Kimkim Trip Reviews for Vietnam

we book 8 days for our honeymoon in Vietnam with this agency , in Vietnam basically we were by ourselves, just 2 days we had tour guides ( the one in the historical Vietnam was awesome ) the other days where we just had hotels and taxis and no other guide. we also covered most of the food apart from the free breakfast at the hotel.
Most of the hotels where amazing just one didnt meet our expectations , there was no restaurants , no shops to walk to, we where stuck in the bush with a poor maintence hotel , I think the agency didnt check the place before they send us there. that experience was not good at ALL , but Trang change us the next day after show her photos of how insane that place is.
in day 8 we found out we should buy our departure flight and actually the DEPARTURE FROM DANANG included in the itinerary was just a taxi to the Airport, that took us by surprise because we were in the middle of the country and we started the tour in Hanoi and Trang new that we had tickets book from Hanoi to Sydney, so that was a HUGE suprise that actually we didnt have departing flight , in the last minute we got tickets.
I guess Kim Kim is better planing for families , otherwise is not worth it, i wish i new this earlier.

It was a great trip, well planned and coordinated by local guides , who had great information and added their personal touch ! Shout out to Brian in Hanoi , Jack on the River cruise and Ruby in Hoi An .

Activity Reviews

Hanoi city sightseeing- Hanoi street food tour

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An - Ba Na Hills - Golden Bridge- Hoi An

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

In summary, all of our guides and drivers were fantastic. They were all prompt, thoughtful, helpful and informative. We couldn't have had better people to work with.

Ashley was so incredible through the whole process including the planning, coordination, communication and delivery of our program. She checked with us almost daily when we were on our trip. Her instructions were clear and precise. She was the best.

The itinerary Ashley put together was phenomenal. Our tours which were fantastic, included visiting Buddha temples, seeing the elephant sanctuary, and taking a wild Vespa evening dinner ride, Everything was very special. We saw so many wonderful and unique places throughout Thailand and Vietnam. It felt like we got so see the best of the major cities we visited. We ate great street food most of the time, thanks to our guides, and our accommodations were almost all five-star, in our opinions.

So, even though we would give a five-star rating to everyone involved with our trip and everything we experienced, there are a couple of suggested changes we would incorporate into our itinerary if we were to do the same trip over.

The south coast of Thailand is beautiful, but we would try to experience it in a different location that Phuket. Phuket is overloaded with tourist. It was great seeing this area and the beautiful coastal waters, but it felt like Miami Beach during spring break. We would also eliminate the trip to Phi Phi Island. Again, Phi Phi is a major tourist draw, with little space to accommodate them.
We would also suggest spending more time in Ho Chi Minh City. We wanted to tour the American War museum, but didn't because our time in Ho Chi Minh City was limited. Lastly, we would probably exclude the trip to Trang An just because it is a long drive from Hanoi and is a heavy tourist attraction. Just some thoughts...

All in all, our trip far exceeded our expectations in many ways. We thoroughly enjoyed our guides, our accommodations, and the places we visited, and Ashley was wonderful. KimKim was recommended to us by our friends, and we will definitely recommend KimKim to others.

Hotel Review

Rimping Village Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai

It was very difficult to choose a hotel to review because they were all great. For the following reasons, we liked the Rimping Village Chiange Mai Hotel: - the room was very spacious and clean; -the pool was big enough for lap swimming; -the hotel was close to the market and shops; -the staff were great; -the hotel was more of a boutique type rather than a large commercial hotel; and -the breakfast were very nice.

Authenticity & Character

Very comfortable. It made you feel like you were in Thailand.

Location

very close to the street vendors and market.

Staff

always willing to help

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Bangkok Temple Sightseeing Full Day (KT)

Bangkok

We saw a large number of special sites, almost too many.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Thai people were so very friendly.

Transport

Always on time and in a position to pick us up from the tours.

Chiang Mai full-day city tour by KT

Chiang Mai

Our Chiang Mai experiences were incredible. We loved this area and the tours we experienced. Our guide was great, very personable and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Loved this area. Loved experiencing the elephant sanctuary.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

On time and very professional.

Half day Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary - Join tour

Chiang Mai

This was a wonderful experience. We will likely never get this close to elephants again.

Quality of Experience

Being able to interact with elephants was such an amazing experience.

Food

Almost all of it.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Thai massage at Oasis Spa

Phuket

This was a very professional spa. You were treated like you were a very special guest.

Quality of Experience

We both received incredible massages.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

On time and well coordinated.

Doi Inthanon National Park & Mae Klang Luang Nature Trail

Chiang Mai

Loved the trek and thoroughly enjoyed our Hmong guide. The coffee experience after the trek, was so rich with local culture.

Quality of Experience

Great setting and great guides.

Food

Everything.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The guides made this tour extra special.

Transport

Phi Phi Island & Khai Island Tour (Join speedboat)

Phuket

The waters were incredible but the sites were overwhelmed with tourists. I would not go to, nor recommend, Phi Phi Island to future guests because of this.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saigon By Night - Vintage Vespa Street Food Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

This was so much fun! Our tour guides knew where to go for great food and knew how to drive in the crazy traffic. This was one of our most memorable experiences of our entire trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

The street food was soooo good!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lan Ha Bay – Dark & Bright Cave – Disembark Cruise (Doris Cruise)

Vietnam

We did not participate in this activity. We needed to take a break from tours plus the weather was no very pleasant.

Day Trip to the Mekong Delta (Ben Tre)

Ho Chi Minh City

We had a fantastic experience on this tour. The delta was so unique and the culture was so interesting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Excellent guide.

Transport

Hoi An Half-Day Sightseeing

Hoi An

Hoi An was so much fun especially in the evenings.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide .was very good but not a five-star.

Transport

Cycling in Cam Thanh & Thanh Dong Organic Farm Visit

Vietnam

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the organic farm especially interacting with the staff.

Quality of Experience

We got to interact with beautiful staff at the farm.

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat Trip Exploring The Natural Beauty of Trang An & Visit Hoa Lu Ancient Capital

Vietnam

Great guide and a great experience but would probably not recommend it because it is such a long distance drive from Hanoi.

Quality of Experience

Food

Ate at a food cafeteria. The food was good but way too much and not high quality. The restaurant was quantity focused.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Great guide who knew so much about the area and history.

Transport

Lan Ha Bay - Viet Hai Village - Kayaking

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our tour started with a evening walking food tour with Ms. Hang. We had many delicious dishes and visited a local market. After leaving Hanoi we visited beautiful Ha Long Bay - Bai Tu Long. The Indochina Junk ship was really fun to stay on and had really comfortable rooms.
We were picked up after the boat trip by our guide Toun and driver Chien. We spent the next 6 days with them exploring Ninh Binh and Mai Chau. We did biking , trekking and visited Unesco world heritage sites. Tuon was very knowledgeable about the areas and new the best places to eat and see.
We were really impressed with the customer service, the transfers were always on time and Dat was always available to answer any questions we had while on the trip.
I recommend using KimKim for planning trips, especially to areas that are more remote.

Hotel Reviews

Mai Chau Ecolodge

This lodge was comfortable with all rooms having views of the rice paddies. The food was just alright and the pool area/bar is not that comfortable to relax at after a day of activities. I think I would consider looking into a homestay for this area. The staff at the lodge were incredible helpful and kind. The bikes could use an upgrade, many of the bikes were slightly to small.

Authenticity & Character

Each bungalow had a nice deck for sitting on , the chairs were somewhat uncomfortable.

Location

You border the main trail systems where you can ride or walk to enjoy the valley.

Staff

Very kind and helpful staff.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The property is nice but feels a little old. For those with any issues with walking it may be difficult to move around the property.

Prince Junk (from Indochina Junk)

The boat was fun, and the cabins were comfortable. The outside space is also great, but unfortunately the weather was not nice during our trip.

Authenticity & Character

It is a very authentic boat, one of their newer ones.

Location

It is a boat that cruises thru the bay.

Staff

Super helpful and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The cabins were all spotless

Tam Coc Garden Resort

Ninh Binh

We did not stay here we stayed and Ninh Village resort which was incredible.

L’ Heritage

Hanoi

Nice hotel in the Old Quarter

Authenticity & Character

Classic hotel well maintained

Location

Good location for the Old Quarter, we later stayed near the Lake and found that location better.

Staff

Staff was attentive and kind

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi Evening Walking Street Food Tour

Hanoi

We sampled many delicious and diverse foods. The problem with a food tour in Vietnam is that the portions of the dishes are large, so you get full quickly.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food was all great, when we did the evening food tour most stalls in the markets were closed.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We had a great guide who was very knowledgeable about the foods and their history.

Transport

We walked, which I always enjoy

Mai Chau - Xa Linh Village trekking

Mai Chau

Unfortunately the air quality was poor and obscured all the views while trekking. It was fun going thru the village.

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

Vietnam

Pu Luong was a beautiful area. The villages were really interesting to walk thru, as where the water wheels and the terraced rice fields. Really beautiful.

Quality of Experience

Really beautiful area.

Food

Our guide always took us to good local spots

Guides, Drivers and Staff

They were excellent

Transport

Comfortable

Boat Trip Exploring The Natural Beauty of Trang An & Visit Hoa Lu Ancient Capital

Vietnam

Very beautiful boat ride thru a world heritage site. It is a popular trip so best to go in the morning.

Quality of Experience

Very pleasant in a boat with a village women doing the rowing. They are really skilled.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cycling in Mai Chau

Mai Chau

We really love to cycle and these paths were very cool. Very scenic.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat trip to Thien Ha Cave & Thung Nham Bird Garden (Ninh Binh)

Ninh Binh

We ended up splitting this activity due to weather. We did the cave as part of a cycling portion. It was really great not as touristy as the other caves. We visited the Thun Nham Bird Garden, and it is a very busy place. I would recommend skipping this experience.

Quality of Experience

It is a really busy area

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ha Long Bay - Bai Tu Long - Thien Canh Son Cave (Indochina Junk)

Ha Long Bay

Great trip, just wish we would have had good weather. Still beautiful but couldn't enjoy all the activities.

Quality of Experience

Great company, great activities

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Loved the boat!

Cycling And Farming In Tho Ha Village And Boating To The Galaxy Groto

Vietnam

This was a fun day. Enjoyed the cycling thru the villages, very scenic. The farming activities were fun, I was a bit skeptical, but it is worth doing. Galaxy Groto was very cool, much better than the bird park.

Quality of Experience

Fun to get in the rice fields with some locals. It is hard work planting rice and hard work walking in the mud. Even caught some fish.

Food

A cooking class is part of the experience, it was alright.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mai Chau Cycling and Hiking Day

Vietnam

Loved the cycling in this area. Hiking is mostly in the jungle so not a lot of views. Most enjoyable day.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cap La - Vung Dang - Cong Dam (Indochina Junk)

Vietnam

We did not do this part of the trip due to weather

Vung Vieng Fishing Village - Halong Harbor (Indochina Junk)

Ha Long Bay

Loved the boating experience. The fishing village was interesting.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia was an incredibly memorable experience. Hien, our travel specialist at Realistic Asia, was key to the success and enjoyment of our holiday. Hien helped us to plan a well organized and logical 26 day itinerary according to our travel preferences. She always responded promptly to any questions or requests, and anticipated our needs in a timely manner (e.g. providing e-visa links and reviewing our documentation). The recommended tours provided insights into Vietnamese and Cambodian history, culture, food, and way of life. We spent several days exploring northern Vietnam with our guide Junjun and driver Hie in northern Vietnam. Hie kept his van spotless and drove with our safety in mind. Junjun is a wonderfully kind soul who shared his knowledge and the beauty of Northern Vietnam’s landscape and people. Our favourite day was spent walking through the Thai villages and trails, and past the villagers planting rice in the fields. Such an experience we will never forget. Our guide in Siem Reap, Vesarey, was equally incredible. He offered his extensive knowledge on the history and significance of the temples of Angkor Wat, and tirelessly answered our never ending questions about life in Cambodia. We particularly enjoyed the mountain bike tour of Angkor Wat. Our driver Souvann was always prompt and courteous, and ensured we were topped up with cold water on those hot days.
But perhaps of the things we loved most about our experience was the warmth and kindness of both the Vietnamese and Cambodian people. This should not be underestimated. We would certainly consider a return in the future to explore new areas and we would absolutely request Hien!

We just returned from our trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Loas and had a fabulous time! For the trip planning, we worked with Trang to develop the core itinerary, such as the cities that we'd be visiting and the popular sites in each and then we adjusted and added activities to fit our preferences. Trang was very responsive to our requests and typically responded to our inquiries within the day which we appreciated. Having a private tour with only four people was so nice. We never had to wait for people or stand in long lines (which we appreciated since it was very hot) and it was easy as a group of five to get in and out of the sights. We had a local guide in every city who met us at the airport along with a driver. Everyone of our guides (Long, Dao, Sen, Bao and Loan) were very personable, and knowledgeable about all of the sites, the history of the area as well as introduced us to the culture and provided us with the local perspective. When our stay was done, the guide and driver dropped us at the airport or train station to head to our next destination. We felt that each guide was personally interested in making our visit fun and memorable. With the exception of a couple of unscheduled afternoons and evenings (which allowed us to explore the city on our own), Trang and KimKim made all of our arrangements, we just had to show up and be ready for the day's experiences.

Having Trang and the KimKim connection was a real 'bonus' when one person in our group had an issue with their VISA and the airline would not let them board the plan until it was resolved. With one call to Trang, she contacted the Vietnam Immigration Office and provided us with a letter that allowed the person to board the plane to Vietnam and a corrected VISA was waiting for them when we landed. It was stressful; however, Trang resolved the issue quickly. We were grateful to be able to call Trang, an experienced travel guide who lived in the same country to advocate on our behalf.

We would recommend KimKim to anyone for a fabulous time and just wants to show up and leave the trip planning and details to someone else. Thank you Trang and KimKim for the great time in Indochina,

Karen, Craig, Terri and Rod from Minnesota

Hien helped us plan an epic SE Asia adventure. Throughout the planning process she had helpful suggestions and recommendations for unique tours based on our interests. All of the hotels recommended were excellent. The communication throughout our trip was prompt and she alerted us right away with any changes. This was the first time using a service like Kim Kim to plan our trip and having everything taken care of truly helped us enjoy our vacation to the fullest without having to worry about logistics. Thank you again Hien for everything!

Hien from Realistic Asia helped my wife and I plan the trip of a lifetime to Vietnam and Cambodia. This was our first trip to Southeast Asia and we were blown away by the experience. Although we had limited time for our trip - only 10 days - Hien helped us make the most of it.

We appreciated the amount of flexibility planning our trip and felt like the trip was personalized just for us. My wife and I love to immerse ourselves in the local life and culture of different places, and this trip checked all of those boxes. All of our tour guides were fantastic. Linh from Saigon Food Tour was amazing whisking my wife from spot to spot through traffic on her scooter. Linh and Hao also surprised me with a special birthday BBQ dinner. Highly recommended way to start off the trip!

David from Hanoi Food Tour and Sen Soeu - our local guide in Siem Reap - also gave us very personalized and intimate tastes of the sites and food. In fact, we returned to the same Pho spot in Hanoi 3 times! We also loved the overnight cruise in Halong Bay! This taste of luxury on a smaller cruise ship was exactly what we were after. And words cannot really describe the incredible temples of Angkor Wat! While some of the sites were busy with other tourists, we always felt like we had one-on-one attention during our various private tours.

I would highly recommend Realistic Asia if you're looking for a personalized, luxury adventure to Southeast Asia on a reasonable budget. While we didn't have time to do everything on our list, we feel like the tours Hien helped us arrange and the food was top-notch! I should also mention the hotel accommodations and locations were just right.

We only wish we had more time and cannot wait to return to Vietnam for our next culinary adventure. (And we may consider a slightly cooler time of year to revisit Cambodia.) This trip was the perfect taste of both countries, and now we are hungry for more!

First time using a platform like this, or a travel agent of any kind, and it worked out well. Dat was a very responsive travel planner who provided us with lots of ideas and options for tours, day trips, activities, hotels, everything. Overall everything went incredibly smoothly and was a lot of fun! The airport transfers, random pickups and drives were all very timely and comfortable. We focused on food and did a lot of related activities, the standout being Chef Ai's cooking class in her home kitchen in Hanoi, which started with a morning market walk and included plenty of cooking and eating but also really good discussion about Vietnamese food, culture, history, and the future! We also had city-specific guides with us for multiple days and I have to give kudos to Cuong (our honest and incredibly informative guide in Hanoi and Ninh Binh), Trinh (our foodie guide in Hue) and Nam (our comical and friendly guide in Saigon). They were full of information and insight, spoke English very well, provided us with great recommendations for things to do when we had free time, and were just pleasant people to spend time and chat with.

If I have anything critical to say it's that we spent too much time in Hoi An (4 days) and not enough in Hue (1 full day), but that's personal preference. Overall we hit many of the main sights and cities of Vietnam and for our first visit to the country it was a great introduction and overview. I want to return to spend more time in the mountains and do some trekking.

Overall highly recommended!

Activity Reviews

Hanoi Evening Walking Street Food Tour

Hanoi

Our guide Cuong walked us around the old quarter for various dishes, snacks, and drinks. It was pleasant, well-paced, and delicious!

Quality of Experience

Food

The banh cuon and beef pho were standout but it was all good!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Private Home Cooking Class with Chef Ai & Local Market Experience

Hanoi

One of our best experiences in Vietnam! Chef Ai and her niece were engaging, pleasant, and skillful. From the market walk to food prep to sharing a meal together, it was a really special and comfortable experience in Chef Ai's home.

Quality of Experience

Food

The flambeed shrimp and pomelo salad was excellent, the fried fish was perfect, and the fish sauce pyramid was educational in the best way!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Real Taste of Hue food

Hue

Trinh guided us around her hometown of Hue for an amazing night of food. She's a foodie herself so it was fun to chat, ask all sorts of questions about how central Vietnamese food differs from the rest of the country, and to learn about the history of the area at the same time.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Trinh was a truly amazing guide, in all aspects, but particularly for this food tour.

Transport

The cyclo drivers were professional and pleasant.

Hoi An Local Market, Basket Boat, Fishing & Cooking Experience - Joint in tour

Hoi An

This tour is interesting but felt a bit rushed and ultimately very touristy. The cooking experience was actually really well-done and interactive, but the rest of it was not our cup of tea in that it was very touristy. Chef Hai, our guide for the day works hard and was at his best in the kitchen, he made the experience better in every way.

Quality of Experience

Food

Cooking experience and Chef Hai were the highlight of this actvity/tour.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Chef Hai is working hard and made the cooking experience a lot of fun!

Transport

Hoi An Sightseeing and Food Tour

Hoi An

Hoi An is a cute town and seeing it in the morning was a very different (and pleasant) experience compared to the chaos of the evening. Our guide however seemed mostly disinterested and didn't volunteer much info, preferring to walk hastily from place to place and look at his phone while we were eating.

Quality of Experience

Food

The food, as always, was good, particularly the cau lo and banh mi.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide James seemed disinterested an distracted.

Transport

One of our guides Mr. Hiu (I don’t know the correct spelling) in Saigon was the best guide along with Lu from Sapa. The most memorable places were Cu Chi Tunnels, Mekong Delta (with Hiu) and Motorbike food tour in Saigon, the drivers were super nice, knowledgeable, skilled and with very good English; In Hanoi is highly recommended to visit Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, the train rail cafes, the Temple of Literature and take the overnight train to Sapa on the Chapa Express which was also an interesting trip. We enjoyed trekking the rice terraces and bamboo forest; as well as Cat Cat Village. In general Vietnam is a must visit country.

Hein is amazing. Patient, detail oriented and always available and responsive before, during and after the trip. We made several last minute itinerary changes; Hein masterfully kept up with us! Guides Quang (Hanoi) and Ron (Bangkok) are especially talented.

Trip was absolutely amazing! Perfect coordination with the guides, hotels, driver!
Our tour guides Quang, Sunny (in Ha Long Bay) and Mr. Hai our driver, GREAT people, and very good at what they do!
Hotels were perfect!

Hotel Reviews

GM Premium Hotel Hanoi

Great service. Spotless! Excellent food!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Great staff members!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pu Luong Valley Home

Thanh Hoa

Very relaxing place! Great services! Amazing view!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

An's Eco Garden Resort

Beautiful and very relaxing place. Great service. Delicious food!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Renea Cruise

I would love to back to this place, in the same boat, same room ;) and with the same tour guide (Sunny) Amazing experience!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Bicycle Tour of Rural Villages - Cultural Tour of Hanoi

Hanoi

Very interesting, different, beautiful! We loved the show!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

The quality of the guides were mixed, but always very lovely people, who tried hard, who loved being guides, and ambassadors of their country. Often difficult to understand (like guides in most SE Asia countries) - not from their lack of a command of the English language, but from their Vietamese accent.

The Realistic Asia team are really great. Email responses done in a timely manner. There was great care to ensure all arrangements were to our satisfaction. Most of our guides were terrific! Big shout out to Cuong, Victor and Tommy!! thank you for being great guides - you made us feel like family. The excursions were terrific in the countryside. We loved the Eco tour outside of Hanoi, Ninh Binh and Ho Ch Minh day on the Mekong, visiting coconut plantations, brick factory with 100 year old kiln! The Mekong was beautiful The only disappointments which had nothing to do with Realistic Asia were Sapa. We found it was very commercial and Halong bay quite dirty with garbage.
I highly recommend Hien at RA! So kind, caring and professional. You can’t go wrong with this great team. Thank you Thank you! Joy and Richard

I usually try to book our trips on my own, but I stumbled across KimKim while searching online and the rest was easy! Our special thanks to Huyen for putting together a few different options to choose from. Every step of the way there was communication to keep us posted as to who was picking us up and when. Always clean air-conditioned private cars with friendly drivers, guides, and water waiting for us. One of the highlights was the Saigon by Night street food tour. We spent 3 1/2 hours touring around and enjoying the local food, our guides were friendly, knowledgeable, and informative. I would recommend this tour to everyone who visits. The rooftop pool at La Vela Saigon was beautiful day and night! If you are staying at, or even close to La Vela you MUST try the seafood buffet, it was incredible. Bamboo Village in MuiNe was fantastic. The staff were very helpful and attentive and the grounds were beautifully kept. At any time during the trip, if we had a question or even just wanted a restaurant suggestion, Huyen was quick to reply. Thanks again, we will be back next year to try the northern part of your beautiful country.

All guides were amazing. Zoom (Daniel ) Ken amd Liam were all above and beyond expectations. Suggestes itinerary was busy but allowed us to.see a whole lot of the country in 12 days. The one negative was the boat trip Ha Long Bay. The rooms all smell like mildew. We talked with 3 other couples on the.boat who all had the same complaint. Boat staff was nice but not enough to make my rating of the overall boat cruise better

We were really happy with this trip and very pleased with how everything went. Every guide and driver was terrific. Huyen was responsive and helpful at every turn. She made the logistics anxiety-free.
In Vietnam, Binh was wonderful. He worked very hard to ensure that we got to do everything we wanted. Our driver was also friendly and helpful. We appreciated that they had water for us at all times. We loved the restaurant where we had lunch. the first day. The whole itinerary was great. We can't wait to return to Vietnam.
I loved our time in Cambodia. Breeya was a fantastic guide and very responsive to our needs. The driver had not only cold water, but chilled washcloths for us every time we returned to the van. What a lifesaver in the heat! The lunch was again outstanding., and the entire visit was amazing. We really loved the Won Residence Hotel. Definitely want to return to Cambodia, too.
We had a lot of fun in Thailand.. It would be great if the guides/drivers there would have water and cold cloths. Palm and Nan both were friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable guides. The Bhodi Serene was a very nice hotel in Chiang Mai. The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary was a highlight of the trip.

Hotel Reviews

Won Residence Hotel

We all loved this intimate boutique hotel. They greeted us with delicious watermelon juice. Dinner at the rooftop restaurant was bliss., and breakfast by the pool was lovely. The housemade pineapple marmalade was fantastic. Every single staff member was friendly, helpful, and a pleasure to interact with. Our only regret was that we didn't have more time to spend at this lovely hotel.

Authenticity & Character

Intimate and serene.

Location

Not quite sure how easy it is to walk from there. We were only at the hotel at night.

Staff

The manager who greeted us and took care of. Also, the restaurant staffs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Great bed!

MK Premier Boutique hotel

Hanoi

I stayed at the MK Premier Boutique Hotel in Hanoi for three nights, and it was a great experience. The location in the Old Quarter was fantastic as we could easily walk out and find food at night. The room was nice and met our expectations. Breakfast being included was a big plus, and the spacious rooms were comfortable. Overall, a satisfying stay.

Location

Novo City Bangkok Hotel

During my two-night stay at the Novo City Bangkok Hotel, I found it to be a comfortable accommodation. The hotel was great, and the location was convenient for exploring the city. The rooms were spacious, and having breakfast included was a bonus. Overall, a pleasant experience.

Location

Bodhi Serene Hotel

Chiang Mai

My one-night stay at the Bodhi Serene Hotel in Chiang Mai was delightful. The hotel had a serene ambiance, and the staff took good care of us. The room was comfortable, and we enjoyed our time there. It was a peaceful retreat before departing.

Activity Reviews

Chiang Mai - Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

Chiang Mai

Mai exceeded our expectations. The sanctuary focused on conservation efforts and treated the elephants with care and respect. We had the opportunity to shower the elephants and even apply mud on them, which they enjoyed. The experience was hands-on and educational, allowing us to spend quality time with the elephants in a responsible manner. It was a fun and heartwarming experience that I would highly recommend to others.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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

Bangkok

During our time in Bangkok, we had the opportunity to experience a dinner cruise along the Chao Phraya River. The dinner cruise was a memorable experience. However, it was quite crowded and we stood for a long time in queue due to the high season. Overall, it was a fantastic way to enjoy the city lights and indulge in a delicious meal.

Bangkok - Visit the floating markets - half-day city tour (B)

Bangkok

While on our way to the floating markets outside Bangkok, our tour made a stop at a place where we could see elephants and even ride them if we wanted. However, our daughter was uncomfortable with the idea of seeing animals perform tricks, so we decided to skip that part of the tour. Despite this, the conservation efforts and care for the animals at the sanctuary were commendable, and we appreciated the positive environment. It was a good experience overall, but we chose to opt-out of certain activities based on our values.

Quality of Experience

I couldn't have asked for a better trip. Ashley listened to exactly what I wanted and what I didn't want. All four of my guides were reliable and spoke great English. They were real pros, yet at the same time were able to convey the beauty of their people. This area of the world is brimming with history, culture, art, nature, and culinary delights. I was able to accomplish everything I had set out to do and more in the comfort of reasonably-priced hotels, and never felt rushed! Thanks again Kimkim; as a multiple-time repeat customer, you never disappoint!

I received very quick and detailed information from Doris the local specialist during the planning phase of our trip. She planned out a few different options for us to choose. She connected with me several times before and during trip to make sure that everything was going smoothly.
Han was a great local guide. We learned so much from her during our tour around the Mekong delta. She has great knowledge about Vietnam. We totally enjoyed learning about the plant life, food and culture. Each one of our experiences were very well organized and enjoyable.

Trang was very helpful and thoughtful, while guiding us through the trip planning process. We appreciate the way she took the lead and built a thorough itinerary with limited information around our expectations for the trip.

This was our first time traveling to this part of the world and my first time traveling internationally, but we felt very comfortable and confident throughout the trip. Each hotel was informed of our honeymoon ahead of our stay. Each room we entered was decorated with rose petals, decorations, cake, etc. The atmosphere was romantic and inviting. Our guides were very knowledgeable and personable. They arranged many of our meals with delicious fixed menus and provided us with immersive activities, including a truly special bike tour in which we visited local residents of Hoi An and learned more about their daily lives. We felt truly moved by the kindness, humility, resilience, and grace of the people we met in Vietnam.

The accommodations were luxurious, but exciting. The drivers expertly navigated difficult traffic and terrain to ensure we made it to all of our destinations on schedule. I think the greatest compliment I can pay to the kimkim team is to say that we already miss this place! We'll be sharing our experience with our friends/family and encouraging them to use kimkim for similar trips.

Activity Reviews

Hanoi - Halong Bay Cruise - Overnight on boat

Ha Long Bay

We had a great time on this cruise and were truly blown away by the incredible landscape of Halong Bay. It was a cruise, meaning the events and activities were very tightly structured. But we still felt the staff were very courteous and respectful of our space. We had plenty of downtime too. We enjoyed the excursions and would do this cruise again in a heartbeat!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An biking thru country side + visit ancient town

Hoi An

This was by far our favorite tour of the trip! We enjoyed the freedom of seeing the town on bike, and we felt a special connection to the local residents. Our guide was very respectful and accommodating of the people we visited. We felt encouraged by these positive interactions.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport