Kimkim Trip Reviews for Vietnam

We had an amazing experience . Alex was very helpful and helped me set up everything from a-z .

If you want a tailored trip that will go beyond your expectations Kim Kim is the way to go

My trip to Vietnam was packed with highlights. Here are the tops:

1) My first few days in Hanoi were great. I really enjoyed Kien and his historical perspective that he was able to provide about Hanoi and Vietnam. It was clear that he studied history at the university, and had many interesting stories and perspectives to share. I walked away with a very rich view of Hanoi and Vietnam, both historically and present day. Kien also let me take my time and come back to him with questions which I really appreciated.

2) The third guide Ngoc was equally excellent. He provided a great perspective of Ninh Binh, Hoa Lu, Tam Coc, the many religions of Vietnam, and daily life in Vietnam. He provided a great cultural perspective that gave me a real picture of what it was like to be Vietnamese. He also shared great personal anecdotes. Our boat ride on Tam Coc was a beautiful highlight!!

3) All hotel accommodations were excellent. The staff were professional and welcoming, the rooms were very clean and well- appointed, and the breakfasts delicious. Each hotel was comfortable and relaxing, including the cruise on Halong Bay. Each night I was able to sleep very peacefully.

4) Transportation was also excellent. All drivers were on time, courteous, and drove safely. This was a great feature for sightseeing!

My only feedback is on the second guide Sang in Sapa. Compared to Kien and Ngoc, she was not as engaged. She didn't share any stories or anecdotes about the region. I would ask her questions, and her answers were very limited. I eventually gave up and starting asking other tribal women we encountered hiking. I bought something from another tribal woman and gave her a big tip since she was more informative and interesting; I talked with this woman more than I talked with Sang.

Sang also made me feel very stressed out about the train back to Hanoi on November 20. She wasn't sure how to get my ticket for the train, and kept asking me for details. Eventually, she figured it out but I'm not sure why she panicked. This was the first and only time that I was concerned about logistics and my itinerary.

Despite my interaction with Sang, the trip was still unbelievable. Vietnam is a special and beautiful place that I hope to visit again.

We spent 18 days in Vietnam and Cambodia. Lovely places to visit.
I could not fault Kimkim tours. It was so well organized. They really want you to have a great experience. Alex is a huge asset to the company. English was perfect. Alex looked after us from start to finish. She responded to our text right away, whenever we needed her.
We had a problem with our visa (completely our fault) Alex helped us all the way.
If there was one thing I would like to see improved, would be some of the guides English wasn’t great, so it was sometimes tough to understand. But They were all very enthusiastic.
Very well done.

Our trip was fantastic. we were in Vietnam for 2 weeks total but 8 days were with the Grasshopper tour and they were definitely the best days of the trip. I especially loved being in the villages and meeting the people and seeing the details of community life. We passed by many towns and stopped to meet the villagers that were working in their homes, making baskets, cleaning rice, creating machetes, etc. the villagers were warm and welcoming.
The food on the trip was fantastic; the accommodations were excellent everywhere we went.
Our guides were excellent in both countries, An in VietNam and Hiang in Cambodia.
Hiang in particular really shared from his heart and included us in his personal world in a very special way. He was very knowledgeable about his country and spoke honestly and lovingly about all aspects of Cambodian life and history. I fell in love with the country.
Our final hotel nights in Siem Reap at the Jaya House were incredible. In my wildest dreams I did not expect a finish like that!
Regarding planning and communication in preparation for the trip I was not heavily involved, but from what I know our chief organizer Howard Schubiner found working with Adam very easy and helpful.

It was simply amazing! From the early planning to the quick response to our pre visit questions, Adam and Ging we’re wonderful. We couldn’t have asked for more.
Both our Vietnam crew and Cambodian crew were fabulous. We fell in love with both countries because of them and had an truly authentic experience. I could write for hours about how great each guide, mechanic and driver were. They were kind, funny, unbelievably helpful and knowledgeable!
We can’t wait to recommend them to others!
Thank you so much to all of them!

We were a bit worried with two families of four going to Vietnam for the first time but I have to say, after the experience, I’m already looking for our next destination with kimkim! We have traveled extensively on our own but sometimes you want to de-stress and let someone do the figuring for you. That’s why this was perfect! Alex had us set up with everything we wanted to do from start to finish and LaLa (our guide) took us to places we never would have gone to on our own - hidden eateries tucked away down almost invisible streets, only known by locals and served the most amazing food and local fare. Monuments and pagodas along with the stories behind them, made it educational as well. In the end, I will say, if you have any reservations about traveling, alone or with a group, kimkim is the way to go:)

Overall, the trip was great. I would appreciate more details prior to the trip. Mike was great but he wasn’t needed the entire time. I didn’t know we would have a full time tour guide. We didn’t really need that. We would have preferred 2 hotel rooms and might have paid extra at a few sites to have that. Again, we didn’t know in advance what we had. In Hanoi and Hoi An, the room was way too small for 3 people, especially Hoi An since it was 3 nights. I might have settled for a lower rated hotel and had 2 rooms. So my primary feedback is to provide more detail of what we were getting so we could have more choices. The cooking class had a half day and full day choice. I would have preferred half day.

Tang & Driver Thang were fabulous. Their planning and execution was perfect. The route interesting with plenty of variation. The bikes perfect. The weather - we’ll sadly torrential rain and some flooding on 3 of the 5 days. But we still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Thanks for a great cycling holiday.

I am extremely thankful to Alex, who was exceptionally experienced and created an intenarary which was perfect. She helped and advised all along. I will definitely be recommending Kim Kim to my family and friends .
I will also be contacting alex to arrange a trip for me to Cambodia
Once again thanks for making my journey memorable

If given the opportunity to use this this site again - I wouldn't hesitate! The experience from first conversation with Andy to the last adventure on the Vespa tour of Saigon and each incredible adventure in between was perfection! Our guides and driver in each city (Hanoi, Hoi Ann, Mae Chau, Saigon) were professionals, full of knowledge and fun. We fell in love with Hoi Ann and wish we could have spent more time there!

Hey guys.

Victor was a great operator. From beginning to end, he was responsive and explained things very well. I had bit of a negative review on our onsite local tour guide at Hanoi and I've given that input to Victor. He was very professional and made sure my feedback was heard. In my business, the question I always ask my customers is: Would you recommend our services to your friends, family and associates? I would definitely recommend KimKim to my friends and look forward to using you guys again.

On the note of the Hanoi tour guide, I've given my feedback to Victor and would follow up with him. (the tour was actually great, but the person giving the tour was mediocre at best)

Thank you.

Paul Oh

We had a great time touring Vietnam and Cambodia for three weeks. We wanted a trip that covered the main tourist areas, as well as getting out to some of the national parks to see the birds and wildlife. Kimkim put together a package that encompassed everything we wanted to do, and suggested more items too. Everything worked according to plan. We had six different guides in various parts of the countries, and all did an excellent job. All spoke English to a reasonable or better standard, and were a great help in navigating our way through the trip. It was great having such personal attention. The guides were flexible in the itinerary as well. We changed our minds a couple of times about what we wanted to see, and were easily and happily accommodated. Highlights for the trip would have been seeing the ruins at My Son in Vietnam, and Angkor in Cambodia, as well as some amazing birdwatching tours through Cat Tien N.P. in the south of Vietnam. Other memorable moments included kayaking in Ba Be National Park and Halong Bay Bay, and even an impromptu game of volleyball with some locals in a small village north of Hanoi, and all the amazing food that was served to us, especially in small local places.

We worked with Adam, then Ging from Garasshopper Adventures. Other than some issues with the weather, the entire trip was nearly flawless. Our guides were top notch. Knowledgeable, helpful and personable. We especially liked Thang and Nguyen. I would highly recommend Kimkim and Grasshopper.

The guides and in country contacts from Exotic Voyages were great. There was one change made to the itinerary after our deposit that was unacceptable. It involved an eighteen hour trip on a non express train. The in country contact (Giang) was wonderful in dealing with the problem, and more than made us happy. Saigon, the Mekong Delta, Hue, and Bach Ma National Parks were great places for visit. Hoi An was also beautiful, but the people being brought in by buses from the cruise ships are destroying what should be a great vacation spot. Siem Reap, Cambodia was everything we expected. The trip out to the large lake was also nice in that it showed the life in Cambodia away from the temple sites.

The hotels were outstanding. The guides did a good job in Hanoi and Saigon. They tried very hard to make us happy. The Cycle team was OUTSTANDING....the Bikes were new and the electric assist is a must! I would recommend this to anyone thinking of doing a Vietnam bike trip. Food selections gave us a real mix of Vietnam food, WE loved the trip!!!!!

My wife and I just returned from an incredible month in Vietnam and Cambodia. What an incredible blend of culture, history and cuisine. We are recently retired and have always been fiercely independent travelers. I pride myself on my research and trip planning, but being Vietnam, we decided to get some local help.

After reading the positive reviews, we selected Kim Kim as our travel platform. They put us in touch with Andy Carroll, the Vietnam expert and the process was flawless. Andy was very responsive and answered all my emails promptly. He put together a proposed itinerary and we worked together on selecting hotels, side trips, museums, cooking classes, etc.

Bottom line- 30 days, five internal air flights, one overnight train, one overnight boat, two countries, 10 cities and it was flawless! Every guide and driver showed up on time, the accommodations were truly 4 and 5 star, every mode of transportation was on schedule-- I don't think that would happen in the USA!

We are culture and history tourists and the guides Andy lined up were all superior. Incredible knowledge, fairly good but certainly passable English and true ambassadors to their country and their employer. Since we were a tour group of "two", they all went out of their way to ensure we had a fantastic and flexible holiday. The guides and drivers really made the trip!!

Using an internet travel company was a big leap of faith for me (would the guides show up, would the hotel have our reservation?) but I can report unequivocally, that KimKim is worth your trust.
And I am not a guy who lavishes praise easily!!

We booked with kimkim for our week in Vietnam, mainly for travel (car transport, mid-week airfare, lodging, etc.), as well as one full-day tour of the Mekong Delta. After a small hiccup in the communication during the trip planning, I have to say that everything went smoothly. Transport was on time, the lodging was excellent and had great locale, and our Mekong Delra tour guide, Lucy, was very good. It became clear that we were actually experiencing a local travel agency (that we gave a review for, too), and that kimkim is actually more of a middle-man service, but that's no bother. I would book with kimkim again for their choice of agency and talented guides.

Thank you, thank you and thank you again Andy for putting together such an exhilaratingly wonderful itinerary for me in Vietnam !! I loved the way you listened to what I was interested in when we chatted and texted several times beforehand because you really knocked it out of the park for me with everywhere I went !! Each place and all accommodations from the tropical feel of my hotel in the colorful and ancient city of Hoi An, to the gorgeous hotel in the significantly historical city of Hue, then up to Hanoi and my adorable boutique hotel, with an outstanding 2 day side trip out onto HaLong Bay staying overnight on a lovely classy boat, then all the way down to Phu Quoc island only to stay in the magnificent eco friendly resort of Mango Bay and then wrapping it all up in Saigon ... well it was simply just superb !! I loved all of my guides and especially have such fond memories of Mr. Troung and his driver who schooled me with emotional sights and many unknown historical facts of the war.
One of my most fun days was deciding to ditch a couple museums and hop on the back of the scooter of my guide in Hanoi and ride with the masses of those who miraculously and artfully flow through the city streets of organized chaos. It was tremendously exhilarating !!
I do not typically return to places I've already traveled to for the sole reason that our world is so big and I want to see it all, but I most definitely would return to Vietnam, travel throughout more of the country and hope for more beautiful encounters with it's warm and loving people ... but only if Andy was in charge of making it happen for me !!!

Everything from KimKim was great. I had a large group with a lot of moving parts. Andy was calm, cool, and collected each step of the way. I had some people in the group who extended their stays for private tours - Andy helped them each individually and gave them exactly what they wanted. I couldn't have asked for more. The chat setup made communication easy, payment was a simple link, and when one member of my group had an emergency visa problem, KimKim stepped in and got it done in less than 12 hours with concierges service. The entire staff is great at KimKim and they work beautifully together as a team to make everything perfect and more. I will be using KimKim again for groups in the future! Thank you, Andy!!

Had a fantastic trip. Well worth it. I would recommend Kimkim to anyone that would like their trip organised for them. Andy was really easy to communicate with and our guide Dat was very knowledgeable and accommodating.