Question regarding appropriate attire

How casual is attire for this tour? We note a reference to tee shirts. Are shorts and tee shirts appropriate for men throughout this tour other than visits to temples? Are jeans common wear? Are Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City more formal in dress than the other areas we are visiting? Just as we start the packing process and note the 44-pound limit it would be helpful to have some guidance.
My wife and I are looking forward to our journey marking 50 years from my return from serving in Vietnam.
Thank you,

Morristown, NJ travelers

Comments

  • We took this tour in early February. It’s cooler in Vietnam, but after that it’s hot and humid, jeans would be too hot. I made the mistake of taking some summer weight skinny jeans and they were too hot, you need the loose clothing around your legs. It’s a very casual tour indeed. Shorts would be fine apart from any religious areas. I would recommend long pants for when you ride the elephant, I’ll try to find an elephant photo so you get the idea. I would do this tour again in a heartbeat and our TD Larry was wonderful

  • Here is Mr B

  • I took this tour in March. We had misty days on Ha Long Bay, but no rain. Vietnam was warm, and Cambodia and Laos downright hot. We went to an elephant sanctuary in Laos, and those who wanted to could feed bananas to the elephants, but the sanctuary had stopped offering elephant rides, out of concern for the elephants' well-being.

  • Just wondering, if the concern is for the elephant's well being when being ridden - people too heavy- or the elephant's well being during training required to ensure the elephant is controlled and safe for people to ride?

  • The elephants were supposed to be rescues from logging, land mines and so on. One had a visable damage from a land mine. My elephant was a bit naughty, so I chose to get off after quite a short while. Another person got on after me and he was naughty with him too. But otherwise, I would have thought that this was a better experience for the elephants than other places where humans ride them. They go into the river as you can see from the dark stripe on Mr B’s elephant. The mahout gets off too. Mr B had a great time, hope the elephants did too, certainly better than when they were logging and so on. Laos was our favorite of the three countries, it’s a shame Tauck are no longing doing the tour going forward, does anyone know why?
    When we went on the India tour, we chose not to ride the elephants up to the palace in Jaipur because our tour director told us they were badly treated and had to walk up the steep hill with many people on their backs. We did not want to ‘Walk with the Lions’ in Zambia because once the cubs get too big, they go to a place where they are enclosed and shot by hunters paying big bucks.

  • Did the Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos trip in January a few years ago. It was my first Tauck tour! I'm about to take my 6th and I've already booked two for next year. Every place was warm and down south, downright HOT. The type of lightweight [Patagonia, Columbia] pants that zip off into shorts were perfect - plus some 'longish' shorts, no Daisy Dukes! Ladies (and gents) - no muscle tees/camisoles in Cambodian temples - they will make you leave! Please cover your shoulders. Leave your jeans at home, unless you need them for travel to/from home. I'm glad to see an elephant sanctuary in Laos, instead of a Rice Commune with mud and water buffalo. We didn't mind the mud, and the water buffalo was a sight to see, but Americans are not supposed to visit farms/come close to livestock, according to our customs forms. We brought old sneakers and left them behind.

  • We had the trip to the rice farm with the mud and water buffalo as well as the elephant sanctuary. (I didn't get into the mud with the water buffalo or feed the elephants!)

  • Daisy Dukes!!! I had to look it up. Always good to keep learning. No, not in our repertoire/wardrobe!
    Morristown, NJ travelers. We learned there will be a total of 28 guests on the 10/20/19 tour.
    One more wake-up prior to our early departure arriving morning a day early in Hanoi from Newark, NJ

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