Hien Do

This trip was a wonderful experience. Kim Kim was so good at tailoring it to what we wished to see and experience, making suggestions and allowing us to choose among options. Their representative was always in communication with us, was easy to reach and ask questions. During the trip we received messages making sure that everything was going well. Once when we didn't see the person we were supposed to meet at the airport, a message to them got an immediate response and clarification on the meeting point. This is our fourth time using Kim Kim and we have never been disappointed. The drivers and guides have all been excellent. Finn, our guide in Ho Chi Minh City was absolutely wonderful - so full of history, information and answers to our questions. We would recommend him to anyone! The drivers were always on time (early actually), safe and courteous. It is so nice to arrive in a country and not have to worry about where we need to go, how we get there or will the accommodations be acceptable. Kim Kim is outstanding!

Hotel Reviews

Hong Ngoc Dynastie Hotel & Spa

Hanoi

A lovely place to stay in Hanoi. Clean, comfortable and helpful staff.

Authenticity & Character

Location

A location that is walkable to many nearby attractions and sights.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Gateway Inn Pu Luong

This place has a stunning view of the highlands and valleys surrounding it. We were treated to beautiful thunder and lightning storm one night. The staff was very helpful and accommodating. We had a footbath prepared for us the first night that felt wonderful. The rooms are a bit rustic, but very nice. The food was plentiful and very tasty.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Amour Cruise

This was really fun to cruise on Ha Long Bay. Our staterooms were great - comfortable and very private. We were able to go kayaking off the boat and see the amazing sights there in the bay. The meals were all excellent.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Acnos Grand Hotel

Ho Chi Minh

This is a very nice hotel. The staff was very friendly and helpful and the location was good. Meals were good and we very much enjoyed our stay here.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Coco Riverside Lodge

This was one of the two top places we stayed. This hotel practices "community tourism" which means they partner with families in the community who run businesses from their homes. We were able to visit their businesses/homes which was a fantastic way to learn about their culture, economy and families. We visited a frog farm, a rice wine business, a palm frond weaving business and coconut fiber weaving business. We were also privileged to meet with a veteran of the war and hear his experiences from that terrible conflict. The owner of the hotel was there and we had several great conversations with him about his business philosophy. And, this is right on a river - the location was wonderful. Can't recommend this enough. If you go the Mekong Delta, be sure to allow enough time to stay here for at least two nights. Well worth the effort.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Silom Serene Hotel

Bangkok

This place was in a good location - very close to the Central Park complex which you should definitely visit if you stay here. The rooftop garden at the complex is fantastic and the view, especially at night, is worth your effort. We had a suite here on the 8th floor which gave us a lot of room. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Rocky's Boutique Resort

Amphur Koh Samui, Suratthani

We can't say enough good things about this hotel. It's on the beach in Koh Samui, so it was the perfect place to end our trip in a relaxed and elegant spot. The staff was so friendly and helpful, anything we needed was at hand. The restaurant food was the best we had anywhere on the trip. The room was perfect - we would've gladly stayed longer.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Great view of the ocean. Eacy access to the beach.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi Fullday City Tour with Train Track Coffee Enjoying

Hanoi

There is lots to learn about Hanoi and our guide helped provide lots of history and information about the country, the city, the long struggle for freedom from other countries. His command of dates and events was pretty amazing. If you visit Hanoi, a must see is the War Relics Museum. Hard to take it all in, but very worthwhile.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The people are so gracious and kind, especially considering the history we bring as US citizens.

Transport

Always on time and efficient.

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

Vietnam

The boat ride through the area was very peaceful and pretty.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pu Luong Full Day Easy Rider - Caving | Riding | Swimming

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Riding on a motorbike through this countryside was wonderful, a great way to experience the beauty of the terraced rice fields and actually meet some of the residents. The drivers of the motorbikes were all careful and courteous. To call it caving is kind of an overstatement - you can walk to the mouth of a large cave but we didn't go in. Nor did we swim - just our preference.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Pu Luong Iconic Rice Terrace & Local Brocade (Excursions)

Vietnam

Walking is another excellent way to see the countryside and meet locals. It's easy and you are surrounded by intense green fields of rice.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

This is intense. Seeing the actual tunnels and learning about them was a good experience, but really drives home the brutality and inhumanity of war on both sides.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Discover Trung Nghia & Vung Liem (3D2N) - updated

Vinh Long

The sampan boat rides through the jungle were very good. We stopped at a local market and visited a factory that produced ropes and carpet made of coconut fibers. We were impressed by the central role that coconuts play in the economy.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Trung Nghia Vung Liem (3D2N)

Vinh Long

This included riding bicycles through the area - another great way to see the area and people. A stop at the home of a rice wine maker was included along with a sample of his product - very good. Their hospitality always includes tea and sharing of food. We felt very welcomed.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok City Tour Full Day (RA)

Bangkok

Our guide, Kat, was enthusiastic and anxious to show us around. Bangkok is a huge city so there is lots we didn't see, but she took us to some of the major sites and helped us understand the culture and religion. The temples are amazing to see.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bangkok Train Market & Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (RA)

Bangkok

The train track market is fascinating as is the floating market.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Koh Tao - Kho Nang Yuan by Speedboat

Vietnam

Koh Samui is so beautiful. We snorkled among thousands of brightly colored fish and coral. This was the only day that rain impacted our activities, but it was still great. Very clear water. Good lunch at a restaurant.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dark & Bright Cave - Disembarking Amour Cruise

Vietnam

Another opportunity to be on boats and see up close some of the unusual geography of Viet Nam. Going through the caves (tunnels actually) in boats was very different and fun.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Samui Elephant Home

Vietnam

Another great experience. We were able to observe, feed and touch the elephants that have been rescued and live there. The staff helped to educate us about elephants in Thailand and what the mission of the Elephant Home is. Lots of fun to interact with them and see how caring the staff is towards those gentle animals.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pu Luong Explore Village Life Water Wheels & Rafting (Excursions)

Vietnam

Very ingenuous ways to use and move the abundant water to rice fields for production.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Evening Walking Street Food Tour

Hanoi

This was our first activity of the trip and we've found that food tours are an excellent way to be introduced to a new culture. It was a good start to 3 weeks of wonderful food throughout the trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ho Chi Minh City Highlights

Ho Chi Minh City

This tour included very sobering things, especially the War Remnants Museum. Our guide let us go through the musuem at our own pace. Wars are brutal and this portrayed that very clearly. Hard to see it, but important to do so.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore The Lush Countryside Of The Mekong Delta (3D2N)

Vietnam

We loved seeing this part of Viet Nam, away from the big cities. It gave us a chance to see and meet people in their own setting and interact a bit with them. If you have the opportunity to go this area, do so for more than a day trip.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi - Halong Bay - Lan Ha Bay - On Boarding Amour Cruise

Vietnam

This is the picturesque area seen on many calendars. The limestone karsts are so beautiful and it's great to be among them on the water.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My wife & I just returned home from a 23-night trip to Vietnam that was planned with the help of Hien of Realistic Asia & KimKim Travel. Hien was our contact person with KimKim, helping from start to finsih in designing and supporting our trip as it went; she was always easy to reach & communicate with as we traveled. With a little over three weeks in-country we spent the first two weeks in the north, then flew south to see essential highlights in central & southern Vietnam (the Citadel & mausoleum of Hue, the lanterns & river of Hoi An, & then the ChuChi tunnels, along with the enormity of Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City--as we exited from Saigon). Along the way hotels chosen were beautiful; many of them were unique.

Hien's help over the last year as we designed and arrrived at the final version of our itinerary has been fantastic. Realistic Asia's ground logistics and coordination is a combination of art & science. I have travelled in Asia before, and the ability of companies such as Realistic Asia & KimKim to plan & coordinate with such detail along with such precision astounds me. Plus, from when we arrived in Hanoi with fast-track entry to exiting at Ho Chi Minh City, our guides were uniformly excellent. They were invariably prompt, professional, knowledgeable, & well-informed about history and the economies of areas as we traveled through. More, all of them were fun, with a sense of humor, & spoke good English. This made the trip more interesting and entertaining. Invariably, they were attentive to our personal needs & comfort, frequently checking on how we were doing, and making adjustments to plans or scheduling as needed. Our drivers, similarly, would flawlessly manage traffic and coordinate with our guides as we toured.

In the north we had the delight of having Cuong as our personal guide for the entire two weeks we were there. We were floored by the "busyness" of Hanoi, the unceasing flood of motor scooters, & its size. My favorite areas--and there were many--were probably the mountainous Sapa & Cao Bang regions northwest & north of Hanoi. Sapa was surreal, unearthly in its beauty sometimes, while Cao Bang (famous for its beautiful waterfall shared with China & mountain with a hole in it) seemed in contrast more spread out & open.

In sum, I would highly recommend Realistic Asia & KimKim, for the attentiveness, care, communication, knowledge, and professionalism that they invariably exhibited. These are highly experienced companies, and know Vietnam, Asia, and the realities & adventure of travel. They showed an easy flexibility & willingness to change or alter plans as circumstances dictated. I learned a tremendous amount on this trip, had a great time, and met wonderful people. I would sign up again with both companies in a heartbeat.

We spent almost 2 weeks in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. First I want to say thank you to Hien at Realistic Asia for a great planning experience. Kim Kim works with local travel agents all over the world. As a traveler, we get first class planning support and experience - all with local input.

Vietnam - At Hien's suggestion, we got the expedited immigration experience at the airport. It was so fast! Highly recommend!

We started in the north, explored Hanoi. We then went to Pu Luong Nature Reserve for some adventure beyond the big city. It took a long time to get there due to the roads and rain. It rained for a few days straight. It was an incredible amount of rain. Even with that, our fearless guide took us on hikes, bike rides and around the area. The landscapes are beautiful, the waterwheels were an example of art meets science & engineering. At one point, we were exploring local villages in the valley and we had to cross a river that had overflown. Our guide took care of us (and our shoes!) by negotiating with a local to bring us across the river on his motorcycle. We were very appreciative! We stayed at the Pu Luong Eco Lodge. A wonderful place to relax.

After that, we went to Ninh Binh. It was another long drive for a great experience to be in a boat heading to grotto/caves. We rode bikes around the side of the water and through the town (still raining!). It was only about 5km. It was beautiful. Overall, we wonder if we should have substituted this experience with something else.

From Ninh Binh, we drove for a few hours to Ha Long Bay for a 1 night cruise. The room was nice and had a balcony. The Nostalgia Cruises ship's staff were helpful and kind. We enjoyed the short cruise. Before leaving the ship, we took a tender to walk through caves on Cat Ba Island. A great experience! Additionally, the rain finally let up and we could see the colour of the water shift from grey-blue (rain) to green (sun)!

During planning, we decided to reduce travel time and fly from Hanoi to Siem Reap instead of travelling to Ho Chi Minh City and then flying to Siem Reap. We thoroughly enjoyed our brief time there. We stayed at Lynnaya Urban River Resort. It's a fantastic place to stay (although some rooms can get noise from live music). We went to Angkor Wat to see sunrise, back to the hotel for breakfast and then started a 30 km bike ride to see the temples. Our guide (Pheng) was knowledgeable and showed us around. He was also incredibly friendly and willing to share his own experiences. We left the temples in amazement. As we were getting tired of cycling, he also arranged for the driver to meet us and transport the bikes and people back to the hotel at the end of the day. The following morning, we explored Chong Kneas floating river villages by boat and flew back to Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City).

Back in Vietnam, we saw the Cu Chi tunnels. They take awhile to drive there, but it was informative to be there. At night, we took a Vespa Food Tour with a our food tour guide, Lam. It was a fantastic experience! We each had our own drivers as we weaved in and out of traffic like locals. It started pouring. Thankfully, they had ponchos for us! We explored the city on scooter, experienced street food, seafood dishes at a nicer restaurant and finished the night with a drink at a cozy bar. This might have been our favourite experience in Vietnam!

After all the adventure, we flew to Bali. Instead of staying at the beach, we drove (3 hours) to Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort. While they have hikes and other experiences at the resort, we spent our time there relaxing. It is an amazing place. It offered privacy, relaxation, fantastic service in a beautiful setting overlooking a valley. We didn't want to leave.

Hotel Reviews

Pu Luong Eco Garden

A great place to relax in Pu Luong. They had everything we needed!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Lynnaya Urban River Resort

Siem Reap

Beautiful and well-located. The staff were really nice. Ultra-clean. If you're staying when they have live music, ask for a quieter room. Food (breakfast and dinner) had great options in the restaurant, pool or bar.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Munduk Moding Plantation Nature Resort

Just WOW! This is the first place that my spouse and I agreed we didn't want to leave. We had a villa and private butler (Gargita). It was so relaxing!

Authenticity & Character

Location

It took more than 3 hours to driver there.

Staff

Gargita our butler made sure that our stay was perfect!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Jardin Hotel Haute Couture

Le Jardin Hotel Haute Couture in Hanoi was a nice city hotel with good facilities. It was convenient to arrive from the airport and check in early after a long journey, which we appreciated. The hotel was comfortable and met our needs well during our stay in Hanoi.

Activity Reviews

Trekking In Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Very enjoyable - even in the rain!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Lan Ha Bay - Halong Bay - Disembark the cruise (Nostalgia cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visit Angkor Wat by Cycling with sunrise ( 25Km)

Siem Reap

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pheng was personable, knowledgeable and experienced.

Transport

The driver brought us back at the end of our tour (instead of having to cycle back to the hotel)

VIP Fast Track Service (VIP B)

Vietnam

Totally worthwhile!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Evening Street Food Tour With Vespa Wanderers

Ho Chi Minh City

This was the best experience that we had while in Vietnam! We explored the city like locals. The guide was personable and the tour on Vespas amazing!

Quality of Experience

Food

Started with street food and then went upscale!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore the Cu Chi Tunnels

Ho Chi Minh City

The Cu Chi Tunnels tour was good and historically interesting. The tunnels are further away from the city than I expected, about an hour and a half drive, but it was worth the visit to understand more about Vietnam's history.

Water Wheels walk and Bamboo Rafting

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

The Water Wheels walk was good, especially being outdoors and learning about how the water wheels work near the rice paddies. Unfortunately, we did not do the bamboo rafting due to safety concerns about flooding caused by heavy rain, so I can't comment on that part.

Hein helped us plan a wonderful adventure through Vietnam. 🇻🇳 she was patient as we added and subtracted events and made changes to the schedule. We were in 4 cities and at each location the drivers and guides showed up and helped with any and everything. We wanna give a really special thanks to one of our guide Kc Cuong. He spend several days with us, telling the history, personal stories, performing magic tricks and lots of jokes. He was very personable, interesting and fun to be around. Anyone would be lucky to have him as a guide. Overall, great trip.

Hotel Reviews

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

Hanoi

Amazing piece of history! It’s a throw French themed throw back decor, filled with famous previous famous guest and rich history.

Authenticity & Character

This is authentically the real deal. A historic hotel with bomb shelter and all!

Location

Just at the edge of the old quarter and lake. Easy to walk or grab everywhere.

Staff

Staff are many and attentive

Cleanliness & Comfort

The place is historic and some things are dated. However, it’s clean and nicely kept.

Nham Village Resort

I great resort- particularly if you are looking for relaxation and quiet. Nice rooms with great river views.

Authenticity & Character

Authentic spa resort type facility, with restaurant pool and spa.

Location

It’s off the path, but in walking or grab distance of the old city. They also have a shuttle.

Staff

Very helpful and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel is clean and updated

Orchid Premium Cruise

Being on the bay for a night is extraordinary and worth the effort. The boat is small and only holds room for less than 20 people. If you’re looking for socializing, this is probably not the boat. It would be great to rent the whole thing for a retreat or wedding party.

Authenticity & Character

It is authentically a boat, it’s bit dated and not at all modern in design.

Location

The views and location are extraordinary. I had never seen topography like these islands.

Staff

Staff are very nice. However, they are very task oriented, to a fault. We would be in the middle of lunch and told to hurry up so we could select dinner and they could prepare. They had problems just letting us be on the boat enjoying our time. I think most westerners would say they could relax a bit.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The boat is clean and the rooms are nice. They are just not modern in decor.

La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa

Hoi An

The hotel is very nice particularly compared other comparable place in Hoi An. It has a bit of a plantation decor and feel.

Authenticity & Character

Nice resort Hawaii kind of feel, with several pools and bikes to ride.

Location

It’s a tad outside of the old city. But you can walk in about 15 min or take a grab. They also have a hotel shuttle, all though hours are limited.

Staff

Staff were very accommodating

Cleanliness & Comfort

We had a problem with our room as it had been raining and the room smelled like humidity. They changed our room and the second was much better.

Activity Reviews

Make Taste 5 Signature Brews & Coffee Story

Hanoi

We went to a nice neighborhood into the second floor of a shop that also conducts cooking classes. The space was clean, but nothing spectacular.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Highlights & Hidden Gems By Vietnam Army Jeep

Hanoi

Great way to see the city and the nooks and crannies. It might be hot for those that need aircon- but we enjoyed the fresh open air even in the heat.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had an incredible holiday in Vietnam, made even more special by the amazing people who looked after us along the way.

A huge thank you to Hien for the trip planning and ongoing support. Everything was so well organised and made the whole experience effortless.

Our Hanoi tours with Que were fantastic. We loved exploring the history, food and culture of the city with such a knowledgeable and passionate guide.

The e-bike tour was definitely a highlight! So much fun, and a huge thank you to Kevin, who came to our rescue at the last minute and helped us navigate the traffic! We loved the egg coffee experience, banana plantation and learning about the history of the B-52 Café.

Finally, our time on Orchid Cruises in Ha Long Bay was incredible. The scenery was breathtaking, but the crew really made the experience. Everyone was so attentive and welcoming, with a special mention to Steve, who was such a wonderful server.

A truly memorable trip from start to finish. Thank you to everyone who helped make our Vietnam holiday so special!

KC - Terrific Hanoi guide
COUC- great natural tour of Pu Loung
Tony Boa- great bicycle and boat tour Hoi An
Jin- knowledgeable market and cooking class tour Hoi An
Nostalgia Cruise- lovely boat and crew Ha Long Bay
Hein- tour planner excellent

KimKim put together a wonderful trip. From the planning with Hien to the trip itself I would not have asked for more. Hien made sure everything was according to plan and stayed in touch for the whole trip. So many highlights to the trip. Hanoi: The Hot Lo Prison was most interesting. My guide Mai in Hanoi was very knowledgable and added much insight to all we saw in Hanoi.

Ninh Binh was definitely the highlight of my trip. Such incredible scenery and temples. Special shoutout to Quang Anh, my guide on the E Bike tour.

Ha Long Bay cruise was incredible. Beautiful boat, excellent food and the scenery was incredible.

A

Great trip end to end!