3 Weeks in Vietnam and Thailand
Vietnam
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Jun 17 - Jul 6, 2024
![Stephanie](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/06207451a269809b3135855ca066c3e3dcfb25c9/original-986381d33f11450de0872719f46a7e92.jpg)
We knew that planning a 3-week Southeast Asia vacation for my family would be too difficult and overwhelming by ourselves. I'm so happy we went with Hien to help us plan our vacation itineraries for Vietnam and Thailand! I gave her some ideas of places we wanted to visit, as well as some experiences we wanted to have and she ran with it and came up with an amazing itinerary of cultural experiences, historical tours, foodie tours, eco-tours, etc. We've been back home for a week now and have had time to reflect on our whole trip. The trip was absolutely AMAZING. Everything was planned out perfectly. We always knew we would have a guide greeting us at the airport. We knew we would have a guide/driver to our tours and other scheduled events. The lunches and dinners that were set up especially for us were top-notch. We always knew once we had a new guide, we would have their number and they would be available to answer questions we had or help us out when needed. They were also great picture-takers and we got some wonderful family pictures of our trip! Thank you so much for planning such a wonderful and not-soon-forgotten vacation for our family! We were able to get a taste of what true Vietnam and Thailand are, aside from the usual tourist-trap type locations. The local families we spent time with were so welcoming and the kids really appreciated the local life and customs we partook in. Biking through the villages and rice paddies was an amazing experience that we all are still talking about. The elephant sanctuary in Thailand was also a hit among all family members. What a once-in-a-lifetime experience it was! I want to give accolades to our guide, Cuong, who we had in Hanoi and Ninh Binh. He was an amazing guide and an absolute life-saver when we had to find medical care for our son, as he helped us find what we needed and acted as an interpreter. He truly is top notch among guides and we are very thankful we had him! He was so knowledgeable about everywhere we went and even changed up our schedule in Ninh Binh to better suit what we were looking for in a local experience, to make it that much more meaningful to us.
Hotel Reviews
Nice accommodations and great location right in the center of the Old Quarter. Hotel staff were extremely nice and helpful.
Lovely accommodations and close to everything. Amazing views!
Room was spacious and clean. Not much to do on board in the evening. There was a very loud and obnoxious large group that ravaged the buffet the first day until the second day when everyone was given plated meals. Their children were also loud and uncontrollable.
Very nice hotel. Very clean with impeccable service and helpful and friendly staff. Large breakfast selection.
Hotel looks nice from the outside but the rooms are dated. The shower and bathroom could use a good scrubbing. The bed was rock hard. We had no hot water the first day. They did fix the hot water the second day and brought a mattress topper, which helped a lot. Staff were not very friendly either. They did allow us a late check out the last day, which was appreciated with a later flight.
Lovely hotel, well decorated, friendly staff in the restaurant. Close to beach, pool was very nice. Rooms were clean. We had booked a twin room for our kids but they did not have one available upon check-in, so we had to wait until the next day for one to be available and then move all their belongings. They didn’t allow us late checkout on our last day, but they did store our luggage for us and allow us use of the facilities until our later flight that evening, which was much appreciated.
Activity Reviews
![Hanoi - Lan Ha Bay - Onboarding Aqua of The Seas cruise](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/10c8670a463de23ecfbcfc1e496bddb39d7ac48d/original-277151ad176415befed8950ed4121157.jpg)
The caves were cool and the scenery of Halong Bay was beautiful.
![Bangkok City Tour Full Day (RA)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/8241eb561bfd2cb2b9b5ccaf593061105f34e3e6/original-2e537677933f3f7bbe222f4dec6446b3.jpg)
The temples and the Grand Palace were beautiful!
![Hanoi Street food walking tour (S)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/a45be8e34e5d721b1ceca444804a04727ed476f5/original-455ae13e1c8dd1dac77c58812c840993.jpg)
Cuong was an amazing guide for this street food tour. We got to experience some of the best eats in Hanoi. It was so much fun and the egg coffee was top notch!
![Hanoi fullday city tour with Jade Temple](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/1abd58f290731dd75b256f0a10b9f16288770978/medium-005dda334805b8fb021b9c7b1885be4e.jpg)
Another great day with our guide, Cuong. We had a full day with a visit to the Hang Be market, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Temple of Literature, Hoa Lo Prison, Jade Temple, and finished with a water puppet show.
![Ninh Binh - Biking trip to Tho Ha village, Nho Quan](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/d9744eedf041f6adbab5805eecd2a269d09aaca3/original-f75c263db6f0a71bda4eeee786d1a153.jpg)
We loved biking through the village and rice fields. We enjoyed our cooking class and going through the Galaxy Grotto caves.
![Boat Trip Exploring The Natural Beauty of Trang An & Visit Hoa Lu Ancient Capital](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/f437e472c47cd6b21afcc2e5c9093a696db92d45/medium-833318314ae409e6b6fb2f23533fa565.jpg)
We actually changed up our itinerary this day and went to Tam Coc instead of Trang An. We went through many caves and had a beautiful scenic view at the Kh Gioi Ravine. Visited the Bich Dong Pagoda and Chus Ha Ha Pagoda. Went motor biking in the evening, which was an absolute blast.
![Trung Trang Cave - Tuan Chau - Disembarking Aqua of The Seas Cruise](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/17b38023fa428af24cd4b471076c34aed1503176/original-6253fc157f0fd3dbefda84061f66b4d5.jpg)
![Ho Chi Minh City Full Day Sightseeing with Temples](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/002bb745df5695970f4e2feb8b568b9c03f6c572/medium-dc4462a19aef3e65c932235f768c837e.jpg)
We visited Cho Lin market, Thien Hau pagoda, Ong Bon temple, Independence Palace, Central Post Office, Book Street, and Jade pagoda.
![Day Trip to the Mekong Delta (Ben Tre)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/799514b90f33965c8941cb41114098e0b9e5d910/medium-afa4cb485e133af6a3101631a6549f47.jpg)
![Cu Chi Tunnels & Half Day City Tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/trip_plan/days/photos/b465a6162113dc3962837213680ed8a58b8af556/medium-52288e18e597bc7e42301e49fab7bfd8.jpg)
![Bangkok Evening Food & Tuk Tuk Tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/483acd7817d35a7ca305c25674ed0b5dbf21416b/medium-68df8c42533941148d58df42209a0077.jpg)
The tuk tuks were a lot of fun and the food sampling we did was really cool and delicious!
![Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak floating market - Half-day](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/73e6b8d1ad4b293489ea06cbd9de242ece9f9a54/medium-9ddd447a4b5ddced1d8b2d59a8e16eb6.jpg)
![Chiang Mai Half Day city tour - Monk Chatting](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/79a6c77af31ceaf28dc27d2185ade9cd540861fc/original-c9e44dc1d586fe2879f2524b6152dd8e.jpg)
![Doi Inthanon National Park (N)](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/75dde8d96c30de04aa2ef2ce427fc943e86e3fd3/medium-2944735f0003a511ed443af86fcf7818.jpg)
Hiking through the jungle and seeing the rice paddies and wildlife was an experience! The waterfalls were beautiful.
![Half day Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary - Join tour](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/e81a64d853ebdc03a162a4384929a7dcd465ee75/medium-9e2b26e62a230a2f0fc099e2bd8d774d.jpg)
The highlight of our time in Thailand! Such an amazing experience to be all hands on with these beautiful creatures!
![Phuket Hanuman World Zipline Adventure 32 Platform ( private transfer )](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/images/557a12ed265e072d113ef0baf2bb20c5e610723f/medium-247c6048e0ec7eabfa67624d82682a4b.jpg)
![Hien](https://cdn.kimkim.com/files/a/users/profile_photos/337da585dbb570140059c8f39d9417d5a344afe1/original-382d87d03c6677ed238a183bec6f7bfc.jpg)
Dear Stephanie,
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.
Your satisfaction makes my job truly fulfilling!
I will pass on your compliments to our tour guide - Cuong . He will be happy to know he helped make your trip incredible.
Thank you again for choosing our company and we hope to see you again!
From Vietnam with love,
Hien