Grouptour
- About
- Popular Routes
- Stations
- Reviews
- Schedule and Timetable
About Grouptour
Quick company Intro
Grouptour is one of the countless private operators on the hugely popular tourist route connecting Hanoi with Sapa. With Grouptour you know that you’ll be arriving in the centre of Sapa and won’t have the hassle of changing in Lao Cai as is the case if you were to choose to make the trip by train.
Routes served by Grouptour
Grouptour offers one route only, making the scenic journey through the mountains to Sapa before heading back again to Hanoi. There are three buses each day leaving Hanoi for Sapa, departing at 06.30, 13.00, 22.00 which are scheduled to arrive at 12.00, 19.30 and 04.30 (the next morning) respectively. The trip will take 6 ½ hours and is priced at VND230,000 in either direction.
Visitors leaving Sapa for Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, have even greater choice. There are five buses every single day making the trip, leaving at 08.00, 13.00, 14.30, 15.30 and 22.00, which are scheduled to arrive in Hanoi throughout the day between 04.30 and 22.00. With such a variety of departure and arrival times, there is sure to be one which fits your schedule.
Pros
Grouptour tickets tend to be cheaper than those offered by its competitors so is a popular option for visitors on a budget. Prices are also far lower than train tickets between Hanoi and Sapa, with the added bonus of not having to change at Lao Cai and making the remainder of the trip by bus.
There are a very good range of services offered by Grouptour so there is bound to be at least one departure that will suit you, whether you need to arrive in Sapa in time for a trek or to make sure you don’t miss a flight from the airport in Hanoi.
Cons
Due to the low cost, Grouptour services are not always the highest quality. The buses themselves can be older than you’d find elsewhere and may not necessarily be as comfortable as you’d like.
Another major issue with travelling by bus is that delays are fairly common, it’s not unusual to arrive an hour or so late so bear this in mind if you are on a tight schedule. Even with delays the journey will still be quicker than catching the train though!
Keep in mind
Grouptour is one of the cheapest options for reaching Sapa from Hanoi and the service you receive can reflect this. If you’re cornered about the quality or comfort of the buses then you might want to consider paying a little more with another operator.
What travellers say
Grouptour is one of the most popular transport operators with budget travellers as it is a very cheap and fairly reliable service to take you to Sapa. Although it might not be as comfortable as a sleeper train, it costs less than half the amount and will get you there in less time as well. This makes it a popular choice with those visiting on a tight schedule.
Usually the biggest cause for complaints are delays and the comfort aboard the buses. Unfortunately, delays are commonplace across Vietnam, whether you are travelling by bus or train, and there is little that can be done to avoid this. It might make you feel better to know that even taking the almost inevitable delays into account, you’ll still almost certainly arrive at your destination more quickly than if you’d made the trip by train.
The comfort of Grouptour services is a common issue but is to be expected from a budget option. You can pay far more with other operators for a slightly better standard but whether you consider this worthwhile is entirely up to you.
NaN Passengers
Grouptour Stations
Danang SSBHanoi SSBCat Ba SSBHue Luxury SSBMui Ne Hanh CafeHo Chi Minh Hanh CafeNha Trang Hanh CafeCao BangHanoi Nuoc Ngam StationFriendship PassHanoiSapaVientiane Southern Bus StationSapa SSBMai Chau BusHalong Bay Tuan ChauDien Bien Phu Bus stationBai Chay Bus stationLao Cai SSBBac Ha SSBHanoi SBHa Giang HostelPhong Nha SSBHoian Luxury SSBCat Ba TownNinh Binh City Hotel TransferMai ChauVua Xu Mu CafeHanoi Opera HouseHalong SB1Ninh Binh SSBPham Ngu Lao Nam Hai OfficeMai Chau Valley ViewNinh Binh Hotel TransferMCC 1Tu Le Luxury SSBHanoi SSB1Phong Nha Central Full MoonSan bay Cat BiCentral CircusHalong SBFull Moon Bus Nha TrangThe Long Hotel Tam CocDalat An PhuMui Ne An PhuHoi An An PhuThakhekDa Nang City Center at 38 Nguyen Tri Phuong streetSapa Bus StationHanoi Noi Bai AirportHa NoiTan Binh OfficeHanh Cafe Office Nha TrangMui NePham Ngu Lao Bus StationQuan 5 Bus StopHa Long Bus StopHoi An 190 Ton Duc Thang streetNha Trang OfficeHue City Center 37B Nguyen Thai Hoc streetCang Cai RongNoibai Airport Luxury SSBNoibai AirportNoibai Airport SSBNinh Binh Luxury SSBPhongnha Luxury SSBHalong SSB1Danang Luxury SSBSapa SSB1Hanoi Sb1Cao Bang Luxury SSBTuan Chau Luxxury SSBNoibai Airport Luxury SSB1Sapa Office Luxury SSBMoc Chau SSBPuluong SSBYolo Ha Giang AdventuresVan Don International AirportDa Nang Bus station 38 Nguyen Tri Phuong streetDaiichi Cat Ba OfficeMikes Travel Agency156 Tran Quang Khai StreetDa Nang Office LimousineDien Bien Phu SSBMu Cang Chai SSBLao Bao SSBHanoi OfficeNinh Binh OfficeCatba Station SSBHai Phong SSBTrang An SSBHue OfficeSAOVIET LAOCAI OfficeCatba officeMong Cai SSBHoi An Office limousineHue Office LimousineDanang Offcie SB156 Tran Quang KhaiLAO CAI SB OFFICEHagiang SB SleepingHaGiang SB OfficeHagiang Office SSBThe long Hotel SSBCATBAThe Long Hotel SBHanoi Tho ThapPuluong SBNinh Binh limousineHagiang SB StationHanh cafeNINHNINH SLEEPINGBUSDong van SleepbusYen Nhi Hotel SB7 Pham Van Dong StreetHAlONG OPEN BUSNinh Binh OpenBusPHONG NHA OPENBUSHUE OPENBUSHOI AN OPENBUS141 Ho NghinhVan Don Ship portNinh Binh BusVan Don Ship portHa Giang Moment HomestayNinh Binh Viet NamHAGIANG SLEEPINGLAO CAI international border gate114 Tran Nhat Duat StreetHoi An SSBNha Trang SSBMui Ne SSBNinh Binh Viet NamHa Giang Riverside HostelLang Son SSB34 Thich Quang DucDIEN BIEN PHU SBHanoi GrouptourCau Treo SSB44 Chu van An Street04 Hang Chinh Maison Mackeno64 Huynh Thuc KhangHa Long Essence ClassicAmazing Bus 116 QL13Grouptour 78 Tran Quang Khai60 Tran Nhan Tong78 Tran Quang KhaiLuxury no78 Tran Quang Khai23 Nguyen Tat Thanh4 Hoang Dieu Da lat32 thich quang ducBoarding point Ruby Cruise110 Da Nang Street Hai PhongOasis Coffee Bungalow Restaurant211 Nui NgocThe GOAT Bar Coffee Restaurant
Grouptour Company Reviews
L K
Leon KVehicle did not Show up. They booked us a taxi instead but everything then was late aswell.
Van Shared van 6 pax, Grouptour, Apr 16, 2024
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Carolin I booked it really last minute and everything went good. Bus was more or less on time and arrived about an hour early. The "beds" are about 1,7 m long so if your taller it's probably not comfortable... We ended at the right spot.
Bus VIP 32, Grouptour, Apr 14, 2024
A S
Arvind SVery well organised we didn't have to get concerned about anything as long as you mention your final destination a few times tonthe crew and office staff.
Van Standard, Grouptour, Apr 14, 2024
A P
Aurelie PThe bus was on time but then it stops during at least 45 minutes so we were late at the end.
The bus driver was awful, super impolite and dangerous on the road
Bus Express, Grouptour, Apr 13, 2024
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Eleonora The bus stoped in a different position at 5 am in the night, so I had to take a taxi. I wrote to the support service, they didn't answer.
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Apr 13, 2024
L A
Lavinia AAfter 20-30 minutes random walks through random vans in the Noi Bai parking lot, we waited where we specified to be picked up.
Was pretty shocked when someone who we taught it’s a “special” taxi driver turned out to be our driver confirming it by showing us our names and phone numbers screenshot.
He was quite speedy and got us there in 5 hours to Sapa which included a 15 minutes bathroom break. He also left us at the hotel and not our station which we were grateful for. He was friendly and most importantly a fast driver
Bus VIP 14, Grouptour, Apr 9, 2024
E L
Elroy LGot there
Van Van + Sleeper Bus, Grouptour, Apr 8, 2024
C H
Constance HWe arrived 40 minutes late for a 2 hours trip. Driver left the car for 20 minutes without any explanation and then left us at the airport
Bus VIP 12pax, Grouptour, Apr 5, 2024
E T
Elisa TThe Driver was "wild" - way to fast.
Stop and Go all the time. Just honking the horn. Car was "grubby" and a bit broken.
But in time.
The Driver and the car from ninh binh to Tam Coc was perfekt and also stopped at every single Hotel instead of the Stop in the Voucher.
Bus VIP 18 Express, Grouptour, Apr 4, 2024
S J
Shaashwat J3 transfers, but overall good. The vehicles were comfortable.
Bus VIP 9 Express, Grouptour, Mar 28, 2024
F R
Felix RBus started 1h late, the crew was not friendly at all and we were making stops so many times.
Bus VIP 33 Sleeper, Grouptour, Mar 27, 2024
R G
Rebecca GDeparture point only took us to another bus terminal where people had already boarded the bus. Booked for 1615 and didn't get taken to the bus terminal until then. Clearly they had overbooked / cancelled buses as there were people for 1600, 1615 and 1700 bus all told to board the same one! Initially they tried to tell us to get into a minivan, I had to re-show them my ticket with the word SLEEPER. Eventually was told to board the sleeper bus, after they prioritised boarding all of the locals who arrived after us, they then tried to put me and my partner in 1 cabin together after doing it to other people. I refused and insisted on 2 given we had paid for 2 tickets. They then allowed us into 2 cabins, and there was even 1 cabin free on the bus and I saw at least 2 cabins doubled up. The assistant on the bus was frankly just rude, and pushed me aside physically twice without saying anything. Did not speak any English and ignored our attempts to communicate with him with Google translate.
Eventually the bus set off about 1hr after schedule and after about 1hr into the journey we stopped and were switched onto another bus. There was no attempt to communicate with us at all, if they had explained from the beginning the whole journey would have been much easier to understand. The new bus driver was much more pleasant and helpful (we asked him on google translate for his number, so our hotel could call him to arrange a taxi for us at the other end, and he kindly obliged, unlike the first driver and assistant who just totally ignored us despite reading the same message. We later stopped for a break at services, along with the original bus - we were told 20min break, 1hr later we were still there as crews from both buses were sat eating food together! Meanwhile all the passengers were back on the bus waiting to go. They also stopped a few times on the way and a few locals got on and were sleeping in the aisle. Unsurprisingly we arrived about 1hr after scheduled time.
Bus VIP 33 Sleeper, Grouptour, Mar 27, 2024
C
Christopher The bus driver spent the entire time talking on the phone and watching videos while driving. Shockingly unsafe. For whatever reason the bus stopped 5 different times on the way. Seats/beds were comfortable. When we got to Sapa they did drive us to our hotel but the shuttle driver was unimaginably rude and angry. Not sure why.
Bus Lower Single Cabin, Grouptour, Mar 17, 2024
M M
Mimi MVery comfortable bus with reclining seats, smooth journey
Bus VIP 9 Express, Grouptour, Mar 15, 2024
M S
Mikkel SIt came late and it Said on the website that the trip would take 5h 20m but it ended up taking closer to 6h 45m
Bus VIP 33 Sleeper, Grouptour, Mar 14, 2024
J S
Johannes SWe were driven to the Grißen bus in a small van. Everything went really well. The bus just stopped for 30 minutes at some point, which was really annoying.... . Otherwise the bus ride was good and the seats were also good.
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Bus VIP 32, Grouptour, Mar 13, 2024
E R
Eleanor RVery uncomfy, difficult to sleep
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Mar 13, 2024
G B
Gerlinde BChaotic for Europeans, but arrived on time.
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Van VIP, Grouptour, Mar 10, 2024
H H
Henrik HThe size of the bed would be nice information, since those beds had been less than 165cm long.
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Mar 9, 2024
J K
Jovana KThe journey was pleasant and really Vietnamese-rural! The only bad thing was that we only received confirmation half an hour before departure and so almost missed our bus.
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Bus Standard AC, Grouptour, Mar 6, 2024
D C
David CThe driver did not come at the rendezvous point. We had to call the agency that got us the next mini van, 1h15mins later.
After that, the next driver was rude.
But the vehicle was confortable and driving was OK.
Bus VIP 12pax, Grouptour, Mar 6, 2024
J A
Jan AThe Sao Viet VIP22 bus was clean and comfortable. It's just a bit too short for people over 180, but diagonally in bed it was fine with 186. Staff were friendly. We were a little late, but ok for the route. Definitely recommended.
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Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Mar 4, 2024
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Lena VWe arrived, got what we booked via many detours, but with a 3.5 hour delay, which was definitely not due to traffic jams or the like, but to incorrect organization, it was actually not okay.
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Van Van + VIP Bus, Grouptour, Mar 4, 2024
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Roland GPerfect, punctual, very comfortable vehicle. Very good driver.
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Van Regional, Grouptour, Mar 1, 2024
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Lamberto 3 changes, 1,50 minutes delay e all the trip with my backpack on my legs because no space
Bus VIP 12pax, Grouptour, Feb 29, 2024
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Jonas KThe agency had apparently forgotten about us. After several calls, the hotline finally picked up. We made them understand what our problem was
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Bus Sleeper 38, Grouptour, Feb 29, 2024
P W
Paul WWe were not dropped off the designated place
Van Shared van 6 pax, Grouptour, Feb 26, 2024
S B
Sean BOverall it got us from A-B - the bus was about 45 minutes late! The wifi wasn’t working but they did have working USB ports and aircon 😊
Bus VIP 33 Sleeper, Grouptour, Feb 24, 2024
N F
Nicole FIn summary, I am satisfied. The bus left half an hour later and a few hundred meters away. A member of staff kindly showed me the way and even helped me carry my suitcase there.
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Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Feb 24, 2024
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Adam HJourney was fine and it was definitely one of the cheapest options for Dong Hoi to Phong Nha at the time. You have to accept some delay etc but given how many extra stops the bus took, it was never going to be the 4 hour journey that was suggested. It's not a complaint really, just worthwhile knowing for this journey.
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Feb 22, 2024
J
Jakob Smooth ride with a short stop at a nice rest stop.
Bus VIP 18 Express, Grouptour, Feb 17, 2024
Г 3
Георги 3I give 4/5, because the bus was new and clean and the driver was kind and helpful. We have arrived at the end with no problems.
BUT
There are bad things I need to mention here:
- we booked ticket for 16:15 but somehow the bus was full and we needed to wait for 17:00. Not OK, if you are chading a flight;
- the toilets at the bus stops, both at Hanoi and Sapa, were like taken out of a horror movie.
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Feb 9, 2024
J B
Josh BComfortable bus, arrived 2 hours early. Perfect.
Bus VIP 18 Express, Grouptour, Feb 8, 2024
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Roland GVoyage correct
Bus VIP 18 Express, Grouptour, Feb 6, 2024
V
Victoria Cockroaches on the bus. Took an extra hour to get there. Dropped us off further from where the map said so that we’d get a taxi.
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Feb 3, 2024
J G
Joshua GGood, on timing, ride was chaotic but that's more due to the general state of the roads than the driving itself. Well managed, didn't lose any luggage.
We were brought to the bus terminal by the agency's taxi.
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Feb 1, 2024
H S
Holly SBus didn’t depart for over an hour after the specified time and the driver wouldn’t explain why, just kept saying 10 more mins.
We arrived at 22:20 rather than 21:00…
Bus is one of the very old ones so no charging and I’m not sure the blankets are clean…
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Jan 28, 2024
A S
Axel SBa and it was the quickest option with a journey time of 10 hours.
The bus was supposed to start at 07:30, the bus was at the depot, but it didn't leave until 08:00.
The driver and a helper spent a long time discussing what to do with my ticket, Ha Long was on the bus, at least the direction was right.
There were 2 breaks until Hai Phong, which was ok. But it took 9 hours, there were constant stops to get on and off.
In Hai Phong we changed to a simple city bus that went to the ferry. The conductor knew where to get off. And she spoke to a fellow passenger who took me to the ferry and had the money for the ferry ticket and the next bus. On Cat Ba there was another simple city bus. After 13 hours I arrived at my destination in the city of Cat Ba. It was a great experience with friendly Vietnamese people.
But not what I had booked.
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Bus Sleeper 38 Express, Grouptour, Jan 17, 2024
J C
Jeremy CI didn’t know about he 5 different stops and the 4 different véhicules and transfers on the way
Van Van VIP 9pax, Grouptour, Jan 10, 2024
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Nicola GTotally on time. 2 drop off to the final destination (tam coc)
Bus VIP 12pax, Grouptour, Jan 8, 2024
A B
Andressa BThe seat was comfortable, but it was more than a 12-hour journey with only one stop which only happened 3 and a half hours after we had left Hoi An. As there were no toilets on the bus, this was a problem. After this, the drivers stopped for themselves many times in random places so they could smoke and pee, one of them peed just in front of my window too. In addition, the pick up and drop off places were different to the ones mentioned on the voucher and 12go website, and we arrived over an hour early (5 AM instead of 6:25), which made things a little tricky. Finally, it wasn’t really nice to keep smelling the smoke from the driver’s cigarettes he smoked while driving. Bad experience overall.
Bus VIP Sleeper 33, Grouptour, Jan 8, 2024
A A
Anano ALeft 2 hours late. Got on a bus, got comfortable and then got told that this was the wrong bus (which it wasn't, because not all of us who were going to Nha Trang gor dismissed), got taken somewhere else and got up on a different bus. Also, I understand that all the drivers don't know English, which is fine, but if there's a toilet or food stop, can't they just remember the words "toilet" and "food" so all the tourist know what's going on and don't have to ask all the bus passengers in hope that someone knows English and translates?
Bus Sleeper 38, Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
M
Michaela Bus was Not in good Conditions (old and used inside). The personal could not speak English and was very rude. On the way from Sapa to Ninh Binh (about 6-7 hours drive) we stopped only once foe toilet usage. But stopped several times to pick up people.
Good: the bus driver drove perfectly calm and save.
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
J M
Janine MThe cabins are very comfortable but the driver wasn’t really friendly
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
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Nicoletta DI booked online late at night for next morning. I received a confirmation early next morning and went to the travel agency 30’ before departure time. We left 15’ after the scheduled time, changed two times into mini vans and arrived a little later than the scheduled arrival time. All was good and organized.
Bus Express 16, Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
A C
Alice CBus actually went from a different spot to advertised - had to get in someone’s car for a lift to the real spot. Beds were ok. Crammed - wouldn’t bring a bag into the cabin if you can help it. But expected that. Main issue was we arrived 45 minutes early and they didn’t communicate that we’d arrived. We checked Google maps and were still outside the town so thought this was just a quick toilet stop: then then started shoving all the bags out and shouting at us to hurry up. They helped load our bags onto scooters before we were even off the bus to you have to try even harder not to get scammed with an overpriced scooter ride to your hotel.
Bus VIP Sleeper 33, Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
D R
Danica Rthe comfort that the bus gave was 100%. WE DID two way from Airport to Sapa, and Sapa to Hanoi. Both were very convenient, comfortable and clean. I'm happy I was able to find this online!
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Dec 31, 2023
N
Noemi We had major communication problems and the operators in Hoi An were very rude. We left Hoi An 40 minutes late even though the bus driver arrived almost on time but simply seemed unwilling to let us board. We had booked a sleeping bus but the departure from Hoi An is by a 12-seater van and not by sleeping bus. No one told us where this van would take us and that there would be a change in Hue.
Once we arrived in Hue, we boarded the sleeping bus and waited almost an hour before departing without anyone explaining why. The trip then continued as normal, except for the stop to have dinner, which was at a very under-stocked place.
So, tip number 1: communicate more and better. Communication is not an optional extra; it is as much a part of the service as transportation.
Tip number 2: make stops at places that have at least a minimum wider selection (where we went you could only order one type of dish, no other type of snacks available other than packaged sweet snacks and cookies).
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Bus VIP 32, Grouptour, Dec 30, 2023
S
Stephan When I arrived in Hanoi to change to the next bus, there was nobody there to tell me where to go next. I had to call the company and somebody came and organised the next part of the trip. I think they had just forgotten me. In the end I arrived with 2 hours delay.
Van Van + VIP Bus, Grouptour, Dec 30, 2023
T K
Tomas KComfortable and clean cabins. Nice experience. No angry driver as reported by others. Could drive slower but ok. All good!
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Dec 29, 2023