This was a once in a lifetime trip with my boyfriend and my Mum. I wanted everything to be perfect and with the help of Lam we had nothing to worry about. My Mum was travelling from the UK and my boyfriend and I from Australia. Lam helped to arrange transportation from the airport for the three of us, with our guide Huan meeting us at our different arrival times.
We started off in Hanoi where Huan did a fantastic job of guiding us around. It was then time to head up to Sapa. The overnight train was the only part of the trip that was not the greatest – it was cold and there were no extra blankets, and a little daunting as wasn’t quite sure where we were getting off. Thankfully on this trip, we got off at the end of the line. They are doing work on the tracks so the train was later in than expected, but we were met by the most wonderful guide, Maya. Maya made our trip to Sapa simply unforgettable. She had an incredibly warm personality and very quickly became a part of our family. We even met her Mother, Grandmother and Sister-in-law. She gave us a real opportunity to find out what it is like to live in Sapa – no question was ever too much. We had a trek into the villages whilst in Sapa – we weren’t expecting it be 12km, across rivers – but we look back now and treasure that time with Maya and her family.
We returned to Hanoi on the overnight train and jumped on the mini-bus to Halong Bay. (Each time we ended our train journey, there was a hotel arranged for us to have breakfast and a shower – they really had thought of everything). Halong Bay wasn’t quite what we were expecting. Huan made sure we got onto the correct boat (there were plenty) and we could start relaxing on the calm waters. The attractions we visited were what everybody else was doing so you did feel a little bit herded but it is a minor detail. The food and staff on our boat were great.
After Halong Bay it was back to Hanoi to catch the overnight train to Dong Hoi. This was a little nerve-racking as we were getting off mid-train journey – most people were going on to Hoi An. We awoke to ensure we got off at the right stop but once again there were works on the train line so it was delayed. We arrived in Dong Hoi and were very pleased to see our guide, Vu. Vu was a fountain of knowledge. We spent 6 days with him touring the caves at Dong Hoi, driving to Hue, Danang and then onto Hoi An. Hoi An is simply beautiful – not surprising that it is a ‘cultural heritage’ spot. I managed to have clothes made for me in Hue and Hoi An – I was told about this prior to arriving in Vietnam but wasn’t quite sure – it was awesome. I had 3 items made for me in 22 hours – incredible!
We had to say goodbye to Vu as we flew down to Saigon, where we were met by Tam. We were sad to say goodbye to all of our guides but each one was just as helpful and caring as the last – I am not sure how Asia Pioneer have so many wonderful tour guides but they are an absolute credit to the company.
Saigon was not quite what we expected – so busy. It was a little bit of a shock as we hadn’t been in a city since Hanoi and this was even more hectic – scooters everywhere! And I’m not kidding…. Tam was wonderful in showing us around and then onto the Mekong Delta. I was really hoping to see the floating market but we didn’t have enough time for that in our trip. The only bit I personally was not comfortable with was the small boat down the river – but I needn’t have worried, we were perfectly looked after once again (it was just a bit rocky getting on and off with my camera!).
So this was our 14 day trip in a little detail! It was incredible – what we thought was going to be a once in a lifetime trip has really made us think about visiting other areas around because we know we could do this with Asia Pioneer.
Our thanks go to Lam, Huan, Maya, Vu and Tam – without each one of these incredible people we would not have had the most amazing holiday.
As you can probably tell – I would recommend this company to anyone wanting to visit Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos – in fact I have already….

We’d travelled to Vietnam previously in 2010 arranging everything through a UK tour operator who in turn, sub contracted the tours to a large Vietnamese company. They were good but, this time around in 2013, we wanted a slightly more “unconventional” itinerary (one of our choosing and with some quirky destinations as well as the more predictable) and we wanted some flexibility to change things if we needed to once in Vietnam. Lam , the manager and our contact at Asia Pioneer did an absolutely first class job for us. From our initial emails (always quickly and fully answered) to some Skype calls and then to our experiences on the ground in Vietnam, they were superb. The guides they arranged for us were great (‘Linh’ in Hanoi and ‘Nam’ in the Delta area). They were more than just ‘guides’, in fact, they were great company and that was a major factor in our enjoyment on this holiday. They organised our tours for us in Hanoi and also in the Mekong Delta area (on a fairly untypical and really enjoyable itinerary). I’d have no hesitation in using them again. Big thanks to Lam and his guides. They did a great job for us.

My family went on a week-long tour by Asia Pioneer earlier this month. It was wonderfully arranged by Mr Duong Dai Lam, who was most considerate and responsive to our suggestions. The thought and care put into our tour package was very impressive. Despite visiting 4 locations in 7 days, we never felt rushed; the sight-seeing was both well-paced and relaxing. We were quite pampered as we were shuttled from place to place in a private van (our family consists of 7 members). During our trip, we were also thoughtfully supplied with our own mobile device and sim card with which to contact our tour guide and operator.

Much of our time was spent in the company of our invaluable tour guide, Mr Nguyen Giao Linh, who was very fluent in English. He was quite invaluable, providing knowledgeable narrative and cheerful help whenever needed. He was also extremely flexible about adjusting the tour schedule to our needs, for which we are truly grateful. Through Mr Linh, we were able to get a street view of Hanoi and a better picture of the quiet beauty in Vietnam.

A brief overview of our tour package: Hanoi, day trip; Mai Chau, village home stay and excellent home-cooked Vietnamese cuisine; Ninh Binh, day trip to historic sites and the beautiful and peaceful Trang An Grottoes; Halong Bay, 3 days 2 nights. Sightseeing Halong Bay simply cannot be rushed! We were very glad that IP had arranged for more time spent cruising this majestic site. The views were truly breathtaking and the staff onboard took every care to ensure each meal a delicious experience.

All in all, the service provided by the team at Asia Pioneer was excellent. We have been strongly recommending their service to our other family members and friends. When (not if!) we return to Vietnam, we will definitely be calling again on the Asia Pioneer team for their professional help and expertise.

Our holidays with friends in Vietnam and Kambodscha were wonderful ! Beautiful places and very kind people ! All was very well organized from Kata Tran / Asia Pioneers !
We all can recommend her warmly !!!

We just returned from 17 wonderful days in Vietnam and Cambodia. I contacted several companies and IP had the best responses. I don’t think Lam ever sleeps. Whenever I emailed him in the planning stages he always responded back almost immediately. He customized a most wonderful trip.It first started as a trip to Vietnam and then when I realized we ould add Cambodia he quickly added it to our plan. I really had no idea where to start my plan of this area and that is when I decided to get help and reached out to IP. The trip went perfectly. In fact when I saw the price I said we could upgrade things. so we stayed at beautiful deluxe hotels. Everything went perfectly. We were picked up at the airports, taken to the airports(including aided at the check in counters) and helped in every way. Every tour guide and driver was excellent. Now this is amazing when you see the drivers especially in Saigon and Hanoi. Hats off to the excellent drivers.The cars were very nice and the cold water and cold wipes were very appreciated. The meals they planned for us were all very good and we even had a private luncheon at a monastery just for us. I loved the fact that if we wanted to stay longer at a site it wasn’t a problem. I do like to shop a bit and our wonderful drivers and guides were very patient with me when I found a few good places to shop.I think they did a great job being sure we saw the best parts of each location.I do think that was the beauty of using a Vietnamese company…They certainly know their own country the best.I think this definitely made it more affordable too. We did get to spend the night on a deluxe boat on Halong Bay (Halong Jasmine). This is not to be missed. It was an amazing mystical 24 hours.
As you can tell we had a great time, Lam gave us a phone so he could be reached at any moment (which we did not need).It was so much fun to finally get to meet Lam in person and had a wonderful lunch with him in Hanoi. I can’t wait to plan another trip with Lam and Asia Pioneer.

I’m a bit late sending in this review since our private 2 week trip arranged by Asia Pioneer was Nov/Dec 2012. It was a truly wonderful experience and my wife and I were so impressed by Indochina and their staff.

We just returned from a two week tour in South America arranged by another company and that made us realize how lucky we were to use Indochina for our trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. Indochina really set the bar high in comparison! We only wish other tour companies were as caring, detail oriented and professional as Indochina.

Kata was our contact and she was superb, So responsive to all our emails and questions. She was a pleasure to deal with and is so committed to the customer . She also met us at our hotel in Hanoi – we so appreciated this personal touch. When one of our flights was delayed, Kata informed our guide so that they could make the changes to our schedule.

Our experience in South America was so different – we were left waiting at airports for our pickups, when flights were delayed we found out at check in and were left waiting for hours with no information. Several guides were clearly unhappy with their jobs and had no interest in customer service.

We joked that Indochina should open an office in South America and show them how to run a tour company!

You are spending significant time and money on your vacation. Your choice of tour company can really make the difference. We would use Asia Pioneer again with no hesitation

We did a 30 day tour crafted by Mr Lam. Overall, an excellent experience. Visited Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Mr Lam and his team were very responsive to emails and questions right from the first contact. Also very responsive to small issues that inevitably come up on a trip of this length. Was great to have lunch with him in Hanoi as well. A very hands-on owner-operator. We would highly recommend this company for anyone who wants to see and experience a lot of Asia in a short amount of time without the worry of “where do we stay, how do we get there, etc”.