1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?

It was a great holiday, and it is very hard to single out one thing. Our trip to the northeast was one of the best bits (I was honoured to be invited to join the other giggling grannies on the floor of the Tay house - if only I was as limber as they are!). The water puppets in a village setting were wonderful. Hanoi is fascinating.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?

Allow plenty of time in Hanoi - we had 2 days, including a half day tour with our guide, and it was not enough. By the time we'd been to the museums, sat by the lake and people watched, mastered the traffic in the old city, ate countless ice creams, shopped, become expert chopstick users and become hooked on noodles, and just soaked up the atmosphere - we'd run out of time! Another day would have been good. And - expect to spend more then you expect on shopping. We never buy things for ourselves when on holiday, but this was very much an exception. The quality of the crafts is so high, we found it impossible to resist.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?

Yes.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?

Brilliant! Vietnam hadn't been on my internal list of places to go, but my husband wanted to. And it was great - now I want to go to Laos. I won't give it 5 stars, but only because we've had so many wonderful holidays I can't honestly say which was the best. If the star system didn't come with those descriptors, this would be a 5 star one.