We spent an amazing 21 days exploring Cambodia and Vietnam on a tour organised by Lam Duong from Asia Pioneer. Every part of the trip went smoothly, from the car drivers to the fantastic english speaking guides, who were very attentive to our needs. We could change the itinery if we decided to. We travelled from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap to the amazing bustling city of HCMC. To the Mekong Delta, Hoi An to Hue , then one of our favourites Sapa. An amazing phtographers paradise then Hanoi, another bustling amazing city then on to the tranquility of Halong Bay. All the Hotels were of a very high standard . what really made it such a fantastic holiday was the attention to detail to aspects of the trip. The pre planing with Asia Pioneer really made us feel at ease if we wanted something added or deleted it was not a problem at all. Lam even telephoned us to talk about parts of the itinery. We are planning a return to vietnam and wouldn’t hesitate to book through Indochina again. Would highly recommend this company. Two very happy travellers.

Where do we start!! Never being ones for doing “trips/tours”, as we always like doing our own thing, that is not being taken to places guides think we want to see or souvenier outlets, or hanging around waiting for the rest of the bus!! We took a leap of faith booking our tour to Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos with Indochina, but from the start of the planning last August to throughly enjoying our tour Jan/Feb this year the service we received was exeptional. Kata had to be very patient with us while we fine tuned our trip numerous times so we could vist all the places we wanted to see in the time scale we had. But she got it perfect in the end thanks Kata.

We had a private tour just my self and my husband. All the hotels were lovely, the guides were all so well mannered, polite and had a good knowledge of the English language, and a great knowledge of their individual countries and attractions. The transport was perfect, clean safe vehicles, the drivers were polite and very punctual, we were treated like Royalty nothing was too much trouble.

It really was a trip of a lifetime, seen and experienced so much, and I would not hesitate to recomend Asia Pioneer to anyone.

They are such a great team too, we were very fortunate to meet a lot of them in person as we happened to be in Hanoi ,Vientnam for Chinese New Year this year, and we were invited to Indochina’s staff party at a local restaurant, we had such a good evening great food, wine and company, it was a shame we had to leave quite early for our overnight train to Sapa,(now that was and experience!!!)

WOW! That doesn’t even describe what an amazing, two-week visit that my husband and I just had to Vietnam through Asia Pioneer. Lam helped us plan what was not a trip, but a life-experience.
Lam was wonderful to deal with. He worked very hard to help us plan a very active itinerary. We enjoyed the areas Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Sapa, Ninh Binh, Hue and Hoi An.
Everything was taken care of including hotels, flights within Vietnam, transportation, most meals, many amazing activities and private tour guides who gave us so much information and culture that we never would have received traveling on our own. These guides became life-long friends.
Lam listened to everything that we wanted in our visit and made it happen.
What we liked the most was the fact that we felt like we were truly experiencing Vietnam.
In addition to the tourist things, we also did a home stay with a wonderful family, we helped a salt farmer clear rain water from her pads which kept her from making salt, we helped a peanut farmer harvest peanuts, learned how to make incense, coconut candy and bed mats. We rode bikes through villages and were warmly welcomed by the local people as we rode by their homes.
This is a trip that we will never forget.
Whether you want a busy itinerary or something more slow-paced, Asia Pioneer will make it happen.
We travel quite a bit and can honestly say that this is one of the best companies that we have ever had the pleasure of dealing with.
We highly recommend visiting Vietnam through Asia Pioneer.
Thank you, Lam!

We have recently concluded a 23 day tour of Cambodia and Vietnam, arranged by the wonderful Kata @ Asia Pioneer, in Hanoi.
First I should say that i started the whole process a year ago, when we had finalized our flights and nothing else. I emailed a few companies, some in Vietnam and some in N. America. Right from the start i was impressed with Kata, who responded promptly, and got back to me when she said she would get back to me. Between the two of us, this trip was revised so many times by tweaking the category of hotels, or the route! Nothing was too much trouble. I never felt I was a pain in the butt!

Our tour actually started for us in Bangkok as that is where our stopover en route to Australia went. Kata arranged our pick up from the airport, a hotel, return to the airport the next day and flight to Cambodia for the ‘real’ start of our tour.
We did 5 nights in Cambodia and 18 in Vietnam. Once the details had been ironed out prior to departure, we were totally at the mercy of Kata’s scheduling, and she did not disappoint. We literally were guided along at every step of the way.
The tour operators were very nice people, who were so eager to share their knowledge of their respective countries.
On arrival in Vietnam we were handed a cell phone, with Kata’s number in it, and also on our first day Lam phoned (the boss) asking if everything was OK. Nice touch! As we were travelling without a cell phone (Just an ipad for emails) it was reassuring to know in an emergency we had a phone at our disposal.
Our tour ended in Hanoi, and Kata and her husband came to visit us at the hotel. It was so nice to meet the person i had sent (what felt like) hundreds of emails. She was just as charming in person too!
So, in short, I would recommend this company anytime, and I would also book with them in the future.

Believe the rave reviews for Asia Pioneer! We booked a 3 week tour of Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos with Asia Pioneer and I can recommend them unreservedly. Very competitive prices for the attention and detail put into your trip – we just travelled as a couple so had individual attention. Superb. Great hotels and experiences and the guides/drivers were superb, it was like clockwork so time was really maximised. Great flexibility regards visits – Lam at Head Office in Hanoi was so friendly and helpful when we were booking the trip, he even came out to meet us at our hotel when we arrived. Hotel d’ Opera in Hanoi was brilliant – well worth eating there too, superb food.

The guides were really knowledgeable, spoke good English and knew exactly what times to visit places so that they were at their least busy. Exploring the temples round Angkor Wat was a real highlight and we were able to see most places with very few other tourists. Fascinating insight into the culture and diverse ethnic groups and you got the opportunity to see ordinary people in their homes/stilt houses etc which was so interesting. Such a pity that the US deliberately destroyed so much of Vietnam’s cultural heritage alongside 2 million civilians! The Imperial Palace at Hue was awesome even though 90% was destroyed by American bombs. You really wonder at their mentality but the Vietnamese seem amazingly forgiving and only look to the future.

Hanoi is a crazy city but we loved it once we had got over the initial culture shock. So many scooters/bikes/motor bikes and crossing the road by just stepping out and walking slowly across through the chaos takes some getting used to but we didn’t see any accidents – the riders and drivers aren’t at all aggressive and all give way easily. Halong Bay is well worth seeing unlike any place I’ve ever seen.

We loved Hoi An in Central Vietnam – great place for having clothes made but also many excellent places to eat. We were there for Tet, the New Year and it was so colourful. The Mekon Delta was very interesting and we took a boat up to Phnom Penh – we only had one night there but very interesting city and totally different to anywhere in Vietnam. Siem Reap and the temples is an absolute must see – truly awesome. The Cambodians were such nice peole even though they have had such an awful recent history – the US killed 600,000 during the Vietnamese war and opened the way for Pol Pot who wiped out another 2 million! I just hadn’t realised how much damage had been done across the whole region. Siem Reap isn’t particularly attractive as a town but there are loads of places to eat and some great bargains to be had in the shops and markets but be prepared to haggle.

We finished our trip at Luang Prabang in Laos, a very attractive French colonial town with some great restaurants and beautiful surroundings. Having guides and skilled drivers (and the drivers really were good, I wouldn’t dream of driving in the region!) made such a difference. It was like being royalty and having everything arranged for you and all you have to do is turn up. Everyone was so friendly and you always felt safe wherever you went. If you’re considering a trip to Indochina then I would look no further, these guys are local experts.

I booked a very last minute trip to Hanoi and Asia Pioneer helped me get my accommodations and tours in order just a few days before I arrived. I got the best of Hanoi and Halong Bay and would definitely use Pioneer again next time.

I chose Asia Pioneer again for my second vacation in Hanoi. My experience with them the first time was so positive that I did not need to look any further when deciding to return to Vietnam a year later. As with my first trip arranged by them, the second went just as smoothly, with the same attention to detail and planning, which is beyond compare. My guides spoke excellent english, and the drivers were 1st class. Mr. Lam at Asia Pioneer makes you feel like his only client when planning your trip and nothing is too much trouble for him. I doubt you will find this kind of service anywhere else! I strongly recommend this company if you are considering Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar, you will not regret it!