Ha Long Bay

I traveled solo, and overall, it was very good. First, regarding transportation. I had some issues with the hotel, so I contacted them via WhatsApp at 1 AM to change hotels. They responded early the next morning and picked me up in front of the new hotel. Thank you for accommodating my rescheduling. I chose the limousine bus. It was about six rows of 2-1, with a wall-mounted charging port that supported USB A and C. I was able to charge my phone without any issues on the way there and back. I wanted to share this information so I don't have to carry a heavy battery. The itinerary was very efficient and well-organized. We stopped at service areas along the way, but many of the stalls don't accept cards, so it's a good idea to bring cash. The other participants were one Japanese couple, two Indian couples, and a Westerner. Since I was traveling alone, I didn't talk much, but I was able to communicate easily in English, even borrowing and lending charging cables.

The price is higher during the December holiday season. A shuttle bus will pick you up from the hotel; if you don't see it, a staff member will immediately ride over to guide you. The scenery on the yacht is beautiful! Although the yacht isn't large and doesn't have much public space, it's clean, retro, and comfortable overall. The staff are also very friendly! They took us to attractions like the Surprise Cave, explaining things thoroughly and even helping us take photos. Some staff members speak a little Chinese. Dinner was delicious! Drinks for two days and one night cost about 700 VND.

The boat was new, the shuttle bus was comfortable, the lunch was above average, and there was a live performance at the end – definitely worth it!

This trip to Hanoi, Vietnam included a day trip to the famous Ha Long Bay. Since we weren't considering yachting and overnight accommodation, we opted for a day trip with round-trip transportation. The tour departed at 7:30 AM and returned to Hanoi city center around 8:30 PM. In addition to the designated pick-up location on the itinerary, you can specify a pick-up near your hotel when booking, and the guide will arrange pick-ups along the route. Our guide for this day trip was Nam, a Vietnamese national. He was very dedicated to explaining Vietnamese history and culture, which was very informative. His English was simple and easy to understand, and his speaking pace was gentle; even we non-native English speakers could understand 80-90% of his explanations. The order of the itinerary may be slightly adjusted depending on the day's schedule, but all the attractions will be visited, so don't worry too much about that! Additionally, the journey included an extra stop at a pearl factory where you can observe the pearl harvesting and culturing process. There's no hard selling, and you can choose whether or not to purchase pearl jewelry. For the canoe experience, you can choose between a two-person canoe (requires experience and it's recommended to bring a change of clothes), a multi-person bamboo raft, or an additional fee of $30 per person for a speedboat ride. The bamboo raft ride took approximately 20-30 minutes; the bamboo raft experience at the Ningping Chang'an Ecological Zone is highly recommended! The buffet on the yacht was decent, nothing particularly amazing but filling. Drinks can be purchased separately at an extra cost. In the afternoon, there are complimentary snacks, fruits, and basic fruit juices and teas. During Happy Hour, drinks are buy-two-get-one-free. Finally, enjoy a beautiful sunset from the yacht to end the day – highly recommended!

Overall, it was good. Our guide, Austin, handled every point very well. He was friendly and humorous. The buffet on board was just barely passable in terms of food and taste, but it was acceptable for the price. The overall experience felt a bit commercialized, which is understandable. For the canoeing, we chose the less strenuous option with 20 people per boat, and the boatman was very friendly and offered to take photos for us. The Surprise Cave was very crowded; we spent about an hour just queuing, but the wait was definitely worth it. The cave is a hidden gem, and the wonders of nature are truly breathtaking.

This trip started with my wife's words: Let's go to Vietnam for New Year's! We had a really fun trip to Halong Bay! We managed to overcome the language barrier, which worried me, but when we arrived at the kayaking area, I got a little lost because the guide went ahead without explaining anything. I didn't have my ticket at the ticket handover area, so the ticket attendant at the gate told me to leave someone else behind to get my ticket, so I hurried over to get it from the guide. After receiving it, we were able to go kayaking around Halong Bay without any problems! Personally, I'd love to kayak again! 🤤 Thank you!

Everything smooth and well organised. Our guide, Son, speaks fluent English and give clear instructions; should be awarded 5 stars. Beautiful scenery in Halong Bay. Some safety belts of our bus are not work.