Kimkim Trip Reviews for Vietnam

This trip was incredibly well done! The website is very easy to use to plan and customize a trip. I frankly didn’t know quite how or where to start, and Camellia did an excellent job generating an agenda and tailoring it to our needs. The hotels were wonderful and activities perfect. Thank you!

Hotel Reviews

The Oriental Jade Hotel

Hanoi

Great location, nice amenities, very gracious people! Even gave us a going away gift.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Such nice, welcoming people!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Dragon Legend Cruise

Hon Gai

You can even get massages onboard!

Authenticity & Character

Nice, spacious rooms

Location

It’s a ship!

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Aira Boutique Hoi An Hotel & Villa

Hoi An

Truly excellent and comfortable rooms!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Majestic Saigon

Ho Chi Minh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi Street Food Tour

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very fun people! And drove us safely even in the rain.

Transport

Hanoi City Tour of Capital of Vietnam

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Really appreciated the nice air conditioned suvs!

Hanoi -Bai Tu Long Bay welcome on board

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bai Tu Long - Hanoi - Flight to Danang then Hoi An

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Tra Que Village & Hoi An City Tour

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Fly to Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

HCM City - Cu Chi tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

This is fascinating. If you’re claustrophobic you might not want to actually go in the tunnels. But the overall experience is quite interesting nonetheless.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mekong Delta Day Trip

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh Departure Transfer

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

During the preparation and planning, Long was responsive and helpful and planned a great trip for us, listening to our wishes and preferences well. Throughout the tour, he was in communication, checking everything was going well and it was reassuring to have his WhatsApp if we were to need anything (not needed!).
During the trip, everything from day one went very well. All our guides and drivers were helpful, friendly and spoke English. We had such a great time. Long had primed everyone that we had two coeliac travellers (gluten free diet) and the guides helped us with this.
A highlight in the North was Pu luong, such a beautiful place and our guide "T" was so interesting and knowledgeable.
Hoi An is a gorgeous place and our food tour there with Nancy was a highlight - we went back to the places she took us as they were so good.
HCMC - I would say the motorbike street food tour is a must, you really see the city and the drivers and guides took care of us so well and the food was so good.
Cambodia - Pin, our guide spoke excellent English, was so friendly and helpful with expert knowledge and made our trip there extra special.

Hotel Reviews

Tirant Hotel

Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

a peaceful haven, with the most comfortable beds. Roof pool a godsend at the end of a busy day

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tam Coc Ricefield Resort

Ninh Binh

Only one night here but out of town and restaurant not great, rooms feeling tired.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pu Luong Retreat

Thanh Hoa

stunning location, beautiful views, comfortable rooms and the pools are great

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Renea Cruise

Typical Halong bay cruiser looking at the others we stopped nearby, comfortable and functional.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hue Ecolodge

great rooms, pool was lovely and the food they had in the restaurant was delicious

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

ÊMM Hotel Hoi An

great location, lovely pool and very comfortable, lovely staff

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Cochin Zen Hotel

quiet base and very comfortable yet right in the centre of town, great roof pool and view.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Somadevi Angkor Resort & Spa

comfortable, huge pool, but breakfast not great and shower never got hot.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to Cam Thanh Village

Hoi An

fun trip - cycling through the village and veg gardens lots of people/tourists on the boat trip

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi City Sightseeing & Street Food Tour

Hanoi

Having our guide (Quin) show us the site and then the foods of Hanoi at the start of our trip was great and we had an insight into some of the history and issues that Vietnam has faced. We had so much delicious Vietnamese food too.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip to Ba Vi Countryside & Cooking Class

Hanoi

We learnt to make rice paper spring rolls and ate them - delicious, along with some other lovely foods. The bike ride was fun, but hot!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoa Lu - Tam Coc (Half Day)

Vietnam

The local boat people were on strike but we went to another venue and had a good boat trip that was infact longer - however, it was really very hot and the trip was in the afternoon sun.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hiking and rafting in Pu Luong

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

A beautiful place and the walk was through a stunning location

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pu Luong - Hanoi 2D1N

Vietnam

As per the previous Pu luong review - the scenery in this area is breathtaking

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Halong Bay - By shuttle bus

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Hue Arrival - half day sightseeing

Hue

It is an amazing place to visit but we did all struggle a bit in the heat as there is no respite in the citadel/palace grounds

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Vinh Moc Tunnels & DMZ exploration

Vietnam

our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful making this a really interesting trip, especially as our boys have done theVietnam war in their history GCSE

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An Street Walking Food Tour with Dinner At Local Home

Hoi An

Nancy was so friendly, enthusiastic and her English was great, the event was excellent, the food superb and the whole evening was a highlight

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Street food lover by motorbike (New)

Ho Chi Minh City

the bikes through Saigon were a great way to see the city, and the guides/drivers where excellent with great English, the food was lovely

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Siem Reap arrival - Tuk Tuk street food tour

Siem Reap

Very much a local venue and street food authentic, going by tuk tuk was fun Pin, our guide was great

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My Son Sanctuary Luxury Tour - Joint in tour

Hoi An

An interesting trip to the sanctuary. The dancing felt a bit touristy!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cu Chi Tunnels Half Day Tour - Joint in tour

Ho Chi Minh City

fascinating to visit this and our guide previously taught history and was very interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mekong Delta Group Tour (My Tho) - Joint in tour (New)

Ho Chi Minh City

typical group tour and one day does not really do the area justice but nice to get on the boats and see the village life

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day Angkor Wat Sunrise and Temples Visit

Siem Reap

What a place and with Pin, our local guide, it was brought to life - he understood how much we as a family with kids needed and when to move on, highlights were the jungle temple and we attended for sunrise and waited for sunset so a long day but well worth it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Phnom Kulen National Park

Siem Reap

beautiful remote mountain area, swimming under the waterfall was rated 10/10 by our youngest son!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ashley was extemely helpful and accommodating from the start. She planned a trip with all our preferences and desires. She planned a great trip leaving me with a great vietnamese experience. We got a taste of the local culture as well as fine dining and some rest and relaxation.

Hotel Reviews

Bebek Tepi Sawah Villas and Spa

The hotel location was great.It was far away and close enough. I loved that our room was so close to the pool. Everyone was nice and accommodating. Towels provided for water activities. Breakfast options were tasty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sadara Boutique Resort

Everyone was welcoming. Food options in hotel were good. Spacious hotel room. The pool area had a great view and had a very relaxing vibe.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Semabu Hills Hotel Nusa Penida - Bali

Penida Island

The view is everything! The rooms we got were amazing. The sunset was beautiful! The pool area also had a great view. Staff was nice and helpful. The massage therapist did a great job.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

ATV & Ubud Surrounding

Ubud, Bali

I really enjoyed this adventure. The staff tried to make it as safe and fun. You get a break for a drink or ice cream to purchase. Showers and towels offered at the end of ATVing.

Climbing Mt. Batur & Natural Hot Spring

Ubud, Bali

The activity was demanding but very worth the view and experience. They do have like 2 stops with drinks and snacks for purchase. Gets cold at the top but during the hike it can be warm.

Snorkeling at Crystal Bay & Beach Relaxation

Nusa Penida

The sea life while snorkeling was beautiful!

Vietnam
The trip was amazing. Booking with Kimkim was very easy. Once we got paired with our local specialist, Ashley, she started the process. She asked about the type of experience we wanted to have (city only vs city and nature) and places we would like to visit in particular. We selected city and nature and gave her a few names of places. We also agreed on a luxury package. 7 days 3 nights in Hanoi/ha long bay and 3 nights in Saigon.
She went right to work and produced a detailed itinerary draft. From there we went back and forth adding and changing things. Kudos for your patience Ashley! There were 4 of us chiming in. You handled it like a true pro and came up with the perfect itinerary. Ashley even coordinated reservations to restaurants we wanted to dine at at the last minute. We dined at Tam vi in Hanoi and Anna Saigon in Saigon. Both Michelin stars restaurants.
Our tour guides Vietnam were amazing: Sum (pardon my spelling) in Hanoi was awesome. He made sure we were safe and accounted for at all times. Showed us everything we wanted to see, Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, took us to train street. We were there on a Saturday night and he took us around the city to check out the night life. It was amazing! The street food tour was GREAT! We tried several
Dishes at local eateries, seating on the streets among locals. Accommodation in Hanoi: the peridot hotel and the capella cruise for one night at ha long bay. The staff in both places was truly amazing. So so helpful! Both places were immaculate clean.
Flight to Saigon was also included in our package. The accommodation was the Myst Dong Khoi hotel, located in an excellent area. Walking distance to bars and fun things to do on our down time. the hotel was great super clean and the staff was incredibly helpful. Rooms were spacious which was great because we elected to room in pairs, so we got two double bed rooms for the 4 of us. Our tour guide was Long (again selling is off sorry) very knowledgeable guide. He answered the million questions we had regarding the places we visited and the country itself. We visited the cu chi Viet Cong tunnels ( we even crawled through them). We also check out the independence place and took a day trip to the Mekong Delta.
All transport was private only for the 4 of us. Comfortable and clean vehicle. In both cities we had the same the same drivers (one in each city) for the days we were there which was nice and reassuring.
The experience was truly one of a kind and I feel we were taken care of at every turn. Ashley checked in on us constantly which was also very reassuring.

Activity Reviews

ATV & Ubud Surrounding

Ubud, Bali

Great and fun activity to do! I was kinda afraid but it turned out to be awesome!! Quick orientation on the ATV at the beginning and a few practice laps then off you go!

Quality of Experience

Food

We dined at nearby restaurant mainly local doshest

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guide really accounted for each one of us along the way. He would repeat instructions over and over just to make sure we got it. I felt safe.

Transport

Climbing Mt. Batur & Natural Hot Spring

Ubud, Bali

I loved the end result of the climbing! That sunrise was glorious! The hiking was brutal 😂 as I am no hiker but it was well worth it. Our guide was Kutu a 24 year old local girl. She was great she allowed us as many breaks we needed without judging 😂. It took us a little over 2 hours (other people finish it in less time) and we made it with time to spare and waited for the sunset.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Snorkeling at Crystal Bay & Beach Relaxation

Nusa Penida

One of my favorite activities! Our guide made sure we had a great time. We saw manta rays and turtles. The water was so clear.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jeep Safari 4x4 From Mountain To The Beach

Ubud, Bali

Another favorite! What a great experience! They picked us up in a 4 by 4 jeep, very spacious. And we went from mountain to the beach. That day was one of my friend’s birthday and the guide and driver helped us decorate the Jeep with balloons for her. We were able to seat on the top of the Jeep as well.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full day Discover Nusa Penida

Vietnam

We visited several spots and took wonderful pictures. We reached Nusa Penida by boat about 40 min trip, and a vehicle picked us up and took us to see the places. Lunch and drinks were coordinated at a beach club near the port.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The tour guide:Dedy was so very kind and very thoughtful. Always tried to make our requests a reality.
One thing I could say is the Bali transportation was a little cramp especially for those sitting in the back. The jeep was a little better.
Ashley was always responsive and available. Ashley, Dedy helped make Valarie’s bday experience the best ever. I think we counted 4-5 different places sang happy birthday and provided her with either a cake or a drink that day, and I believe that was partly due to Ashley’s communication and doing.

Hotel Reviews

Bebek Tepi Sawah Villas and Spa

Nice and authentic, but not as clean as I would like. To close to real life with bugs and wild life. Employees are very kind and attentive.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sadara Boutique Resort

Nice hotel and amenities. Breakfast was abundant and they provided early morning breakfast which was sooo very yummy!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Climbing Mt. Batur & Natural Hot Spring

Ubud, Bali

It was ultimately a great experience, but maybe it would have been nice to get more realistic information prior to doing the climb. I was not expecting it to be as hard as it was.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

ATV & Ubud Surrounding

Ubud, Bali

Great fun! That whole day was a really fun day with the swings and the ATV, I felt like a princess and a bad ass in one day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Peridot hotel: awesome breakfast, hotel is beautiful! The people/employees are wonderful!
Zoom: great guide and patient with us
Driver/transportation: transportation was awesome and roomie! We loved it! The driver was nice and professional, just didn’t interact with us much, probably due to the language barrier.
Ashley: she truly coordinated and I loved that she was readily available. We had times when we wanted to change the itinerary a lil and she responded quickly and we are greatly appreciative.
Vietnam: hot and humid! You have no control over that. The sites were nice and I learned some, but I sweated daily!

Activity Reviews

Hanoi City Sightseeing & Street Food Tour

Hanoi

Food tour was great! Some great eats!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dark & Bright Cave - Lan Ha Bay - Tuan Chau (Capella)

Ha Long Bay

The caves were not much of a cave, more like an opening. The cruise had great employees but I was happy it was only one night. That was sufficient to enjoy the cruise. The water in ha long bay was not well taken care of. Some debris around even when we were enjoying the water.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cu Chi Tunnels & Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

I learned the most here and I liked it’s interactive nature-that u could touch and experience.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trang did a great job of organizing the trip and Huy was fantastic on the ground. Our family of 8 had a wonderful trip. Vietnam was beautiful, the food was amazing and the itinerary was perfect for us!

I’m not someone to write reviews on a regular basis and I save them for services that truly deserve them.

In this case this review won’t do justice to how phenomenal the experience has been from our trip and that truly is because of Lacey who arranged our whole entire itinerary.

Lacey fully understands the term going above and beyond! From the get go she listened to what we wanted to do and made any amendments that we requested when it came to accommodations and excursions.

Importantly she was prompt with communication which gave a sense of security we were in good hands.

During our trip she maintained constant contact and checking in with us to make sure everything was going accordingly.

Her team that she works with as guides were just incredible. Tommy, Lily, Sy and Pom deserve immense praise based on their knowledge and the fashion in which they show you around all the glorious places within Vietnam and Thailand!

This is the second time we’ve used KimKim to book a trip and we will continue to use them for all our upcoming travel plans and adventure.

All I can say is a sincere “thank you” to Lacey and hope that two things happen from this review..

1. Lacey is happy with this review because she thoroughly deserves it
2. Anyone who reads this reaches out to Lacey to have her book their trip for that part of the world and have us much fun as we did!

We had an incredible trip organised by Trang. From our first interactions she responded quickly to all communication, answering questions, making suggestions & changes to itineraries.
Our three guides, Nhan, My & Da Lat we're great, really friendly, helpful & very knowledgeable. They ensured everything ran smoothly, recommended restaurants and really ensured our trip was enjoyable. They were so interesting to talk to about Vietnam, its history & life today.
We enjoyed all the places we visited, although we were disappointed with the floating market, more tourists than anything else!
Vietnam is an incredible country & we would definitely go back. We would definitely use Kim Kim & Asia Adventure again.

Hien was amazing. Nothing was too much trouble for her to arrange.
The organisation was flawless. Hotels were all excellent. The activities and trips were all very enjoyable and well organised. Guides were knowledgeable and fun. I would have no hesitation in highly recommending Hien and the Kimkim team. A++++
I’d recommend longer time in central Vietnam if you’re after relaxation.

Trang planned a 28-day trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for us. She was a pleasure to deal with and very responsive, Her itinerary and hotel choices were very good. I appreciated that she did the online checkin for local flights. She subcontracted tour to local agents, most of whom were excellent also.

Hotel Reviews

Hanoi Pearl Hotel

Hanoi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Victory Star Cruise

Hanoi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eldora Hue

Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Little Hoi An Boutique Hotel & Spa

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Eden Star Hotel & Spa

Ho Chi Minh City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

IRIS Hotel Can Tho

Cần Thơ

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Anjali by Syphon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Sun & Moon Urban Hotel

Phnom Penh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ad Lib Hotel Bangkok

Bangkok

Authenticity & Character

Location

Too far from old city and all sites

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

CHEEVA DEE HOTEL

Chiang Mai

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi - City tour full day

Hanoi

Interesting, Huang was an excellent local guide. Saw major sites, then enjoyed afternoon walk through “very local” street markets.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Huang was excellent

Transport

Hanoi - Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh

Loved temple and climbing up overlook

Quality of Experience

Unique temple and limestone formations, loved lotus fields

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Huang was great

Transport

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

Beautiful, but very crowded with many tourist boats. Our boat was very good

Quality of Experience

Food

Good food, esp for a cruise

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Halong Bay - Flight to Hue

Ha Long Bay

Enjoyed additional temple we viewed on the way to airport, it was not on itinerary, but should be added. Stop at tourist shop of marble carvings is unnecessary. There are flights out of Ha Long bay. Ideally, we would have flown from here to next destination instead of spending a day driving back to Hanoi.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hue city tour half day and street food tour

Hue

Hue has very impressive temple and imperial city. Rickshaw ride was fun, we asked to ride along food market, which was very worthwhile.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh City – Ben Tre – Can Tho

Can Tho

****Floating village was interesting. *****Bike excursion was great and small river boat good. *Can Tho is not interesting, Iris hotel was not nice it was far away from Main Street.

Quality of Experience

Skip city of Can Tho - make this Mekong excursion a river & forest & bike trip

Food

Very good food at the bike ride resort

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide Trung was not good. Gave only basic info at each site, didn’t give tour at museum, slept in car rides and took 10 minutes of bike ride to attend to personal call — completely unnecessary to join us on bike ride because there was a separate local guide doing the bike tour. If he had calls to make, he should have stayed at lodge to make them. Bike tour guide was excellent

Transport

Cu Chi Tunnels and Ho Chi Minh City Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Guide Trung was average. Gave only basic info at each site. At Cu Chi tunnel it seemed other guides had more to say. Ran out of time later in day so only had 45 minutes at war museum. Hotel was far away from central market and main tourist attractions.

Quality of Experience

Food

Restaurant was very good

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cai Rang Floating market - Vam Xang Village - HCMC

Can Tho

Siem Reap: Explore Angkor Complex Temples

Siem Reap

Amazing temples, guide SOPHY was excellent, hotel was fantastic.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok Street Food tour

Bangkok

Nittaya was a fantastic guide. I loved Bangkok. Ad Lib Hotel was great, but far from river and main sites. This is a problem because taxi or metro took 50 min whenever we wanted to go somewhere, like dinner at night.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This is the first time we've ever used a travel specialist so we were a little concerned how everything will work out. But the trip organized by Ashley was absolutely amazing. Given that we traveled with kids her recommendations fit perfectly our needs. We loved all our accommodations and the cruise we did at Ha Long Bay was the highlight of our 3 weeks trip in southeast Asia. Capella is an absolutely stunning cruise ship, but fun activities for all ages, and the sweetest crew. We would love to go back some day on that cruise. Would highly recommend the food tour as well. If we ever travel back in the area we'll reach out to Ashely again for help!

Hotel Reviews

La Siesta Classic Ma May

Hanoi

Was a great fit for my family. We traveled with a big crew so the family suite fit us perfectly. Beautiful facilities, great breakfast and we loved their spa as well!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Capella Cruise

Halong

This cruise ship is absolutely amazing, beautiful rooms, amazing food, great daily excursions. However I think the thing that stands out most is our tour guides, Helen and Chris went above and beyond to make our stay as fun as possible. Helen was so kind with our 7 year old, that she constantly tells us that meeting her was best part of our 3 weeks trip in southeast asia. We hope to continue keeping in touch with her while back in the US.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Helen and Chris are amazing!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Halong - Lan Ha Bay - Frog Lagoon Area (Capella)

Ha Long Bay

Kayaking in Halong bay is magical.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Evening Walking Street Food Tour

Hanoi

Loved the food tour. As much as we love being independent, it was great to have someone local take us to best places to try things. Our last night we were on our own and definitely couldn't find anything close to the food we had during our guided trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Viet Hai village and Ba Trai Dao beach (Capella - 3D2N)

Ha Long Bay

Happy we got to do this trip. We had a chance to explore how some local people live and to swim in a beautiful area at Ba Trai Dao beach.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dark & Bright Cave - Lan Ha Bay - Tuan Chau (Capella)

Ha Long Bay

Definitely worth seeing! One of the local fishermen drove our boat and he gave us lots of great insights about the area.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Watching Water Puppet Show (N)

Hanoi

It's an interesting experience, though wish some of the narration was in english. Our kids did seem engaged so we liked it.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hien was fantastic from start to finish. My wife and I did a 10 day trip to Vietnam and did not have the expertise or time to plan it well. I worked with Hien and she was great about working with me to plan the trip we wanted. She then booked everything so that we really didn’t have to worry about anything while in Vietnam. Our guide, Nam, was amazing and gave great advice, knowledge, and assistance throughout our trip. Our driver was professional, helpful, and safe. I will definitely be using KimKim in the future for trips. Many of the reviews I saw prior to booking focused on the cost being higher than if you book things yourself. It is significantly more expensive than painstakingly booking every detail yourself, and you will not get a cost breakdown, but we felt that it was worth every penny to have the expertise and assistance every step of the way. Having this service made the trip more relaxing and enjoyable. It was definitely worth it. Thank you to KimKim, Hien, Nam, and others who made this memorable trip happen.

Hien did a wonderful job of planning a Vietnam adventure for me and my son. The communication was wonderful and she worked with us to change the itinerary multiple times until it was just what we were looking for. The cruise on Halong Bay was a highlight of this trip as was the motorbike ride from Hue to Hoi An over the Hai Van pass.

Hien also communicated with us during the trip to check in, give tips, and help when we had questions. All of the tour guides like Zozo, Lui and Jade were so friendly and informative.

We loved everything about this experience!

We booked our recent 2 week trip to Vietnam with KimKim. It was a fantastic experience from the beginning to the end. First we filled out an online questionnaire, then spoke to a KimKim person by phone to make sure what we were looking for. We were then connected with Alex from Realistic Asia, who works with KimKim to design trips to Asia. Alex patiently went through 3 separate versions of our trip before we finalized the itinerary. Our trip included all lodgings, internal transfers, at least one meal per day, and private tours. We visited Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City.

We cannot say enough good things about the entire experience! Every hotel was superb. And our private guides and drivers in each location took exceptional care of us, with every need taken care of! They were all knowledgeable and personable. We felt that they were our best friends. Special shoutouts to Cương in Hanoi, Dong and Tai in Hoi An, and Vinh in HCMC! And our drivers were punctual, friendly, and safe. Our dietary preferences were addressed in every location.

The selection of excursions and tours was superb. We had time on our own in each location, and our guides treated us to wonderful tours to make sure we hit the “must-sees” and got oriented. And in every location we included a fantastic cultural experience. We went to Ba Vi and had lunch with Mrs Chin and her wonderful daughters, and partied with the local rice wine distiller. We rode bikes through the rice paddies in Hoi An, visited with a grandmother who was part of an organic farm collective, and had some custom clothing made by one of the local tailor shops. In HCMC, we spent a fantastic day touring around the Mekong delta by boat, TukTuk, and canoe.

Last but certainly not least, we need to say that Vietnam is an extraordinary travel destination! The cities are vibrant, the countryside is beautiful, the beaches are exquisite, the food amazing, and the people are charming and welcoming. Every single person we met was happy to see us, and more than once we were stopped on the street by a stranger who said hello and wanted to shake our hands.

We had a truly memorable time in Cambodia and Vietnam. As I am travel writer and travel blogger, I carefully evaluated every aspect of our trip.

We had amazing service from Dat throughout the planning stages. He was cognizant of our needs and met all our requests. He was also in contact with us during the trip and responded to two text messages we left him despite the time difference. We were really impressed with his expertise, knowledge and suggestions.We were delighted and very surprised that Dat was even able to add a couple of excursions that we requested him to handle when we were actually on the trip. We will certainly recommend Dat to all future travelers. He was just terrific.

We were only disappointed about one thing: when we requested Dat to make the airline check-in baggage payment on our behalf with the promise that we would reimburse him (as we were unable to do it online for technical reasons), he never responded to us at all. A simple No on his part would have sufficed and we would not have been kept hanging. Fortunately, we were able, eventually, to handle the matter on our own, but we do wish he had conveyed his thoughts to us on this issue (even if it would have involved a refusal because Kimkim does not handle international airline bookings).

We loved the hotels, the lavish breakfasts, the polite and efficient services of the pick-up staff and drivers everywhere. However, I do need to say that we had a very hard time understanding what the guides were saying. Either their English was too poor or their accents were too heavy. I do to know if you are able to vet and approve of the guides or not; but we lost out on a whole lot of commentary because the majority of our guides were sub-standard. Yes, they were helpful and obliging, but their verbal communication was very disappointing. We were happy that we had carried a lot of photocopied material with us from our own guide books and this information supplemented the meagre commentary we received from our guides.

All said, our trip was memorable and most enjoyable. For all these reasons, we will continue to use Kimkim for all our travel needs in the future and will also recommend your company warmly to everyone who wishes to travel. Many thanks for all your assistance. You made our travels in Cambodia and Vietnam a real pleasure and completely trouble-free.

Hotel Review

Harmony Saigon Hotel & Spa

Ho Chi Minh

Excellent hotel. Beautifully located. The welcome drink (ginger-lemon) was wonderful, There was a free mini-bar (beer) in the room (which few hotels provide), breakfast was amazing and service was superb.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

They were courteous and charming and very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Siem Reap Arrival - Floating market visit

Siem Reap

Did not appeal too much. Not really much to see, other than the boat ride on the Tonle Sap River.

Quality of Experience

The place itself leaves one unmoved. Nothing to do with the service which was very good. The boat ride was fun, but the site has nothing much to recommend it.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We traveled in April from North to South. I was trying to miss crowds, have fewest rain days, and coordinate with our Indonesia trip in May. We had a heat snap when we reached Hue that lasted three days. It was 102; the average in April is typically 85. I enjoyed our entire trip. 30 days allowed us to have many experiences and not be rushed.

We booked our trip prior to Covid and had to reschedule a number of times. This contributed to the problems we had booking this trip and getting confirmation. It was frustrating to not have final information until days before we departed.

We loved all our guides: Quynh, My, Viet, Quy, and Hoang. Each of them was outstanding in contacting the next guide and passing on information about the kinds of activities we enjoyed. They were great at tailoring our travel experience. We would have loved to have spent one more day in Hanoi with Quynh, he was a wealth of knowledge. We loved the home visit with Dao. Viet kept us busy with great experiences in art, food, and local culture. Quy provided us with great directions and information so we could navigate Nha Trang and Da Lat on our own. And Hoang was amazingly knowledgeable about the Nam Cat Tien National Park, which we really appreciated.

Notes I made that I would suggest my friends change if they book a trip, (I've already given the information to 6 people): In the future, I would not buy any pre-arranged lunch or dinner. Every hotel offers breakfast. You can always ask your guide for local favorites or recommendations at lunch stops. I prefer ordering off the menu or having the guide order for me with some guidelines like, I don’t need a 7 course meal for lunch.

I would be move forceful in getting all the information earlier. We didn't have time to research our hotels as the information provided by the travel company, Sens Asia, was so late in getting to us.

I would not take another night train the rest of my life. Almost 8 hours to train from Hanoi to Sa Pa, 5.5 hrs to drive. Train, one toilet for about 40 people in a train car and no one seems to be able to pee in the toilet. Noisy, a number of stops, uncomfortable, plastic, non-breathing bed. Totally not doing this ever again.

Ha Noi
Mk Premier Boutique Hotel Luxury https://www.mkpremier.vn
Loved staying in old part of Hanoi, walking around the lake, having egg coffee, being close to the old town. We met Dao, a retired teacher, very interesting visit.

Mai Chau
Mai Chau Ecolodge http://maichau.ecolodge.asia/
Loved the remoteness, and the hiking.

Thanh Hoa
Pu Luong Retreat (Hotel)
http://puluongretreat.com/
Liked the village we walked to and biked to.

Ninh Binh
Hidden Charm Hotel & Resort http://hiddencharmresort.com
Nice hotel, good Indian restaurant nearby, close to lake boats.

Ha Long Bay
Bhaya Cruise Deluxe https://www.bhayacruises.com
Nice boat trip. I liked all the excursions, the kayaking, and the caves and hiking.

Sa Pa
Aliana Boutique www.airaboutiquesapa.com
Loved Sa Pa. The hotel was quiet and out of the hub but a close walk to the town center. The village walks with My were interesting and the scenery was beautiful. Sens Asia had a number of issues arranging the transportation. Using the local taxi's might have been a better solution.

Sa Pa
Topas Ecolodge. http://topasecolodge.com
Wish we would have stayed two nights. One night is definitely not enough. Very beautiful, quiet, and unique.

Hue Eldora Hotel http://www.eldorahotel.com
Loved all the activities in Hue. Great hotel, staff. Bamboo paper making, incense making, weaving, etc. loved our guide, Viet. Recommend getting a room on one of the upper floors for the quiet and the view.

Hoi An Aira Boutique http://www.airaboutiquehoian.com/
Nice but too far from the old city. I wish we would have stayed closer to the old city. Walking along the river at night in the old city was beautiful. . Hotel was okay but I would have rather stayed on the river front.

Quy Nhon Anya Hotel & Spa https://anyahotel.com/
Nice hotel, nice staff. We liked the biking and sightseeing.

Phu Yen Rosa Alba Resort https://rosaalbaresort.com/
Over the top accommodations. I would have loved to stay here two nights at a minimum. Great boardwalk to walk along in the evening. Staff was exceptional, food was amazing.

Nha Trang Ibis Styles https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-9578-ibis-sty
Loved the boardwalk and town. The hotel location was great. The hotel itself was the 2nd poorest accommodations on the trip and the staff was uninspiring. A shame to go from Rosa Alba to Ibis. Ibis is a hotel you stay at when you are 20 and can’t afford anything else. I wouldn't stay at this hotel.

Da Lat Ttc Hotel http://ngoclan.ttchotels.com
I didn’t expect worse accommodations but this was it. The hotel is very noisy, that is an understatement. It is conveniently located but you won’t get any sleep. The breakfast was awful. We switched to the Du Parc, a wonderful hotel. Absolutely quiet. Good staff. We should have stayed here two nights and not at Da Lat Ttc.

Dong Nai Forest Floor Lodge www.forestfloorlodges.com
Loved this experience. I recommend this if you don’t mind the tent accommodations, being in the forest, and having a few less options for food. Hoang did a great job showing us around the park.

Ho Chi Minh Silverland Yen Hotel
Okay, I wouldn’t stay here again. Breakfast was okay, not great. Accommodations were just okay. The location is good, close to a large market, close to the lake, close to the ocean. Loved the city and the sightseeing we did. The old post office, Temple of Enlightenment, Landmark 81 (the tower), boardwalk. The hotel, find something better.

Thanks to everyone who helped make our trip memorable. I would change a few things, mostly hotel accommodations, but the sightseeing, activities, experiences were fantastic.

Our guides, Dan, Quyen and Johnny, were all fantastic. We loved how much time we were able to spend interacting with local people. From staying at home stays to eating at homes to cooking lessons to learning to make fishing nets, we were exposed to so much local culture. This was a trip of a life time and our 4 teenagers were thoroughly engaged for our 15 days in Vietnam.
Kimkim and our guides did a tremendous job keeping our son with food allergies safe. We could not have done this on our own.
Thanks, Minh, for planning a great trip and for all of our guides and local people who helped make our trip so wonderfully memorable.

Dat was incredibly responsive as we were planning the trip, as we went through 4 iterations before settling on a final itinerary. And during the trip when there was a hiccup, he was quick to be responsive and made mid trip adjustments. He was clear about all that was included and set us up with fantastic hotels and guides. We learned so much about Vietnam and the wonderful people who live there.

Hien facilitated an excellent trip, exactly what I was after! Nothing was too much trouble. The accommodation was lovely, and the arranged day trips/tours hit all the highlights I had wanted to see. Everything was arranged, which just made it so easy and enjoyable, especially for a relatively short trip in which I wanted to see a lot. Huge shout out to Cuong, who was my guide for several days. Had a fantastic time, and would definitely recommend.