3 Weeks in Vietnam and Thailand
Vietnam | Jun 17 - Jul 6, 2024

Stephanie
Stephanie T.
Chicago, IL | Reviewed on Jul 15, 2024

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
Dal Vostro Hotel & Spa
Hanoi

Nice accommodations and great location right in the center of the Old Quarter. Hotel staff were extremely nice and helpful.

Authenticity & Character
Location
In the center of it all. Lots of shops and restaurants close by.
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Hidden Charm Ninh Binh
Ninh Thang, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh

Lovely accommodations and close to everything. Amazing views!

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Aqua of The Seas Cruise

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.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Great location - Halong Bay
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Silverland May Hotel

Very nice hotel. Very clean with impeccable service and helpful and friendly staff. Large breakfast selection.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
True Siam Rangnam Hotel
Phayathai, Rajthevee, Province
Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
De Charme Hotel
Amphoe Muang, Si Phum, Chiang Mai

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.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Plenty of restaurants in walking distance
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Chanalai Garden Resort
Phuket

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.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
Activity Reviews
Half day Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary - Join tour
Half day Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary - Join tour
Chiang Mai

The highlight of our time in Thailand! Such an amazing experience to be all hands on with these beautiful creatures!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Phuket Hanuman World Zipline Adventure 32 Platform ( private transfer )
Phuket Hanuman World Zipline Adventure 32 Platform ( private transfer )
Phuket
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Hanoi  - Lan Ha Bay - Onboarding Aqua of The Seas cruise
Hanoi - Lan Ha Bay - Onboarding Aqua of The Seas cruise
Vietnam

The caves were cool and the scenery of Halong Bay was beautiful.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Bangkok City Tour Full Day (RA)
Bangkok City Tour Full Day (RA)
Bangkok

The temples and the Grand Palace were beautiful!

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Hanoi Street food walking tour (S)
Hanoi Street food walking tour (S)
Hanoi

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!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Hanoi fullday city tour  with Jade Temple
Hanoi fullday city tour with Jade Temple
Hanoi

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.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Ninh Binh - Biking trip to Tho Ha village, Nho Quan
Ninh Binh - Biking trip to Tho Ha village, Nho Quan
Ninh Binh

We loved biking through the village and rice fields. We enjoyed our cooking class and going through the Galaxy Grotto caves.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Boat Trip Exploring The Natural Beauty of Trang An & Visit Hoa Lu Ancient Capital
Boat Trip Exploring The Natural Beauty of Trang An & Visit Hoa Lu Ancient Capital
Vietnam

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.

Quality of Experience
Awww
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Trung Trang Cave - Tuan Chau - Disembarking Aqua of The Seas Cruise
Trung Trang Cave - Tuan Chau - Disembarking Aqua of The Seas Cruise
Ha Long Bay
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Ho Chi Minh City Full Day Sightseeing with Temples
Ho Chi Minh City Full Day Sightseeing with Temples
Ho Chi Minh City

We visited Cho Lin market, Thien Hau pagoda, Ong Bon temple, Independence Palace, Central Post Office, Book Street, and Jade pagoda.

Quality of Experience
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
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
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Bangkok Evening Food & Tuk Tuk Tour
Bangkok Evening Food & Tuk Tuk Tour
Bangkok

The tuk tuks were a lot of fun and the food sampling we did was really cool and delicious!

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak floating market  - Half-day
Maeklong Railway Market and Damnoen Saduak floating market - Half-day
Bangkok
Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Chiang Mai Half Day city tour - Monk Chatting
Chiang Mai Half Day city tour - Monk Chatting
Chiang Mai
Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Doi Inthanon National Park (N)
Doi Inthanon National Park (N)
Chiang Mai

Hiking through the jungle and seeing the rice paddies and wildlife was an experience! The waterfalls were beautiful.

Quality of Experience
Food
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
Local specialist: Hien Do
Hien
Hien Do
Local specialist in Vietnam | Replied on Jul 17, 2024

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