Vietnam Local Travel Agents

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

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

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

Pu Luong Eco Garden

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

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

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

VIP Fast Track Service (VIP B)

Vietnam

Totally worthwhile!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

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)

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

Ha Long Bay

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

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

Our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia was unforgettable! KimKim hit a home run with every aspect of the vacation - from itinerary to hotels to sights to guides - it was all perfect. We especially loved our guides Leong (Hanoi), Ann (Hoi An), Richard (Saigon), Sang (food vespa guide in Saigon), and Yun Sophea in Cambodia. Our trip consultant, Alex, was in touch with us every step of the way to make sure things were going well. We have done a trip to Morocco with KimKim, as well as this one to Southeast Asia, and could not be more satisfied with both experiences. We will absolutely use them for future vacations!

Hotel Reviews

Metta Residence & Spa

Krung Siem Reap Siem Reap

This hotel was a true gem! Tucked away on a quiet street in Siem Reap, this hotel was a welcome haven after a very busy day of visiting temples and sights. We loved the foot massages at the spa, they were excellent. The room was very large with great air circulation. The dining room was nice for breakfast and the staff was gracious and so friendly. It was very easy to hop on a tuk-tuk to go visit Siem Reap's vivid old city with its canal and Pub Street. A perfect place to stay in a wonderful city.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Orchid Saigon Hotel

Ho Chi Minh

This hotel was in a great location and had a very nice staff. It was a little bit dated inside, and the room was small, but that is probably how most rooms are in Ho Chi Minh City. The staff was very nice and gave us excellent options for restaurants nearby.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hoi An Moon Premium Boutique Hotel & Spa Resort hotel

Hoi An

This was our favorite hotel on our trip. The hotel is brand new, and it is part of a 5-star hotel brand. The staff was the most attentive and gracious we have encountered and their breakfast was fabulous. Best coffee and food selection we have seen. The room was beautiful and spacious and we enjoyed the foot massage we got in the spa. We would absolutely recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Hoi An!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Paradise Elegance Cruise

This cruise was stellar! We loved our cabin and spent a lot of time relaxing on the balcony. We wish we had stayed for two days!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hanoi L' Heritage Hotel & Spa

Hanoi

This was a lovely hotel in the perfect location. We especially appreciated the large sized room and excellent air conditioner. The breakfast on the top floor was delicious and a perfect start to our days in Hanoi. The staff was gracious and were were very pleased all around.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Saigon By Night and Food By Vespa (Group Tour)

Ho Chi Minh City

This is a "must do" in Ho Chi Minh City! Our guide, Sang, was exceptional. It was pouring rain during most of our vespa adventure but oddly that just added to the authentic feel of the experience. A huge thank you to Sang for his insights and humor on the excursion!

Siem Reap - Explore Angkor Complex Temples by bike

Siem Reap

We loved this so much. On the bikes you get to see the back side of the temples and some of the villages that are in the complex. We highly suggest visiting the complex this way!

Hoi An - Ba Na Hills - Golden Bridge - Hoi An (Group tour - SIC)

Vietnam

Ba Na Hills is an impressive feat of engineering and really amazing architectural detail and gardens. However, if you don't love amusement parks and tourist-centered attractions, this could be a long drive for not much to offer you. I enjoyed the flowers and landscape and detailed work in the french village architecture, but my husband felt trapped that we had to be up on the hill for four hours. Beautiful and worth it for the right people. My husband was not that person!

Ho Chi Minh City - Mekong Delta, Explore Ben Tre - Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam

This was a true slice of life on the MeKong Delta area. As it was low season and rainy, we had the area pretty much to ourselves so it was surreal to float down the river and experience the lush tropical atmosphere and sounds of the birds. Really great!

Halong Bay - Hanoi - Fly to Danang, Transfer to Hoi An

Vietnam

Don't miss a boat cruise on Ha Long Bay! Worth the travel and it is a unique experience!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport