Nine Dragons Travel & Tours has grown from a small part-time business into a very busy tour operator affiliated with major land operators in countries across Asia. It's founder and President is Dr. Jerry Landman, formerly a history teacher and professor who has taught courses on Vietnam and Asian Studies from the high school to graduate school level at Purdue University, Ball State University, and the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities. Jerry is in demand as a speaker on Vietnam at schools, colleges, civic organizations, national conferences and various special events. An army veteran of the Vietnam War, Jerry is father to a Vietnamese daughter he located for the first time in 1990. His daughter, Nga, is completing a nursing degree in Indianapolis where she now lives with her husband, Bang, a physician from Vietnam. Nga assists in organizing and leading tours and helping with communications. As a tour guide, she is loved by all on the tour. Jerry is assisted by Derrick Johnson who has recently earned his bachelor's degree in travel geography specializing in Asia. Also lending invaluable assistance is Vinh The Lam, formerly a tour guide, manager, and then director of the Hanoi Office of a major tour operator in Vietnam. These people and the rest of our staff will take of your needs when you call, e-mail, or fax your requests to us. Numerous capable and experienced persons serve as escorts for Nine Dragons Travel & Tours' trips. Some of them are college professors, Vietnam veterans, and/or experienced travelers.

Nine Dragons Travel & Tours is the sole US representative of the Ben Thanh Tourist Service Company with offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hanoi and employees throughout Vietnam. Ben Thanh is one of the largest and, we are sure, the best tour operator in Vietnam. Ben Thanh Tourist Service Company was founded in 1989, making it one of the first tourist agencies in Vietnam. (The only tourist agency previously permitted to exist was Vietnamtourism, the official tourist agency of the Communist government and wholly owned and operated by the Vietnamese government). Organized originally to provide tourist services, the scope of Ben Thanh Tourist has expanded to include the following divisions: Travel Tourism Center, Airlines Agent and Service Center, Trade Import-Export Center, Foreign Currency Center, hotels, restaurants, clubs, and building construction.

Throughout Asia, Nine Dragons Travel & Tours works with outstanding local land operators to provide worry and hassle-free tours and services. These tours are designed by Nine Dragons Travel & Tours, and local services are provided by our various partners according to our requests and plans. Pricing from Nine Dragons Travel & Tours is competitive with other tour operators including tours purchased directly from our partners. We are dedicated to give top value for your dollar in quality tours.

In Cambodia, Nine Dragons Travel & Tours clients are in the very capable hands of the people at the Pich (pronounced "peach") Tourist Co, Ltd. Pich Tourist, founded in 1991, is one of the leading in-bound tour operators in Cambodia. This company has gained an unparalleled reputation for providing quality service for all foreign visitors and business travelers alike. The philosophy and slogan of Pich Tourist is "Our guest is king." You will be treated like royalty when you are in Cambodia.

In Laos, Nine Dragons Travel & Tours' trips are handled by Thatluang Tour Company, Ltd. Not only do they do a superb job, but recently they put together a complex tour including several domestic and international flights within Asia on three-days notice.

In China we are have a long-standing relationship with China Comfort Travel which has offices in major cities throughout China. Our tours are coordinated by Mr. Hu Bin of the Xi'an Office who takes special, personal care of our clients' needs.

In Korea, our tour provider is Arirang Tour Service Co., Ltd. In Japan we are well taken care of by Kintetsu, the largest tour agency in the country. In Indonesia, we work with Meditour. In Bhutan our tours are handled by Bhutan Yodsel Tours and Treks. In Taiwan, we count on Edison Tours (funny name for a Taiwanese Company, but it is pure Taiwanese). While we are not going to list all of our partners here, it is easy to see that we have major tour providers working with us in every country we visit. We do not have anyone handling our tours who is not from the country in which you are traveling. We rely on expert, experienced, reliable companies and people in the various countries to which we send tourists. We back up our tours, and we can do so because we have such good partners.

One very exciting development is our recent expansion into Central Asia, into the countries which were formerly the Eastern Republics of the Soviet Union. Sitara Tours will be handling tour arrangements for us in Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, and Turmenistan. This company has a strong presence throughout this area. With Sitara we are making an exception to the general rule of a tour operator within every country, as we feel that we will get better service from this established and reliable regional tour operator than from small local operators.

Please be patient with us as we continue to put out catalogs and put up our tours on this web site. We have a whole new lineup of tours for the new millennium, and it will take us a little while to complete arrangements and pricing for our exciting new offerings. Meanwhile, just call us and ask about what you want. If we do not have it on the web site yet, we will give you the information you need. Remember, we can also custom design a tour for you to any of the countries in which we do business.