Long Dao
Hi, my name is Long. I am a young and passionate travel specialist from Vietnam. I was in love with travel since I was a child and always wanted it to be a part of my life.
My idea about travelling is creating life-long memories and bringing inspiration. I love to explore different parts of my country and Indochina, meet new people and learn something new, and I am happy to share my expertise and experience with others to create an unforgettable trip.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"I have the expertise to organise any kind of trip to any part of Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. We have great ideas for a romantic getaway, foodie tour or cultural exploration, we know all the best beaches in Indochina, as well as the trekking and cycling routes.
Moreover, following our concept of authentic experience our tours always have a variety of hands-on experiences for deeper immersion into local life and culture. It could be cooking lesson, learnign local crafts, farming, fishing and more. "
How did you get involved in travel?
"My parents often took me on trips to the mountains in Northern Vietnam. For me, it was like getting into another world when the narrow and cosy streets of Hanoi were transforming into emerald rice fields and the hills covered by jungles. I was visiting rural villages with friendly people who always give me a smile and live a completely different life from me. Sometimes I imagined that I am a pilgrim from the adventure books I liked to read.
Since that time it was my dream to make travel a part of my life. This is why I have chosen to study tourism at university, and since I graduated in 2014 I have been working as a travel specialist. The dream came true, I am doing what I love, I am travelling a lot and now have an opportunity to show the charm of my country to others and help them to create beautiful memories from the journey. "
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"My most memorable trip was not long to central Vietnam. I was travelling solo and took a train to Hue, where I would have a short stay, and from where I planned to rent a motorbike to ride to Hoi An via the famous Hai Van Pass.
Because of the rain, I had to stay in Hue for a bit longer and met a few motorbike taxi drivers, who used to be the travel guides before, but because of the pandemic, they had to become taxi drivers as a part-time job to be able to wait when the travel will be back. We went to the local coffee shop to wait until the rain is over and talked a lot about travelling and our jobs. All of them went through a difficult time but still are very optimistic and happy, and already making plans for the time tourism will be recovered. It did really inspire me to see that people who are passionate about their jobs like me do not give up and are so optimistic. And somehow they have shared with me their optimism and gave me more energy to continue what I am doing. "
Featured trips & expertise
South to North Food Tour of Vietnam - 8 Days
Besides its natural beauty and thousands of years of history, Vietnam ranks as one of the globe's great food destinations. You'll experience all the culture and cuisine you can handle as you make your way from Ho Chi Minh City up the central coast to the capital of Hanoi. Throughout, you'll mix street food tours with fun activities like basket boat rides and a cruise on Ha Long Bay.
Thailand North & South: Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Phuket - 12 Days
Experience the best of Thailand's varied landscapes, from mountains to islands to dense metropolises, on this 12-day itinerary. Explore Bangkok, travel by Skytrain, and visit teeming markets set alongside train tracks and within ancient canals. Then, tour the elaborate, architecturally stunning temples in Chiang Mai, wrapping up your stay relaxing, swimming, and snorkeling in Phuket.
Wonders of Thailand: Bangkok, Pattaya & Koh Samui - 9 Days
Experience Thailand's best sights on this nine-day tour, from ancient temples and Buddha statues to endless island beaches. Begin in the bustling capital to visit its most famous sites, like Wat Traimit and the Temple of Dawn, and tuck into its delicious street food. Head to Pattaya for the experience of a lifetime at a heart-warming elephant sanctuary, then hop over to the island of Koh Samui and cruise around the tranquil Ang Thong National Marine Park by boat.
Family Trip to Vietnam & Thailand: From Hanoi to Phuket - 14 Days
Having trouble choosing between Vietnam and Thailand for your family trip to Southeast Asia? This exciting two-week itinerary includes highlights from both countries. The tour starts in Hanoi and spends time in Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, and Ho Chi Minh City before flying to Thailand, where you'll get busy in Bangkok and Ayutthaya before taking things down a few notches in Phuket. Kids and parents will love this trip's combination of culture, active adventures, and relaxation.
Explore Thailand From City to Sea: Bangkok & Phuket- 6 Days
From temples galore in Bangkok to island hopping off the coast of Phuket, you'll get two different perspectives of Thailand on this exciting six-day trip. Start in the capital to see the city's most historic and spectacular temples, then grab your bathing suit and head to the beaches of Phuket, Thailand's largest island. Here you'll zoom around the islands of Ko Phi Phi by speedboat and discover secluded beaches, caves, and coves for the ultimate island escape.
Highlights of Thailand - 8 Days
Experience the best of Bangkok and Chiang Mai on this eight-day getaway. Visit floating markets and temples in Bangkok, cycle through Thailand's old capital, Thonburi, and float down the river on a long-tail boat. Learn traditional cooking methods as the house guest of a Thai family in Chiang Mai, and witness the sacred mountainous temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. The adventure culminates with a day out in the spectacular Doi Inthanon National park.
Recent trip reviews for Long
Short Vietnam visit with sites that were culturally interesting and stays that were super comfortable
Vietnam
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Feb 17 - Feb 25, 2023
This vacation was great! Long planned interesting cultural site visits and respected our choice to have some free time. Our guides were all knowledgable, spoke great English, and made everything convenient for us. Meeting the guides and drivers were so helpful and took a load off our shoulders!
We loved Vietnam. What a beautiful and very friendly country. We didn't get a chance to see it all and hope to return to revisit Hoi An (our favorite stop with the BEST hotel - the La Siesta)... read more
Dear Tracy,
Thanks so much for your review and your kind words! We’re really glad to know that you enjoyed your holiday in Vietnam and liked our country. I agree about Hoi An, it is one of my favorite places too. Your feedback is highly appreciated, as it enables us to further develop our services. Trust us, you’ve made our day immensely better by sharing your experience.
Thanks again for the review and for being such a great customer.
Long
Two Weeks in Vietnam for Two Female Americans
Vietnam
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Feb 11 - Feb 25, 2023
First, I want to compliment Long on his incredible planning. Every detail was thoughtfully offered to me in the planning stage. We went through four iterations of the trip until it was exactly what I wanted and Long helped me add some details to match other plans as I wanted to meet up with my husband and friend at the end of the trip also. I was so delighted with each and every daily adventure! I had no idea how special each decision Long offered was until I experienced them. The... read more
Dear Lynn,
Thank you so much for your very detailed feedback. We are extremely thrilled to hear that you and Julie enjoyed your holiday in Vietnam.
Thanks again for your kind words about Tony, Mei, Que, Trinh, and me. They and I all remember you and send you warm regards.
We’re very grateful for customers like you and Julie and hope to see both of you again!
Best wishes,
Long
FABULOUS FAMILY HOLIDAY
Vietnam
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Jan 4 - Jan 19, 2023
We recently completed a holiday in South and central Vietnam. After partially organising the holiday from Australia, I realised I needed some assistance from someone with local knowledge. I was travelling with my husband and my 3 older children. I'm not sure how I stumbled upon Kim Kim but after reading the reviews I thought I'd give them a go. I cannot express how fantastic they were. Throughout the planning stage I dealt regularly with Long. He was so helpful and provided so much advice... read more
Dear Dianne,
Thank you so much for your kind review! I am delighted to hear that you and your family have enjoyed your trip to Vietnam. Your feedback will give us more detail to improve our service in the future. I hope to see you again on your next holiday in South-East Asia!
Wish you all the best and hope to welcome you again in the future!
Long
2 Weeks in Vietnam
Vietnam
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Jan 7 - Jan 18, 2023
I cannot write enough good things about our service provided by Long and KimKim. From the very beginning stages to the last day of our trip, Long was especially helpful and reliable. I had so many thoughts and plans and he made it possible to include nearly everything we wanted to do in Vietnam within our time restraint.
Long checked in with us during the planning stages of the trip and throughout the entirety of the trip. All of our rides and transportation were taken care of and we were... read more
Dear Danielle,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share with me and my team your great experiences in Vietnam. I am very glad that you enjoyed this holiday. It was a pleasure for us to be a part of your trip.
Thank you again for choosing Realistic Asia and hope to see you again in other Indochina countries in future.
Best wishes!
Long
Great Thailand Vacation
Thailand
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Dec 21 - Dec 29, 2022
KimKim worked with me to build the perfect family vacation to Thailand. We refined based on our interests and needs, and ultimately, KimKim built a trip with amazing cultural experiences. Our specialist checked on us throughout the trip and was able to help schedule a new flight as needed. If you’re traveling somewhere you are unfamiliar with or you just want to hit the “easy” button, don’t hesitate to use KimKim. read more
Hi Chrissie,
Thank you so much for the feedback and your kind words! It was a great pleasure for us to organize this family trip for you that you enjoyed it. Thanks again for choosing our services, and we hope to see you again!
Long
Tailored Vietnam Trip for 5 days, great service provided!
Vietnam
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Dec 21 - Dec 26, 2022
I worked with Long to coordinate my trip through Kim Kim and he was persistently providing me excellent customer care in adjusting the itinerary to fit my needs and checked in on me throughout the trip. It can be stressful taking an international trip but he made himself available and was responsive in a reasonable amount of time. My tour guide Ngọc Sáu was also amazing in the sense that he was knowledgeable, adaptable to my groups needs, and was the friendliest tour guide. You could tell he... read more
Dear Tina,
Thanks so much for your review! I am very thrilled to hear your kind words about the holiday. It was a great pleasure for me and our team to organize this trip, and we are very happy to know that you enjoyed it.
Your feedback is highly appreciated, as it enables us to further develop our services and organize memorable holidays for our future clients.
Thanks again for the review and for being such a great customer.
Long
A first trip to VietNam, made amazing by KimKim
Vietnam
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Nov 6 - Nov 11, 2022
We enjoyed our hotels and guides very much. Every guide and driver was timely, which can be a real worry when you are traveling in a country where you don't speak the language. The hotels were nicer than we anticipated, particularly the Myst in Ho Chi Minh. The cruise in HaLong was alot of fun and worth the time it took (we only had 4 days in VietNam). The only part of our trip I wouldn't recommend was the Mekong delta trip. We felt it was took too long to reach the starting destination and lasted too long.
Otherwise, would use KimKim again to plan future trips.
Dear Joyce,
Thank you so much for leaving us such a detailed review. We are so happy to hear that you have enjoyed your trip. Thank s again for your choosing us for this trip to Vietnam! I hope to see you on the next holiday to South-East Asia.
Best regards,
Long
10 Day Vietnam Tour with Realistic Asia (booked thru KimKim)
Vietnam
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Oct 21 - Oct 30, 2022
We booked a 10 day tour with Realistic Asia thru KimKim. We are two travelers from the US and neither of us had been to Vietnam before. Long was our local specialist and after a little back and forth we landed on an itinerary that fit our travel needs perfectly. We wanted some guided tours but also plenty of free time to explore on our own. We wanted the comfort of knowing we had in-country transportation assistance, guides to ask questions of, and all the logistics planned for us.... read more
Dear Amy,
Thank you so much for such a detailed review. We are so happy to know that you enjoyed your trip to our beautiful country. Thank you so much for choosing us for this trip to Vietnam!
Once again, thank you for your feedback. Our team really appreciates it.
Wish you all the best and hope to welcome you again in the future!
Long
Great team.....thank you
Vietnam
|
Sep 24 - Sep 30, 2022
Thank you Ashley, Bobby and Tony for your help during our vietnam trip. Ashley was quick in making alternate plans when our Danang / Hoi An plan was foiled due to bad weather. Our son got sick and both Tony and Ashley showed they really care by helping us out both in tending to him as well as in making alternate plans and food arrangements. Not our ideal vacation but this team ensured it was not a bad one despite adversities. Thank you Bobby for the warm greeting at Hanoi and being so... read more
Dear Anand,
Thank you so much for leaving us a detailed review that helps us continue providing a great experience for future travelers.
I really regret that unfortunately your trip to Danang and Hoi An was unpredictably affected by the storm so we had to change the itinerary at the last minute. As I explained when we met, we made our best efforts to change to alternatives such as rebooking the flights and hotels for what we spent all funds we received after the cancellation of services in Da... read more
Amazing trip to Vietnam!
Vietnam
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Sep 8 - Sep 16, 2022
We had an amazing trip to Vietnam! Long was an incredible help with planning our trip - he listened to our feedback, made adjustments quickly, and checked in on us regularly during the trip to make sure everything went smoothly and we were enjoying ourselves. Most notably, when we had an issue with one of our visas, he stepped in to help us expedite the process and quite literally saved the whole vacation!
Some of the highlights included a vespa tour in Hanoi, a food tasting tour in Hoi... read more
Hi Christine!
Thank you so much for your great review. We are so happy to know that you enjoyed your trip to our beautiful country.
Wish you all the best and hope to welcome you again in the future!
Long
Vietnam Trip
Vietnam
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Sep 8 - Sep 12, 2022
Best for people who are looking for customized services, but dont want to search through endless booking portals.
(But of course you pay for that. I had the feeling that most the trips could´ve been arranged by yourself through tripadvisor, but that might be just my case, as I booked only 10 days ahead and its impressive what they put together in that small amount of time.) You still will have plenty of time to do some exploring yourself, which was great. Regarding the Vietnam: the pictures... read more
Dear Karla,
Thank you so much for leaving us such a detailed review. We are so happy to hear that you have enjoyed your trip. We work hard on delivering excellent service and memorable experiences for our travelers. Thank you so much for choosing us for this trip to Vietnam! I hope to see you on the next vacation to south-east Asia in the future
Long