Third trip using kimkim - first trip to Vietnam!

Vietnam | May 15 - May 24, 2026

This is my third time using kimkim. I've been happy with each experience.

I was originally planning to visit Vietnam (Hoi An and Hanoi) in November 2025. I was connected with Lucy who put together a great itinerary for me in the limited amount of time I had. We made a few changes to match my interests…and then I cancelled fairly last minute for work related reasons. This ended up being a blessing as Hoi An had some bad flooding around that time, which Lucy had warned me about (and I basically disregarded - so you should always listen to your TA because they know what they are talking about!)

Kimkim makes it easy to reschedule and I moved my trip to May 2026. I was able to add on dates and make additional tweaks to my itinerary. As my travel date came closer, she made sure I had my visa and all other travel information needed. Lucy also checked up on me throughout the trip and made sure I was doing okay.

I like to travel alone and heard that Vietnam was a safe place for a solo female traveler. I otherwise didn't know what to expect visiting the country. The guides I had helped make me feel comfortable and provided a great education about the country. Specifically, my primary guide in Hoi An was Huan who took me to My Son Sanctuary as well as a tour of Hoi An's Old Town. He was very informative and was also very accommodating of my slow pace. I also had guide Chay in Hoi An, who was flexible in changing my scheduled tour for that day. In Hanoi, Trung took me to a village in Ba Vi Hill area where I met several fascinating people. Finally, I had guide Quoc in Pu Luong, whom everyone we passed in the villages seemed to know! I finished my trip with a two night cruise in the Ha Long Bay. Every day was one great experience after another - from the lanterns in Hoi An to the tiered rice fields to the iconic limestone rocks reaching up from beneath the water. And all these great experiences were made more memorable by the welcoming people I met. A truly great trip!

I loved all of my hotels. However, my Hoi An hotel was between the Old Town and the beach. I would recommend that if you want to be closer to Old Town, that you should mention that when planning. I used Grab and the cost to Old Town was minimal and didn't take that long.