Shoddy work: Warning over tailor-made clothes in Vietnam

Stitched up

After two deeply disappointing experiences with Vietnamese tailors, I feel compelled to warn others. Despite paying premium prices (up to $US550 – $A859) for a tuxedo suit and a tuxedo-style coat, both my husband and I received garments with poor fit and shoddy workmanship: uneven hems, oversized linings, and even patched fabric where incorrect measurements had been taken. My coat required extensive and costly repairs on return to Australia, and my husband’s tuxedo jacket was equally subpar.

A Traveller reader was unhappy with the work done by a tailor in Vietnam.Credit: Alamy

When we raised concerns at the final fitting, we were told to “get it fixed in your own country”. We both have experience in the rag trade and I can confidently say the quality was far below what any bespoke tailor should deliver. It soured what was otherwise a wonderful holiday. I urge travellers to be extremely cautious before engaging any tailor in Vietnam. Our experiences in Thailand and Hong Kong in the past have been far superior.
M. O’Brien, Cremorne, NSW

Tip of the week: In full bloom

Spring comes alive in a garden in Tokyo.Credit: Alamy

I’m 80 and with time running out I “bit the bullet” and booked a Japan spring garden tour with Renaissance Tours. It was 12 fabulous days with 12 people, filled with beautiful gardens, amazing plants, a great insight into Japanese culture and a heart filled with happiness. Guides – Elizabeth Swane, from Swane’s famous nursery, our knowledgeable Australian guide, alongside local leader Mayumi, who had a wicked sense of humour – were a highlight. The Ashikaga Flower Park is the most beautiful garden I have seen, anywhere in the world. It was the happiest tour I have ever been on.
Jill Ferguson, Hampden Hall, NSW

Asian gifts

I read with interest and delight Ben Groundwater’s piece on the value of visiting Vietnam (Traveller, May 9). My husband and I did that a few years ago and adding to the delights of the people, the food and the general environment, our greatest joy was stopping at the roadside venues where those with a disability produced the most amazing products. My choice was a gorgeous vase, white with red tulips and my husband’s was a hand-stitched portrait of a small boy looking down at a dog. All done in beautiful silk stitching. The portrait hangs on a bedroom wall and is gorgeous.
Veronica Husted, Howlong, NSW

Tour of beauty

The art deco Roxy in Leeton.Credit: Destination NSW

We have just returned from a 10-day touring holiday to our amazing country towns in southern NSW and northern Victoria. Young was beautiful, with its Chinese Memorial Garden and rich gold-rush history. Leeton is a thriving irrigation town boasting stunning art deco buildings. Bustling Echuca on the Murray River offers paddle steamers to take tourists to wineries for lunch or longer overnight journeys. The silo art trail is a one-day circuit drive from Echuca with spectacular murals featuring our native plants, wildlife and local history. This road trip has inspired us with positive experiences of our great country towns. We were impressed with the high standard of secondary roads connecting towns in both NSW and Victoria.
Barbara and John Gorman, Westleigh, NSW

Powered down

Ben Groundwater’s article (Traveller, April 30) about what he can’t travel without was very practical but it requires one amendment for cruise ship passengers. On my last Princess Cruise, I packed a power board in my luggage and my suitcase did not arrive in my cabin. I was advised to go to the security area where I was asked to remove the power board from my case. The cruise line considers power boards a potential fire hazard and the confiscated item was returned to me when I left the ship.
David Linfoot, Castle Hill, NSW

Your views on views

Thanks to our readers who responded to our story about the 35 greatest views in the world, as named by the experts. The best letters are featured below. Each published reader published receives a copy of Lonely Planet’s Wonders of the World coffee table book valued at $44.99. See shop.lonelyplanet.com

Wail watching

Navarino Island, Chile, across the strait from Ushuaia, Argentina.Credit: iStock

On a small-ship cruise out of Ushuaia, Argentina, we stopped at dusk, took Zodiacs to Isla Navarino and climbed up, through rough bush, to about 300 metres above the icy water. We sat down, looking east down the channel at our ship and the snow-capped islands in the distance. No one spoke for five minutes. I cried. The view and the silence made me cry, as the memory does now.
Ian Johnson, Docklands, Vic

Howe amazing

Mount Gower towers over Lord Howe Island.Credit: Destination NSW

Lord Howe Island rewarded me with my greatest view yet – I was mesmerised by Mount Gower’s peak in this idyllic paradise. It towers over the island from every vantage point, but for me it was most spectacular from Lagoon Beach. Whether on a sunny day as the backdrop for the magnificent blue lagoon, or teasingly peaking through cloud, this spellbinding view remains my most treasured.
Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic

Roar power

The Iguazu Falls, one of the world’s great natural wonders, on the border of Brazil and Argentina.Credit: iStock

First a rumble, then an all-encompassing roar hits you like a jet engine. Bordering Brazil and Argentina the stunning sight and sound of the Iguazu Falls is breathtaking, as 275 waterfalls, the largest waterfall system in the world, crash and spray. From the expansive view on the Brazilian side to the daredevil walkway stretching part of the way across Devil’s Throat on the Argentinian side, the vista is extraordinary and never to be forgotten.
Sally Spurr, Lane Cove, NSW

Solid rock

Meteora, in Greece, deserves a spot among the world’s most inspiring sights.Credit: iStock

The monasteries of Meteora are built on top of these massive rock pillars that rise straight out of the ground. It almost doesn’t look real. From up there, the view is something else. When I visited, I remember standing still for what felt like hours. But it wasn’t just the view that struck me. It was the feeling of being suspended between heaven and earth. It inspired me to slow down, reflect and reconnect with nature and history. Meteora truly deserves a spot among the world’s most inspiring sights.
Emanuel Marinos, Kogarah, NSW

Bath times

The Avon Canal in Bath.Credit: Susan Rowe

My favourite view from my travels is this one of Avon Canal in Bath, UK. It was a surprising discovery as I wasn’t aware there was a canal in Bath. I love the way it is darker at the edges but your eye is drawn to the light and the reflections in the centre of the photo. A memorable day with my husband and son.
Susan Rowe, Epping, NSW

Snow show

Our journey to the Gateway of the Arctic Circle, Tromso, Norway, started with the plane diverting to a military base to refuel due to heavy snowfall, adding a thrilling twist to our arrival in this enchanting city. When we sipped coffee in a cosy cafe the next day, we were mesmerised by the single best view of our travels. Tromso’s harbour sparkled like a frozen canvas, snow-covered mountains rising majestically in the distance, ferries gliding smoothly by. The Arctic scenery held us in its thrall and is forever in our hearts.
Rhoda Silber, Manly, NSW

On top Down Under

My single best view is the King Valley from Powers Lookout in North East Victoria region. For as far as the eye can see there’s beauty, stretching beyond the valley of farms and vineyards to the mountains of the Alpine National Park. It’s so peaceful. As Bill Bryson wrote in his book Down Under, “if you put this in Virginia or Vermont, there would be scores of people… there’d be souvenir stands and probably an IMAx screen and adventure park”. It really is one of Victoria’s best-kept secrets.
Peter Denovan, Kew East, Vic

Rhodes warrior

The Temple of Athena Lindia on Lindos.Credit: iStock

I stayed in Lindos on the island of Rhodes in September 2018 and walked up the many steps of the Temple of Athena at both dawn and dusk to experience the beauty and vibration of this amazing place. Seven kilometres away, the coast of Turkey can be seen. I am just about to head back now and will be greeting Athena again.
Christine Tiley, Albany Creek, Qld

Take a peak

After a magical scenic train trip we arrived at Kleine Scheidegg in Switzerland. We sat on the terrace of a restaurant and gazed up at an incredibly breathtaking view. We were looking at the famous challenging North Face of the Eiger mountain. Next to it were the majestic peaks of Monch and Jungfrau. The scale of these inspired feelings of awe and a profound connection to history and to nature.
Mim Kocher, Healesville, Vic

Sounds incredible

We rose just after dawn to discover the magnificence of New Zealand’s Milford Sound from our balcony on the Silversea Muse in December 2019. The captain had warned the day before that bad weather might divert us overnight to calmer waters, as had been the case with two previous cruises. but Milford Sound was a millpond. This view is emblazoned in my memory and surely in the memories of my fellow travellers.
Lina Caneva, South Yarra, Vic

Just loafing

Sugarloaf Mountain.Credit: iStock

There are so many great and beautiful views around the world but one that captivated me was that from Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio, Brazil. There was a clear view of the entire Copacabana Beach and onwards from Ipanema, to Corcovado in the distance (with the famous Christ the Redeemer statue). It’s a bird’s-eye view of the main part of Rio, showcasing the mountains rolling down to the sea with the beautiful blue waters of the Atlantic washing around and behind you. Fabulous.
Martyn Jones, Adelaide, SA

Path to glory

The views around the 12th-century Cathar Castles in Languedoc, France, are staggering. Chateau Queribus stands out with its ruins perched 700 metres on a craggy peak above tiny Cucugnan. A steep path leads to an amazing view of mountains, fields and a distant Mediterranean. From my trip diary I wrote, “How did the invaders get up there?” The helplessness of these people, hounded in impossible terrain for their beliefs, struck me as somehow more poignant for the breathtaking views.
Sally Pope, Five Dock, NSW

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com