My thoughts on Vietnam.

I have always wanted to visit Vietnam. It Is a country rich in culture and scenery that has always fascinated me. When I was given the opportunity to go there and to sample the delights I grabbed hold of it.

I can honestly say it is one of the things that I have been able to do in my life that is truly inspiring.

When I arrived in Hanoi it was amazing to see the simple things that make this country stand out. The chaos of the traffic somehow seems more comedic than hazardous and the system works for the people that live there.

Remnants of French architecture can be seen everywhere that you go and the people have a smile that could melt the heart of the most hardened of people.

It is difficult to put into words how much a country can touch you. The respect that the people have for each other is something we could all learn from. Generations of families sometimes spend their entire lives sharing the same home.

In western culture this is usually frowned upon, but in Vietnam it is normal to live this way. They see it as normal to care and support each other in this fashion.

The scenery can take your breath away in a heartbeat. From the Hai Van mountain pass, nearly 2,000 limestone formations around Halong bay to the in comparison normal scenes of the rice field steps on the mountains of Sapa and the character of the ethnic villages, it truly is a delight to behold.

I challenge anyone to visit this country and not to be moved by the warmth and hospitality of the people. This is what make this one of the best travel destinations in the world.

The tour I took was packed and designed to see as much of the country as possible in a relatively short space of time. Although I was able to see so much, I did not feel that I had the opportunity to really absorb the impressions that I had experienced during my time there until the tour was over.

This was one of the things that inspired me to work towards arranging for people to explore this culture at a slower pace and also to contribute towards the educational structure in place for the children in Vietnam.

We will initially be making contributions from each tour that people take and in the future we hope to arrange more tours where we allow people to really get involved and interact with the normal working people of the country.
So if you decide to take advantage of this opportunity you get a fantastic experience and you also walk away in the knowledge that you are doing your part to support this culture and their unique way of life.

Tony Mustafa