Best seller Halong Bay Day Cruise

The sites on the boat cruising through Ha Long Bay and the Sung Sot cave, to me, were well worth taking this tour. For the cost of this tour, you got transportation, a boat ride, buffet lunch, and mini excursions. Something that would cost 4x as much in the States. Our guide was great, kind, and accommodating. Very patient with other tourists. English was clear majority of the time. He went on the excursions with us sharing local history. The dock to load the boat was not crowded at all, we arrived at noon and were the only ones loading. The cave was also not too crowded, our group and another walked through together. Kayaking was quite crowded and disorganized, however this tour company cannot control that. Kayaks are sit on tops so you will get wet, bring a change of bottoms or only wear your bathing suit. The bamboo boats are no more, they have larger boats that cram 15 people on them. This change seemed to be news to our tour guide when we got there. The hike to Ti Top was VERY crowded. It's a steep hike, not too long, but with the crowd felt a little unsafe. The beach looked very nice and could be a better alternative. However, the view at the top was beautiful, and I thought worth the effort. On the boat, a woman is trying to sell you pearl jewelery, this is a very common approach and she was not aggressive, just say you're not interested. We brought our own reusable water bottles with no issues. The buffet had plenty of food for 27 people, and it was restocked when running low. Taste was okay, not the best nor worst food I had in Vietnam. On the way there and the way back you will make stops for the bathroom and food. As others shared, the one there to check out the merchants was probably too long. I don't think anyone from our bus bought anything. And the stop on the way back was also too long. Please be respectful of the return times and be on time back to the bus. Again, for the unique landscapes and low cost, I would recommend this tour for out of towners trying to see as much of Vietnam as they can. It's a long day, so relax and enjoy it!