Grouptour
- Schedule
- Stations
- Reviews
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.
Grouptour Stations
Mui Ne Hanh Cafe
Ho Chi Minh Hanh Cafe
Cao Bang
Friendship Pass
Vientiane Southern Bus Station
Hanoi SSB
Sapa SSB
Mai Chau Bus
Bai Chay Bus station
Lao Cai SSB
Bac Ha SSB
Hanoi SB
Phong Nha SSB
Danang SSB
Hoian Luxury SSB
Ho Chi Minh Office
Mai Chau Valley View
Tu Le Luxury SSB
Hanoi SSB1
Phong Nha Central Full Moon
Central Circus
Halong SB
Full Moon Bus Nha Trang
Dalat An Phu
Mui Ne An Phu
Hoi An An Phu
Sapa Bus Station
Tan Binh Office
Hanh Cafe Office Nha Trang
Mui Ne
Quan 5 Bus Stop
Ha Long Bus Stop
Hoi An 190 Ton Duc Thang street
Nha Trang Office
Hue City Center 37B Nguyen Thai Hoc street
Halong SSB1
Sapa SSB1
Hanoi Sb1
Cao Bang Luxury SSB
Tuan Chau Luxxury SSB
Sapa Office Luxury SSB
Moc Chau SSB
Puluong SSB
Yolo Ha Giang Adventures
Da Nang Bus station 38 Nguyen Tri Phuong street
Daiichi Cat Ba Office
Da Nang Office Limousine
Mu Cang Chai SSB
Hanoi Office
Ninh Binh Office
Hai Phong SSB
Trang An SSB
Hue Office
SAOVIET LAOCAI Office
Catba office
Mong Cai SSB
Hoi An Office limousine
Danang Offcie SB
156 Tran Quang Khai
LAO CAI SB OFFICE
HaGiang SB Office
Hagiang Office SSB
The long Hotel SSB
CATBA
The Long Hotel SB
Hanoi Tho Thap
Puluong SB
Ninh Binh limousine
NINHNINH SLEEPINGBUS
Dong van Sleepbus
HAlONG OPEN BUS
Ninh Binh OpenBus
HUE OPENBUS
Ninh Binh Bus
Van Don Ship port
HAGIANG SLEEPING
LAO CAI international border gate
Hoi An SSB
Nha Trang SSB
Mui Ne SSB
Lang Son SSB
44 Chu van An Street
04 Hang Chinh Maison Mackeno
64 Huynh Thuc Khang
Amazing Bus 116 QL13
60 Tran Nhan Tong
78 Tran Quang Khai
23 Nguyen Tat Thanh
32 thich quang duc
110 Da Nang Street Hai Phong
Oasis Coffee Bungalow Restaurant
The GOAT Bar Coffee Restaurant
Grouptour Company Reviews
Y
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, May 2, 2024
Put us in the back row super tight with people we don know, they let on the bus local people without a ticket-so they slept on the floor of the hallway so couldn’t get in or out. And we were late by 3 hours
A
Bus Sleeper 38, Grouptour, Apr 25, 2024
Very comfortable bus, great experience overall.
A
Bus VIP 9 Express, Grouptour, Apr 24, 2024
Too many times you had to switch the mini van. The driver was riding the car a bit aggressively.
N
Bus Lower Single Cabin, Grouptour, Apr 24, 2024
There was no toilet on the bus and it didn’t stop until 4hrs into the journey. My cabin was okay but my husbands light didn’t work along with a couple of other issues. We took a different company back to Hanoi that was better.
E
Bus Express, Grouptour, Apr 22, 2024
Not good. Trying to get money out of you every chance they get. A train operator said to me and my friend if we want this room to ourselves we would have to pay, we refused and we ended up being the only people in the room anyway. Bed wasn’t comfy at all. The operators were also rude and not helpful.
A
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Apr 21, 2024
Bought tickets for a 4pm bus ride but was contacted and pressured to be at the bus station before 2.30pm. Thankfully we didnt have any urgent plans set and was able to 'accomodate' their request but i told them to pick us up instead of us going there. They picked us up and dropped us at a location (not the designated spot at Sapa SSB) and told us to enter the limousine. We were angered as we booked a sleeper bus. The limousine was empty so surely they just wanted to fill up the space. So we did not follow and then another van took us to Sapa Market where we were given the Saoviet sleeper bus to Hanoi. When all of this was happening we simultaneously contacted the helpline but the response was rather very slow, riduculous and not helpful at all. Thankfully bus ride was pleasant but the driver is very rude, looking inside my bag to check if i brought food and rushing us to put on our shoes when we arrived at the destination. We had a child with us so surely it was a hassle and took some time to get us set to board off the bus unlike other passengers who were all adults and had not much luggage with them. Surely book from other platforms.
C
Bus VIP 32, Grouptour, Apr 14, 2024
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.
A
Van Standard, Grouptour, Apr 14, 2024
Very 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.
L
Bus VIP 14, Grouptour, Apr 9, 2024
After 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
E
Van Van + Sleeper Bus, Grouptour, Apr 8, 2024
Got there
C
Bus VIP 12pax, Grouptour, Apr 5, 2024
We 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
E
Bus VIP 18 Express, Grouptour, Apr 4, 2024
The 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.
S
Bus VIP 9 Express, Grouptour, Mar 28, 2024
3 transfers, but overall good. The vehicles were comfortable.
F
Bus VIP 33 Sleeper , Grouptour, Mar 27, 2024
Bus started 1h late, the crew was not friendly at all and we were making stops so many times.
R
Bus VIP 33 Sleeper , Grouptour, Mar 27, 2024
Departure 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.
C
Bus Lower Single Cabin, Grouptour, Mar 17, 2024
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.
M
Bus VIP 9 Express, Grouptour, Mar 15, 2024
Very comfortable bus with reclining seats, smooth journey
M
Bus VIP 33 Sleeper , Grouptour, Mar 14, 2024
It came late and it Said on the website that the trip would take 5h 20m but it ended up taking closer to 6h 45m
J
Bus VIP 32, Grouptour, Mar 13, 2024
Wir wurden mit kleinem Van zum Grißen bus gefahren. Hat alles super geklappt. Der Bus hat irgendwann rinfach für 30 min gestoppt, was echt nervig war.. . Sonst war die Busfahrt gut und die Plätze waren ebenfalls gut.
E
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Mar 13, 2024
Very uncomfy, difficult to sleep
G
Van VIP, Grouptour, Mar 10, 2024
Für Europäer chaotisch, aber pünktlich angekommen.
H
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Mar 9, 2024
The size of the bed would be nice information, since those beds had been less than 165cm long.
J
Bus Standard AC, Grouptour, Mar 6, 2024
Fahrt war angenehm und richtig vietnamesisch-ländlich! Das einzig blöde war, dass wir erst eine halbe Stunde vor Abfahrt eine Bestätigung erhalten haben und somit unseren Bus fast verpasst hätten.
D
Bus VIP 12pax, Grouptour, Mar 6, 2024
The 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.
J
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Mar 4, 2024
Der Sao Viet VIP22-Bus war sauber und bequem. Ist halt etwas zu kurz für Leute über 180, aber diagonal im Bett ging es mit 186. Personal war freundlich. Wir hatten etwas Verspätung, für die Strecke aber ok. Ist definitiv zu empfehlen.
L
Van Van + VIP Bus, Grouptour, Mar 4, 2024
Wir kamen an, haben auch über viele Umwege das bekommen was wir gebucht haben aber bei 3,5h Verspätung, die definitiv nicht an Stau oder ähnlichem lag sondern an falscher Organisation eigentlich nicht in Ordnung.
R
Van Regional, Grouptour, Mar 1, 2024
Parfait, ponctuel, véhicule très confortable. Très bon chauffeur
L
Bus VIP 12pax, Grouptour, Feb 29, 2024
3 changes, 1,50 minutes delay e all the trip with my backpack on my legs because no space
J
Bus Sleeper 38, Grouptour, Feb 29, 2024
Die Agency hat uns anscheinend vergessen. Nach mehreren Anrufen ging die Hotline endlich ran. Wir haben Ihnen zu verstehen gebracht was unser Problem is
P
Van Shared van 6 pax, Grouptour, Feb 26, 2024
We were not dropped off the designated place
S
Bus VIP 33 Sleeper , Grouptour, Feb 24, 2024
Overall 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 😊
N
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Feb 24, 2024
Zusammengefasst bin ich zufrieden. Der Bus fuhr eine halbe Stunde später und ein paar hundert Meter entfernt ab. Netterweise zeigte ein Mitarbeiter mir den Weg und half sogar meinen Koffer dorthin zu tragen.
A
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Feb 22, 2024
Journey 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.
J
Bus VIP 18 Express, Grouptour, Feb 17, 2024
Smooth ride with a short stop at a nice rest stop.
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Feb 9, 2024
I 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.
J
Bus VIP 18 Express, Grouptour, Feb 8, 2024
Comfortable bus, arrived 2 hours early. Perfect.
R
Bus VIP 18 Express, Grouptour, Feb 6, 2024
Voyage correct
V
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Feb 3, 2024
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.
J
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Feb 1, 2024
Good, 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.
H
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Jan 28, 2024
Bus 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…
A
Bus Sleeper 38 Express, Grouptour, Jan 17, 2024
Ba und es war die schnellste Option mit 10h Fahrtzeit.
Start sollte 07:30 sein, der Bus stand im Depot, los ging es aber erst um. 08:00.
Der Fahrer und ein Helfer diskutierten lange, was sie mit meinem Ticket machen sollten, Ha Long stand am Bus, zumindest die Richtung stimmte.
Es gab 2 Pausen bis Hai Phong, das war ok. Es dauerte aber schon 9h, ständig gab es Stopps zum Ein- bzw Aussteigen.
In Hai Phong dann umstieg in einen einfachen Stadtbus, der zur Fähre fuhr. Die Schaffnerin wusste, wo aus aussteigen musste. Und sie sprach eine Mitfahrende an, die mich zur Fähre brachte und das Geld für das Fährticket und den nächsten Bus hatte. Auf Cat Ba dann wieder ein einfacher Stadtbus. Nach 13h war ich dann am Ziel in der Stadt Cat Ba. Alles eine schöne Erfahrung mit freundlichen Vietnamesen.
Aber nicht das, was ich gebucht hatte.
J
Van Van VIP 9pax, Grouptour, Jan 10, 2024
I didn’t know about he 5 different stops and the 4 different véhicules and transfers on the way
N
Bus VIP 12pax, Grouptour, Jan 8, 2024
Totally on time. 2 drop off to the final destination (tam coc)
A
Bus VIP Sleeper 33 , Grouptour, Jan 8, 2024
The 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.
A
Bus Sleeper 38, Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
Left 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?
M
Bus Sleeper 41, Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
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.
J
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
The cabins are very comfortable but the driver wasn’t really friendly
N
Bus Express 16, Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
I 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.
A
Bus VIP Sleeper 33 , Grouptour, Jan 1, 2024
Bus 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.
D
Bus VIP 22, Grouptour, Dec 31, 2023
the 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!