The bamboo boat activity was chaotic and very badly organized. We were moved from one queue to another and then to another queue and another before we were allowed to board. There was supposed to be red wine, tea, fruits and snacks at the sunset party. Instead, we were only given a small, half-filled cup of tea and some fruits. The tea could be finished in one gulp. The boat was filled to the brim with guests so there wasn’t enough seats on the sun deck for all of us. There was an English speaking tour guide but we are not sure how professional he was as there was no history or introduction to the sights or any information given about the area we were visiting etc. He was more a coordinator to bring us from one place to another.

Fruit salad had gone bad. There were not enough seats at the sunset party and it was uncomfortably crowded on the sun deck. There were 2 levels so we did not understand why we were asked to remain in the cabin while the Level 1 folks were able to go up to get all the seats first. The Level 2 people basically had nowhere to sit or even stand. The seats in the bus could not be adjusted which made it uncomfortable for the 3 hour journey. There are no seat belts. We were supposed to learn about how pearls are made. Instead they brought us to a factory to look at silk worms. Staff were really friendly which made the difference

Every seat was taken on the bus and there was a father with a child and he did not even have a proper seat. We had to insist the mother sit with the father else the child’s kicking feet kept landing on our laps. We had to take the seat right at the back of the bus which faced the aisle. It was not a nice experience especially without any seat belts as I could fly through the aisle every time the bus driver jammed on the brakes. We were therefore unable to rest or relax the entire 3 hour bus journey. There was no luxury limousine here at all. There were no proper shower facilities on the boat as promised which meant that many of the guests had to shower in the toilets instead. This made the whole place wet and very dirty and slippery after a while.

Halong bay is itself very beautiful. The tour was ok. I feel the food was not worth it.