Testimonials

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 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!

I first saw Asia Pioneer on the web searching for companies to look after us after our working trip in Cambodia , boy was I glad we decided to use this company…… Mr. Lam looked after ALL our needs from picking us up at airports ( which sometimes ment getting us to the front of the line ) to driving us out of the way for a cup of coffee.
Mr. Lams team was very professional in every way, informative and respectful of our needs.
Being from Canada , I went in a little blind ( Vietnam is so far away ) but after using them , I would use them again in a heart beat.

We had a 2.5 week tour through Vietnam with Asia Pioneer. I initally thought Lam had a impossible task ahead of him to live up to the “rave” reviews but I can unreservedly say the accolades he attracts ,he truly deserves. The entire trip went without mishap and the indiviual guides in each location were outstanding. We have only been back a few weeks and already I am looking into what else I can see and do with Asia Pioneer. If only all holiday travel could be as trouble-free and enjoyable as this !

My family and I booked a 28 day trip with Asia Pioneer travelling to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

From the very first email contact with Lam, I could tell that this was a well organised tour company. Nothing was too much trouble and I always received a response in a speedy manner. Lam even called several times to chat about the itinerary and several changes were made. I think the Australians could learn a lot about customer service from IP and I couldn’t have been happier with the service provided.

Now to the trip: I can not believe that for a 28 day trip to 3 different countries that everything went according to plan. In total there were 8 flights, 2 overnight train trips and an overnight boat ride. Everything went exactly to plan and there were no issues whatsoever. At each destination the guide and driver were ready and waiting which made us feel very safe and welcomed.

All the accommodation was wonderful, even though most of the hotels we stayed at were 3 or 4 stars it didn’t matter as the service and amenities had everything you ever needed.

The food was great and my children have now discovered sticky rice from Laos which they love and now expect me to make at home, I just wish that I could find the rice in Australia.

Our whole family had a wonderful time and the guides were brilliant. They all spoke wonderful English and were happy to adjust the tour according to our needs. They were also great with my 3 boys (aged 10, 11 & 16) who could sometimes be more than a handful, to put it mildly.

We enjoyed each country and I do believe that it was a trip in a life time for myself and my family. The culture and sense of family was apparent everywhere and it is something that will stay in our memory for a very long time.

The only thing that I was sad about was the fact that we had to return home.

Thank you so much for an amazing and memorable holiday, we will be back and I would not dream about doing it any other way than through Asia Pioneer.

Karma, Chris, Jake, Van & Kobi

My boyfriend and I were joining a group tour of southern Vietnam and Cambodia, but wanted to spend a few days in norther Vietnam prior to the group tour. After some initial research of various tour operators in Hanoi, I contacted Asia Pioneer to arrange airport transfers, a one day tour of Hanoi, and a 2 day/1 night Halong Bay trip. My initial email to IP was answered very quickly by Kata, who would be my main contact. She was extremely helpful throughout the entire planning process and any questions, etc were addressed very quickly. I work for for a tour operator here in the U.S. dealing with clients and their travel plans, so set high standards for customer support and IP was outstanding in this respect. For the Hanoi Tour, we were able to tailor the sights to suit our particular interests, and the guide they arranged for us was excellent. I also loved the included lunch at KOTO, a restaurant that takes in street youth and trains them for positions in the hospitality industry. Halong Bay was absolutely wonderful and one of my favorite parts of our entire journey throughout SEAsia. Kata sent me several options for Halong Bay and we decided on the Indochina Junk cruise, which I would highly recommend. I even had the chance to meet Kata after our return from Halong Bay (hello Kata!). A true professional; she is a great asset to IP.

We hope to return to Vietnam in a few years, specifically to see Sapa, Hoi An, and spend more time in Halong Bay, and would definitely use IP again. We had a very limited amount of time in Vietnam, so thank you IP and Kata for helping us make the most of it!