Vietnam Local Travel Agents

We had a great experience working with Alex to make this trip happen. We visited Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand over 18 days - our first trip to SE Asia. Alex booked guides, drivers and activities for us in each location along with hotels and airport transfers and plane tickets to cities along the way. We loved all of it. Our fave country- which surprised us- was Cambodia. The Royal Crown Hotel in Siem Riep was also our favorite hotel. And we had the best guide there, too. We enjoyed touring Ankar Wat but the smaller temples were the best. Loved the Apsara dance show, too, the first night we arrived. We loved seeing Hanoi - the cooking class, city tour, a walk around the lake and the water puppet show. Our favorite part of Ho Chi Minh City was our day spending time on the Mekong River delta. And of course Thailand was awesome, too - loved the city tour and food tour - another exceptional guide -- by tuk-tuk. And of course, the temples and elephants in Chiang Mai. Oh, and another fun cooking class! The trip was well-paced-- we had three nights in each city and even had time for an overnight on a very nice boat on Ha Long Bay. Everything went smoothly and we were met by the kindest, most gracious people everywhere we went. We had enough down time throughout- it was quite hot and humid and sometimes ya just need a couple hours in a cool hotel room at the end of the day! We also took in a couple of spa treatments and went off on our own in Bangkok- found the subway efficientand easy to use. Alex checked in every day to let us know specific details and pickup times and was to able to change a hotel reservation at the end of the trip when we asked. 10/10! Our 4th trip using KimKim.

Hotel Review

Royal Crown Hotel & Spa

We stayed 3 nights and really enjoyed the hotel. We rarely order room service when we travel but arrived late afternoon and just wanted to chill for a bit - had spring rolls which hit the spot! We liked the spa and pool - very clean--also had a drink at the rooftop bar one night. Well-located in town. We had a bigger than average room with powerful air conditioning!! Nice breakfast buffet.

Authenticity & Character

Friendly staff. Hotel was upscale without being pretentious.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hanoi Culture & Walking Tour with Water Puppet Show

Hanoi

Walking tour - take time to visit the Temple of Literature. Water Puppet show aws not to miss.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hanoi Cooking Class

Hanoi

It rained that morning but we still rode bikes out to the herb-growing area. Fun, intimate experience - great food!

Quality of Experience

Food

We tried different things in each city.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

I highly rate my first Kim Kim experience. I wanted an authentic local tour without the hassle of trying to plan every last detail myself. Minh and the team were incredibly responsive and easy to work with. I loved the online platform where I could comment on itinerary tweaks. I was amazed at how little back and forth was required before we finalised our dream trip with all the inclusions.

This holiday truly felt like a holiday because every last detail was managed by KimKim and I got to have a proper break while immersing the family in incredible scenes, culture and food. From a cooking school with the patriarch of a Vietnamese family (on my son's 14th birthday celebration) to a sunset bike tour through Ninh Binh's villages... we created so many core memories for the kids.

May (Sapa trekking guide) was so knowledgable and great with our teenagers https://www.instagram.com/p/DeJG8R5k81l/?img_index=6

Quang (guide for Hanoi and surrounds) was very flexible with day to day plans

Thuy was a fantastic Operations Manager and with Minh's expert help, swiftly took on board our request for a hotel upgrade in Hanoi. I loved the ease of communicating with the team on Whatsapp and felt very supported throughout the journey.

Hotel Reviews

New Livitrans Train

Such a fun experience and while cabin quarters were tight, it was a very comfortable trip. Loved waking up to the coffee and hot chocolate service.

Renea Cruise

Wow wow wow. How cool having expansive cabins that look straight out at the stunning views! https://www.instagram.com/p/DeTbDKkk0eI/?img_index=8

Le Clos Du Fil Hotel

Ninh Binh

Stunning property that exceeded expectations. Ninh Binh was my favourite stop overall. Loved the location, friendliness of the staff, extensive fresh breakfast and stunning pool :) Perfect spot to recharge.

Local Homestay in Ta Van Village

Sapa

The hosts were wonderful and couldn't do enough to care for us. The location was divine right on the river. Hot tip: there's a gorgeous pool next door that you can pay to use if you need a refresh!

Solare De Monte Hotel & Spa

Hanoi

The rooftop pool was like a bath in the hot weather. I do not recommend this hotel if it's +35 degrees and you need cooling down. We also didn't appreciate being kicked out of our room in the midday heat when we weren't leaving for Sapa on the overnight train until 10pm. Not sure whose responsibility this was to communicate to us, but it was one of the very few disappointing moments in the trip. Would recommend suggesting that future guests are offered a late checkout for onward comfort.

Activity Reviews

Cook & Dine in a 100-year-old Family House

Ninh Binh

This was a really special experience. We shared an unforgettable evening with 63yo Roi who invited us into his family home for a cooking class but gave us so much more. It was also a cultural immersion, a life lesson, as well as a birthday celebration for 14th Noah with a special cake organised by Kim Kim. Many thanks!

Free in the morning - Limousine bus back to Hanoi

Vietnam

Hùng was an incredible driver throughout our trip and deserves to be commended. We were so grateful to be transported so comfortably and reliably throughout our stay.

Hanoi - Street food on foot tour - Overnight train to Lao Cai

Vietnam

SO COOL! A real highlight of the trip. Quang was an amazing guide. He opened our eyes up to so much yummy Vietnamese food: https://www.instagram.com/p/DeXEaSEk70C/?img_index=3.

Cuc Phuong National Park

Ninh Binh

Wouldn't recommend. Least favourite activity overall. The wildlife tour was drawn out and the museum dated and unecessary. The whole National Park felt like a dated relic :( We were all left wishing that we got to Ninh Binh sooner in the day.

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.