Kimkim Trip Reviews for Vietnam

Let me start with the food provided by hotels Matilda and Laluna Hoi An: awesome breakfast especially Laluna! We enjoyed it very much. The food on the cruise to Bai Tu Long Bay were amazing too.

I feel the 2nd day of cruise at Bai Tu Long Bay should have more content. There was 2 hours of downtime on the smaller boat where there was no activity.

The Lantern boat ride on Hoai River was disappointing. It was really a 30 minutes activity but we had to meet up with the tour guide way too early. We then put paper lantern with a candle onto the river—it pollutes the environment. I would not recommend this activity.

For Mekong Delta, we only went to 2 islands. There was really not much to see in either island so I don’t recommend this activity either.

Overall, a great trip and thanks to Tina for her planning and prompt responses.

Hotel Reviews

Hanoi Matilda Hotel

Hanoi

Good breakfast and great location. There must be karaoke bar close by so it is loud at night until 10:30pm.

Authenticity & Character

Location

In the middle of old quarter-close to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Not super and we don’t like the glass wall and door so you can see the people in the bathroom

Laluna Hoi An Riverside Hotel & Spa

Hoi An

Great location and awesome breakfast

Authenticity & Character

Location

Centrally located to everything

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The extra bed is not comfortable though

M Village Hotel Ton That Dam

Ho Chi Minh

Centrally located with free washer and dryer

Authenticity & Character

Newer hotel

Location

Close to everything in District 1

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The extra bed is uncomfortable. We had to ask for an extra padding. We don’t like the see-through bathroom glass—you can see everything when someone is showering.

Signature Cruise

Hanoi

Great food provided by the cruise. The extra bed is not very comfortable. The activity on the 2nd day is a bit boring—could plan something for exciting like speed boating.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Very helpful and courteous

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bathroom has a smell that lingers

Activity Reviews

Hanoi City Tour with Food Tasting!

Vietnam

Guide was flexible and asked what types of food we would like to try.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cruising at Bai Tu Long Bay - Day 1

Bai Tu Long Bay

Awesome food! The extra bed is not very comfortable

Quality of Experience

Food

Food were abundant and tasty!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cruising at Bai Tu Long Bay - Day 2

Bai Tu Long Bay

The trip on the smaller boat is lacking content. There were 2 hours of downtime after lunch and all of the senior family members were very bored and fell asleep on the chair. Wish there were more exciting activities such as speed boating

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lantern boat ride on Hoai River

Hoi An

The whole thing should be only 30 min but the guide asked us to meet up too early. I don’t recommend this activity because putting a paper lantern with a candle in the water is pollution the environment.

Quality of Experience

Only needs 30 min and boat ride is not worth it

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cruising at Bai Tu Long Bay - Day 3

Bai Tu Long Bay

Again, amazing food

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cu Chi Tunnel visit

Ho Chi Minh City

Very educational

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide was very knowledgeable

Transport

Driver seems to brake quite much but I understand it might be necessary

Vietnamese Cooking Class in Saigon!

Ho Chi Minh City

Chef was very knowledgeable. The food we cooked tasted very good

Quality of Experience

Food

All 3 dishes were very tasty

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bana Hill Tour

Hoi An

Too foggy to see much.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring the Mekong Delta!

Ho Chi Minh City

Very far away and not educational at all. 1 part was to eat fruit and listen to some people singing. 2nd island we went had nothing to see. This one is not worth our time. The whole thing took 10 hours…

Quality of Experience

Could be more educational such as focusing more on agriculture

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The tour took us 10 hours——very bad traffic

Ho Chi Minh Departure Transfer

Vietnam

Driver was on time for 4am transfer to the airport

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hien and the local team in Vietnam were outstanding : reactive, proactive, adapting to and solving last-minute requests, ensuring great experiences. Especially for a family of six. First time we use Kimkim, we will use again. And Hien and the local Vietnam team and their itinerary made us fall in love with the country. We will come back in the future !

Doris did a great job planning the trip . She was responsive and great to work with

The guides were great

Trip was entirely flawless and affordable based on our requests

Overall, a very fulfilling experience . It is challenging to visit the length and breath of Vietnam in just over two weeks. One of the downfalls is having to spend too much time in a car or van traveling from place to place. This becomes extremely problematic in Ho Chi Minh City. The primary guides in the large cities were knowledgeable and conversant. A few did not speak English well enough to provide us any meaningful information, however, or answer our questions. The hotel choices were all excellent. I would recommend offering some favorite restaurants to your clients to assist in making good choices more expeditiously. We also appreciated the Kimkim flexibility, in modifying proposed itinerary options.

We booked a two week trip with Hien and Realistic Asia through Vietnam and Cambodia. The tour guides, activities and drivers were very well coordinated and Hien checked in daily to make sure we were enjoying the trip. It was a great experience!

We visited Vietnam and Cambodia. Our guides were Gracie, Tom, Danny and ChanSip. They were all wonderful in their own way but Tom deserves a special mention. The VIetcong tunnels are not to be missed, the Saigon Vespa tour with its guides was truly memorable and a once in a lifetime type of tour and, the street food tour in Hanoi was exceptional. The meals and restaurants chosen by our guides were all delicious and not just standard fare served to tourists. We became a huge fan of Vietnamese food! The hotels chosen for us were also lovely, comfortable and well-located. Ms. Huyen was very accommodating of any changes we wanted to make to our itinerary (which were minimal bc it was so well planned) and very responsive. She handled communications with the local guides and it was a truly hassle free trip. Highly recommended!

First visit to Vietnam but I have used Kimkim many times for other vacations.
Our planned Minh did a very nice job communicating with us and guiding us to an excellent 9 day long trip Hanoi to Saigon, including Minh Binh and Halong Bay.
The local tour company guides were excellent and the communication on the ground was great, no lapses or misunderstandings.
Overall, as usual, kimkim did a wonderful job.

Hotel Reviews

Hanoi Pearl Hotel

Hanoi

Great location. Comfortable room, staff very polite, accommodating. Breakfasts typical Asian but a few Western options. Disappointed variety of fresh fruit options given Vietnam produces so much.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ninh Binh Hidden Charm

Ninh Binh

Well kept hotel, very nice grounds, very closed to town (quite walkable). We were there New Years Eve and the gala buffet dinner left a lot to be desired. I cannot comment on the non-holiday food options or quality but I was definitely unimpressed with the kitchen on the Eve and New Years Day. Food rather tasteless and not kept very warm. Breakfasts also did not have the variety of fresh fruit I expected from a hotel in the fruit producing country.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Renea Cruises Halong

Hon Gai, Ha Long

Outstanding service, rooms so well prepared and comfortable given this is a rather small ship. Chef prepared amazing meals in a confined space. So tasty, good portions and variety. He was easily able to accommodate diets that were fish only or meat only. This overnight was probably the highlight of the trip.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rooms were perfect, ship spotless

Au Lac Charner Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

immediate neighborhood was not as appealing as others we passed by. Would have enjoyed staying in the Opera House with better dining options close by and a better walking environment.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi - Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu - Trang An Grottoes

Vietnam

Cuc Phuong National Park

Ninh Binh

Primate rescue was worthwhile but the Cave could have easily been skipped. It didn't offer anything and was generally a waste of time.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A day trip to the fertile Mekong delta, Ben Tre

Ho Chi Minh City

Loved the authentic experience, scenery and cultural interactions excellent.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ninh Binh - Halong Port – Bai Tu Long Bay - Cong Do– Cap La island (Renea Cruise)

Vietnam

Fortunately weather was very cooperative. The overall experience was outstanding and a highlight of the trip.

Quality of Experience

Awesome ship and guide. Chef top notch

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour operator in Vietnam & Cambodia created a well planned itinerary that matched our travel style & interests. They gave quick responses to our questions before our trip & during our trip & chose excellent guides & drivers with nice cars. Tracked our movements during the trip to make sure all was going well. Good hotels. Excellent platform for planning & communication. Highlight was meeting a family of a tour guide where they shared roasted sweet potatoes & corn. And another guide took us to his favorite off the beaten track eating places & taught us how to eat native fruits in the market. A memorable experience besides experiencing the best food!

Hotel Reviews

Palago Boutique Hanoi Hotel

Hanoi

Just as pictured & noted.

Authenticity & Character

Felt like we were in Vietnam with the decor. Not a huge hotel which felt more authentic.

Location

In a good part of town & close to the places we wanted to go.

Staff

Yes. So nice & helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Yes even the beds were comfy.

Victory Star Cruise

Hanoi

Advertised as a replica junk with sails but there were no sails. It was poorly maintained. Needed painting, wall paper peeling, picture frames broken & the anchor system so rusted I thought it could break at any moment. Towels like sand o Paper & faded. Outside furniture faded. The staff was courteous & helpful & food quite good. Just the boat was poorly maintained. And the false advertising of having sails. Not good at all.

Authenticity & Character

Maintain the boat as noted above. Don’t advertise as having sails.

Location

Ha Long Bay too touristy. Over tourism at its worse.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beds were hard as rocks. Was clean though.

Emeralda Tam Coc Resort

Luxury resort but not too pretentious. Great location.

Authenticity & Character

Vietnamese decor with beautiful tropical grounds & pool.

Location

In Tam Coc a quieter location than Ninh Binh city center but still near restaurants & shops.

Staff

Always helpful & courteous.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless.

Hoi An Delicacy Hotel & Spa

Hoi An

Great little hotel in Vietnamese decor. Good location walking distance to Hoi An old town.

Authenticity & Character

Vietnamese decor & peacock theme throughout.

Location

Walking distance to Hoi An ancient town

Staff

Always helpful. All of the staff remembered our names, where we came from & when we were checking out. Truely amazing.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Spotless.

Thanh Lich Royal Boutique Hotel

Had a room under the restaurant & was noisy. They did change my room the next day which was quieter but heard rats in the ceiling during the night.

Authenticity & Character

An Asian style but so poorly maintained didn’t work.

Location

Close to the promenade.

Staff

Courteous.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Was clean at least.

Angkor Village Hotel

Good location in Siem Reap, beautiful grounds & rooms. This was our favorite hotel of our trip. We didn’t want to leave. The rooms were fabulous. With the first walk-in, beautiful spa/meditation music playing from the room’s music system. Pure Nirvana.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful tropical grounds with huge Cambodia inspired decorated rooms.

Location

Walking distance to good restaurants & night market (Pub Street).

Staff

Very courteous.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Perfect

Activity Reviews

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

Too touristy. Would skip or just take a day tour. Too many boats & tourists.

Quality of Experience

Limit number of boats to at least half allowed in Ha Long Bay

Food

The buffet was excellent & serving staff professional.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Buffet Dinner with Apsara dance show

Siem Reap

Show was just ok but too many tourists. Going through the buffet with that many people was a bit disgusting. Too touristy.

Quality of Experience

Food

Just average. Too many people to serve excellent food.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was the best.

Transport

Our driver was there for us immediately after the show because we wanted to get out of there fast to beat the hundreds of people that would be leaving at the same time.

Siem Reap: Explore Angkor Complex Temples

Siem Reap

Temples amazing.

Quality of Experience

Remotes uniqueness

Food

Local restaurants with excellent local food.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide always informative & helpful.

Transport

Cambodia is a great country to visit

We thoroughly enjoyed our mother/daughter trip to North and Central Vietnam in December. Huyen was great to work with – accommodating and flexible. She provided many options, listened to our requests, and tailored our trip to suit our needs. We were able to enjoy a few days on our own exploring the cities and finding activities like temple of literature, water puppet show, tailored clothes, Hoi An at night among others to do.
Highlights of our custom itinerary included Hanoi Street food tour, a day trip to Ninh Binh, an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay (kayaking and incredible views), cooking class, basket boat, ba na hills, etc. Our tour guides, Long (Hanoi) and Han (Hoi An) were fantastic – very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable of their cities and cultures. They gave us recommendations for the best pho, bahn mi, cafes and restaurants for an incredible dining experience. Activities like spa and lantern making were perfectly suggested for a rainy day in Hoi An. The drivers were always on time. Having KimKim take care of all the hotel reservations, airport/road transfers, some meals, domestic flights, etc. made our trip so much more enjoyable and stress free. Highly recommend that to anyone planning a vacation to a foreign country or want a worry-free experience.
There were some miscommunications about dietary restrictions which led to our guides believing we required vegetarian meals which wasn’t true. We wish we had been able to try more of the local cuisine rather than catering to something we didn’t want.
Our thanks to KimKim for so many memorable moments. We enjoyed it all!
Cecilia B.

Minh and his team were extremely responsive both before and during the trip. Our son had an accident and we had to reschedule almost the whole trip, which they managed to do at no extra cost.

We had the best trip in Vietnam for two weeks with Trang's expert help and guidance. She gave us many great options and clearly understood the pace we needed and wanted while also traveling with a 6 yo and 7 yo. Our tour guides were great--Chung, Dat, and Loan. Each one had their own special personalities and interests that added to our trip in a unique way.

I'm so glad we found Trang on KimKim; I can't imagine a better trip and truly credit her with the large success of our adventure. She was so easy to communicate with and very responsive, even with our crazy 13 hour time difference! She has a real gift for suggesting an itinerary that is exciting, fresh, and seamless.

This was my first time using a travel agency and I am so glad I did!!

Hotel Reviews

San Premium Hotel

Excellent breakfast with a wide spread. The triple room was comfy and just what we needed after a 24 hour trip to get to Hanoi. The location was also very convenient and we felt comfortable walking around on our own right away. Also, this hotel had the best pricing for laundry services of all the places we stayed at. ***there is no pool here, though. It's a little hard to tell from the website but the hotel itself is perfect if you dont care about a pool.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hoi An Garden Palace & Spa

I loved this place!! It's so quiet and charming and a perfect place to recharge from the constant hustle and bustle of the streets of Hoi An. The beds were comfy and our kids loved the spacious pool and the plentiful breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Elios Saigon Hotel

This place is fine; it just wasn't as nice as other places we'd stayed at but it served its purpose in a clean and safe way. I did like being close to the park and being able to people watch from our triple room. It was also close to several great spots to eat and we felt safe to walk around without any issues.

Authenticity & Character

It felt pretty generic--couldve been any hotel anywhere.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bamboo Village Resort

Bamboo Village has now been added to my mental list of "happy places" when I need a break and want to picture a place I love. So much thought went into its development and the grounds and pools are gorgeous and the rooms sumptuous. The beach was also wonderful and we loved being able to play in the waves so easily. Everything smells so nice there, too. The breakfast buffet was also nothing short of fabulous; it had lots of Vietnamese options as well as Korean fare and Russian fare (Mui Ne attracts a lot of Russians, which we hadn't known).

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was close enough to Phun Thiet that we went there for Vietnamese food a couple of times.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Indochine II Lan Ha Cruise

Quang Binh

wonderful ship! it needs more Vietnamese food but otherwise everything was great. I loved the Tai Chi on the bow in the morning.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cicilia Danang Hotel & Spa

Two pools and conveniently located to go out and get food or look around. The bed was also very comfy as were the pillows!

Authenticity & Character

Location

It was easy to get a massage or barber shop visit as well as different types of food and coffees.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ho Chi Minh City - Mui Ne Beach

Mui Ne

Quality of Experience

this was a perfect beach spot to relax and enjoy the sun and ocean.

Hanoi - Bat Trang Ceramic Village & Hanoi City Tour

Hanoi

This was an a fun excursion and I enjoyed being able to point out Bat Trang pottery on the rest of our trip!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chung was very eager to share info with us and took us to a real authentic spot for pho when we asked to have lunch.

Transport

Explore Lan Ha Bay, Indochine Lan Ha Cruise

Vietnam

Lan Ha Bay is beautiful and going to Cat Ba Island and riding bikes was one of my favorite days there.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Amazing Vietnam and Cambodia mother/daughter adventure. Highlights included Temple of Literature (Hanoi), kayaking and views of Ha Long Bay, our fave Hoi An (bamboo boats, best guide-Thu, Memories show, cooking class, tailored dresses in one day and more), beautiful temples at Angkor Wat & Siem Reap fun, final stop: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)-super local food tour at night on scooters with excellent guides-Phat and Nguyen. Appreciated having Huyen on the ground as a resource pre-planning and in country. Wonderful memories made-highly recommend!

Activity Review

Saigon By Night Food Tour - Experience Vietnam on Two Wheels (Group tour)

Ho Chi Minh City

So much fun to eat local foods (tailored to our diets/preferences) and ride on scooters at night in Saigon. Phat and Nguyen were fantastic guides, so personable and added to our experience. Fave tour of our trip-highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had the best time on our trip! It was even more exceptional than we imagined. Everything ran so smoothly and we didn’t have to think about anything. Considering we saw 5 cities in 10 days we still felt relaxed and like we had a vacation because we didn’t have to worry about anything. Hoang and our driver took great care of us always making sure we were enjoying our time. We saw some of the most beautiful landscapes we’ve ever seen and met so many sweet people. We fell in love with Vietnam, thank you to the whole Kimkim team for creating a spectacular itinerary and wonderful trip.

We had a wonderful time on our 2 week tour through Vietnam. It was a well organized and thought out itinerary, with attention paid to our family dynamics (traveling with 2 young children). Trang was excellent at communicating with us, both before the trip and throughout our time in Vietnam, checking in with us via Whatsapp. She was also really helpful in arranging for luggage storage for our family (we were leaving an international post of 10 months, to return to the US, so we had lots of luggage!)

While Trang connected us with knowledgable guides at each spot, we had an exceptional time with Dat, in Central Vietnam. Some of our highlights from the trip included the day excursion from the cruise in Lan Ha Bay, exploring Hoi An and the coconut boats and relaxing at the beach in Mui Ne.

Nhung helped us create an awesome itinerary for Vietnam and Thailand. It was 17 days, all private tours/transportation, concluding with a week on the beach in Phuket. Arrangements and logistics were flawless and went without a hitch.

I can highly recommend KimKim for a custom itinerary, based on your unique interests. You won’t regret it.

Hotel Reviews

Eden Star Hotel & Spa

Ho Chi Minh City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acoustic Hotel & Spa

Hanoi

The rooms are very small. Aside from that, a lovely hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Paradise Elegance Cruise

Very comfortable room, and comfortable beds!!

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eleven Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 11

Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mekong Lodge

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta, Explore Ben Tre - Transfer to Cai Be

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cu Chi Tunnels and Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cai Be visit - Ho Chi Minh City

Cai Be

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh - Flight to Hanoi (without tour guide)

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi City Tour & Half-day Sightseeing by Legendary Russian Jeep GAZ69 Or USA Army Jeep (VBTJ1)

Hanoi

Going through the local market was very interesting. And the egg coffee was a nice experience.

Quality of Experience

Lo

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Halong Bay, Overnight on Cruise

Vietnam

This was a very well organized cruise. There were plenty of things to see, and the time on the ship was maximized. Food was Varied and the staff was excellent.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Bangkok – Damnoen Saduak Floating Market – Jim Thompson House Museum – Bangkok

Bangkok

It was fun to go to the markets. However, Our tour guide at the gym Thompsen house spoke with a soft voice, and was it very difficult to understand. Because of this, I found it to be mostly somewhat boring.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ashley was on top of all the details from start to finish, both before the trip and while Buthaina and I were in Vietnam. Even with some flight delays (to be expected), we were met by our drivers and guides without missing a beat. Great professional, courteous service. Accommodations were uniformly good (we especially enjoyed the Cozy an Boutique Hotel in Hoi An) and guides were very knowledgeable and friendly (especially Mr. Chung in Hanoi and Anna on the Mekong delta trip). Happy to give our highest rating.

I am dividing this review into three sections: 1. Realistic Asia and their agent Ha; 2. The tour guides and drivers who we met on our trip; 3. The KimKim web site and the information that is communicated there.

1. Realistic Asia (Ha)
We greatly appreciated Ha's hard work in customizing the trip to our requests. My wife and I have been through a hard year with many major life events and had no time to plan something ourselves. Ha provided us with a clear and thoughtful menu of options to choose from. We went through 7 or 8 versions of the itinerary and in the end, I think it was probably 85% to our liking. That is an excellent match to our desires and expectations and far better than the outcome if we had planned it ourselves. I think the areas where it could have improved include fewer destinations/more time in each location (we already did a lot of editing, but this was hard to accomplish with our time table.). More time outside of Hanoi would also have been enjoyable, but we were very jet lagged on arrival, so the time in the city was useful for recovering from travel. Nothing is perfect, but this was very close!
I think the only point where things could be improved would be in the communication. When we arrived on Cat Ba island, there was a transfer from the driver (who spoke no English) to the guide who took us on the hike in the national park. From what I could tell, this information was not in the itinerary and it was a bit worrying to be driven down back roads (damaged by the recent typhoon) without knowing where we were going and why (I thought we were headed to the hotel first.). In any case, this was minor and quickly solved once we met our guide.
2. Guides and drivers
I would rank these mostly excellent, with some variability. First the good: Hieu (Cat Ba) was great to travel with (for the hike). He was relaxed and adjusted quickly to our pace. We didn't feel like he made anything too easy for us (we like some challenge), and took us to places in the park that were quite memorable. He also provided us with good information about what to do during our day off.
I would say the same about Mr Narong (Cambodia). Although we only spent a day with him, I would recommend him to friends and family if they want to visit Siem Reap. He was informative but also easygoing. When we visited Angkor Wat at dawn, he understood that we wanted to take photos and he left us to explore, telling us where we would meet up for the next stage of the tour. The information he provided during our transfers between sites was also informative and thoughtful. We appreciated his honesty about his experiences growing up in Cambodia, which was a privilege to hear.
Finally, Thanh, our main guide in Vietnam (for the first week), was helpful, very knowledgable and took us to many places that we enjoyed. That said, I would like to offer some (hopefully) constructive feedback. It was clear to us that she had a hard time understanding what we needed and sometimes she was providing too much information. This was mostly a challenge on the first day of our tour in Hanoi, when we were still jet lagged and adjusting to the temperature and humidity. We had a feeling that she was reciting a long list of information, almost from a script, concerning the history of modern Vietnam. (I began to wonder if this information was a requirement for tour guides in Vietnam.) After the first day, we settled into a better routine and she began to understand what we wanted. My suggestion (for the future) is that she ask more questions at the outset to see how much information and talking is desirable and that she pause to allow the tourists to ask questions (or simply to look around and absorb the beauty without talking.). Not everyone wants all of the information in a constant stream; some people just want to look around and absorb the beauty of the environment.
I want to emphasize that, after the first day, she adjusted to our pace and travel style. She knows a lot about the places we visited and we enjoyed all of the people we met through her, including the local guides, the families who served the food during our hikes and the history of the various locations. She is very talented and will become, I think, much better at her job with some minor adjustments to her approach.
Finally, I want to thank all of the drivers and local guides, most of whom spoke little or no English (I wish I spoke some Vietnamese to thank them in person.). They were a wonderful group of people. In particular, our driver from Hanoi, up into the mountains and then down to Cat Ba, was exceptional at his job!
3. Some feedback about the KimKim web site. Although it is detailed and elegant, some parts did not work as I might have hoped. In particular, the exported version of the itinerary (the one I printed out and carried with us) lacked a lot of details that were present on the web site. Additionally, it would be helpful if the information could be exported as a table, not just a PDF, to make it easier to edit (to add information that is not there, like our plane reservations.) The itinerary is something that we share with family, and that was difficult (or of limited value) with the PDF from KimKim. Finally, the web site seemed to have some times that were inaccurate, including the departure times for flights. These were listed by the pick up times for the driver, not the departure or boarding time. It is confusing to know that the plane is leaving at 3:15pm, but to see that line listed at 11:30 am (the pickup time). This could be a lot clearer.

Otherwise, this was an amazing experience overall. We thank everyone involved for helping us experience both of these beautiful countries.

Hotel Reviews

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Hanoi

Truly exceptional. Expensive, but worth it, in our opinion.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Avana Retreat

This was a wonderful experience. I would have added a day here, just to relax, if we could.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pu Luong Eco Garden

This was less enjoyable. Not bad, but certainly the least enjoyable of the places we stayed.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hidden Charm Ninh Binh

Ninh Thang, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh

This was OK for one night. Clean and comfortable. Very convenient.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel Perle d’Orient Cat Ba

Beautiful hotel with an incredible view!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mon Cheri Cruise

Ha Long city

Clean, comfortable, well run. My only complaint was the day trip to the village on Cat Ba. The village seemed to exist only as a stopping point for tourists. That part of the day trip was not very enjoyable. However, the kayaking and boat ride itself was great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Ducky, our waiter/concierge was fantastic!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Some odd flies (about the size of fruit flies) in our bedroom the first night. They didn't bight, but there were a lot of them. I believe they came from the house plant in the bathroom and disappeared when I put the plant out on the balcony.

May De Ville Luxury Hotel

Hanoi

Clean, well run and good location in the old quarter.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Saem Siem Reap Hotel

Siem Reap

A truly beautiful hotel. We would have stayed an extra day if we had time.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cat Ba National Park Trekking

Vietnam

Great guide! Thank you Hieu!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Complex of Angkor

Siem Reap

Mr. Narong was a wonderful guide. This is a place of exceptional beauty and he provided us with valuable information to enhance our experience. He was also responsive to our requests in real time, making it easy to modify our plans (like starting out before dawn to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat, which was not in our original plans.). Thank you Mr. Narong!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore The Beauty of Hanoi - Full Day Sightseeing

Hanoi

Too much time visiting the Mausoleum. The afternoon at the Temple of Books was wonderful.!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walk The Mountain Trails in Xa Linh Village

Mai Chau

Our guide was great. He spoke no English, but he took us on a beautiful walk.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mai Chau - Pu Luong - Trekking to Kho Muong and Uoi Villages

Vietnam

Hanoi Evening Walking Street Food Tour

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our 2 week trip to Southeast Asia was incredible. The itinerary that Huyen set up with us met or exceeded our expectations. Our local guides and drivers took care of us completely. The 2 night Indochine cruise on HaLong Bay was beyond exceptional. The suite featured an enormous bathroom with soaker tub and the room provided a king sized bed! Service was 10+.
We REALLY enjoyed our countryside adventures in Vietnam and the 3 days in Cambodia were amazing. Our guide - Chansip - was very knowledgeable and also so accommodating to tweak our itinerary once he got to know us. Chang Mai was the highlight of our journey and the morning at the elephant sanctuary rates as one of our top lifetime experiences.
Huyen was ultra supportive throughout the trip. She always stayed connected, assisted with flight info and boarding passes and anything else we needed help with.
We would recommend KimKim and their services to travellers of all experience levels. We could just sit back and enjoy our holiday with the personalized: service that was offered.

Hotel Review

Bodhi Serene Chiang Mai Hotel (SHA Extra Plus)

Chiang Mai

This hotel is perfectly located in Chiang Mai. Our room was spacious and the bed super comfy The bathroom was lovely. Lunch was one of the best meals we enjoyed while in Southeast Asia.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Friendly and accommodating staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Arrive in Bangkok - Dinner cruise Chao Phraya Cruise (D)

Bangkok

The dinner cruise in Bangkok on the Chao Phraya was not a great experience for us. It was quite crowded with a big lineup for the buffet food. After the incredible service and smaller towns in Cambodia, the big city atmosphere in Bangkok felt like a bit of a culture shock. We would not have chosen to do this activity in hindsight.

Siem Reap - Tonle Sap lake- Kampong Khleng floating village - Crocodile Farms

Siem Reap

Visiting the floating village in Cambodia was excellent! It was such a cool and interesting experience, learning about the lifestyle of locals who switch between fishing and farming depending on the season. Being on the water was really neat, and our guide was exceptional, providing us with a lot of insightful information.

We had the most amazing experience during our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. Realistic Asia helped us plan and execute the trip with utmost care. Hien was regularly in touch with us throughout the trip to ensure that everything progressed smoothly to our full satisfaction. The drivers and guides were punctual and professional. Overall thanks to Hien and her team that we had a memorable trip.