Grouptour

Unreliable operator, wrong information, should avoid it. Better to ask the bus arrangement to the hostel owner. Actually the bus I got is different company. I wanted to pick me up at hostel on the way, so I contacted them but it was terrible. the contact No. of Whatsapp was not working, I sent message to the hotline No. by Zalo but just replied to me send email.then, I sent email and got a confirmation. However, I had to wait around 1hour. However, the hostel owne didn't know this operator and he said that no bus leaves 12:15pm which the voucher shows. He called one of the number in voucher and asked the bus company name but the person didn't tell and hang up the phone. then, a bus passed by in front of us, didn't stop. the owner gave me a bike ride and chased it, then I could get on. the journey was too long stopping at many points for passenger and freight. In Hanoi, we had to get off at other points, not My Dinh bus terminal. It is the worst bus trip experience ever in Vietnam.

it is a comfortable journey however it did happen with lot of ifs and buts. Like pickup is late, uncertain in ticket issuing, uncertain in pickup timings - i understand it is due to festival and weekend season. So, it is a one of the days. Overall, i recommend the Journey with group tours, gille, Anh and all others helped a lot with information clear enough. I appreciate the help

Got transfer cancelled and rescheduled 2 hrs in advance and with a different solution ( cabin bus in place of van). Very small Refund provided, not even covering for the difference in ticket cost.new solution (s trip) very efficient though

Drivers smoke in the bus

Very hot in the cabin at the beginning and not deareased for long time. Every drink were quite hot. Operator

The trip started surprising by getting a taxi first to get to the point where bus was placed. We were not informed of it. We found out only after we called the operator that the bus was not coming. After taxi picked us up - we didn’t know where we were going. The trip was supposed to start at 7:30 from Hanoi, but it started at 9:00. Then during the trip we stopped randomly at various places with no information why or whether it was a break or not. Once we stopped at mechanic for over 1 hour because who knows why, but all the tires had to be pumped up. Then we stopped in the middle of the highway and waited there for over 30 minutes for another car to drop a woman who joined is on the bus. We were supposed to have 30 minutes lunch break, but after 15 minutes the bus boss said we have to go back. The bus boss also wanted us to double pay for the trip (he had no idea we already paid) and translating to him we already paid took another 15 minutes. Overall, we were supposed to be at 4pm at Phong Nha. We came at 6pm after stressful trip.

On the afternoon of July 24th, I booked a bus to Nanning departing at 5:30 the following morning. On the day of the reservation, I took a Grab taxi through heavy rain, thunder, and lightning, and arrived at the meeting point at 5:15 AM—fifteen minutes early—but my bus was nowhere to be found, and the travel agency was closed. While I was waiting, a motorbike driver next to me told me that the agency had closed and the pickup location had been moved elsewhere. I didn't believe him at first, but when the bus still hadn't arrived even after 5:30 AM had passed, I trusted him and got on his motorbike. He dropped me off about 1 km away and demanded over 200,000 VND. Worried that I might miss my bus, I paid the fee and headed to where the buses were supposed to be, only to find that they were not the Nanning-bound buses I had booked, but buses bound for Sapa. That was when I realized I had been scammed. Thinking I needed to get back to the original location, I took another Grab taxi, but the bus was still nowhere in sight. My clothes were completely soaked from the rain, and I was about to give up and call a Grab taxi home when the owner of the travel agency suddenly appeared and asked if I was waiting for a bus. When I asked why the bus wasn't coming, he admitted there wasn't one but said he would find another. After making a phone call, he managed to book me on a bus departing at 7:00 AM from a different travel agency about 15 minutes away by taxi. Still in my soaked clothes, I had to wait another hour before finally catching the bus to Nanning. I had been up since 4:00 AM getting ready, only to end up drenched in the rain, scammed by a motorbike driver, and thoroughly miserable before finally reaching the Chinese border. While several factors were to blame—the bad weather, a dishonest motorbike driver, and my own foolish decision—the bus company's irresponsible behavior deserves to be condemned. I hope no other innocent travelers will suffer the same fate after reading this.

One of the best service bus in vietnam, kind and respectful people ,also they leave us at the hotel's door late at night

Good trip. The border crossing is always a hassle. Make sure you do a pre arrival for China before you leave or have good internet to do it online at the border.

Très bien. Reactif

Pick up was a little away from station, phone signal was not working properly, so took us a while to get details, and van had actually set off without us, so had to turn around and come back, which they did quite quickly.

Smooth journey to the China border, with room for minor improvementsWe recently used this service for our trip from Hanoi to the Chinese border. Overall, the experience was positive and everything went smoothly, though the communication at the start could be improved.We started at their office in Hanoi. The departure was slightly delayed, and they sent us a message asking us to wait on the corner of that same street instead of the office. A private car picked us up there and took us to the main limousine bus. Later on, closer to the border, we had to switch cars once more.Everything went well during the trip, and we arrived safely. The only downside was the final drop-off location; we felt they could have dropped us off a bit closer to the actual border checkpoint to save us some walking.That being said, it is a reliable service and we would recommend it.

Fun, interesting to see the country side and different cities and how fast and comfortable the speed trains are. Enjoy using 12Go, it’s fast service, get pdf ticket fast, the train station only needs to see passport. Then find my seat. Loads of storage on train.

OK! First of all, if taking the buses to save you $100, don't do it. You take the bus to have a unique experience. To slow travel. To push outside of what you know. But most of the reviews are from folks who were looking for a standard travel convenience while saving money. You will be disappointed. But we LOVED our journey. And if you're excited to take the bus. Here's your life hack toolkit! First of all...review the reviews! Some brokers connect you to better buses than others. This one was great. But we met others who had less than stellar experiences. That said, if you get a bus you're uncomfortable with in ANY way, just call 12go and rebook. Safety is never worth compromising. And some folks we met that booked on other routes paid for multiple bunks but were squished into fewer beds. I HIGHLY recommend ensuring you book a VIP 20 or 21 (indicating the number of beds on the bus) vs. the VIP 40 (way too many people). Again, the increase of cost is small for the comfort. The best seats are in the middle of the bus on the uppers if you can get them (windows, less bumps, more comfortable). I prefer the lowers but I don't mind not having a window because I'm asleep most of the time. I highly recommend you take the 5:45pm/6pm bus out of Hanoi. It will have very few stops but you sleep. The bus arrives at the border of Laos at 1am and then there are restrooms (bring toilet paper!) and food options there. It will park at the border until they open at 7am and they let everyone through. When you book, you will get a voucher but you need to exchange it for ACTUAL TICKETS at the bus station. Get there early. At least an hour. Exchange your tickets, you will have to ask around to find your bus stall. The folks at the desk might know but don't count on it. Give yourself time. Meet the drivers, get your bags on, grab a seat. The real cheat code to a good trip (by train or bus) is to pre game with good snacks. Make sure you get Bahn Mi that you love, have fresh fruit, water and your favorite sweet and salty snacks. A pre game the day before your travel makes all the difference. Options on the road can be great but don't count on them. The border crossing is going to be hectic. Roll with it. You should ABSOLUTELY get your visa at the embassy BEFORE you board the bus. Visas on arrival are not typically issued at the border crossings for all buses and you have no way of knowing exactly where your bus will cross in advance. Don't chance it. The bus WILL LEAVE YOU. The visa process is simple, you go to the Lao Embassy in Hanoi and drop off your passport, two passport photos and complete their application (I recommend you go first thing in the morning) and they can usually have it back at the end of day or early the next morning. When you cross, you will have your visa inspected. Then you will need to have it processed (pay for a stamp 15K Dong each), then get a Lao stamp. It took us an hour to get through it all but it was a fun adventure with all the other foreigners. Then you walk through the border crossing all the way to meet your bus. You can leave your luggage on the bus and just cross on foot. Then you're back on the bus and have another 2-3 hours until another long stop for lunch, bathrooms and hydration. We slept most of the journey. After that it's about another 4 hours to Vientiane Southern Bus Station. The bus station is outside of town and you will need to get a TukTuk. Many of the vendors/stalls along the journey will have both Vietnamese Dong and Laotian Kip. Ask for change in kip so you have some when you get to the bus station. Once you're in town there are tons of ATMs. But you will have to haggle for your TukTuk ride into town. It's about 100K-150K kip. Life is about taking the road less traveled and a 24-hour bus ride across the Laotian border definitely qualifies. We enjoyed the journey so much and have taken trains and buses all across South East Asia. Enjoy! I'm on IG @liveBQD for more!

I slept very well and it was very comfortable. However, there was no guidance at the reception, and no drinks were offered. The trip was fantastic.

Excellent. Close to station. Waited while o ate breakfast. Took to hotel door

The service was 20-25 minutes delayed but everything was smooth and well.

Was under the impression that we would be travelling in a smaller bus for 6 passengers, ended up being a 14/16 seater. There wasn’t enough room for luggage in back of bus, so bags stacked in door entry. Tour guide had to stand as no seats left.

Very good driver! Very easy booking. Very good support.

The driver was 20 min late and I phoned the 12 go hotline and the woman was extremely rude. Am very hesitant to book with the company again

Hanoi Opera House - Ba Be Lake Homestay. I had contacted the hotline because I was worried the driver hadn't turned up and there weren't and other people waiting there. I called the hotline, which called the driver and was helpful. The driver arrived exactly at the time. Halfway through the journey, I was transferred to another minivan. Both minivans were standard for the region and the drivers were nice. The driver asked me which homestay I was staying in at Ba Be and dropped me at the door. Would use again. Thanks!

There were 22 people in a 15-people van. I don't expect that when I reserve a seat.

We arrived more than 1 hour late and had to do a transfer in a minibus in the middle of a highway

The bus was full of people in the alley so very noisy, not great to sleep And the bus dropped us at the wrong spot, we had to take a 10min taxi to finish the trip that the bus was supposed to make.

The bus came with about 40 minuts delay and there was no cleare information about it.

They were almost an hour late. Didn’t answer the number provided, and dropped us off 2 hours later than expected

We arrived at Muong Thanh at around 3am and the driver just stopped at a random gas station and went to sleep without letting us leave first Then at around 4h30 when we tried to wake him up and ask to leave he just rudely shooed us off and went back to sleep At around 5am when other people started to wake up, then he finally opened the door to let us leave but even after that, he didn’t want to open the luggage so we could take out our backpacks By this time it was already too late for us and we lost a second bus we wanted to catch We are very disappointed with this service

Great experience. Definitely recommend, just remember to take your own toilet roll

Perfect. Very nice staff, clear instructions, very good trip. They even asked to drop us off near the hotel.

Trip started 45 minutes late. Another person booked the 5:30 and her drive never showed up. Our driver did a great job, very safe.

The bus driver took so many breaks (breakfast, coffee, car wash, packages, etc.) that it took an hour more to get to Sa Pa.

We booked the trip

Arrived half an hour late at our homestay in Ninh Binh. Convenient transport to get from A to B. Driver most of the time have their own philosophy of getting safe to the final destination.

The bus pickup was one hour earlier than we booked, which was annoying. The bus took very long to pick up everyone in Haiphong ok the way and so we had not gone far after 4 hours, why were there not fewer more central pickups? We arrived three hours later than expected due to the above-mentioned reasons.

The bus was 5 hours later than expected. The bus we thought we were getting left with very little communication. Only then were we told we would be getting the next bus to come.

Not happy with sleeperbus comfort and/ or van. Staff was not very friendly, except the guy helping us in Sapa ssb station. The drop off in Cao Bang was at the busstation not at the indicated place (where we booked our hostel nearby!!) and therefore we had to take a taxi (no more mobile network/ data) to the hostel.

Everything was fine, but they insisted on keeping the aircon on on the bus (I think to demistify the front window) which was somehow connected to the whole bus. So nothing VIP about being freezing - it was maybe 5 degrees in Sapa so it was too cold to sleep most of the bus. the staff were generally very nice though and even offered us fruit as we waited for the ferry

They picked me up in a pickup truck that was delivering goods at different places on the way to my destination. They prioritized the gods before getting me in time to the destination. I made it to the train station but quite frustraed.

The driver was nice and the seats were clean. However, there were empty water bottles in some of them. I didn't have any water etc. on my seat. Communication was minimal. We were dropped off at some car park in Hanoi, which was not specified as the arrival point. I had to organise a taxi to get into the city. The extra costs were not planned for and, as a woman travelling alone, it was not a pleasant experience.

The pickup went smoothly. However, the driver braked harshly a lot and the drive wasn’t very comfortable. The total duration of the drive wasn’t 3h - as estimated - but rather 4,5h. This was partly due to the traffic but also because we stopped in Da Nang several times to either pick up or drop off passengers. This was pretty annoying because we thought we were going straight to Hoi An. Also my seat was broken so I couldn’t lean back at all.

A trip of a lifetime. Language barriers I would read the reviews for boarder crossings. Was a lesson learned.

The place where you showed in the map is not correct. I need to send the message to the operstot to get the correct address from where the bus will pick up ud

I think more than 10 stops(picking people up and packages ) with lights on in the bus , 1 break for the toilet for women. Small beds

Would only do if I’m really really on a budget. No to these border buses! Also no privacy English or information. Just weird locals. (Sorry but as a girl I felt uncomfortable and left alone)

I was missing the whatsapp before travel start and i was not aware from the booking where and how long my busexchange would last.

My bus was supposed to be at 6.20 pm. Probably they didn't have enough bookings and they just cancelled it. Do you think they told me anything about it? No, of course none told me anything. So I look

We needed more information; for example, we didn't know that we would be driven to the bus and then have to wait there. The communication was poor.

Lots of random stops, constantly on his phone.

Horrible experience bad communication between driver and me, 2 hours late to destination. Bus broke down than told me to jump into a random vehicle for the last hour of my trip

Experienced driver w/ an ambitious style of driving.