THE LONG TRAVEL

The staff at our assigned pick up point were unclear about us being there. We ended up transferring to three different vehicles by the time we arrived in Ninh Binh. The driver drove too fast on the highway ….to the point where the van was vibrating. We did not feel safe. Would recommend an alternative method of transportation. Gregory  

This was a very confusing experience. We were driven by 3 different drivers and kept stopping to pick up more people. We were left waiting without being notified why. We arrived half an hour late. Sophie  

RDV à la bus station de Sapa (sous le porche) et voyage parfait. Bus en bon état. Constantin  

Hizo muchas paradas, no hizo parada para ir al baño hasta 1 h antes de llegar al destino. No nos dejó en el destino indicado y tuvimos que coger un taxi hasta nuestro destino Caterina  

Sleeper cabin bus is not suitable for a taller person (185cm means you can’t find a sleeping position…). The safety belt kept getting tighter until you had to open and losen it - every 30 min or so. There was no info about stops on route. Michael  

Over an hour wait... Elliot  

We had to change transport after we boooked n payed,due to it was fully booked. Got an alternative that was less comfortable, but ok. Jenny  

They told us to arrive 30 min before departure to Check in and get the official ticket. In the end they did nothing like this and we started 10 min After departure. So we waited like 40 min without any reason. Moreover we had to wait round about 40 min for the ferry, even though there was one ferry which left earlier. After the ride with the ferry we switched the bus, just to make another 20 min break after 40 min driving. It just didn't make any sense, nobody was hungry (and there was no shop to buy snacks) and nobody had to go to toilet. After that we had another 2,5 h ride with the bus and arrived at our destination in Ninh Binh like 80 min late (because of the non sense waiting). So I wouldn't really recommend. Laura  

Bus barato que cumple su función. Correcro. No diría es excesivamente cómodo pero suficiente. Inigo  

El bus contactó con nosotros antes de llegar para asegurar que estemos en el punto correcto. Muy bien. Hector  

Le chauffeur n’ est pas venu nous chercher au point de rencontre. Après plusieurs minutes d attente, un de ses collègues nous a commandé un taxi pour rejoindre le bus qui attendait à une autre station…. Le chauffeur était au téléphone en conduisant ce qui est à la fois gênant et dangereux. Je ne recommande pas. Audrey  

Poca comunicación con el conductor, no sabían inglés. Marc  

Primero de todo, reservamos un bus nocturno por la página de Baolau para viajar de Sapa a Tam Coc. Posteriormente a haber realizado el pago, nos avisan a las 13 hs del día anterior al viaje que ya no habían más lugares disponibles y nos ofrecen una opción más cara (con cambio de trasporte y más larga) y otra más económica pero saliendo a la tarde y nos piden que respondamos antes de las 16 hs para asegurar lugar, lo cual estando de vacaciones y con poca conectividad se hace difícil de cumplir. Elegimos la opción de la tarde por la compañia The Long Travel que en teoría salía a las 16 30 hs. Finalmente, el bus salió 1 h más tarde casi vacío y demoro casi 2 hs parando en infinidad de lugares para levantar más pasajeros. Recién a las 19 30 hs emprendimos viaje a Tam Coc desde Lao Cai. El bus llego 1 30 hs mas tarde de lo que debía (no tardó más porque el chófer condujo como loco, haciendo que el viaje sea muy incómodo por los movimientos bruscos del bus). Por si fuera poco, la devolución Elias  

Thanks. Sorry but this was not a great experience. Turned up at 8.30 as requested to board. No bus. A nice person rang the driver and they said they would arrive soon. I rang at 9.20 am as they still hadn't showed up. Luxury bus was dirty. Most seats broken and phone chargers didn't work..... Would I book again. Never. Sorry but that's how it was. Marian  

The bus has less space inside than usual so it was not so comfortable but it was on time Igor  

Great experience. The long travel supplied a safe journey from ninh binh to ha long. Richard  

To sum it up quickly, the "VIP Limousine" was not as depicted in online images - it was not clean and not in good operating condition. The driver was hacking (coughing) continuously for the first half of the drive, was driving like an asshole and was a total dick to his paid passengers. I ADVISE DO NOT USE THIS TRANSPORT COMPANY. Bruce  

The driver stored a folding bike on the front two seats preventing passengers from using them - the best two seats on the bus! He stopped several times to pick up packages from locals and paid to drop them off in Cat Ba, each one taking 10-15 minutes which made us 40 minutes late for the ferry, which had to wait for us, delaying everyone already on the ferry. James  

Le conducteur a roulé très vite. Nous avons craint pour nos vie plusieurs fois. Malgré la circulation il doublé par le bas côté.Nous avions l'impression d'être du bétail. Le trajet a durée moins de temps que prévu mais au détriment de nos estomac et de nos dos. Les ceintures de sécurité n'étaient pas fonctionnelles.En plus une odeur de poisson. Et juste avant la fin du trajet nous vous compris pourquoi. Le mini bus sert aussi à livrer appartement de la nourriture puisque le constructeur a déposé et récupéré des colis sûrement alimentaire. C'est notre 2 voyage en bus dit limousine je déconseille cette compagnie. Severine  

I was on three buses and one SUV to get to the airport. It took 4 hours to get from nam coc To the Hanoi airport. Because there were drop-offs along the way, we went through all of the worst traffic in Hanoi instead of circling around the city. I should have taken the train. Michele  

Llegamos tarde, hicimos una ruta de 6h para llegar de pu luong a ninh binh Juan  

Nous avons dû changer de bus à Lao Cai, ce qui n’était pas prévu sur nos billets. Notre bus à partir de Lao Cai était très peu confortable et de la musique a joué très fort jusqu’à environ 21h30… C’est un autobus de 3 rangées alors que je pensais avoir réservé un VIP mais je me suis peut-être trompé. Nous sommes arrivé à l’heure. Jerome