Halong Bay, Vietnam Indochina Sails

We have just returned to Australia after 3 weeks in Vietnam and one of the highlights was our time spent at Halong Bay.

There are plenty of tour operators sailing on Halong Bay - we chose Indochina Sails and without a doubt it was the right decision. The company presents well on its website; yet our expectations were exceeded. The booking process was fluent, with a comfortable coach trip from Hanoi to Halong Bay. Indochina Sails run a fleet of luxury junks and we sailed on the newest (and smallest) - 'Premium Valentine'. There are 2 spacious bedrooms on board, complete with shower, jacuzzi, and lots of room. Fortunately for us, we were the only couple on board for our 3 day/2 night adventure. It was fantastic...as if we had chartered the boat for ourselves. Five friendly staff on board to take us around Halong Bay and look after us. Our cruise guide was Tu - very professional, good English and a delight to be with. The meals were first class with delicious variety and lots to eat.

It was a wonderful and memorable experience to explore the sights of Halong Bay on a luxury cruise which delivers excellent value for money for couples. We saw spectacular caves, climbed to the top of a small island for an incredible view over the bay, kayaked in beautiful areas, visited a floating fishing village and a pearl farm and still had time to sit back, chill out and soak it all in.

In 2 or 3 years we'll return to charter 'Premium Valentine' and set our own itinerary for a 3 night/4day cruise to further explore Halong Bay and beyond.

Where do I start?! Absoluely LOVED Vietnam, so decided to take the trip along Halong Bay for 3 days 2 nights. Had originally booked with another boat but our hotel managed to get us an upgrade to the Valentine as it was our honeymoon. What can I say about this boat...beautiful decor, clean, well kept, food to actually die for...absolutely the 5* treatment during the whole stay.

The staff really made it for us...we cannot thank Tu and the crew for their hospitality and kindness throughtout our time there. We truely were so sad to leave and will definitely be looking to do it again i the near future.

Highly recommend!!

This would have to rate one of the best trips in the world.

The three and a half hour road trip to Halong Bay was a wonderful taste of culture, and as soon as we arrived we got the feeling we were in for something special. Special it was!

The highlight for us was the floating village. Wow, talk about a different way of living. This is a very unique culture of Vietnam.

On Indochina Sails, with service, food, accommodation and quality fit for royalty, you cannot go wrong. We were only on one junk, but I have no doubt the service and quality would be at the same standard on all Indochina junks. Some would say it is not possible to be perfect, but Indochina Sails is pretty close. Well done on being so good at what you do.

By far, one of the best things we have ever done. We came back but our hearts stayed in Vietnam. It's a beautiful country and Halong Bay is beyond imagination.

We had a wonderful 3 day/2 night trip aboard Indochina Sails recently. The service was excellent, we were looked after so well on board. The boats are great - spacious, well furnished; the food is of a very high standard (I'm a veggie, and they prepared at least 4 dishes especially for me!); and the bedroom and bathroom are very well fitted out.

Our shower wasn't working properly - to our amazement, one of their workmen came and changed the entire unit within 20 minutes! I wouldn't have expected a hotel to manage to do this so efficiently or effectively, let alone a boat with limited materials and skills on board.

The highlight had to be kayaking through the caves; but Tai Chi at sunrise, which I thought would be just a gimmick, was a great experience whilst looking out over the Bay.

It's hard to comment on Indochina Sails versus their competitors, the junks all look quite similar from the outside! However I would happily use them again - it was very difficult to step off the boat at the end.

Halong Bay was the highlight of our Vietnam family holiday. I don't usually use these types of words, but I can only describe it as an awe-inspiring, almost mystical place.

We spent 2 days and 1 night on an "Indochina Sails" junk. It was well equipped, very clean, with friendly and professional staff - and importantly the food was great!

It was a very peaceful, but also breath-taking, experience. The views were stunning.

We got to laze on the deck of the junk, swim in the bay, kayak, visit Ti Top island (where we climbed to the top of a hill to see some amazing vews) and also visit a floating fishing village.