Lands of Smile in Thailand & Vietnam in 16 Days

Customer Reviews

• GG

  Greg

  · April 16th, 2025
  Chris Tran really took care of us on the whole trip!! He reached out on a daily basis and actually made time to see and meet with us in Hanoi. This was such an amazing trip from Bangkok to Saigon!! We will definitely come back to both Thailand and Vietnam in the future.
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Dear Greg, Thank you so much for your feedback. We are very thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your holiday. Thanks for your kind words about Chris, he remembers you and sends his warm regards. We’re very grateful for customers like you and hope to see... Show more
  
  Trip date: February 2025
• NS

  Nancy

  · March 18th, 2025
  We had a fantastic time! Truly a great balance of time and experience for the money. If you can add a day in Holong Bay, Hoi An or sneak in Siem Riep even better for me but for my husband this was a perfect time for him. Cannot give enough praise to Tran for being so attentive. To be honest my husband and I rarely use a travel agency when we travel mostly because we do 'enough' travel that we are capable of doing it ourselves and often save money doing it... not in this case, we could not extend our trip further than 16 days (plus some added on the ends) and wanted to make sure everything went smoothly and it did, cheaper traveling more luxurious than if we did it ourselves at a pace that mixed leisure with tours. If you are a frequent traveler and dismiss an agent for similar reasons this review is for YOU! I can say this because my sister and her hubby who have deep pockets but are super frugal, frequent retired travelers with lots of time also used my itinerary to loosely plan their trip and spent about $1000.00 more and although they did add a week and stayed much longer... they did not have 5 star hotels, breakfasts at their hotels (nor many lunches or water included with some tours) did not have a driver with their names on it greeting them, struggled with long lines and some confusion at the airports and although her price included all the airfare internally- her 'booking.com' did not include all the tours nor the transfers in her budget that was over by about $1000. *What she did have was the flexibility to change a few things along the way- but with booking.com we all know you are still locked into the investment. First off, when I booked our flights- the app did not expand to quickly display the dates with flying over the international date line AND the daylight savings in the USA coupled with the long 24-hour flights as much attention as I had given, I goofed up on the flights (international flights we chose to use our cc points and upgraded to the lay down pods, which I highly recommend if you can swing it). Tran caught it and we were able to adjust our flights very quickly- something that 'could' easily happen planning yourself. We were never without a driver taking us to our next stop and... I did have to text Tran that one driver was not there, I wasn't worried but it was unusual to have a driver be 5 minutes delayed so sent the text. Good thing, the driver had car trouble, so a new driver was dispatched instantly and all went smoothly! We enjoyed the time in Bangkok and the weather allowed some time at the roof top pool, but our favorite evening was going down to Chinatown to listen to music and have some local street food all recommended by our tour guide Eddie who was a fantastic fun guy. In general, all of the hotels were in great locations, welcome drinks and great English speaking front desk. I am caught between having all the wonderful amenities of a 5 star and having a lower-level hotel in the middle of all the action but in the end, being able to have a great full-on breakfast trumps out the ease of getting in a Grab (do download the app ahead of time) to take us to a popular evening market etc. Our favorite city was Chaing Mai the elephant tour was truly a highlight, we did have time to have lots of suits and dresses made in Hoi An (do have some clothing ideas before you go or you'll end up overwhelmed even with all their help- don't worry who you use they are all great and similar in price) and our favorite hotel was the Myst in Saigon- a wow but very unique hotel! All of the tour guides were also great- so happy we upgraded the suite on the river cruise on Halong Bay (if you can squeeze in a second day to go ashore to the town you should - we couldn't spare the time, and also others highly raved about Siem Reip which we also couldn't spare the time and recommend an extra relaxation day there as well). Thao Vo was so kind and knowledgeable on the temple area in Vue and took a lot of photos for us to enjoy. I also will commend Realistic Asia when a lunch was included- they let us eat without the guides. I have been on some tours where we did not get a minute to ourselves to talk about our day and the guides sat down with us to eat too... it's a small thing but huge when you are with a guide all day to have some personal time so kudos! We were blessed to have time at a family wedding in HCMC and Tran arranged for a transfer to this hotel and the final pick up to fly out as well. Overall a great experience and I'd definitely encourage frequent travelers to use Realistic Asia when traveling to this region. Other tips: Don't 'believe' you need to only use a backpack to travel, although I can and have travel nicely using a backpack but we got hung up on all the YouTube videos of backpack travelers in SEA... if the backpack is already needing to be checked don't hesitate for a normal suitcase on wheels, the youtubers are on a budget and not really booking ahead like this trip is- if you are having a driver pick you up, using Grabs and going to nice hotels, they are going to carry it for you anyway so why suffer with a tiny bag.... don't get me wrong PACK LIGHT you really don't need much and can always buy a cheap bag to bring treasures home, but we used large backpacks and was inconvenient to squash each time we transferred to another hotel and it was kind of silly- we were not staying in hostels nor were we unsure of where we were staying next- use the suit case! Other tip: Don't be afraid to alter your trip with Realistic Asia, look at the suggested hotels and if you want one in the middle of the party- ask, they will certainly find you the perfect fit!
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Dear Nancy, Thank you for your incredibly detailed and thoughtful review! We're thrilled to hear that you had such a fantastic experience with Realistic Asia and that Tran and the team were able to ensure a smooth and well-planned journey for you. It's... Show more
  Trip date: February 2025
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  Raymond B Scragg

  · December 12th, 2023
  This 16-day Thailand and Vietnam tour was my favorite trip so far. It was my first time experiencing a group tour like this. I thought I would be traveling with the same group for all 16 days, but it turned out that I joined a different group for each day tour. While I wasn't expecting that, it was totally fine. Besides that, I had a pleasant experience with all the services, itinerary, accommodations, the guides, the places I visited, and the team. I highly recommend this trip!
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Thank you for sharing your experience! We're thrilled to hear this was your favorite trip and that you enjoyed the services, itinerary, accommodations, and guides. Your feedback is highly appreciated, as it enables us to further develop our services and... Show more
  Trip date: November 2023

  Review collected by Realistic Asia
• A

  Peep pee

  · April 5th, 2024
  I think Realistic Asia is one of the best tour operators in Southeast Asia that I've used. My family and I love traveling, and we've been to this region a few times. It was a 11/10 experience, I think partly because we went during the low season, making it quite cheap compared to the high quality and we dont have to deal with crowed. We were also very impressed with their customer service. Thang was incredibly helpful and proactive, making us feel very safe. I'll definitely be back for another trip with Realistic Asia.
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Dear customer, Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic experience! We are thrilled to hear that your trip with Realistic Asia was an "11/10" and that traveling during the low season allowed you to enjoy high-quality services without the crowds.... Show more
  Trip date: March 2024

  Review collected by Realistic Asia
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  Anne Magiera

  · November 28th, 2023
  I booked this trip for my parents for their anniversary since they'd always wanted to travel to Southeast Asia. My parents really liked it and complimented the guides and Long, our trip supporter. During the trip, he asked for my parents' contact information and maintained communication with both me and them. Overall, the trip had a slow pace, which was suitable for my parents' health but still include many famous atractions. They had a great time there. Big thanks to Long and Realistic Asia.
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Thank you for your kind words! We’re so happy to hear that your parents had a wonderful anniversary trip and enjoyed the experience. Long and the team truly appreciate your feedback and are grateful for the opportunity to make this trip special. We... Show more
  Trip date: October 2023

  Review collected by Realistic Asia
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  Sabastien's Parents

  · May 20th, 2024
  This trip was just wow! It blew my mind. We joined some group tours with different people and made new friends everyday. I absolutely fell in love with the Mekong Delta - the people, the food, the culture, the views - everything was different and amazing.
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Dear customer, Thanks so much for your review! We’re really glad to know that you enjoyed your holiday in Thailand and Vietnam. Your feedback is highly appreciated, as it enables us to further develop our services. Trust us, you’ve made our day... Show more
  Trip date: May 2024

  Review collected by Realistic Asia
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  Mr Michael Zanzinger

  · April 13th, 2024
  I was really happy with our first-ever trip with Realistic Asia - nothing to complain about! Long, our travel advisor, was very supportive. The tour perfectly fit my health level, allowing me to have a great time enjoying the beautiful scenery of both countries. I personally felt Vietnam offered a slower vibe and delicious foods, while Thai food was a bit spicy for me. It was worth every penny I spent.
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Dear customer, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a fantastic review! We're especially happy to hear that Long from our team was a highlight of your trip. We'll be sure to pass on your kind words to him! We’re very grateful for... Show more
  Trip date: March 2024

  Review collected by Realistic Asia
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  Mrs. Tina Berger & Husband

  · May 10th, 2024
  This first trip of mine to Asia was better than I could ever expect. All the services and hotels were super nice, especially for the price I paid. Thang was such a great friend during the trip. He recommended a lot of great things for me and helped me a lot since I was traveling solo. I also have to say that the locals in Vietnam and Thailand were super friendly, which made me feel very comfortable there. My only wish is that I had more time in Vietnam and Thailand. I had such a great time there.
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Dear customer, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a fantastic review! We're especially happy to hear that Thang from our team was a highlight of your trip. We'll be sure to pass on your kind words to him! We’re very grateful for... Show more
  Trip date: April 2024

  Review collected by Realistic Asia
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  Akshay

  · January 15th, 2024
  This tour has a really nice itinerary. It gave us a great overview of Vietnam and Thailand. We learned so much about these two countries thanks to the fantastic local guides in each place. I really appreciated Thang's support from when we started planning to every day of our travel. He was always proactive in making sure everything was great and that we had everything we needed. This made us feel relaxed and worry-free during the trip. I highly recommend Realistic Asia.
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Thank you for your kind words! We’re so glad you enjoyed the itinerary and had the chance to learn so much about Vietnam and Thailand with the help of our fantastic guides. Thang truly appreciates your praise and is happy to have made your trip... Show more
  Trip date: December 2023

  Review collected by Realistic Asia
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  Payal Gokli

  · December 13th, 2023
  I love that Realistic Asia arranges local guides who were friendly and energetic and share with us a lot of interesting things about their places. All went perfectly on this trip: quality accommodation, very active customer care and customized itinerary. We will definetly use your company for the next trip.
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  Realistic Asia commented on this review

  Thank you so much for sharing your experience. We are so glad to know that you have enjoyed your trip to Thailand and Vietnam. It was a big pleasure for us to organize your holiday. Thank you again for trusting our company, and we hope to see you... Show more
  Trip date: November 2023

  Review collected by Realistic Asia