I don’t know what I was expecting from this trip but it was wonderful! The guide Minh was superb, friendly, informative and able to answer all of our questions- I had a lot! The trip was a truly serene experience. An hour’s boat trip in a small boat rowed by a Vietnamese lady. The area is unspoilt by tourists and apparently 99% of visitors are Vietnamese and go for religious reasons, so I felt very honoured to be there, sharing the experience with them. It was very quiet ( off season) and we had an intimate group which helped. It is quite a climb ( lots of stairs up and down) and they are rather slippy in the rain but Minh allowed us to take our time. The pagoda itself is fascinating and in a wonderful setting at the base of the mountain. Then we took a cable car ( in between torrential rain showers ) up the mountain to visit the cave which was the highlight for me and a very spiritual experience. Very comfortable coach took us there and Minh even picked us up outside our hotel on foot and took us back too! Highly recommend this trip if you want to experience the real Vietnam and a snippet of its religion.