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Unfortunately the tour guide cancelled a few hours prior as there were insufficient registrations.
Zoe was warm, friendly, and worked hard to involve the group and keep the tour interactive at all points along the way. I liked that she taught us some Vietnamese words and mentioned some signature vietnamese dishes. And there was a fun game to play at the end. The first 45 minutes touched on some interesting cultural issues, but the pace was slow & it was sometimes hard to hear her properly. Things got a bit more interesting once we got to the Ho Chi Minh statue a few stops in. However if you are interested in history and understanding the cultural context for important events in Vietnam then this is not the tour for you. I was hoping the tour would cover some of this as there is so much to say about the rich and complex history of the south of Vietnam & Saigon. If you want to keep things light and not too serious, then you may enjoy this tour. Zoe did have some interesting facts which I will take away and remember but they were more like "fun facts" rather than being grounded in any deeper historical context. Did I learn a few interesting things along the way, yes. Was the game we played at the end fun, yes. However I did feel that there was so much more that could have been said and done to lift this tour up a level? Yes.
We loved this tour! Paul, our guide, gave a knowledgeable and engaging overview of the occupation of Carcassone (& France more broadly) during WWII. Not only a compelling storyteller, he provided a good overview of key historical events and political developments, then brought these to life through moving and eye-opening personal stories. The tour was fun, engaging, well-researched and insightful, but never dry. Highly recommend it!