowing was a bit long. And no cover except ponchos we had to buy The tour itself was enjoyable, although a lot of steps and slippery. One of the ladies slipped and hurt her knee. We were advised to tip Lady rowing boat., when we did she keep saying 'not enough'. We were led to believe the boat ride was part of the tour, so should be covered with payment of tour. Then we had to pay the cart driver to drive us 2 kms to our boat.