Huong Hai Junk

I%26#39;m debating booking this junk in May and I was wondering if anyone had any feedback about it? I%26#39;ve tried searching for it but there doesn%26#39;t seem to be much out there..

Thanks, Vicky

Huong Hai Junk

There are many boat operators in Halong Bay though you%26#39;d better book with a tour company from Hanoi who will also provide guides and transportation. Huong Hai is one of the biggest company in the bay and owns a dozens of boats. They are catered for superior with A/c double/twin cabin and private bathroom with hot shower. However, some of their boats are quite old. Another big boat operator in Halong Bay is Bai Tho company which owns newer boat with nicer cabin. Price are about the same. Let me know if you need more information about boats or travel to Halong.

Huong Hai Junk

My family and I went on the Huong Hai junk 2 years ago,cabin was very clean and food were good. The sundeck area on the roof top is particularly great to relax and enjoy the scenery during the day and watching the stars in the evening. Beautiful and magical experience!

Second to the above advise, Huong Hai has many boat with a royal court form and do not offer a sun deck so if you still decide to go with Huong Hai, make sure that you ask for the boat with sundeck. These are also newer boat.

Dear Sir/Madam,Huong Hai Junk Co.,ltd is the first boat company that launched overnight on boat in Halong Bay, at about 1997-1998. It runs very good tours and provides you exeptional services in and around Halong. I am a Vietnamese and working in tourism business for years so I can asure you that. Please book Huong Hai Junk.Have an enjoyable trip!

My husband and I just came back from Vietnam and we were on the 3 day/2 night cruise with Huong Hai Junks. The boat was older, although the onboard guide said it was 5 years old. It did not have a sundeck on top, just a seating area off the dining area. There were only 8 cabins on the boat (we wanted a smaller crowd).

We chose the 3 day/2 night option because with the 1 night option you really only get about 24 hours on the boat which didn%26#39;t seem like much time after a 3 hour drive each way from Hanoi. With the extra day you get out of the tourist boat ghetto where the boats are anchored shouting distance from each other and into a more remote area where you get to do some kayaking and swimming off the boat. The kayaking was another big factor in our choice of boats/tours.

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, you%26#39;re back to the tourist boat ghetto for the night. If the tides are not significant, then swimming off the boat in this area is not appealing as there%26#39;s rainbow oil/diesel slicks on the water.

The staff on the boat we were on were not service oriented. I don%26#39;t speak Vietnamese, but you could tell from their attitude that they were talking trash about the passengers. Getting a drink before dinner required enticing the staff away from the TV set in the dining area that was showing a soap opera. The staff was great about pushing wine, which our onboard guide did indicate they received commission on.

The onboard guide was ok. He was nice enough to let me go out kayaking early the last morning when I was up before many on the boat. On the other hand, he had a conversation with each couple on the boat detailing how little he made that seemed like a blatant play for a bigger tip at the end of the trip.

So, if you%26#39;re looking for a boat with good service, the Huong Hai Junks might not be the best choice.

There are many, many, many choices of cruises. Many are not to be found on the internet. Even if you do a lot of research (as I did), you may not find a great boat. Your best bet is to find a tour agency that really knows the Ha Long Bay cruise business.

All that said, the cruise was spectacular. The scenery is amazing and the kayaking was great and really gave you an opportunity to get out on the water and paddle through caves, into hidden lagoons, to see monkey%26#39;s on islands, and to paddle past a fishing village school. Also, the food on the boat was pretty good and plentiful, if predictable (the lunches and dinners each day were almost identical).

Hi,

I have come back my country from Viet Nam.I travelled to Ha Long bay with Ciao travel, Classic sail ( ciaotravels.com). I booked 1 deluxe single cabin for package tour: 3 days+2 nights , total price: 260usd . If you want join tour 2 days+1 night, the price is about: 100usd for 1 adult , double cabin or twin...with kayakking( I dont remember exactly ).

I really had good memorries on classic sail, I%26#39;d like to thank to all staffs who take care me and our group on tour.

Before I booked tour with Classic sail on internet , I read many reviews and checked some deluxe junks , I liked Santa ( or Pinta ) , Classic Sails, phoenix , An Nam , Similiar price and intinerery.

I mailed to those companies and received many options, prices...but i really had imppressions with some answer emails from Nhan , ciao travel ( classic sails) and reveiws on guide book ,tripadvisor.com , that was the reason I booked tour with that company .

I think, there are many kind of junks in Ha Long bay for your chosing but you should check carefully because my friennds said me that : Before coming to Viet Nam, be carefull with all services and advertiments. I checked and searched on internet with tripadvisor.com for many tours , thanks for all helps from this.

I recomend Classic sail because my tour on it was ok and i had good memoreis in Viet Nam.

Good lunk,

Alan Robert.

I was in Vietnam in Jan 09. I booked a 2 night - 3 day cruise with this company and deliberately told them that I wanted that cruise WITHOUT the kayaking. I booked through my hotel and expressed these wishes very forcefully.

The first day on the cruise was excellent. A good crew, good guide and good cabin with excellent food aboard the boat.

In the morning of day 2 we were told that the boat and the guide had to return to Halong Bay for the day and my wife and I would be transferred with an Auzzie couple to another boat just for that days itinerary, returning to our own boat later that day.

The boat we got on was an old heap in very poor condition. The first thing the new guide did was to tell us that we were going kayaking and that he could get the kayaks at a much cheaper rate that the company could. He wanted 15usd from each of us. We all had a massive row and we knew he was on a scam. He said that there was nothing else on offer for that morning. I told him that we would be reporting this back to the company. My wife refused to go and told me that since it appeared that there was nothing else going to happen I should go. Me and the other couple went having parted with the 15usd each.

He wanted us to go for 3 hours but we said only 1 hour. All the time we were away from the boat the crew never offered or asked my wife if she would like a drink. On returning to the boat we moved to another inlet and had lunch which wasnt too bad. The guide and the crew then proceeded to go to sleep for and hour and a half.

The days itinarey was not what we had paid a lot of money for.

Whe we got off the boat to retuen to Hanoi and whilst waiting for the transport, I saw the guide from day 1 and informed him of what had gone on. He went and found day 2s guide who offered to give me the 15 dollars back I accepted and then told him I would be taking it further. On return to the hotel I informed them and they took it up with the company. I emailed the company on four occasions without reply. I asked the hotel to get them to reply. They offered an apology which I wouldnt accept, but after the hotel had chased them up they refunded 50usd. aThey said they had investigated the situation and had diciplined the guide.

I would not recommend this company to any one.

Vjuniper,

I read Alan Roberts review and suspect that he is working for Ciao travel. I went back to read most of his review and found out that he only praise Ciao travel and nothing else. I suspect that he is a Vietnamese and learned his craft at a school in VN. His writing skill or lack of it is obvious. I do not know any thing about Ciao travel but if they use the service of a tout to promote their travel agency. I would not use them. Look at one of the picture I have in my profile then you can see how old some of these Bai Tho boats are.

I was thinking along the same lines beachbumbs