Kimkim Trip Reviews for Vietnam

We had looked at several travel companies and selected KimKim based on price and responsiveness. However, in the end we had to do a lot of research and suggest unique experiences that better fit with who we are and the variety we were looking for. We bsed some of our ideas from other sample itineraries we found, passed them along. You need to take the time to get to know your customers and take the time to do research on a variety of options. don't just give us one itinerary that looks finalized. Give us ideas in several locations. It ended up being ALOT of work to plan. The execution and service was great however.

We had a wonderful family vacation to Vietnam. Our group was three generations and included some family members born in Vietnam, returning to the homeland for the first time! Hien was incredible! She created an itinerary for us that took into account our various needs. She included activities that the kids loved, and also made accommodations for my mother-in-law who has limited mobility.
Every time I contacted Hien with questions or changes, she was quick to reply, accommodating and helpful! She was so informative. She also responded right away with a couple confusing things that happened in the country.
Our guides were great! We particularly enjoyed our day with Susan in Bana Hills, and our time with Coung in Hanoi. Both were friendly, easygoing, accommodating, pleasant and fun!
The hotels were great and Hien chose rooms that were perfect for our family unit, always selecting adjoining or combined rooms for us and our young children. The hotels were also very posh, much nicer than anything we could afford at home. We felt like celebrities.
The cruise Hien chose for our family in Halong Bay was also great, and the kids really enjoyed the activities.
Overall, I would highly recommend Hien and Realistic Asia. We will certainly choose them again if we have another chance to do so!

Hotel Reviews

Laluna Hoi An Riverside Hotel & Spa

Beautiful hotel on the banks of the river. Breakfast was lovely, the pool was lovely and the rooms were decorated in a very luxurious way.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Tirant Hotel

Hoan Kiem, Hanoi

Excellent hotel with beautiful decor. We liked the breakfast a lot and the pool was nice. Great location in the middle of old Hanoi.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Capella Cruise

Halong

We had a one night cruise in Halong Bay with Capella. Our cruise director was Tom, Cruise director, which was cute! This cruise was very elegant. The decor and rooms all had that old world charm and were spotless and modern. We had three kids with us age 9, 11, and 14, and this was a great choice for our family. The activities the first day included kayaking, swimming, going down a giant slide into the ocean, and a cooking demonstration with participation from the audience. My kids took advantage of all the activities and had a great time. The second day we went on a short row boat ride through a cave. This was a good activity for the one elder in our party and we all enjoyed it. I think this cruise is a good choice for families with kids and most of the families on the cruise had kids in late elementary school through teen years. The accommodations were top notch and the activities were very fun.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Siesta Classic Ma May

Hanoi

This hotel had a beautiful colonial feel to it. The decor was beautiful, service was great, and room was excellent. The rooftop bar is like a nightclub and has fabulous wrought iron work that makes it look like a bridge. It was fun to have drinks up there and look at the city view. Our room was a suite, with two bedrooms, which worked great for us and the kids. The only down side was the lack of a pool.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Right in old town Hanoi.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Sands Oceanfront Danang Hotel

Da Nang

This might be the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at. It was so beautiful and luxurious. The staff were polite and warm! The staff at the front door walked us across the street from the door of the hotel to the beach so that we didn't have to brave the traffic patterns alone, and they noticed us trying to get back and came to rescue us from the other side of the road when we needed to return! This was above and beyond any expectations that I have of service. Additionally, the rooftop bar and pool were extremely luxurious and posh. We didn't get a chance to swim because we had already been to the beach, but the view was spectacular. The breakfast was probably the best breakfast I have ever had at a hotel. It was an extensive buffet and every single thing was delicious. It was aided by the fact that you could see the entire 180 degree view of the beach including the giant Buddha statue from the restaurant. We also had dinner in the restaurant and it was a delicious and fabulous meal. All in all, I will remember this hotel forever!

Authenticity & Character

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Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Somerset Chancellor Court Ho Chi Minh City

The hotel had everything we needed for our stay in Ho Chi Minh City. I particularly appreciated the large fresh water container they put in our room so that we could refill our water bottles. It was conveniently located and had a very nice pool that was heated. We swam in the pool every day that we were there! The breakfast was also great, and included several options to order as well as a small buffet. The service was polite and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hoi An Half-Day Sightseeing

Hoi An

James was our guide for our half day in Hoi An. Hoi An is beautiful and the old town is so quaint. First, we stopped for Bunmi, and really enjoyed the sandwiches. Then we toured around the old quarter, which has so much charm! James was very knowledgeable and is a local, so he knew many shopkeepers and sellers. He was flexible to meet the needs of our family and deposited us at our hotel. I didn't get enough of the old town, so I went back out to shop at the cute stores while my husband and kids went swimming at the hotel. I felt very safe and comfortable in this area, even as a foreign woman walking around by myself. I wish I had had a little more time in this area, it was great!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Trip To Bana Hills - Visit Golden Hand Bridge

Vietnam

We had a lovely day trip with Susan, our guide. She was very knowledgeable, friendly and enjoyable to be around. She picked us up in Hoian and dropped us at Danang in the late afternoon. During the day, she took us up to Bana Hills and guided us to the Golden Hands Bridge, the gardens and on a couple rides at the amusement park. We were pretty exhausted after that and opted to return to Danang to take advantage of the beach, which was fabulous. Thanks Susan for your help and flexibility in accommodating the needs of our family!

Quality of Experience

Food

We ate at a buffet at Bana Hills that was German themed, but mostly included Vietnamese food. Everything was very tasty!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Halong - Lan Ha Bay - Frog Lagoon Area (Capella)

Ha Long Bay

We had a great time in Frog Lagoon. Our ship was fabulous, and we parked in Frog Lagoon for kayaking, swimming and using a giant inflatable slide. These were great activities for our family, which includes three kids between the ages of 9-14. They all loved the activities and the location. I highly recommend this excursion.

Quality of Experience

Immerse yourself in the Beauty of Ninh Binh (Hoa Lu - Trang An - Mua Cave)

Vietnam

We had a very memorable and fantastic day visiting Ninh Binh. Our guide, Cuong, was friendly, warm and informative. We enjoyed our time with him. We all enjoyed climbing the 550 steps to the top of the lookout, and my son and husband actually went up both peaks. We have some great pictures. The boat ride was also very memorable. It was so interesting how the boat drivers rowed with their feet. Our boats stopped and we walked up another 87 steps for a view of the rice fields. This was amazing and beautiful. Definitely recommend this excursion!

Quality of Experience

Food

The included lunch was fabulous! We all enjoyed the regional food and drinks.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dark & Bright Cave - Lan Ha Bay - Tuan Chau (Capella)

Ha Long Bay

Out of all the activities that we did, this one was not particularly memorable. The cave was tiny. Halong bay in general was amazing and the boat driver was great, but the actual activity didn't add much to our experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our trip, organised by Doris, was a great success. She was very responsive when the itinerary was organised, and we had no problems at any point. Our guide, Cau, was terrific as was the driver who transported us during the whole trip.
I wouldn't hesitate to use Kimkim again.

Our trip to Vietnam was amazing! Kim Kim travel agents provided an outstanding service, they suggested us a great itinerary and accommodated it to our desires. Our guide, Victor, and chofer had a great attitude and made us feel secure and pampered. The experiences were incredible.. It is definitely a trip that we will remember all our life’s.

My family group of 4 booked a 9 day tour of Vietnam through Hien at KimKim. Hien was responsive and professional. She put together a wonderful tour schedule based on our requests. The guides and drivers were timely, polite and very informative. We started in Hanoi, proceeded to Ha Long Bay, then Hue before finishing in Go Chi Minh City. Our itinerary at each stop was a mixture of city tours, museums, food tours, historical points of interest, and a two day/one night cruise on Ha Long Bay. Hotels and food met our requested levels. We couldn’t have asked for more for our first trip through Vietnam.

Hotel Reviews

Caravelle Saigon

Stayed here two nights. Located in district 1, the hotel is right in the middle of downtown and close to restaurants and many historical attractions. Rooms were clean and comfortable and staff was very attentive and helpful. Breakfast was delicious.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Silk Path Grand Hue

Stayed here two nights in Hue as part of a 9 day Vietnam tour. Hotel was beautiful, centrally located, and clean. Staff was very helpful and buffet breakfast was wonderful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Elite of the Seas

Rooms were spacious, crew was very attentive, and food was awesome. We had a two day , one night cruise which was a bit rushed but fit our schedule.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Sinfonía Majesty Hotel and Spa

Stayed 3 nights as part of a Vietnam tour. Staff was friendly and helpful. Breakfast was included in our stay and was delicious. Hotel was clean and centrally located in the historic district close to restaurants and the local street scene.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visiting Dark and Bright Cave - Disembarking Elite of the Seas (2D1N)

Ha Long Bay

Uniting from the cruise ship. A small boat took us from the cruise ship to a platform where we got on a 6 person raft with a local lady rowing the boat to the caves. Relaxing ride with beautiful scenery.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

A O Traditional Vietnamese Culture Show with Dinner

Ho Chi Minh City

We loved this show. We didn’t know what to expect. It was more like a culturally based acrobatic show. Very enjoyable.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Onboarding Elite of the Seas Cruise (2D1N)

Ha Long Bay

This cruise was top notch. Ships rooms were spacious, clean and comfortable. Staff was friendly and helpful. Food was delicious.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Ho Chi Minh city Half Day Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

We enjoyed our half day tour of Ho Chi Minh City. Loved the history of the old post office, the Presidential Palace, and Ho Chi Minh memorial. Our guide brought all the historical sights to life with his detailed descriptions and ability to answer all questions.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Hue Citadel City Tour Full Day

Hue

Loved the historical aspects of the Hue tour. Our guide was very informative. Visited two emperor burial sites which were very different but both very impressive. Had a great set menu lunch inside the citadel. The tour of the imperial palace was great. The food market tour is underwhelming.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Street food walking tour (S)

Hanoi

This was a walking tour leaving from our hotel in the historic district. Some of the stops were better than others. Loved the rice noodle dishes. We stopped at a food stall in a dark alley that served fried fish in broth. While we are very comfortable with street food, this stop on the tour was a little uncomfortable even for us in terms of cleanliness and quality. Bahn Mi stop was also a little disappointing as it was a vegetable sandwich instead of pate or other protein.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

Tour was about 90 minute drive from downtown hotel. Guide was very knowledgable. Tour was very informative about the history of the VC tunnels.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Beauty of Hanoi Capital with experience the Water Puppet show

Hanoi

Our tour guide was very informative. Loved the cultural museum. The water puppet show was unique but hard to follow the story.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We cannot thank Doris and KimKim services enough! Doris made our honeymoon to Vietnam spectacular and incredibly special. Her attention to detail was second to none, and her attentiveness throughout the planning and whilst we were there was brilliant. She really went above and beyond for us.
From start to finish the trip was just the best! With knowledgeable tour guides, friendly drivers and beautiful places to stay. We especially enjoyed our time in Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Hoi An (anyone looking to explore Vietnam these are not to be missed!)
We will, without doubt, come back to Vietnam and contact Doris to help us again.
Thank you Doris! You are an absolute star!

Ninh Binh was the highlight and Ha Long bay was also amazing except for all of the trash floating in the waters. Hanoi and Saigon were both amazing cities that were very different from one another. All together it was a well rounded trip that gave you a taste of many different aspects of Vietnam.

Hotel Reviews

Tam Coc Retreat

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Silverland Ben Thanh Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Ginger Cruise (from Heritage Line)

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bespoke Trendy Hotel Hanoi

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cycling to Mua Cave

Ninh Binh

Fantastic!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ba Vi Eco Tour - Visit the Countryside of Hanoi

Hanoi

Loved the cooking class.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoa Lu And Tam Coc Exploration

Vietnam

Our favorite part of the trip! Our guide was wonderful. The scenery was stunning. We loved it!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Half Day City Tour & Water Puppet Show

Hanoi

The guide was not very informative. Just kept repeating the same few sentences.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our guides were wonderful. Charming, informative and flexible. The whole team created an unforgettable experience.

Our 13 day experience starting in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), followed by a day trip to the Mekong Delta and Ben Tre, then on to Hoi An with an add on cruise to Ha Long Bay, and finally Hanoi was nothing short of amazing!!! The accommodations were all very upscale with friendly staff and great buffet breakfasts! Every tour was well planned and informative! All of the tour guides spoke excellent English and went out of their way to make our experiences meaningful and special! The drivers did not usually speak much if any English, but were well versed in how to navigate all types of traffic without any mishaps. Our contact at Kim Kim and the tour guides kept in constant contact with us so that we always knew the daily schedule. We had enough "free time" in each of the areas to explore the sights and sounds on our own. We can't say enough positive things about the entire adventure!! My youngest son and I will forever be grateful for this trip of a lifetime!!!

Hotel Reviews

Dragon Legend Cruise

Hon Gai

The cruise was awesome even though we did not have any sunny days aboard.

Authenticity & Character

The cruise ship was appointed apropos to its name.

Location

We travelled aboard the Dragon legend to quite beautiful locations.

Staff

Everyone waited on the people on board with 5 star service.

Cleanliness & Comfort

As might be expected, the rooms showed some wear and tear from the constant dampness. However, the beds were comfortable and the bathroom was nicely appointed.

La Sinfonía Majesty Hotel and Spa

Our stay here was lovely. Its location made walking to see local sights quite easy.

Authenticity & Character

The lobby, dining room and our private room were nicely appointed.

Location

We were able to walk to nearby sights with ease.

Staff

Every person on the staff was very attentive to our needs.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our room and bathroom were spotless.

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Hoi An

This resort was so outstanding that we did not want to leave!!

Authenticity & Character

There were multiple wings at this resort and each had its own unique vibe. The lobby was very beautiful and welcoming.

Location

The location made walking to various areas very feasible.

Staff

Wow! Every person at this resort was super friendly and we felt pampered every day.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The entire resort was super clean with lush surroundings.

Au Lac Charner Hotel

Great location in Saigon. Well appointed with friendly staff and great buffet breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful lobby setting.

Location

Very close to many cultural sights.

Staff

Everyone was most helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Room and bathroom were spotless.

Activity Reviews

Half Day Red River Delta Countryside Discovery (Morning or Afternoon session) on Jeep Car

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our informative guide made this unusual trip in a Russian Army jeep an awesome experience.

Transport

Bicycle Tour of Rural Villages - Cultural Tour of Hanoi

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our tour guide was very informative and made sure we were safe every step of the way. Our private lunch was awesome.

Transport

Further explore the Bay / On Dragon Legend Cruise

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Ha Long Bay - Bai Tu Long Bay with Dragon Legend Cruise

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Every meal was super delicious.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The tour guide for our trip was delightful and informative.

Transport

Hanoi street food on Vespa

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Riding on the back of a Vespa at night to see the sights/sounds and taste many types of Vietnamese local foods with a local guide was super fun.

Transport

Hoi An Fishing Village - Ancient Town Walking with Street Food Tasting

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We were able to taste many types of Vietnamese local foods with our private guide.

Transport

HCM City - Cai Be - Can Tho

Can Tho

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Once again, Ai Van (Vivian), our guide, made this long day trip super enlightening and enjoyable!

Transport

HCM City - Cu Chi tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ai Van (Vivian), our guide, made the whole day fabulous!! She provides a wealth of background knowledge that allows you to be fully engaged in the history.

Transport

Hien was our trip organizer and she is very patient and accommodating. During the planning stages of the trip she amended our itinerary many times until we were completely satisfied. She also checked in with us several times during our trip to make sure everything was going well.
The selected accommodations were better than expected, the drivers were polite, professional and reliable and our guides were friendly, informative and very passionate about Vietnam.
All in all a great experience! We will definitely use Realistic Asia for our future travel plans.
Brian

Ashley planned an amazing trip for us to Vietnam for our family group of 4. She was incredibly responsive to our many questions and requests, and tailored the trip to our timeline and preferences. We had a busy itinerary, but we felt so relaxed and enjoyed every day since the details were taken care of at each step of the journey! Our transportation was arranged, a driver met us at each airport with a guide, and Ashley even checked in with us almost every day to confirm that our hotel was good, our guides were good, etc.

Our hotels were beautiful, all were clean, modern, and the service was impeccable. The guides were great as well, Susan in Hoi An was especially memorable, she felt like a friend by the end of three days! We had a nice variety of cultural experiences, including cooking classes, cycling tours, museums, both rural and urban experiences. One of many highlights was our vespa night food tour in Saigon-- don't miss that!

Thank you Ashley and KimKim-- we loved our time in Vietnam!

I strongly recommend Kim Kim Travel for a Vietnam itinerary, we had an amazing trip!

Hotel Reviews

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Hoi An

On site restaurant is amazing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Erina Cruise

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Soleil Hanoi Boutique Hotel

Hanoi

Clean, modern, great staff - took off one star due to small size of the guest rooms. Otherwise it is a perfect place to stay!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hidden Charm Ninh Binh

Ninh Thang, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh

Large guest rooms, friendly staff, enjoyed the spa after a busy (and cold) day in Ninh Binh

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Siesta Premium Sai Gon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Trip to Ba Vi Countryside & Cooking Class

Hanoi

Cycling through villages and along rice paddies-- amazing. The cooking class was great too!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saigon By Night - Vintage Vespa Street Food Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Amazing-- after a week in Vietnam dodging scooters in the street it was great to ride one ! The food stops were way above our expectations - delicious, fun, we loved it! Thank you to our guides, they were so much fun:)

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My trip to Vietnam was wonderful thanks to Trang! She created a perfect mix of days between Hanoi, Pu Luong and Ha Long Bay. My guide for Hanoi and Pu Luong was punctual and knowledgeable. The hotels were in great locations and transportation put my mind at ease as one less thing to worry about. I would recommend kimkim to anyone and am already booking my next trip with them!

Our trip to Vietnam was well planned and executed by Dat and his team mates. The guides in Hanoi, Sapa, and HMC (Saigon) were excellent and highly knowledgeable. The team made us feel at ease throughout. They were punctual and filled our days with sightseeing at a relaxed pace when needed and hectic when required. We couldn't have done this on our own and having English speaking local guides along with all local travel arrangements that were carefully designed to accommodate our wish list made it easy on us. Highly recommend KimKim for anyone planning a trip to Vietnam.

Had a very good experience with Kimkim connected my family with local travel agent Huyen in Hanoi Vietnam and the customized, private family tour that she helped us put together for us to make our way from Hanoi to Hoi An and Saigon. It was a packed itinerary but traveling between locations was very streamlined with her help and the guides she found for us in the various parts of the country we visited, and our day plans included many creative activities and visits to terrific restaurants we might never have stumbled on otherwise. Given the cultural and language difference having a plan with set meals that offered a wide selection of local delicacies for many of our lunches and dinner was great and we were happy with the mix of unstructured time and predetermined destinations. Vietnam is such a beautiful country and it was a huge privilege to spend time exploring and are grateful to the hospitality of Huyen and our travel guides Pham, Vo, and Vinh.

Hotel Reviews

Orchid Saigon Hotel

Ho Chi Minh

Beautiful hotel in a good central location with verdant tree lined streets and museums nearby. Rooms weren’t huge but totally adequate and very clean and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Viollete Train

An adventure traveling an iconic route along the coast through lush mountain passes between northern and central Vietnam overnight. Be aware that though the private sleeper bedrooms on train are reasonably comfortable it is not necessarily immaculately clean especially the public bathroom on board.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acoustic Hotel & Spa

Hanoi

Spacious rooms and very good food with an amazing old city view in a unique, very atmospheric city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Review

Saigon By Night Food Tour - Experience Vietnam on Two Wheels (Small Group tour)

Ho Chi Minh City

Great experience having our family ridden around Saigon on motorcycles to highly recommended restaurants for delicious food. Guides were great and very accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We were 4 friends coming together from different parts of the world for a holiday together. We were meeting after a really long time . Doris from Asia Aventura put together a trip to remember. Planning this trip with Doris was a dream - I found her to be prompt, extremely responsive, quick to understand what we wanted and intuitive to plan ahead. She was unafraid to give us advice when we were overdoing our itinerary and I found her to be extremely forward thinking. The trip itself was seamless. From the selection of the hotels, the guides, the drivers, the kind of sightseeing/experiences - everything was on point. Whenever I reached out to Doris with a question or concern, she responded in less than a minute. Doris is an absolutely wonderful travel planner and I strongly recommend her. She is the kind of travel planner you'd want on your side when planning a dream holiday.

What a fantastic trip to Vietnam and kudos to Long, my local Travel Specialist at kimkim (Real Asia) in planning and booking a memorable action packed trip.

Long was professional and responsive from the initial planning phase to the last day of our trip. The itinerary went through various iteration due to unexpected flight changes (no fault to kimkim), and from planning a solo trip to a couple's trip. Long was flexible, always with a positive attitude and made changes (sometimes on the same day) as needed.

We had a short 9 days in Vietnam and covered quite a lot of grounds & sights (Ho Chi Ming City, Hue, Hoi Ann & Hanoi). Some of the highlights were:
- Saigon vespa by night : street food with female riders in traditional Ao Dai. Our tour guide Jenny and her team mate Titus were both lovely and we had the most fun zipping around on a Vespa the city eating, and sightseeing.
- We enjoyed visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels and learning about the network of underground passages used by Viet Cong during the Vietnam War.
- Visit to the Hue imperial citadel & Hoi Ann is a must
- 1 day cruise to the HaLong Bay with Jade Sail - It was the perfect day on a luxury vessel with attentive staff and good food.

We were more than thrilled with the hotels. In particular, we were most impressed with La Siesta in Hoi Ann and Silk Path Grand in Hue. These two properties are just wonderful and exceeded our expectations in everyway (the service, the ambience, etc). We wished we had more time to enjoy the spa, amenities & facilities thoroughly.

Overall, we were very happy with our Vietnam trip and we have Long and the wonderful local guides to thank. Big shout out to Jenny, Titus & Tony in Saigon and James in Hue/Hoi Ann.

Hotel Reviews

Silk Path Grand Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Hoi An

The spa is phenomenal! Wished our stay was longer!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Caravelle Saigon

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Cycling in Cam Thanh & Thanh Dong Organic Farm Visit

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Halong Bay Day Trip (Jade Sails)

Hanoi

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hoi An Night Market and Boat Trip With Lantern Releasing

Hoi An

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Touch the History of Former Imperial Capital - Hue Full Day Sightseeing

Hue

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Saigon By Night - Vintage Vespa Street Food Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Jenny & Titus were superb and so much fun to spend the night with.

Transport

Stylish and well maintained Vespas!

We had many changes going into this trip and Ashley handled everything very well. The trip was great

The guides were good and all the dinners were wonderful

Guides: The guides on our trip were all good, but our favourites were Victor Tran (Hanoi, Pu Luong, and Ninh Binh) and Wibol (Siem Reap). Victor was very accommodating to our interests and took many photos for us, took care of all payments during our tours and we felt generally very well taken care of. He had a cup of ginger honey lemon tea made for my husband one morning when he was feeling unwell.
Chanh Cao - accompanied us from Hue to Hoi An via Danang - he gave us so much information and was an excellent guide, albeit for a short time

Hotels: I will rank each hotel below:
Hanoi - San Boutique hotel - 3.5* - a quaint hotel with very nice staff; the room was small and bathroom was okay, but shower was a bit dirty as there was a blind in the shower; hotel was feeling a bit dated; breakfast buffet and service were excellent and the rooftop breakfast area was lovely.

Pu Luong - Pu Luong Eco Garden - 4.5* - I would give it 5* except for the first night in room 101. The room had a strong moldy smell throughout and the bathroom tiles smelled of urine. The room was very ‘wet’ in the morning, as the windows were completely covered in moisture. There was mold on some of the wood furniture legs. We were moved to a villa for our next two nights which was lovely. Again, an issue with moisture in the bathroom, but otherwise it was great. The restaurant was very nice and the breakfast was good. The main desk staff and manager, Mr. ?… I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel for its beautiful setting and lovely villas.

Ninh Binh - Le CLos Du Fil - 4.5* - absolutely lovely hotel; great attention to detail; rooms were a good size, bed and bedding very comfortable; lovely robes, slippers and linen touches throughout the room. Blow dryer not attached to the wall was a bonus. Very nice breakfast buffet and dining area. Staff were professional and excellent location. Spa was a bit disorganized and think they recruited people who work in the massage parlours on the street to come for our appointments. Massage was fine. Bikes may need to be updated as some were in disrepair. I would recommend this hotel, however better maintenance is required to keep the hotel in good condition.

Stellar of the Seas - 4.5* our room was on second floor and was very nice. Very clean and lovely amenities, such as robes and a nice tub, shower combo. The boat was very nice and we enjoyed the small size with only 40 people plus staff. Food was excellent and breakfast buffet was also very nice. BBQ one night on the deck was a lot of fun and food very good.

Hue - Rosaleen Boutique Hotel - 2* - this was the worst hotel of our trip. The room was dirty , especially the bathroom area. There was a moldy smell - our friends’ room didn’t have this odor. Hien was good about communicating with the hotel, but aside from adding a room freshener and ‘cleaning’ it more thoroughly, it was still not a nice stay. The photos on the website are deceiving. I would NOT recommend this hotel. The breakfast in the adjacent building was very nice in a nice setting. I will send photos separately.

Hoi An - Cozy A Boutique Hotel - 5* - this was by far the best hotel we stayed at. Every detail was very high quality and the staff were exceptional. The room was well appointed with robes and slippers, a blow dryer that wasn’t attached to the wall. The breakfast and dining area was bright and clean and the food was excellent. The pool area was inviting and there were lots of areas to sit and relax. The bicycles were in new condition and easy to obtain for use. The location was perfect, a nice walk to the busy area, but a bit outside of the area so quieter. I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel.

Ho Chi Minh City - Blue Diamond Luxury Hotel - 3* - Our first room was dark and dreary and the furniture and walls banged up; an update is needed; the second ‘upgraded’ room was on a higher floor, but was tiny with a smaller bed (not King sized) and the bathroom was terrible - a big tub, but a tiny shower with a huge shower head and no room to move, the area shared with the toilet. The bathroom was difficult to use with two people. There was no hot water in the shower. It was generally cleaner than Rosaleen. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

Siem Reap - Royal Crown Hotel - 4* - originally we were put in a double deluxe room, and were supposed to be upgraded. We checked and they hadn’t upgraded us (they did upgrade our friends, and we checked in together, so not sure why they got this wrong). The room in the old part of the hotel faced another wall and was dark and a big depressing. The new upgraded room was great, and was in the NEW part of the hotel, overlooking the pool and facing the street. The room was very spacious as was the bathroom. There were robes.

Phnom Penh - LCS Hotel - 3.5* - thankfully we were in an ‘upgraded’ room. The bathroom had an awkward design and the shower flooded the entire tub surround and floor area; we didn’t have enough towels to dry it all up. The room was very comfortable and spacious and clean. The decor in the hotel was dated and some updating had likely happened. The rooftop pool was very nice and the breakfast buffet was fine - excellent coffee. I probably wouldn’t return to this hotel.

Tours:
Hanoi - everything was great. The only thing I would omit was the visit to the art gallery, as we felt like we had to purchase something, and feel that we overpaid for what we got as we say examples of it for the remainder of the trip.
Pu Luong - absolutely loved this part of Vietnam. We loved the rural nature of the area, the rice paddies, hikes and visit to a local school
Ninh Binh - enjoyed the boat tour through the caves and Victor suggested we see Trang An at the time of year that we were visiting, rather than Tam Loc, which is better to view in the autumn. Victor helped us to have a nice experience in this area.
Stellar of the Seas - a nice break in our busy itinerary. We were sad to see the garbage in Halong Bay. Our butler Eric was excellent. The staff was great. Cat Ba Island was our main tour and it was interesting to visit. This was a tour with a larger group.
Hue - enjoyed the architecture of the citadel and the mausoleums; while it was interesting to see how incense is made, we purchased some and it just smells like smoke unfortunately. Not sure how much of this is influenced by the hotel we stayed in, but if I were eliminating a city, it would be Hue.
Hoi An - loved Hoi An - it was nice to have some unstructured time. Visiting the silk factory was interesting. We loved wandering the streets, shopping for custom clothing and local wares. Dining and rooftop patios were great. A very busy city, so glad we had a hotel a little outside of the main area. Riding bikes on a couple of occasions was a lot of fun, especially to An Bang beach. We went to a performance of Teh Dar at the Lune Theatre which was spectacular and I would highly recommend.
Ho Chi Minh City - loved our Vespa food tour - very professional staff and we felt very safe - guide Jason was really good and he made us small souvenir photo books as well as taking and sharing many photos from our night.
Mekong Delta - we were a bit disappointed by how touristy this part of our tour was. The bicycles available were in ill repair, so only two of us could ride.
Siem Reap - Angkor Wat and other temples - great tours - Wibol took lots of fun videos of our experiences.
Ate in an excellent restaurant one night called Haven which is committed to helping local youth to become trained in the hospitality industry - a story I recommend you become familiar with.
Kulen Mountain - enjoyed the rural nature of this tour. Visiting a school in Chan Sa was a highlight. Our local tour guide for this part of the day was excellent. We did need to tip throughout the day, and fortunately we had enough money in the correct amounts to be able to do so. Perhaps let people know to bring money for tipping. On other tours, our guides took care of all of this for us. Could have omitted the ox cart ride.
Tonle Sap Lake - very interesting - shocking to see so much garbage
Phnom Penh - very emotional and moving experience seeing S-21 and Choeung Ed Genocide Centre/Killing Fields - a must see
Overall, an amazing trip!! So memorable. Thank you Hien and the Kim Kim (Realistic Asia) team

Overall our experience with KimKim was great. Communication with them before the trip was excellent and the guides assigned to us were great for the most part.

Ashely organized everything good and made it very stress free and was very good at communication with the group. I will surely use kimkim again.