All Northern Vietnam Tours & Excursions in 2026 - page 379

I am a bit late with my review of a trip in January. The tour was perfectly organised and the tour guide very polite, helpful and also gave us a lot of insight into the culture. I am usually sceptical with these kind of tours but that one was really good and the group size (8 I think) just perfect.

Is quite busy 24 hours on the boat. Was slightly nervous as a solo traveler but was fine. Boat was nice. Excursions were enjoyable. Staff were excellent. Tony a great guide. Bus to/from Hanoi a bit chaotic. As expected they stop at a place both ways to allow businesses to sell you some rubbish. But that is expected on a tour. But would be better if they went straight there. But that just a minor point.

Fantastic trip, our guide (Jason) was very organised and knowledgeable. Pick up was flexible and the journey was stress-free. A really good way of seeing the sights and having a little adventure without worrying about getting around. Had enough time to enjoy, would recommend staying overnight if possible - we let Jason know in advance and it was no problem.

Lovely trip & well executed. The boat was a good size for our small group & also very comfortable. Lunch on the boat was also good. Cruising through the bay was beautiful. Amazing to see all the rock formations. The drive to Ha Long bay was long though.

Pros 👍🏼👌🏼🥰: Tuk 특, our Tour Guide, was very friendly, enthusiastic, witty, hilarious 🤣, magnetic 🐸, helpful, fun and memorable. He is also highly intelligent—to include interpersonal skills and language skills—and is a very knowledgeable, informative, passionate and captivating storyteller (especially within THE CAVE). Anh—one of the cruise members who helped take care of everyone—was very professional, gentle kind 💝, keenly observant, thoughtful 🫠, and prompt; she basically provided warm and excellent 👌🏼 service throughout the cruise. Other team members were great 👍🏼 as well, but these two are the ones I interacted with the most, and they all deserved big tips. The tour was overall great, especially the gorgeous views of nature 🏞️ and the hauntingly beautiful cave. The buffet was overall pretty good; but reviews raving about it being amazing seem a bit of a stretch (since I’ve experienced truly mouthwatering, delicious, and amazing food). Granted, there’s potential towards amazing; plus, everyone has their own preferences, so what’s decent to one can be mind blowing to another. Even in January, there were a lot of tourists, so it was very loud at times; but that’s expected, and apparently inevitable, unless you come during the slowest season. Heads Up ⚠️ Regarding Meeting Point: The meeting location provided within the booking confirmation will take you to a different location. So it’s absolutely important to receive the correct location. Layla, from Ha Long Bay Adventures, initially contacted me via WhatsApp the day before this tour. But then she never replied the same day, and the next tour day—with an exact meeting point, plus answers to my questions—which was baffling. I even tried calling her, but there was no answer and no option to leave a voicemail. So then I received the exact meeting location via email at 8:32 am, the morning of the tour, which is NOT okay 🫩, since I was in the middle of getting ready to wait for my Grab app driver outside the building I was staying at (and I didn’t see the email until I arrived at the wrong location). Fortunately, the thoughtful driver helped me to call this tour company’s phone number—since I didn’t have mobile WiFi—who then gave him directions in Vietnamese to the actual meeting location. So I ended up paying for two rides to the start point 😐, which could’ve been prevented with better communication 🗣️💬👤. That’s when I met Tuk, our tour guide—at the actual meeting point—who helped to resolve what was apparently a misunderstanding. He said he doesn’t know anyone named Layla within their company, which seemed odd since she had all the information related to my booking confirmation, to include my full name and phone number. Plus, Tuk had attempted to contact me via WhatsApp that morning (as I later saw); but once again, since I didn’t have mobile WiFi while in my Grab app ride, I wasn’t able to access WhatsApp to receive his two calls. I realize this is a very detailed part of this review, but I’m sharing this so that hopefully others don’t have to experience what felt like a major pain in the @$$ (donkey emoji 🫏), chaotic process before the tour even started. 😳 For everyone’s sake, may this company tune into an effective solution, to include sending the exact meeting point the day before the tour (rather than the morning of). I’ve been informed that this meeting location has been difficult to find for other tourists in the past as well. So perhaps sharing a map with directions to the exact meeting point can help (and also attach it to an email just in case foreign visitors don’t have WhatsApp on 24/7). Since mistakes can happen—and there’s always room for improvement—I decided to give this review a 5 star rating rather than a 3 or 4, mostly because of the staff who went above and beyond with customer service. Plus, this tour was a great deal compared to many other options of its kind. Wishing you ALL many fully present 👁️👀 and pleasant 🌅🌄🌌🌠 moments of Life 🌳🪷. 💖🫂

We had a great experience in Halong Bay. The bay is beautiful, and well worth the 3 hour drive from Hanoi. We were on the Sea Coral, and the crew was well organized and accommodating. The room size was huge allowing space for the kids to play, and food was great with options for both kids and adults. Planning was easy with coordination through messenger for transportation to/from the port. We highly recommend this experience.

This was one of the best experiences of my life. The guide - Nam - was extremely kind, diligent and knowledgeable. If I could give this 10 stars I would. I chose to drive without an ez rider and felt safe and well taken care of. All you need to do is show up and they will take care of the rest (food, lodging and fun!) This company will take great care of you and offers an experience of a lifetime!

We loved our trip to Ha Long Bay! The boat was very comfortable and our room was gorgeous with a balcony and tub bath. The staff was extremely attentive to our every need. The food was very good, a mix of buffet style for lunch and breakfast and then plated meal for dinner. You do have to pay extra for any drinks you want. The excursions are great, including swimming, kayaking, and bicycle riding. I would definitely recommend the two nights stay because you get to do more activities and the one night seemed very rushed.