Driver was a bit late for pick up and we arrived 30min late. Driver was driving like crazy but I guess most drivers do in Vietnam.
We had 1 bathroom stop which was nice, Car was comfortable and communication on WhatsApp about pick up time was excellent. We got to be dropped off at our hotel which was nice.
Had been waiting inside the car alone for 25min (driver did not say a word).. then had to change the bus again without any word of explanation. Arrived 1,5 hrs later than expected (estimated time had been 2 hrs) bc there were different people always on and off the van constantly
รถตู้ รถตู้เล็ก, Viet Nam Travel Bus (Việt Nam Travel Bus), 9 ธ.ค. 2023
Ask locals or book somewhere else
We had a couple of experiences with 12go asia in our recent Vietnam trip and would not recommend this service.
First, you simply do not see all options available, nor necessarily the best options for your trip. So in any case I would recommend to ask locals, e.g., a dedicated receptionist. They will call someone and you pay much less and will probably be guided until you sit in the bus.
However, using this service, which in principle can bring you from A to B, there are problems. The first sign for ultra disrespectful behaviour towards the customers (apart from responses to online receptions; just have a look around) is the unneccessary insurance which is sold if you do not uncheck a, by default checked, box when you order. The second is the handling of receptions and inquiries.
This leads to the final problem I have with this service, which is our experience with a night bus.
When you book such a bus you will get a confirmation and a PDF with coordinates and a time of arrival. You are supposed to be there 60 minutes before departure. Fine. A taxi can bring you there. However, the point is that the bus, as in our case, will probably just not show up. The taxi driver had already kind of an idea that this will go wrong as he didnt know the place. However, checking the ticket he agreed that this has to be the we are supposed to go.
So you are there in the night, at a "bus stop" (a shady place next to the Highway; cockroaches, rats, busses and trucks honking included for free) and wait for >2 hrs before giving up. All the phone numbers of the bus company dont work. Problems getting taxi or hotel at that time in the night are self-explanatory - luckily we found friendly accomodation in our previous hotel.
After the bus company found it appropriate to just reschedule our trip to the next day (surprise: we couldnt just reschedule and our travel plans were messed up a bit) I contacted 12go. After a couple of mails back and forth with always another person on the 12go side, I found that they neither want to follow my demand of a refund, nor really care. So here it is my opinion about 12go. Have fun with the 30€, you can keep them. And all the Vietnam travelers: Just keep away- there are better options.
We are extremely satisfied with the service. It was raining a lot, so we asked via WhatsApp to wait at a coffee that was nearby. The person managing the booking alerted us when the van arrived. The driver was very nice too and he had a safe a pleasant trip (even with heavy rain). Great experience!
First off, the entire Hue to Da Nang journey took 3 hours, not 1.5 hours as stated on the website - this is very misleading.
The driver was 20 min late, he called the hotel and told them that he would be late, I didn't receive any messages / whatsapp from the driver. Then the hotel front desk told me the driver was going to be late after I checked out. I could have waited a bit in my room if I had gotten the info earlier.
The driver spoke very little, very little English, basic Hi, yes, no, sorry, nevertheless he was polite. I'm not sure if it's the Vietnamese culture, they just can't keep their hands off the phone. He was reading messages, texting, making calls and answering calls on the phone (no Bluetooth no "hands-free") throughout the entire journey. Hence he was driving slow on the fast lane while the other cars were honking and over-taking us.
Tour operator was communicative throughout, and let me know there would be a delay (15 mins, which was understandable as visible traffic). The only thing that prevented this from being a comfortable journey was that the gentleman in front of me had his seat reclined so far back, there was barely any room for my legs. Had to sit sideways with legs up. As was sitting in the back row, no option to recline for more space. Left feeling a little cramped during the two hour journey. While this is not the operators fault, there should be some rule in place if the bus is at capacity to ensure comfort for all passengers.
