Blog Vietnam Travel Guide
About Us
Vietnam is an amazing puzzle, we are happy to assist you to puzzle your amazing trip for Vietnam
Friends Travel Vietnam the Travel Company Turning Travellers Into Friends Since 2013
The welcoming smell of fresh coffee...
The welcoming smell of fresh coffee... The sight of limestone karts towering over a peaceful blue see... the sound of a thousand motorbikes hooting in solidarity… These are just some of the things Vietnam has become famous for. At Friends Travel Vietnam we would like to add one more thing to the list: Exceptional customer service and having fun while providing it. Okay, that’s two things, sorry, not sorry. This is also not a claim we make lightly or as some kind of PR gimmick; we’ve worked far too hard to be able to make this claim for it to be used as a glitzy headline or marketing tool.
It would be unfair to try and categorise Friends Travel Vietnam as just a Travel agency or as just a Tour Operator. We are so much more than that, as a quick glance at our Google, Facebook and Tripadvisor reviews will attest. We are, in fact, a family, endlessly working to enhance the quality of service provided throughout Vietnam. But then again, you already know this, that’s why you are here, reading this text...
The story of Thao, Sidney, And Friends Travel Vietnam
We are just two ordinary people, aiming to create the extraordinary, with the help of a dedicated team! Our story is not a special one. We are just two normal people who were fortunate enough to have wonderful people surrounding us, to help make our dreams a reality.That, and the fact that we love Vietnam and especially Hanoi! Sidney, originally from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and I met while he was working as an investor & cruise director in Halong Bay. We fell in love, got married, and decided to start a family and a business together.
Drawing on Sidney and Thao's combined 20 years experience in the hotel and tourism industry we realized that tours concentrating on authentic local Vietnamese experiences were not being provided and we decided to focus on this niche-market. Our business grew, and our internationally licensed tour company since 2013,
Friends Travel Vietnam, is now a market leader, especially when it comes to
authentic holiday experiences!
We provide tours all over Vietnam,
north,
central, and
south, using Hanoi as our springboard. Today, our family is 31 happy people strong, two of which are our own children. The other are our employees, who helped build our travel agency,
Friends Travel Vietnam, into an industry leader.
Are you ready for an unforgettable holiday experience?
Sidney
and Thao Van Meenen
Owners & Founders
Friends Travel Vietnam
Ms. Thao Van Meenen
CEO - Owner & Founder Friends Travel Vietnam
Working in tourisme & hospitality since 2003, now working together with my husband Sidney & our dedicated, enthusiastic team we’ve been building Friends Travel Vietnam ever since 2013! With Love & passion, those are the foundations on which we build, and we’re building to last! We invite you to share this with us, as we show you Vietnam in its purest form - always choosing the road less traveled!
“Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination”.
Mr. Sidney Van Meenen
Managing Director - Owner & Founder Friends Travel Vietnam
Visiting Vietnam for the first time in 2007 on my world journey... and I haven't left since! I fell immediately in love on the country and with the Vietnamese people, their amazing kindness, culture & rich history. I learned a lot & I was inspired later to start our own travel business with my wife Thao after we got married in 2013. In this way we where able to share our " Love & Passion of Vietnam " with the rest of the world. Together with our family & team, we poured our blood, sweat, and tears into Friends Travel Vietnam where we creating experiences that will forever stay with our guests!
“All you need to know is that it’s possible to live your dreams, but never give up!”.
The Story Continued Of A Vietnamese Gal, A Dutch Guy, And Their Love Of Vietnam!
However, from the very start of our business we’ve always dreamed about starting bicycle tour as Sidney is Dutch and they love bicycling .The reasons for this is simple: We love sharing about our experience for the Vietnamese heritage and culture with other people, and we love creating special memories for our guests through excellent service and sitting on the bicycle is the perfect way. In 2017 we
decided to focus their expertise and passion on creating a tour that is both unique and environmentally sustainable. We
started our other company next to
Friends Travel Vietnam
and Biking Around Vietnam was born
en we also realized that it’s perfect combinations to cater to a family travelling with children, couples and backpackers also, so nice to see the love it! Actually with our "Real Hanoi Bicycle Experience" we created a tour for everyone to enjoy, where we welcomed thousands of travellers on our bicycle tour. We are looking forward meeting you here in Vietnam!
A new company, Biking Around Vietnam was born, with the "Real Hanoi Bicycle Experience" as its flagship product. In 1998, during a visit to Bangkok Sidney was inspired by fellow Dutchman, Co van Kessel’s bicycle tour. There he realised that a simple thing can become an extraordinary thing if done correctly and with passion. However, Sidney & Thao’s dream of starting a bicycle tour in Hanoi had to be put on the back-burner while they established Friends Travel Vietnam as a leading tour operator & travel agency in Vietnam.
Fast-Forward to the beginning of 2017 , when they started work on turning a simple vision into an extraordinary experience. Sidney and Thao did extensive research into the best possible cycling route. Overall they invited over 500 participants free of charge, as they fine tuned their route.
That’s a staggering 1750 combined hours (or 73 days!) of cycling to make sure that our clients have the best possible experience. It was all worth it, as the tour became so popular that Biking Around Vietnam was born, with the first successful bicycle tour in Hanoi with the Real Hanoi Bicycle Experience tours.
What's In A Name
A lot of people ask us “Why are you called Friends Travel Vietnam?” Simple, we believe in providing & building for our clients unique local travel experiences that we would only be good enough for our own friends and families. That’s why we go on each and every tour we provide, making sure they are up to standard, before making them part of our bouquet. In short, we go on bad tours to make sure that you never have to.
Traveling with kids...
We have two young children (Sem & Levi), so we completely understand the challenges that goes along with travelling with your bundles of joy.
When you plan a vacation with children you don’t simply book a hotel, take a quick look at the local attractions and sit back and relax. Rather, your time is spent scouring Tripadvisor and travel blogs for activities that can distract and entertain your little loved ones while also giving you a memorable experience. It’s a constant juggling act that can leave you even more exhausted than when you started out. After your trip you return home with the distinct feeling of needing a holiday from your holiday.
That’s not what we want, and that’s exactly why you need us to help and to assist you in choosing your holiday! So relax and no matter the size of your family, we have a solution waiting!
With our spotless service reputation and personal attention we creating your dream, because a memory is only worth remembering when shared with your loved ones!
We’re waiting to make your dream holiday a reality!
At Friends Travel Vietnam we welcome travelers from all walks of life.
Yet, we understand that each of you is unique. As for this question, we can be every kind of traveller, there are many different types of travel lovers out there and not one way is right or wrong. If you love taking off to visit other countries there are many ways of traveling as the way of traveling can be different for everyone as no two people are the same, each traveler can draw different memories and emotions from the same experience.
So, the question therefore is, what kind of travelers are you?
Let's Meet our Team
It's always nice to be able to put a face to the people helping you, especially when they are creating the Vietnamese odyssey of your dreams!
All of our guides, travel consultants, drivers and other team members follow a specially devised training program to develop their expertise in all aspects of travel and customer service. We personally check the hotels, resorts, trips, cruises, restaurants and all other services involved in your itinerary, We listen very carefully to our travellers where believe the "secrets are hidden in details" as a requirements in order to deliver the right itineraries and experiences.
Friends Travel Vietnam is committed to operating with the highest standards of service and professionalism while we continuing to improve every day on our qualities as self reflection on our services that make us not just good, but great. Let's meet our team, shall we?