Testimonials

Kata and the staff at Asia Pioneer were so fantastic! We had a wonderful diverse tour including sightseeing, but also interaction with the people and guides. We didn’t just “see” the sights, we had a deep cultural exchange and experience. Most telling is the service provided when there was a problem. When we had a problem with one of our internal flights, they sent 4 people to the airport to help us! And 2 people at the next airport for our connecting flight! When I had “traveler’s tummy” the guide found a lovely young woman from Vietnam who was so kind and nursed me back to health with the local Vietnamese remedies. I am so grateful for the wonderful trip and will savor the memories for many years to come! Thank you Kata, staff and all of our great guides!

My husband and I took a late afternoon flight from Hong Kong to Hanoi. On our arrival, we were greeted by a very friendly and smiling face, our Guide, Mr. Lam ( Duong Dai) from Asia Pioneer. Because of our short stay, Mr. Lam did not waste time but gave us a brief history of the city, how the rivers run in Vietnam, the formation of lakes in Hanoi and its tube buildings. With his briefing, we found it helpful when he showed us around Hanoi and its out skirt in the following days. Our one and a half day tour was very well planned and had catered to our needs. He gave us short but precise explanations on all scenic spots. No long story which might make us feel bored like in some tours. We loved the food in the restaurants he had planned for us. The hotel, Sofitel Legend Metropole which was highly recommended by Mr. Lam is excellent. If we go to Hanoi in the future, Asia Pioneer (Day tours) would be our first choice to choose for tour planning.

Kata at Asia Pioneer arranged an amazing itinerary for a friend and myself. It was timed to perfection and our guides and drivers were always exactly where they were supposed to meet us. Highlights for us were the sampan tour up the Mekong River (Victoria Hotel Tours) and our tour of Ha Long Bay on the Dragon Pearl. but really everything was super. Kata came to see us at our hotel at the end of the trip to make sure all was well which was very thoughtful. We would highly recommend Kata and Asia Pioneer to anyone travelling in the South East Asia.

We booked our 14-day tour to Vietnam on very short notice, and I must say that the service quality of Asia Pioneer was excellent throughout. Our tour operator Ruby was extremely accommodating and patient with my mother’s whims (her requests for a change of driver and car were met promptly). The hotel rooms she booked for our family were great, and the hotels were fantastic. Our guides were wonderful as well. I highly recommend Asia Pioneer.

We have recently come back from a Cambodia & Vietnam tour. After continually searching through Trip Advisor etc we kept coming back to Asia Pioneer. Next minute Lam came on line, we are so glad he did. After giving him some idea of what we were interested in, including private tour guides & drivers, he put together an amazing itinerary for us, it was one of the best decisions we could have made.
We could not speak highly enough of the wonderful journey we had, all thanks to Lam & his team giving us one of the most amazing experiences we could have wished for. Even though we found along the way sometimes flights were delayed someone was on the phone reorganizing things so we did not miss a beat on our trip .We were very happy with accommodation & meals which were included.
Travelling from Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi & Ha Long Bay, naturally we met a few guides & drivers along the way. All were very informative & went out of their way to help us & travelling in very comfortable cars gave us more opportunities to enjoy such amazing people’s company.
The knowledge we gained from our guides & the laughs along the way, we are so glad we chose to take our private tours through Asia Pioneer & highly recommend if you are looking into a trip in these regions say hello to Lam, we know he will personally make your journey a memorable experience where people go out of their way to make everything right for you.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Lam & his team for helping make a dream of ours come true & for giving such a courteous personal touch …..

My husband & I have just returned from a memorable 30 day holiday in Vietnam. We have never booked a holiday through a tour company before & were initially uneasy about booking through a foreign company. However right from the first contact with Asia Pioneer, we felt total confidence.
Lam phoned me within 10 minutes of my initial email in which I had explained a little about our interests & which areas we’d like to visit. We received emails & phone calls regularly during the planning process. The final booking was made after we had the opportunity to review not only the itinerary but also the accommodation. Lam’s organizational skills & follow up are exemplary.

We chose to stay in 3 star accommodation & some homestays most of which exceeded our expectations. The hotels were well located, clean, comfortable, had wi-fi & offered a wide range of breakfasts.

A welcome dinner with a local family was organized for our first night. This warm & friendly hospitality set the tone for the rest of the holiday.

We had 3 sets of drivers & guides, one for each region; they were all absolutely wonderful. They are what MAKE the trip. We spent 20 days with Huynh ( driver) & Huan ( guide) in the north. They became like part of the family; we all got on so very well.

The cars were driven very safely, were air-conditioned & comfortable. The drivers kept their cars tidy & always had bottles of water for us each morning. While the drivers didn’t speak English, we were still able to have a laugh with them.

The guides’ English was easy to understand. They shared their vast knowledge of the history & culture in a way that was interesting & easy to absorb. They understood our interests & went out of their way to help us experience those extra little things that make the trip more personal & special. Thank-you Huan ( in north), Vu ( in centre) & Tam ( in south)! You all put in 110%.

One highlight for us was our time in the north; especially the rural north where we tried to get away from the general tourist path. We felt privileged to meet families from several different ethnic groups, spend some time in their homes, share stories & sometimes join in with farming activities.

To fit in with our love of the outdoors & nature, many days included walks or bike riding.

On many of the days lunches & sometimes dinner were included. It meant that a vast array of dishes were served to us that we possibly would not have otherwise tried.

Our only regret is that we didn’t have more time to dedicate to the central & southern part of Vietnam.

We would thoroughly recommend Asia Pioneer, they are professional & thorough but still give a very personal touch.