Realistic Asia

Our trip to Vietnam was amazing and we had a blast full fun memories to remember. Our specialist Ashley did a fantastic job booking our trip to Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi. We had several tours that were exciting and interesting to all of us. Food tour with young motor cyclist tour guides was great in Ho Chi Minh. It was fun and best ever tour we had. Recommended to everyone, fun & exciting experience. Ha long bay, street train tour-and walking food tour were our best tours that we experience. Local foods were delicious in Hanoi. Rated 5 for my over all experiences 😊

The entire trip was so smooth and organized because of Kimkim, we truly got to enjoy the country without any stress!

Hotel Reviews

Silverland Mây Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to so may shops and places to eat.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

GM Premium Hotel Hanoi

Perfectly situated in old town. Very clean and wonderful service.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Pu Luong Retreat

Thanh Hoa

This place is stunningly beautiful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Le Clos Du Fil Hotel

Ninh Binh

Had an amazing view from our very large patio. Super clean and staff were very friendly.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

VIP Fast Track Service

Vietnam

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Exploring Ho Chi Minh city Half Day Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

Guide was be try knowledgeable and friendly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Water Wheels walk and Bamboo Rafting

Pu Luong Nature Reserve

Highly recommend going to Pu luang to see the small rice villages and mountains.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Scenic Cycling Experience Around the Village

Ninh Binh

Such a wonderful way to see the mountains of this town. Would highly recommend doing this.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Long, my local specialist was outstanding, THE BEST! He has restored my faith in kimkim.

I had my first trip with kimkim to Croatia in Oct. 2019. The local specialist, Antonia, was amazing. She was a true "Travel Magician" and we had the best time thanks to her.

Second trip with kimkim was to Portugal in Oct 2022 with local specialist Beatriz based in Madrid, and it was an absolute disaster. Beatriz failed us in so many ways. Because of my 2019 trip experience, I got my closest friends to join this trip. We were all totally disappointed and I had to keep apologizing to my friends. I was determined as a result never to travel with kimkim again.

This time, I wanted to vacation in Vietnam and my daughter encouraged me to give kimkim another chance as she and her family returned from a very good trip with kimkim in summer. Against my better judgement I did and now very pleased to report, Long did a fabulous job from start to finish, and has restored my faith in kimkim.

At the outset I asked Long if he had read my 2 previous reviews, and told him that I expected him to perform and deliver to my expectations. And yes, Long more than delivered. He understood my "demands" - great sightseeing, great local food, the best but not outrageously-priced hotels, and superior guides/on-the-ground service.
Long put together a wonderful trip itinerary and was extremely responsive and helpful throughout the entire planning process.

Thanks to his diligence, and stellar customer service, my husband and I had the most enjoyable time and loved Vietnam.
We did so many interesting and fun things. Ate the best local food, great foodie tours. Stayed in well-located 5-star hotels - charming boutique hotel in Hanoi French Quarters, the best room (gigantic honeymoon room with this phenomenal round bed) on our Ha Long Bay cruise, and beautiful Moire Hoi An (IHG collection) right by the river in Hue, etc, etc.

On arrival in Vietnam, they provided VIP Fast Track Service at the airport, and we were escorted and breezed through customs.
We had our own private cars with excellent, careful drivers and great, very knowledgeable local guides.
While waiting to return home, we met fellow travelers at the airport who didn't do half the fun and exciting things we did - Highlights: Cyclo Tour (we were pedalled through downtown Hanoi in their version of rickshaw right smack in the heart of downtown traffic with our cyclist assuring us repeatedly "No. 1 Driver!" as he skilfully avoided oncoming buses and motor bikes), flat-bottom boat ride down the river in Tam Coc where the boats were rowed with feet not hands, Citadel (stunningly beautiful Imperial palace in Hue built with heavy French influence), basket boat ride in Hoi An and Sai Gon Night Street Eats with Vespa Wanderers (sat pillion on Vespa scooters and ferried from restaurant to restaurant eating the most delicious local food - best coffee, best Vietnamese sandwich, amazing fancy restaurant, best local dessert and capped it off with drinks at a nice bar.)

Long of Realistic Asia planned a fabulous itinerary for us and totally performed and delivered. He personally welcomed and met us in Hanoi with souvenir gifts handmade by his girlfriend, prepped us every day on what to expect the next day, made sure we had the best guides and drivers, checked with us every day to make sure we were happy and had no complaints....in constant contact and responded immediately to anything we needed.
In short, he was OUTSTANDING, THE BEST, another true Travel Magician.
He even checked and made sure we returned home safely.
Extremely well done Long and THANK YOU. You have restored our faith in kimkim.
We will be recommending good friends to you. Keep up your superior level of customer service.

Hotel Reviews

The Oriental Jade Hotel

Hanoi

Lovely, charming well-located hotel with incredible customer service. We were having breakfast the first morning when a staff came to apologize if our sleep was disturbed by a fire alarm that went off mistakenly. The alarm was so soft, my husband couldn't even hear it when I asked him. Our final morning breakfast, a server came to say she knows we will have a 3-hour road trip to Ha Long Bay and could she pack a lunch bag for us. Amazing. During breakfast, I completed a review of the hotel, rated it the best, made a recommendation for a 2nd chair in the room and when we were checking out, the Hotel Manager came to personally thank us, gave us a small gift and thanked me for my recommendation. This is one hotel you must provide for all your guests in Hanoi. Amazing, phenomenal service, great breakfast, great location, comfortable and very clean room and all-around very attentive staff from doorman to reception to Restaurant staff. I have stayed in many 5-star, superior hotels but this one ranks way above the best because of its stellar, extremely attentive customer service. Definitely goes the extra mile!

Authenticity & Character

See my review

Location

See my review

Staff

Incredible, the best customer service possible. You will be floored!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The entire room and bathroom were clean

Orchid Classic Cruise

Hai Phong

Great Cruise Leader. Amazing customer service in the dining room from chef down to servers.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Lovely, friendly, very attentive, extremely customer-oriented

Cleanliness & Comfort

The boat needs update and repairs in some areas.

Silk Path Grand Hue

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Moire Hoi An, Vignette Collection

Great location by the river and bridge

Authenticity & Character

Location

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hôtel des Arts Saigon - MGallery Collection

Ho Chi Minh City

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Authentic Home Dining - Enjoy a traditional Hue dinner

Hue

Lovely experience - delicious food and great guide

Quality of Experience

Food

Loved the home-cooked food. The freshly-made in front of your eyes sesame dessert was so delicious

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

VIP Fast Track Service

Vietnam

Incredible, very helpful

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Excellent, careful and very courteous drivers

Around the Old Quater by Walking and Cyclo Tour.

Hanoi

Loved it. Unique experience being propelled through crazy downtown traffic. Very skilled and entertaining cyclists

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day trip to Hoa Lu & Tam Coc (Ninh Binh)

Hanoi

Very enjoyable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Onboarding Cruise To Lan Ha Bay (Orchid Cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is amazing. Stunningly beautiful. A must-do.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Visiting Trung Trang cave - Disembark Cruise (Orchid Cruise)

Ha Long Bay

Interesting

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Imperial City Tour of Hue Half-Day Exploration

Hue

Loved the Citadel. Uniquely beautiful with heavy French influence.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Cam Thanh Fishing Village Tour & Basket Boat Ride

Hoi An

Very fun and unusual experience. Sailing down the river, nice and the spinning boats, great for the young

Quality of Experience

Food

Delicious, very good lunch

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Sai Gon Nights Street Eats with Vespa Wanderers

Ho Chi Minh City

Amazing experience riding pillion on a Vespa scooter and being ferried from restaurant to restaurant to enjoy the best food. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Quality of Experience

Food

Excellent pick of restaurants

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Very skilled and good Vespa drivers. Great customer service

Transport

A O Traditional Vietnamese Culture Show

Ho Chi Minh City

Spectacular, amazing show. A MUST-SEE!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Full Day Exploring Ho Chi Minh city Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

A little boring but our guide tried his best. The choice of places to visit should be reviewed.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We loved our guides and drivers in every city—they were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The logistics were perfectly organized and we knew we were in good hands. All three hotels we stayed in were nice, with very good free breakfast options, and we particularly like the Saga Hotel in Hoi An. It made a huge difference to have Lucy’s help in choosing locations and organizing local assistance.

Ashley listened to us a created a fantastic trip combining the city, history, mountains, countryside and water. We traveled by bike, motorcycle, bus, plane and boat - all perfectly executed by Ashley and Kim Kim with all pick ups and drop offs, multiple drivers and guides and planned events. We were surprised at how GOOD EVERYTHING was - both the expected (the majesty of Halong Bay and the wonderful organized chaotic buzz of Hanoi) and the unexpected (very interesting and fun to learn about coffee and how to make drinks, walking through the alleyways of Hanoi with a brilliant guide on a food tour, the quiet mountains, decompressing watching the Mekong Delta, the markets, the detailed discussions with guides while on long walks). I am not a foodie - worse, I am vegan - and for vegans shy of travel I should mention that the food was amazing - and guides always confirmed / called ahead and asked questions to ensure that all worked for me. I have never eaten so well or such fresh produce. Lastly, the hotels, homestays and lodges that Ashley booked for us were perfect -- small, attentive helpful staff, efficient laundry service (perfect as we travel with only carry ons) and good for a cold beer in the late afternoon post the days exploration and the night's activities. Huge thank you to Ashley and KimKim for creating such a memorable trip!

Evrything was super easy and Lucy was the vest, always quick to respond and helpful.