This was our 2nd trip booked through KimKim w...
Vietnam | Jun 3 - Jun 23, 2024

Jacqui
Jacqui O.
Australia | Reviewed on Jun 25, 2024

This was our 2nd trip booked through KimKim who engaged Hien from REALISTIC ASIA to plan, book / take care of every aspect of our adventure.
From the 4to5 months before our trip, whilst on the trip and after the trip, Hieńs service was EXCEPTIONAL… our absolute enjoyment seeming to be her main priority every day. She is just lovely and had great attention to detail and we had the peace of mind that at every airport there would be a guide / driver awaiting us, that every day planned our driver would be ready and our guide waiting with all the info we needed and prepared with a fun plan of activities for the day … and offered us every flexibility, if we changed our minded or saw something else we'd prefer to do we could do it as there were just the two of us on this private tour. Our itinerary was a perfect blend of elements from countryside, villages, towns, cities to rivers, mountains, oceans and lagoons.
We love the responsible travel aspect to KimKim - Realistic Asia, each trip having an element of giving to the community and visiting those off the beaten track places we could never find ourselves where we can enjoy authentic local experiences with locals living their day to day lives … it was awesome. We could never have planned or even thought of all the adventures we had by ourselves. And it made everything so easy in a country we hadn’t been to before, where we didnt speak the language or know the customs etc … it was all taken care of for us, without worry. AND we were treated to the most amazing food , food that we would never have thought of trying if by ourselves …. And it was all so delicious.
To Hien, you were amazing, thank you, To our GUIDES, Cuong, Truong, Mr Huey / Channak ‘ thank you soooo very much for your knowledge, care / fun.
I would not hesitaste to use Hieńs services again and highly recommend her and her team.

Hotel Reviews
Dal Vostro Hotel & Spa
Hanoi

Very professional and friendly service in a city centre ‘ old town ‘ hotel. Ideal location for seeing the real old Hanoi.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Pu Luong Valley Home
Thanh Hoa

STUNNING hotel set in the rice terraces of Pu Luong. AMAZING room with beautiful view over the terraces to the mountains. We were the only guests at the hotel so had exclusive access to the infinity pool, bar, restaurant. Everything was just wonderful and I highly recommend this hotel and that you visits Pu Luong.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Stunning room
Borei Angkor Resort & Spa
Siem Reap

SIMPLY WONDERFUL from start to finish.

Authenticity & Character
Super luxe. Amazing wooden detail, waterfalls, fish ponds, artwork, Felt authentic and opulent.
Location
Very close to where everything is in SIem Reap but far enough away not to be noisy. Set back off the road for ease / comfort. A magnificent en trance.
Staff
Every attention to detail was given. We were treated like royalty.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Impeccable ‘ every detail.
Tam Coc Lion Kings Hotel & Resort
Authenticity & Character
Not much character
Location
A bit out of town
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
A pretty basic room and standard
Dragon Legend Cruise
Hon Gai

SUPERB from start to finish. EXCEPTIONAL. AMAZING CABINS!!! WONDERFUL STAFF.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Rosaleen Boutique Hotel
Hue

Very helpful, friendly staff and nice hotel with sufficient amenities in the centre of old Hue.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Cozy An Boutique Hotel Hoian
Hoi An

A MUST VISIT hotel, a short walk from down town Hoi An, which is good as you are out of the way of the noise and hustle. The service from this hotel from start to finish was EXCEPTIONAL. It is a beautiful boutique hotel with a lovely pool area and bar. The staff were just sensational and our room was beautiful.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Acnos Hotel

The busiest and least personable of the hotels we visited.

Authenticity & Character
No facilities, little character, very plain rooms and bathroom.
Location
Just a short stroll from the Mara let’s and walking street but in a very hectic area
Staff
They were just ok.
Cleanliness & Comfort
Ants in our room, dirty floor and. Shard mattress with lumpy old pillow.
Santa Luxury Hotel
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Hanoi city sightseeing full day - with SOS Children Village
Hanoi city sightseeing full day - with SOS Children Village
Hanoi

Cuong was a BRILLIANT guide and Realistic Asia is very lucky to have him. H ensured we had the best time in Hanoi, saw all the most important sites and had lots of fun ‘ at our pace. He is very kind and caring.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Cuong and Mr Dong were fabulous
Transport
Loved the big car
Hanoi Street food walking tour (S)
Hanoi Street food walking tour (S)
Hanoi

Cuong made this lots of fun! We loved the food and the adventure and this was a great start to our trip.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Trekking to Don Village
Trekking to Don Village
Pu Luong Nature Reserve

We just loved this activity. Simple, basic, raw and authentic. Stunning scenery.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Halong Harbor - Bai Tu Long Bay - Thien Can Son Cave (Dragon Legend cruise)
Halong Harbor - Bai Tu Long Bay - Thien Can Son Cave (Dragon Legend cruise)
Ha Long Bay

Outstanding service and team on the Dragon Legend. Felt like royalty!

Trekking In Pu Luong Nature Reserve
Trekking In Pu Luong Nature Reserve
Pu Luong Nature Reserve

We loved this activity even with the rain. Felt like locals and the scenery was stunning and Cuong was very good company.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Hoa Lu - Tam Coc (Half Day)
Hoa Lu - Tam Coc (Half Day)
Vietnam

Loved Tam Coc, one of our favourite places and cycling the town then going down the river was one of our highlight experiences.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day Trip to Cuc Phuong National Park
Day Trip to Cuc Phuong National Park
Ninh Binh

We didnt do this as there had been torrential rain the day and night before and we didnt fancy the leeches or walking in the mud, so Cuong organised an alternate activity for us which we thoroughly enjoyed

Vung Vieng Fishing Village - Halong Harbor (Indochina Junk)
Vung Vieng Fishing Village - Halong Harbor (Indochina Junk)
Ha Long Bay
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Exploring Tam Giang Lagoon
Exploring Tam Giang Lagoon
Hue

One of the highlights of our trip. This felt very special / authentic. Everything about this was terrific.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Cu Chi Tunnels & Half Day  City Tour
Cu Chi Tunnels & Half Day City Tour
Ho Chi Minh City

We definitely felt rushed on this trip by the guide. It was quite a long drive for a short experience. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable but we just felt rushed.

Quality of Experience
Food
Not the best lunch we had although it was nice.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Hue Sightseeing Half Day Tour
Hue Sightseeing Half Day Tour
Hue
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day Trip to Ba Na Hills
Day Trip to Ba Na Hills
Vietnam

Had a super fun day but did not realise it was a theme park. Felt a bit rushed. The lunch buffet was out of this world and the cable car a big adventure.

Quality of Experience
Food
I have never seen a buffet like this before ‘ truly amazing.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Guide appeared distracted and rushed.
Transport
Cycling in Cam Thanh & Thanh Dong Organic Farm Visit
Cycling in Cam Thanh & Thanh Dong Organic Farm Visit
Vietnam

Simply LOVED this experience and the guide was EXCELLENT. Everything about this morning was brilliant. LOVED IT

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
On bikes!
Cooking Class by Vy's Market - Holiday Master Class
Cooking Class by Vy's Market - Holiday Master Class
Hoi An

The cooking demonstrator was excellent an d super friendly and lots of fun and I loved what I cooked. The trip around the markets was great too and the cafe where we had tea. Highly recommend this tour.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Day Trip to the Mekong Delta (Ben Tre)
Day Trip to the Mekong Delta (Ben Tre)
Ho Chi Minh City

We had a great day. It was a long drive. Interesting visit to brick making and coconut candy making etc. The Mekong River boat trip was wonderful and the food at the home stay was delicious. A very special experience.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
This guide was super friendly and chatty but we felt he rushed us ‘ just a little
Transport
Full day Angkor sightseeing and Ta Prohm temple
Full day Angkor sightseeing and Ta Prohm temple
Siem Reap

A must do while in Cambodia experience.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Banteay Srei - Floating Village - City tour
Banteay Srei - Floating Village - City tour
Siem Reap

We did some temples, Tomb Raider for one, today as because it was a public holiday we switched activity days. We were glad to see Tomb Raider separately from the other temples so we could really appreciate it and it was our favourite. Lunch was great. The floating village experience was excellent although it was hard to see the conditions in which people live along the river and in the villages. A very raw experience. Channel, our guide was excellent and is a truly lovely genuine man.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Hien Do
Hien
Hien Do
Local specialist in Vietnam | Replied on Jun 26, 2024

Dear Jacqui,
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us!
We’re over the moon to hear that you’re happy about your holiday! Your feedback is highly appreciated, as it enables us to further develop our services and organize memorable trips for our future clients.
Thank you again for choosing our company and we hope to see you again!
Best wishes to you!
From Vietnam with love