Why You Should Avoid Budget Tour Packages in Vietnam

This blog will explain why you need to avoid these services and what to look for.

Falling for the “budget” tour packages will wreck your holiday and your travel experience in Vietnam.

What Are Budget Tour Packages in Vietnam?

The answer to this is subjective. Everyone has their definition of what affordable means. For example, if your income is six figures a year, then a $50 Saigon tour in Vietnam may seem very affordable to you. But if your income is barely making ends meet, then a $50 tour would seem mind blown.

Here is one element of this argument that is true: Quality tours aren’t cheap.

Here are reasons why you should avoid budget tours in Vietnam:

1. You Get What You Pay For

There is a difference between going to a place to be there and going to a place to safely experience and thoroughly learn from it.

The two biggest things that travelers look for in new destinations are authenticity and local experience.

Since budget travel companies don’t have the capital, they:

- can’t provide sufficient training to their tour guides

- cannot afford extra safety measures for their travelers, such as travel insurance or quality helmets for the adventurous motorbike or motorcycle tours in Ho Chi Minh City

- have hidden costs in their quotations and pricing; they don't include attraction entrance fees and certain meals

This results in four things:

1.    They waste your valuable and limited travel time and join you in with other people to provide the same “cookie-cutter” tours

2.    They frequently hire freelancers to fill last-minute on-demand bookings, which means using someone outside of the company temporarily who might not understand fully all of the safety aspects and risks when conducting tours compared to someone who works full time

3.    The tour guides struggle with the language barrier to informatively and efficiently deliver the information on the tour, and you will end up understanding part of the information given

4.    You will need to spend more than you originally budgeted for the tour

2. You Will End Up Having a Negative Experience

Choosing the best tour companies in Vietnam isn’t as clear as black and white. You should do some research and read some testimonials from reliable sources before choosing a cheap and affordable tour.

This ranges from your personal safety to the local food you get served.

Do you want to have an enjoyable experience or frustrating and disappointing moments that you will need to complain about after your trip?

3. Cookie Cutter

Most cheap tours have to use cookie-cutter strategies. That’s because these companies won’t be able to be flexible and will almost always be of low quality.

On top of that, you don’t want to book a tour and have the guide not show up or answer your inquiries promptly. That’s because these companies allocate most of their resources to conducting affordable front-end sales and leave little resources for support and careful planning.

Good Vietnam tour operators understand that quality tours require customization and careful planning, and they allocate most of their resources to service quality and safety measures. Don’t ever risk your personal safety joining a budget motorcycle tour without doing careful research!

And unlike cheap tours, quality tour operators value customer satisfaction and retention. They put effort into ensuring that travelers do enjoy the trip and get the best out of their holidays.

4. Good Memories Are Priceless

Tour companies that offer affordable tours have to employ cheap or unqualified labor, and this equates to inexperience.

Good quality tours aren’t cheap because they employ legitimate, proven experts in their fields. These qualified tour guides are confident in their ability to conduct the tours in a safe, fun, and informative manner. Therefore, they would never work for entry-level pay. 

3 Solutions for a Limited Travel Budget in Vietnam

1. Do It Yourself

Plan your travel and read about Vietnam travel guides or Vietnam travel tips, if you have time. Unless you are after the off-the-beaten-path places, then you should be able to visit the wide-known sightseeing city attractions on your own.

2. Wait

We cannot stress enough the importance of safety. Don’t jeopardize your personal safety on a budget for Vietnam motorcycle tours run by inexperienced and young staff. If you cannot afford to choose a tour with a reputable and quality tour provider at the moment, then wait until your budget allows.

3. Gather Some Friends

Whether it be a group tour or a private tour of Vietnam, traveling in groups does make prices cheaper as they can be shared among the people in the group.

Get a quote for Vietnam Travel Insurance:

Got any questions or have any Vietnam travel experience you would like to share? Let us know in the comments!

Find a hotel on your Vietnam Travel: