Realistic Asia

Ashley was amazing! Always quick to communicate with us, very clear on everything, and went the extra step to make sure we were okay throughout our trip. We felt that if anything came up, we could reach out to her and get quick advice or suggestions on where to go in every city we visited. If any friends/family visit Vietnam, I would definitely recommend Kimkim to them to book the whole trip - we had an amazing, easy, stress-free time and could focus on enjoying ourselves!

Stephen Long was an excellent tour advisor for our two-week trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. He put together a wonderful itinerary tailored to our preferences — food, art, history, and nature — and truly paid attention to what we wanted. When I asked him to build in a relaxation day mid-trip, he planned for us to be in beautiful Hoi An, where our hotel had a pool and the beach was just a short trip away.
Stephen did an amazing job staying in contact with us via WhatsApp throughout the entire trip. All of our transportation, hotels, inter-trip flights, and activities were booked for us, and communication about where and when we needed to be was always clear. We were also able to make slight adjustments to the itinerary as needed, which we really appreciated. The local tour guides Stephen arranged in each city were excellent as well.
We had an incredible time visiting Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, and Siem Reap. We highly recommend Stephen for planning your next trip to Vietnam and Cambodia!

I have a lot to say. First of all, I am "generally" happy with my KimKim booking. Lucy was very responsive in creating a trip for us, and made changes according to our requests. However, once we paid in full for the trip, two of the hotels were changes, to what I would consider a lower level of hotel.
HCMC
Hotel. We liked the Bach Suites hotel, even though it was not the hotel we were promised when we booked the trip. The staff was lovely, and the breakfast was good. The room was comfortable and I liked the gym. Some areas were in a bit of disrepair with general maintenance needed. I just felt "duped" by the switch. Also, the noise from the nearby disco was very annoying. I understand this is not the hotel's fault, but it is a nuisance.
Tours. By far, the tours provided in HCMC were our least favorite. Our tour guide, Anna was partially to blame. She made us feel like touring for us was such a burden to her. The walking tour left a lot to be desired. The temple, meh, the lacquer museum was merely a gift shop disguised as a learning experience, and at the war museum instead of guiding us around she said "see you in an hour". The tour the following day to the Mekong Delta was not much better. She complained about the gas prices, and how they were not making any money one the tour. She took us to a bee factory - another shop disguised as an event. When I was stung by a bee on my face, she refused ice and said a cream she had was adequate. She basically blamed me for getting stung - I should not have tried to swat it away. BTW, my face was swollen for a week. It's a good thing I traveled with an antibiotic. The candy factory was another gift shop disguised as a tour, and the boat ride gave me Disneyland jungle cruise vibe. I sincerely feel like this was a completely wasted day.

HUE
Hotel. Silk Path was excellent. Breakfast excellent, staff excellent. Room comfortable. highly recommend this hotel.
Tours. Vu Dang was an excellent tour guide. The cyclo food tour was very fun, not too long, and the restaurants he took us to were great. The next day we toured the former capital and had lunch at a local home, visited the pagoda and took a dragon boat tour. We enjoyed the day thoroughly. The next day, we were supposed to go on the Tam Giang Lagoon Survival tour, but the weather was terribly rainy. Not a problem, Vu was able to pivot and take us to two local farms where we were able to learn about the local farming . It was all interesting, and the lunch at Mr. Nam's house was so fun! A great way to spend the day before flying of to Hanoi.

HANOI
Hotel. Hanoi Imperial Hotel & Spa. Another Hotel that was switched after payment. Hotel was fair at best. I am still wondering where the "spa" is. They staff was accommodating and made us feel welcome. Our room had a shower that flooded the entire bathroom, and the breakfast was mediocre.
Tour. Our full day city tour was great. Tony was an exceptional guide, and guided us around like a pro. We especially enjoyed the Museum of Ethnology, and Tony was great at pointing out interesting displays and exhibits that were housed there. We enjoyed his company and knowledge. My one comment is that it was a very FULL day, and maybe too long for older guests.

SAPA
Hotel. Aliana Boutique Hotel was nice. Staff very welcoming and our room was good. Breakfast just ok.
Tours. Out tour guide, Lo May, was another excellent guide. She really helped us to understand the region, and introduced us to a lot of the lifestyle and economy of the region. I highly recommend her for tours. She was funny, and smart as well. One highlight was visiting her family home, and meeting her parents.

HA LONG BAY CRUISE
The boat was ok. This was another Switcheroo! We were promised one boat, then after we paid, we were switched to another. Our room was in the back, so the anchoring was very noisy and woke us each morning early. The staff was friendly, especially Wendy. Food was so-so, but the bay was very picturesque. We were happy to relax for a few days as we had been so busy touring all of the other days.

SUMMARY
-upset about hotel changes, and boat change after we paid in full - VERY unprofessional i can understand one change, maybe, but THREE??
-terrible tours in HCMC
-great drivers all around. Always on time with a smile.
-lucy very responsive
-no "glitches" in the schedule

One last thing. KimKim markets a whole "sustainability" thing, and we even paid a sustainability fee. NO WHERE on this trip did we see and sustainability efforts! Kind of feel like we paid for an idea.... Trash everywhere. Even in Ha Long Bay, a Unesco site, we lay in bed seeing streams of trash float by our room. Feels like the fee is a bit of a scam

That said, I would recommend KimKim if asked. I could not have attempted to do all of that planning myself.

Hotel Reviews

Aliana Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa (Ex: Aira Boutique Sapa Hotel)

Sapa

clean room, great staff, ok breakfast

Silk Path Grand Hue

great staff, comfortable room, good breakfast

Activity Reviews

Visit Black Hmong Villages of Sa Xeng & Sau Chua

Sapa

loved being on this tour with Lo May

Trekking To The Ethnic Villages Lao Chai Ta Van - Experience Indigo Dyeing And Weaving With The H'mong Family

Sapa

excellent guide. very eye opening experience

Hanoi Fullday City Tour with Train Track Coffee Enjoying

Hanoi

excellent guide. full, interesting day

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

Hue

Interesting day, excellent guide

Evening Foodie & Cyclo - The Real Taste of Hue

Hue

fun night, good food, great guide

Day Trip To The Mekong Delta - Deo Islet (NBT)

Ho Chi Minh City

terrible guide, waste of time

Saigon Sightseeing Half Day Tour

Ho Chi Minh City

boring, terrible guide